Why Do You've To Be So Touchy?
By
Sumit Paul, New Age Islam
26 January
2024
The Supreme
Court on Thursday, January 25, stayed criminal proceedings against Samajwadi
Party leader Swami Prasad Maurya who allegedly made objectionable remarks about
‘Ramcharitmanas’, a sacred Hindu text based on the Ramayana.
There's no
denying the fact that Tulsidas' 'Ramcharitmanas' has objectionable passages.
The most infamous being: Dhor, Ganwaar, Pashu, Shudra, Naari/ Sab Taadan Ke
Adhikari. It's so obvious and self-explanatory that it needs no further
interpretation. You cannot absolve Tulsidas of gender and caste bias. Moreover,
Tulsidas was a rebuffed man. Though married, his wife Ratnavali was exasperated
by her uxorious husband. She humiliated him. Tulsidas never forgot that
humiliation. So, a doting and uxorious husband turned a misogynist! He was a
Brahmin and at that time, no Brahmin had any kind of sympathy for Dalits.
If today,
someone questions Tulsidas' attitude towards women and dalits, he or she has
every right to ask. Just by writing 'Ramcharitmanas,' Tulsidas doesn't become
irreproachable. In fact there's nothing sacrosanct and irreproachable in this
world. No man, no book, no faith and no god is beyond reproach. Nietzsche's 'Critical Irreverence' towards everything
and every person is necessary in a civilized and cerebral society.
It's really
ironic that in the 1950s and 60s, there were at least 10 students pursuing
their doctorates in Hindi at India's leading universities with their emphasis
on Tulsidas' misogynistic and caste-based biases in Ramcharitmanas. The guides
were legends like Bhagirath Mishra, Dr Hajari Prasad Dwivedi and Dr Vidyaniwas
Mishra. No one objected. All the students got their PhDs despite being critical
of Tulsidas and his Ramcharitmanas. This is knowledge, nay wisdom when you
allow the other person to present his/her viewpoint however tangential that may
be. And look at today's scenario! People rush to the court the moment you say
something unpalatable about a revered mythological character, holy book or god.
Have we evolved or devolved? Have we advanced or gone back? Ask yourself in
solitude.
----
A regular columnist for New Age Islam, Sumit Paul
is a researcher in comparative religions, with special reference to Islam. He
has contributed articles to the world's premier publications in several
languages including Persian.
URL: https://newageislam.com/spiritual-meditations/touchy-ramcharitmanas-tulsidas-sc/d/131588
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