Untouchability Is a Doctrinal Axis of Hinduism
By Sumit Paul, New Age Islam
1 December 2023
This pertains to the disturbing news item that a temple in
UP was 'Purified'
after, Saiyada Khatoon, a Muslim MLA's visit. Mr Ghulam Mohiyuddin aptly
commented that this sick mentality generated untouchability. The stupid reason
cited for this 'purification' will make you laugh:
"Because Sayeda Khatoon is a Muslim and eats cow meat,
her visit to this holy place had made it impure,"Dharamraj Verma said,
adding, "After this purification, this place has now become completely
pure."
Does this foolish man know that so many Hindus consume beef
and they visit temples. Many Hindus in Kerala eat cow meat and they go to
temples. A large number of Bengalis love to gorge on beef steaks and Chapli
Kababs (Chapli Kababs are usually made from ground beef) and pay
obeisance to their deities. One of the earliest philosophers in recorded
history, Yagyavalkya, who questioned many metaphysical propositions, says, 'I
eat it (beef) only if it is cooked till it is tender.' The king of the gods,
Indra, too is said to be fond of beef. In the Rig Veda, Indra demands that he
be served 15 to 20 cooked oxen (Indra must have been a glutton!).
It was a custom in the Vedic ages to offer a cow to a
priest. And - if not a full cow - beef was a must for the Madhuparka or
offerings. Later, the practice became symbolic of sacrifice. In the
Mahabharata, Vyasa is seen accepting a cow but releasing it thereafter. Here
the cow is neither killed nor consumed. Because, by then, people had understood
that the animal was very useful in daily life,
Today's neo-Hindus (sorry, Sanatanis) , like the ignorant
followers of other faiths, are not aware of their religious history, heritage
and symbolism. They don't know Sanskrit just like most of the fanatic Muslims
on the sub-continent don't know Arabic. Semi-educated Hindus, lacking in power
of reasoning, logic and dialectic, go bananas over Adi Shankar, not knowing
Shankara's open sympathy and support for sectarian views of the ancient
treatises on Dharma or law codes. Shankara's most regressive and reactionary
view on Sudras is revealed in his commentary on the sutra I.iii.38 on
how the Sudras should be prohibited from hearing the Vedas. The Gotama
Dharma sutra XII.4, which Shankara refers to here, says “then should he (the Sudra)
happen to hear the Vedas, the expiation consists in his ears being filled with
(molten) lead and lac.”
Hindu religion has been professing casteism, discrimination
and untouchability from the beginning and its so-called 'enlightened' exponents
like Adi Shankara, Kumaril Bhatt, Mandan Mishra and Vachaspati Mishra (see, all
Brahmins!), among others sanctioned untouchability. In short, untouchability is
a doctrinal axis of Hinduism.
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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/untouchability-doctrinal-axis-hinduism/d/131230
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