Sudra ascetics were feared: So, Shambuka was beheaded

The High Court of Madras, has, in Shanmugha Desika Gnanasambanda Paramacharya Swamigal  Vs Controller Of Estate Duty, on 26. 03.1983, held that “according to Dharmasastras, Sudra cannot become a sanyasi or ascetic. Although the orthodox view does not sanction or tolerate ascetic life of the Sudras, the existing practice all over India seems to indicate that with reluctance the right to ascetic life was extended to Sudras and in due recognition of their status, they were treated as Hindu sanyasis. Thus, as on date, there is no distinction or barrier and any one may become an ascetic”.

It was not evolution in thoughts of the Brahmins that made the courts to recognise the Sudra ascetics. It was the inability to suppress the popularity of real Sudra saints like Appar (600 AD) that made the Brahmins to condescend to accept the Sudra saints. There had been many real and illustrious Saivite saints among Non-Brahmins who preached for the salvation of the masses, and derided the empty rituals and formalities through which Brahmins ensured their importance. Thiruvilaiyaadarpuraanam in Tamil (which is not known to the North) would  testify to the glorious period of Tamils when they were led by the Saints only towards good conduct and salvation for all, irrespective of the Castes and Varnas. Non-Brahmin Saints in Tamilnadu were held in high esteem by the masses, because of their real saintliness, selflessness and compassion without ulterior motive.

Aurangazeb honoured Kumaraguruparar

Saint Kumaragurupara Swamihal of Tirupanandaal was so gracious and compassion-personified that the Emperor Aurangazeb, the Governor of the Deccan from from 1633 - 44 AD and from 1653  - 58 AD, (Page 143 & 147 - History of Medieval India - V.D. Mahajan - 1995) was so impressed with his presence that he endowed a vast area of land Benares to promote Saivism. The Saint established a Mutt at Kaasi and Tirupanandal to promote Saivism and Tamil. Yet, he was derisively called as a Sudra, by the Brahmanical law.

Sanyasi Vs. Paradesi

The High Court of Madras had, in Giyana Sambandha Pandara Sannadhi v. Kandasami Tambiran  observed as follows:  "If an ascetic or a hermit is a Brahmin, he is called a Yati or Sanyasi; if a Sudra, he is called a paradesi" (1887) (Chief Justice. Sir Arthur J. H. Collins and Justice Muthusamy Ayyar) (P - 385 Madras Series Vol .X). Thus, even when a person renounces the world, the discriminatory Chaturvarna tag will be used to identify and proclaim his Varna to the world and deride him thereby. A Sudra may, personally, choose to renounce the material world, but he will not be permitted to extricate himself from his Sudra status. No such personal rights, at all, for a Sudra. He had no right to live his life his way. It was the Brahminical veto that chased him wherever he went, that denied him the escape route from being a Sudra.

Brahmins were afraid of Sudra saints

When the child of a Brahmin met with a premature death, the Brahmins complained to Rama that the death of the child was because of the Sudra doing tapasya. “At this time, in thine empire, a rigid penance is being undertaken by a wretched Shudra, 0 Prince, and this is the cause of the death of that child.” On their suggestion, Rama goes around the kingdom and finds that one person in the South was practicing an extremely rigorous penance, his head hanging downwards. Rama asks him, “Blessed art thou, 0 Ascetic, who art faithful to thy vows ! From what caste art thou sprung, 0 Thou who hast grown old in mortification and who art established in heroism. I am interested in this matter, I, Rama, the son of Dasaratha. What purpose hast thou in view? Is it heaven or some other object? What boon dost thou seek by means of this hard penance? I wish to know what thou desire in performing these austerities, O Ascetic. May prosperity attend thee! Art thou a brahmin ? Art thou an invincible Kshatriya? Art thou a Vaishya, one of the third caste or art thou a Shudra? Answer me truthfully !"

Then the ascetic, replies, his head still hanging downwards, “O Rama, I was born of a Shudra alliance and I am performing this rigorous penance in order to acquire the status of a God in this body. I am not telling a lie, O Rama, I wish to attain the Celestial Region. Know that I am a Shudra and my name is Shambuka."

Heard ‘Sudra’ and cut off the head

As he was yet speaking, Raghava, drawing his brilliant and stainless sword from its scabbard, cut off his head. The Shudra being slain, all the Gods and their leaders with Agni's followers, cried out, “Well done! Well done!" overwhelming Rama with praise, and a rain of celestial flowers of divine fragrance fell on all sides, scattered by Vayu. In their supreme satisfaction, the Gods said to that hero, Rama “Thou hast protected the interests of the Gods, 0 Highly Intelligent Prince, now ask a boon, 0 Beloved Offspring of Raghu, Destroyer of Thy Foes. By thy grace, this Shudra will not be able to attain heaven!" (The Ramayana of Valmiki: Translated by Hari Prasad Shastri - Book 7, Chapter 73-76). It has also been written by Valmiki that the dead Brahmin boy had come alive. “Rama thence proceeded to the Ashrama which was nearby of the sage Agastya, who commended the step he had taken with Sambuka, and presented him with a divine bracelet. Rama then returned to his capital. Such is Rama” (Page 332 – Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar – Writings and Speeches – Vol. 4).

That was how protagonists of Chaturvarna had been using the kings and the State machinery, the Executive, to commit even cold-blooded murders of Sudras, to prevent them from becoming ascetics. They were murdered for the only reason that they were Sudras by birth. Shambuka was “a wretched Shudra”, as recorded in the Ramayana of Valmiki. By killing him in cold-blooded murder, interests of the Gods had been protected, says Valmiki. There was happiness for Gods that that Sudra would not be able to attain heaven, records Valmiki. Such Vedas and such a Rama are directed to be venerated by the Chaturvarna forces.

If Gods themselves were so antagonistic towards the Sudras, how could a people disowned by the God Himself, be treated as part of that ‘religion’ first? How could such a ‘religion’ be expected to provide salvation (mukthi) to these people? When there is no salvation contemplated for the Sudras, how could such a set up be called as a religion at all for them? Is there any other religion, in the world, like that? How could such a book called Ramayana that preaches and justifies so much hatred against the large masses constituting more than 70 % of the people in Hinduism, be expected to be held by those masses with reverence?

And, more important than all, why were the Brahmins afraid of the Sudras becoming ascetics? The reasons are not far to seek. There is close connection between sainthood and priesthood in the estimation of the common people every where. They honour saints who are really saintly. And, when such saints happened to be Non-Brahmins they demolished the chaturvarna citadels in every way. That posed a grave threat to the self proclaimed supremacy of the Brahmins perpetuated through the monopoly in priesthood.

Looking at the Future

The issue before the present generation of ‘Hindus’ is neither about the recent past nor the ancient past. It is the ‘present’, the very ‘present’ and also the ‘future’. And that necessitates them to dig deeper into the past. Because, the “root cause of the problems of the present lie deep in the past”. “Everything that is happening now is based on what happened already”. “What happened before causes and affects all things that happen now”. “If one does not learn from history, he is condemned to relive the past”. The slavery of the Non-Brahmins under the Brahmanical Social Order should not be allowed to be re-enacted once again, in spite of the persistent and conscious efforts of the Brahmins, at present, to resurrect that era.

Updated on 23.06.2020:
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