Recently I was going through some text books of short
stories on the discrimination in society on the basis of caste, gender, race
and religion. I was really shocked to
know the kind of tortures & inhuman treatment that was meted out to people
belonging to the (socially constructed and so called) lower castes, females
& blacks in the past. I would have never known about the extent and
intensity of their agonies, pains & hardships, had I not been introduced to
the accounts of their experiences through these books. I realized how Shudras (dalits, people from
so called lower castes) & Blacks were supposed to live the life of slaves
and/as untouchables and how females were denied even the basic human rights
& were exploited under the pretext of social or religious
norms/customs. Fortunately, with
changing times, these saddening and redundant practices & social customs
have also diminished to a large extent but even today we come across, in one
way or the other, few horrific incidents
which proves that the ghost of caste system & gender inequality still
lingers on and continues to ruin the lives of many(so called) lower castes &
females, specially in small towns & rural areas. I was wondering if we will ever
be able to live in a harmonious world, unfettered by such inequalities!!
Last week, I planned to undergo the ceremony of Upanayan
Sanskaar (Yagyopaveet; Thread Ceremony of Hindus). I was under the impression
that this ceremony was limited to the Brahmins only (so called the ‘Higher
Castes’ in Hindus) and in some rare cases vaishyas & kshatriyas could also get this ceremony done. Shudras
were out rightly banned from undergoing Upanayan Ceremony which
traditionally signified a new birth in the Spiritual world towards the higher
knowledge of the Self. People who undergo this ceremony are more popularly
referred to as being ‘twice-born’ or ‘Dwija’. Attainment of such Spiritual
knowledge was strictly forbidden for “Shudras” (Dalits or the so called ‘lower
castes’ in Hindus). Also having been
raised in a liberal yet patriarchal society, I grew up believing that
“Upanayanam” (the thread ceremony) is only for males. On questioning the
limitation of this tradition to males, I was showered with innumerable but all
too mythical and pseudo sensible reasons, advocating its validity. If I may
correctly recall, I also happened to come across an explanation as weird as
this-
“A boy's
upanayana must be performed when he is seven years old. A girl must be married
at the same age. If a boy is to be initiated into brahmacarya before his mind
is disturbed by kama, a girl is to be married before she feels the carnal urge.
She must also accept her husband as her guru. According to sastras, the guru
must be looked upon as Isvara. In the same way a child bride must think of her
husband as both guru and Isvara and dedicate herself whole-heartedly to him”.
As a matter of fact, many modern age websites are not only flooded
with such other ridiculous statements but can also be found advocating them as
a valid explanation for questions like why Upanayanam should be denied to girls
and why should she accept her husband as her Guru or God or even, why at all
should she get married at such a tender age.
Fortunately, I happened to participate in a group Upanayan
Ceremony (Yagyopaveet or the Thread ceremony) organized by “The Art of
Living”- an organization, founded by the global humanitarian Guru, Sri Sri Ravi
Shankarji. This course was different and not like any other Upanayanam .I was
extremely happy to be a part of it, more so, because it went far beyond the
conventions, breaking the barrier of differences which we still hold on to, falsely believing it to be a reasonable legacy. I was not only surprised but also overwhelmed
to know that the group of people who were planning to have their “Upanayan
Sanskaar” consisted more of women than men. Two of the main organizers
themselves were women. I was overjoyed as I saw this utopian thing happening in
this ceremony. But hold on! There was something more to elevate my
consciousness. I realized that the participants hailed from different castes
& segments of the society. There were
Brahmins, Vaishyas, and Kshatriyas & there were Shudras too. Nobody was
asked about their castes or religion as a pre requisite for getting this
ceremony done.
Yagyopaveet (pic taken from web) |
Blessed & Happy souls after the Upanayanam :) |
I underwent the sanskaar along with other participants. The
Process was phenomenal and the
sandhya vandan & agni karya (rituals in the upanayanam), which was taught
while the ceremony, took me to another level of consciousness. While the
ceremony, we were also given an option to change and adopt the “Gotra” of our
Gurudev, meaning from that moment onwards, we could all, upon our discretion, be
socially equal as per the Hindu caste system. What an opportunity to be the change we want
to see in the society- I thought to myself.
I really found this change as a revolutionary move in the history
of Hinduism. It meant that divine is not
for a particular but for all. The spiritual / highest knowledge is for everyone
who chooses to walk the path of knowing the self. No bar of Caste, Gender, Religion or Race can
restrain anyone from attaining spiritual knowledge. There exists no criteria
expect for the willingness to evolve. It only welcomes love & Joy to
blossom eternally in such a beautiful society.
There was so much to learn from our teacher Swami Onkarananda ji
who beautifully explained us about the magnanimity of “Upanayanam” , “Sandhya
vandan” , “Gayatri Mantra” & “Agni Karya”. He also eliminated the doubts
regarding denial to females or dalits (shudhras) of this sanskaar. We were told
how in the middle ages, the text & verses present in the Holy Books of
Hindus had been misinterpreted by mistake or for personal benefits in some
instances. He explained that Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar ji is a firm believer
of equality among all genders, castes & segments of the society & this
is the reason why he has opened the gates of knowledge for everyone despite all
criticisms. I was also surprised and amazed to know that followers of
Christianity, Islam, Judaism & many other religions have also undergone
this sanskaara, that too without changing their faith, or converting their religion .
I was awestruck with my entire “Upanayanam” experience & was
so much in gratitude for my Guru H.H.Sri Sri Ravi Shankar ji who is continually
working towards the creation of a Healthy, Stress free & Violence free
society. A society where differences are meant to be celebrated and not to divide
people.
That's me.... in gratitude :) |
Today, on the occasion of Guru Poornima, Tears of gratitude rolled down
my cheeks when I realized His subtle but very remarkable step step toward the
elimination of such unfair practices existing among various segments of the
society. He has initiated nothing less than a peaceful revolution
against Caste, Gender & Racial discrimination through such ceremonies, courses,
preaching & through the wave of love which he has created. I feel grateful &
proud to have Him as my Guru. I am nobody to offer Him any gift on the blissful
occasion of Guru Poornima but still I bow down to my master & make a promise that I will try to walk on
the path shown by Him & make this world a better place for everyone.
Jai Guru Dev