What is adhikAra? (fwd)

[sadananda]

>
>Caste came to be based on birth because caste is based on the physical,
>mental, intellectual guna-makeup in each individual's case.

-Greg.  It sounds more like an explanation or justification for the
existing practice rather than pramaana.

I am really looking for scriptural pramanaa, whether I believe that or not,
without interpretations or extending definitions or inferences based on the
context or practice such as satyakama's case or Vidura's case versus
Vyasaa's case - as Vidya pointed out in his post

- There is difference between Vidura's case versus Vyaasa's case.  The
first one is born of Niyogi rites wherein the very ritual, the Niyogi karta
assumes mentally the husband-ship of the lady to whom the Niyogi is
performed.  Hence the rites do not violate the paativratyam of the Lady
since it is a ritual performed as sanctioned by Dharma. Hence
dR^itaraashTra and panDu are true heirs of the Bharata dynasty. The mental
mood of the lady to whom the Niyoga was performed dictated the nature of
the sons too even though father is apparently the same - dR^itaraashTra was
blind, pandu was pale and vidura is inclined to serve.

Vyaasa birth is different - he is truly Paarasarya, son of Parashara -
result of the desire born of JNaani for loka kalyaana.

Gunas can be related to Birth - as hereditary factors - but the question is
birth to Brahmin parent(s) is it necessary even if it is not sufficient? Or
is birth neither necessary or sufficient if only Guna and Karma are the
criteria? What do the ShR^ities say about these - Are they vague/ or
contradictory enough and hence lot of interpretations and
misinterpretations and justifications for age-old  practices.

About adoption - Karna was treated as sudra by adoption - One can justify
it by the circumstance of his birth and those who new it kept quiet for
various justifiable reasons. But Dharmaja considers him as Kounteya or his
brother once he knew about it.

Hari Om!
Sadananda



 >The strongest
>predictor and most important caual influence of a person's guna-makeup is
>his psychobiology and early home training.  Therefore, one's parents come
>to be the material cause, as it were, of one's guna-makeup.  My respondent
>didn't address how exceptions are dealt with (adoptions, or say, a baby
>born with totally different guna structure than the parents have), but this
>was the explanation of a traditional way of looking at it.
>
>--Greg


K. Sadananda
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