[Advaita-l] Brahmana or Sudra?

[ramesh badisa]

"Can someone define the term shUdra first?"
 
Badisa: Namaste. Firstly, if we can define who is brahmana, then every other definition will fall on the line. For this, please refer Vajrasuchika upnishad. This upanishad gives very clear picture who is called a brahmana. This will certainly dispell most of the misunderstandings on this topic. Also let us refer to Jabala's background in one of the Upanishads, how swami Gautam interpreted his background, based on Jabala's honesty in the begining of their interaction. 
 
What will happen if a sudra person frankly admits to a brahmana person that he is a sudra. It means that the brahmana person identifies the sudra person as a sudra. Right? What is it in brahmana person that sees first at the sudra person? Eyes. Right? Similarly, the mouth speaks. Right? What will happen if the eyes see and the mouth talks? That information is collected by the mind and gives it to the buddhi. Right? Then what will happen? Buddhi gives out the judgement. Right? What type of judgement? In this case, it says that the other person is sudra. What makes the buddhi to judge the person as a sudra? After all, there should be certain criteria for the judgement. Right? What is this criteria? Obviously, it is the tendencies of the karma. Right? That means even the so called brahmana person in this example, has tendencies, coming out of his past and present karmas. Right? Then how come this brahmana person is qualified to say that other person is a sudra? Both these persons have
 tendencies coming out of karmas. Right? Then how come a brahmana person calls other person as a sudra? A person who has never done a sin can only hurl a stone at other sinner. But not thers. Right? Similarly, only a karma rahita person is qualified to call other person as a sudra. Right? But, the surprising thing is that this karma rahita person will never say or identify that others are so and so. Because, he never sees separateness from others. He is called a gyani, as per upanishads, and he is the true brahmana, again as per the upanishads. Not others. Our mission is tobecome gyani, and thus to become brahmana. So long as we identify ourselves as different from others, then for that long, we are neither advaitins nor brahmans. We all are sudras. No exception. Now, in the above example, why a brahmana person identifies that he is different from a sudra? It is due to identification with mind and buddhi. That means, from world up to buddhi, every thing is maya (prakruti). Since,
 pramatma is beyond buddhi (Gita, 3/42) if our misssion is salvation, then we all need to cross buddhi and attain the divine. During this journey, one needs to stop identifying that so and so person is sudra and so and so person is a brahmana. If we hang on to these identifications, that means the journey become too long (many lives). When we have the opportunity, let us implement the objectives. Sri Siddhartha's views can be well accepted. No intension to hurt anybody's feelings. 
 
Namaste        

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