[Advaita-l] The 'Snake-and-ladder' game - The Spiritual path

[Raghav Kumar Dwivedula]

Another interesting reference from Andhra Pradesh about how Shudra
communities in India ruled large kingdoms in India and proudly announced
their role as holders of the Vedic dharma and protectors of Brahmanas and
their role in how much of central India was defended against Islamic
invaders and ruled by proud Shudra kings for over a century. So much so
that the Reddy community became a respected landowning  caste by their
sterling role in protection of Dharma in medieval India. There is famous
stone edict proclaiming their origin from the feet of Vishnu as defenders
of Dharma.

What is noteworthy is that after thousands of years of living within Vedic
varnashrana dharma, the Shudra kings don't show any resentment against the
system ... In fact they staunchly defend it against Islamic jihad. Goes to
show there was no significant persecution of them atleast until the Islamic
and British times.

*In 1325* the responsibility of organizing defense of the dharma was taken
up by the valiant shudra warrior Prolaya Vema Reddy. Son of local Telugu
warlord, he describes himself in the famous Reddy stone inscription  “as
one of the 4th varna that emerged from the feet of mahavishnu” who decided
to rid the land of the wicked Turks after kshatriyas had all been killed
for the protection of the agraharas and brahmanas.

*Vema Reddy* drawing inspiration from his deity ga~nga, who had also
apparently emerged from the feet of vishnu just as the fourth varna, and
the warrior god kumara assembled a large army drawn from the peasants and
herdsmen of the ravaged land. His clan had long excelled in cattle raids
and honed the skills of the the rapid hit and run methods. He joined hands
with two other major local landowners like Prolaya Nayaka and Kaapaya
Nayaka and they formed a coalition with at least 75 other local strongmen
and warlords. Reddy assembled his Hindu armies at Addanki and marched on
the Tughlaq army.

Another stone edict says

*” I restored all the agraharas of Brahmins, which had been taken away by
the evil Moslem kings”. “I am indeed an Agastya to the ocean which was made
of the Moslem”.*

*To restore* the dharma he instituted major repairs to the Shrishailam
rudra temple and built a flight of steps from the Krishna river to the
temple on the mountain top. He also repaired the vishnu temple at Ahobilam.
He also built a palace in Kondavidu for housing the women he had acquired.
This became the harem for all the other subsequent Reddys. His restoration
of the dharma also caused a major revival of local literature, especially
under the auspices of the Telugu author Erranna, a vatsa bhargava brahmana
of the middle migration of the bhargavas. His ramayana was supposed to have
been a master piece.

Another inscription  attesting to the harmonious relationship between
Shudra and Brahmanas .

*Anavema Reddy* (1364-1386 CE) was the brother of Anavota Reddy. He also
conquered the Simhachalam <https://wikivisually.com/wiki/Simhachalam> fort
and parts of the Kalinga kingdom
<https://wikivisually.com/wiki/Kalinga_%28historical_region%29>. He built
the Vira Siromandapam at the Srisailam
<https://wikivisually.com/wiki/Srisailam> temple. His inscription from
Srisailam states that their family belongs to the 'Vellacheri' gotram. His
inscription states: "I the valiant member of the fourth Varna destroyed the
throngs of Muslims and gathered learned Brahmanas at this court". He
extended the dominion of the kingdom to Rajahmundry on the north, Kanchi on
the south and Srisailam on the west.[9]
<https://wikivisually.com/wiki/Reddy_dynasty#cite_note-Mackenzie1990-9>





On Fri 10 Aug, 2018, 7:14 PM Kalyan via Advaita-l, <
advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org> wrote:

> //There must surely be some archeological evidence (an ear-shaped lead
> ingot
> for example) if this ever actually happened.  Surely literature would have
> recorded such a memorable event or atleast the oral traditions of the
> oppressed would have remembered it no?  But those things do not exist
> because regardless of what one line in a book of many lines might say,
> such punishments never actually happened.//
>
> Here are the instances of cutting off of Sudras' tongues under Maratha
> rule (it is from an article by Dr B R Ambedkar). I suggest apologists to
> read the entire article -
> http://www.ambedkar.org/ambcd/57.%20Manu%20and%20the%20Shudras.htm
>
>
> Under the Maratha rule any one other than a Brahmin uttering a
> Veda Mantra was liable to have his tongue cut off and as a matter of fact
> the tongues of several Sonars (goldsmiths) were actually cut off by the
> order of the Peshwa for their daring to utter the Vedas contrary to law.
>
>
>
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