Brahmanic And Shramanic Political Thought PDF Free Download

Brahmanic And Shramanic Political Thought PDF Download Info

Brahmanic And Shramanic Political Thought PDF Free Download, Brahmanic And Shramanic Traditions In Indian Political Thought, Upsc, Difference Between Brahmanic And Shramanic Tradition, Ignou, What Is Brahmanic And Shramanic Traditions, Islamic And Syncretic Indian Political Thought Pdf, Pdf In Hindi, Brahmanic Political Thought.

Brahmanic And Shramanic Political Thought PDF

There Is A Lot Of Misunderstanding About Hinduism As A Religion And Its Connections To Shramanism And Brahmanism. The Term “Hindutva,” Which Has Presented Newer Politics In The Language Of Religion, Furthers The Confusion.

The Term “Hindu” First Appeared In The Eighth Century. It Was Once Only A Geographic Category. The Arabs And Persians Who Settled In This Area Of The Subcontinent Are Credited With Inventing This Term. They Used The River Sindhu As A Landmark For The Territory To The East When They Crossed It. They Called It “Hindu,” They Said. The Inhabitants Of This Land Had A Variety Of Religious Traditions Prior To Then. Aryans, Who Migrated In Waves, Were Nomads Who Later Formed A Pastoral Society Rather Than A “Nation State” As Is Claimed Today. Life And Customs In A Pastoral Society Are Discussed In The Vedas And Smritis.

Manusmriti Described The Social Structure Of The Period. The Core Of The Social System Was The Hierarchical Varna System, Which Later Gave Way To The Caste System. Unquestionably, The Brahman Caste Dominated Society, And Social Inequality Served As Its Main Tenet. The Dalits, Who Belonged To The Dominant Caste, Were Seen As Untouchables And Were Obligated To Work For The Upper Caste. The Privileges Of Other Varnas Were Also Marked Out. The Dominated Castes Had Duties To Perform, While The Upper Castes Had Rights. A Definite “Division Of Labour” Existed!

The Message Of Equality In Buddhism Was Developed In This Context. This Was Appealing To Significant Portions Of Society, Who Chose To Uphold Religious Beliefs And Social Equality. Ambedkar Said That Buddhism’s Arrival Was A Revolution. This Altered The Social Dynamic And Put The Caste System Under Scrutiny. There Were Other Religious Traditions Than Brahmanism. Buddhism’s Critique Of The Caste System Forced Brahmanism Into A New Stage. In Order To Influence The Masses And Wean Them Away From Buddhism, Brahmanism Expanded Cultic Practises And Created Public Ceremonies And Rituals Throughout This Phase. Hinduism Began To Be Used To Refer To The Predominant Religions In This Area. As Buddhism Gained Popularity, The Brahmin Landlord’s Control Over The Lower Castes Weakened. The Movement That Opposed Buddhism On An Ideological Level Was Led By Shankaracharya. This Was Dubbed A Counter-revolution By Ambedkar. Pushyamitra Shunga And Shashank, Two Of The Rulers, Gave Their Full Support To This Attack Against Buddhism.

In The Process Of Eradicating Buddhism, All Other Religious Traditions—from Animism To Atheism—came To Be Included Under The Umbrella Of Hinduism, A Faith Without A Prophet Or A Canon. With Brahmanism In Control And Other Traditions Being Subjugated And Relegated To The Margins Of Society, The Broad Hindu Identity Began To Take Shape. During This Time, Hinduism As A Religion Attained Its First Sense Of Identity. Brahmanism And Shramanism, The Two Main Branches Of This Branch Of Hinduism, Have Opposing Beliefs, Values, And Practises.

Other Traditions, Which Might All Be Collectively Referred To As Shramanism, Were Subordinated To Brahmanism, Which Was Based On Caste And Gender Hierarchies. These Traditions Had More Inclusive Values, Including Nath, Tantra, Siddha, Shaiva, Siddhanta, And Bhakti. These Belonged To The Lower Classes Of Society And Practised Things That Were Against Caste Hierarchy And Other Brahmanical Norms. Jainism And Buddhism Both Do Not Have A Caste System. Because Each Has Its Own Prophet And The Boundaries With Hinduism Are Clearly Defined, They Are Also Shramanic Traditions But Are Not A Part Of Hinduism.

The Process Is Summarised By Historian Romila Thapar In Her Article “Syndicated Moksha,” Published In Seminar In September 1985: “The Hindu Religion As It Is Described Today Is Said To Have Its Roots In The Vedas. Whatever The Case, The Religion Practised By These Nomadic Clans Was Not The Hinduism Practised Today, Regardless Of What We Would Call It. This (Hinduism In Its Current Form) Started To Form Only During The Maghadha-mauryan Period.

From The 19th Century Forward, This Brahmanical Hegemonizing Process Was Further Intensified. The British Colonists Relied On The Advice Of Brahmins And Recognised Brahmanism As Hinduism Because They Could Not Be Bothered To Contend With The Many Local Traditions And Because They Did Not Comprehend The Local Diversity. The Brahmins They Employed Served As Their Primary Religious Advisers. The Brahmanical Texts Were Seen By These Brahmins As Being Essential To Comprehending Local Religion. These Evolved Into Religious Textbooks For The British. As A Result, This Brahmanical Core Received A Thicker Veneer Of Hinduism, Which Was Created By Combining Several Traditions With Opposing Moral Principles Under A Single Umbrella. The Brahmanical Value System Predominated In This Construct. Ambedkar’s Assertion That Hinduism Follows Brahmanical Theology Was Motivated By This.

Landlords And Former Rulers, The Allies Of Brahmins, Began To Feel Marginalised As A Result Of Changes In The Social System Under British Rule, The Rise Of New Social Groups Of Industrialists And Modern, Educated Classes, And Other Factors. As A Democratic, Equitable Society Seemed To Be Within Reach, New Power Equations Emerged. Included In This Were The Emergence Of A National Movement, The Fledgling Dalit-bahujan Movement, And The Liberation Ideologies Advanced By Jotirao Phule And Later Consolidated By Ambedkar. The Hegemony Of Brahmanism Was Seriously Threatened By This Dalitbahujan Ferment. The Former Rulers And Brahmins, As Well As The Dominant System, Began To See The Buddha’s Teachings As A Threat. With The Dalitbahujan Ideology Thriving On Industrialization And Modern Education, The Threat Became Tangible.

The Landlord-brahmin Combo At This Point Invented Hindutva. They First Claimed That Dalitbahujan Education Was Incompatible With “Our” Religion Before Establishing Political Organisations In The Name Of Religion To Further Their Sociopolitical Objectives. The Ideology Of Hindu Nationalism Known As Hindutva Is Just Brahmanism Repackaged For The Political Sphere. With The “Hindu” Label, Brahmanism Used To Undermine Dalitbahujans. Now They Use “Hindutva” To Do It. Buddhism, Jainism, And Sikhism Are Just A Few Of The Non-muslim And Non-christian Traditions That Have Been Included Into Hindutva. This Hinduism Construction Is Political In Nature, Not Theological.

Dalitbahujans Have Opposed The Caste And Varna Systems From The Time Of Buddha, The Mediaeval Saint Tradition, And Movements Led By Phule And Ambedkar. Hindutva Is Now Attempting To Conceal Its Fundamental Opposition To The Interests Of The Dominated Castes In Light Of The Bjp-ascent Rss’s To Power.

There Have Been Three Major Stages In The Development Of The Dalitbahujan Ideology, As Well As Three Major Adversaries. Shakaracharya-rulers Opposed Buddhism, Mediaeval Saints Were Opposed By The Brahmin Clergy’s (Rulers’) Ideology, And Political Brahmanism (Hinduism) Or Hindutva Opposed The Phule-ambedkar Liberation Ideology.

This Process Of The Hegemony Of Brahmanism Over Other Traditions’ Was Further Stepped Up From The 19th Century Onwards. As The British Colonialists Were Not Much Interested In Grappling Multiple Local Traditions And As They Did Not Understand The Local Diversity; They Resorted To The Guidance Of Brahmins And Recognized Brahmanism As The Hinduism. Their Major Advisors In Matters Of Religion Were Brahmins, Who Were Employed By Them. The Brahminic Texts Were Projected To Be Having The Key To Understand The Local Religion And These Texts Formed The Basis Of British Understanding Of The Religion Of This Country. This Brahminical Core Got The Veneer Of Hinduism In A Stronger Way. Here The Religion; Hinduism, Is Constructed By Bringing Together Diverse Tradition With Contrary Values Under The Single Label Of Hinduism. In This Construct Brahminic Value System Dominated. This Is What Led Ambedkar To Say That Hinduism Is Brahminic Theology. This Formulation Precisely Defines Hinduism.

With The Changes In The Social System Under British Rule, With The Rise Of New Social Groups Of Industrialists And Modern Educated Classes, The Landlords And Earlier Rulers, The Allies Of Brahmins At Social Level, Started Feeling Marginalized Due To The New Power Equations, Due To The Potential Of Change Towards Democratic Society, Society With Equality. This Process Also Witnesses The Rise Of The National Movement, The Rise Of Dalit-bahujans As A Nascent Movement Along With Ideologies Of Liberation Put Forth By Jotirao Phule And Later Consolidated By Ambedkar. This Dalit Bahujan Ferment Posed A Serious Challenge To The Hegemony Of Brahmanism. Buddha’s Preaching’s And Work Was A Threat To Rulers-brahmins, To The System Prevalent At That Time. Now With The Dalit Bahujan Ideology Picking Up On The Social Base Of Industrialization-modern Education; Again The Threat To The Hegemony Of Brahmin-landlord Became Real.

At This Point, The Landlord-brahmin Combine Throws Up The Word Hindutva. First, They Shouted That Education For Dalit Bahujan Is Against ‘our’ Religion And Later They Formed Political Organizations In The Name Of Religion To Protect Their Social-political Interests. And With This Comes In The Ideology Of Hindu Nationalism: Hindutva. This Is A Repacked Brahminism In The Political Arena. So In Earlier Times, Brahmanism Undermined Dalit Bahujans By Adorning The Label Hindu And Still Later The Label Adopted Is Hindutva. In The Newer Definition Of Hindu As Per Them Has All Non-muslim; Non-christian Traditions Like Buddhism, Jainism And Sikhism Also Incorporated In Hindu. This Is The Political Construction Of Hinduism, Not A Theological One.

Starting From Buddha To The Medieval Saint Tradition To The Movement Led By Phule Ambedkar Dalit-bahujan Has Kept Opposing The Caste-varna System. Today With The Ascendance To Power Of Bjp-rss, The Hindutva Is Again Trying To Camouflage Its Basic Opposition To The Interests Of Dominated Castes. In The Genesis Of Dalit Bahujan Ideology, One Can See Three Major Stages And Also Their Major Opponents. Buddhism Opposed By Shakracharya-rulers, Medieval Saints Opposed By The Ideology Of Brahmin Clergy (Supported By Rulers) And Finally The Phule-ambedkar Ideology Of Liberation Opposed By The Political Brahmanism (Hinduism): The Hindutva.

While Recalling Non-brahminic Traditions One Also Needs To Recall The Traditions Of Dominated Castes, Dalits And Bahujans. These Are Traditions Of Rebellion And Resistance In The Language Which Keeps Changing As Per The Context. The Present Phase Is The One Where The Ideology Of Domination Has Adorned The Name Of Hindutva And Is Trying To Undermine The Interests Of Dalit-bahujan In Multiple Ways.

The Dalits And Bahujans’ Non-brahmanical Traditions Are Traditions Of Rebellion And Resistance, And The Language Used In These Traditions Varies Depending On The Context. They Are Now Up Against A Dominance Ideology Known As Hindutva That Is Actively Working To Undermine Dalitbahujan Interests In Many Ways.

There Are Many Misunderstandings About Hinduism As A Religion And Its Ties To Brahmanism And Shramanism. Additionally, The Term “Hindutva” Has Surfaced, Presenting Contemporary Politics In Terms Of Religion And Furthering The Confusion.

As A Result, The Word “Hindu” Dates Only Until The Eighth Century. It Initially Appeared As A Geographic Category. Arab-persians Who Came To This Area Of The Subcontinent Created This Term. They Used River Sindhu As A Landmark For The Land To The East Of The River When They Crossed It. They Called It “Hindu,” They Said. Thus, The Inhabitants Of This Land Had A Variety Of Religious Traditions Up To That Point. The Aryans Who Immigrated Here In Waves Were Nomads And Later Members Of A Pastoral Society, Not A “Nation State” As Is Claimed Today. The Vedas And Smritis Represent The Life And Norms Of These Pastorals.

Manusmriti Gave A Clear Illustration Of The Social Structure Of The Time. The Core Of The Social System Was The Hierarchical Varna And Later Caste System. Unquestionably, The Brahman Caste Dominated Society, And Social Inequality Served As Its Main Tenet. The Dalits, Who Dominated The Caste System, Were Seen As Untouchables And Were Obligated To Work For The Upper Caste. While Other Varnas Too Have A List Of Their Privileges. The Dominated Castes Had Duties To Perform, And The Upper Caste Had Rights. An Very Distinct “Division Of Labor”

Buddhism Had Developed Its Message Of Equality In This Context, And It Began To Appeal To Significant Portions Of Society Who Chose To Uphold These Values And Adopted This Religion. Ambedkar Referred To The Advent Of Buddhism As A Revolution. Caste Hierarchy Faced A Serious Challenge As A Result Of The Altered Social Dynamics. There Were Other Religious Traditions That Were Dominant Here Than Brahmanism. Buddhism’s Opposition To The Caste System Compelled Brahmanism To Develop A New Phase Throughout Time. In This Phase, Cultic Practises Were Expanded, And Brahmanism Created Public Rituals And Ceremonies To Influence The Masses To Wean Themselves From Buddhism. Hinduism Began To Be Used To Refer To The Prevalent Religions In This Area. Buddhism’s Growth Weakened The Influence Of Brahmin Landowners Over Lower Castes. The Movement That Opposed Buddhism On An Ideological Level Was Led By Shankaracharya. This, According To Ambedkar, Is A Counterrevolution. The Rulers Gave This Assault On Buddhism Their Full Support, With Several Kings—pusyamitra Shung And Shashank Being Two Prominent Examples.

In The Process Of Eliminating Buddhism From This Land, All Other Religious Traditions—from Animism To Atheism—came To Be Included Under The Hindu Umbrella. Hinduism As A Whole Lacks Both A Single Prophet And A Single Holy Book. With Brahmanism In Control And Other Traditions On The Periphery, Under Brahmanism, The Broad Hindu Identity Began To Take Shape. As A Result, Hinduism As A Religion Began To Take Shape. Brahmanism And Shramanism, The Two Main Streams Under This Umbrella Of Hinduism, Had Opposing Beliefs, Values, And Practises.

The Social Process That Led To The Dominance And Lordship Of Two Different Types Of Values—caste And Gender Hierarchy Based Brahmanism—over Other Traditions That May Be Referred To As Shramanism Is So Evident. These Traditions, Including Nath, Tantra, Siddha, Shaiva, Siddhanta, And Bhakti, Have More Inclusive Values. These Traditions Had Practices Away From Brahmanical Norms, Especially Caste Hierarchy, And Were Close To The Poorer Sections Of Society. Therefore, While They Do Not Adhere To The Caste System, Buddhism And Jainism Are Also Shramanic Traditions, But They Are Distinct From Hinduism Because They Have Their Own Prophet And Well Defined Boundaries.

The Process Is Summarized As “The Hindu Religion As It Is Described Today Is Said To Have Its Roots In The Vedas,” By Romila Thapar (Syncicated Moksha, Seminar 1987). Whatever The Case, The Religion Practised By These Nomadic Clans Was Not The Hinduism Practised Today, Regardless Of What We Would Call It. Hinduism As It Exists Now Was First Developed During The Reign Of The Maghadha-mauryan State.