Manusmriti:

The Sacred Books Of The East - Vol 25, Manusmriti, edited by Max Muller, Google Books

> 413: But a Sudra, whether bought or unbought, he may compel to do servile work; for he was created by the Self-existent (Svayambhu) to be the slave of a Brahmana.

> 414: A Sudra, though emancipated by his master, is not released from servitude; since that is innate to him, who can set him free from it?

> 417: A Brahmana may confidently seize the goods of (his) Sudra (slave); for, as that (slave) can have no property, his master may take his possessions

> 418: (The king) should carefully compel Vaisyas and Sudra to perform the work (prescribed) for them; for if these two (castes) swerved from their duties, they would throw this (whole) world into confusion

Rigveda:

The origins of caste, The Hindu, by Ananya Vajpeyi, Oct-2015

> In the Purusha Sukta of the Rig Veda (10:90:1-16), social hierarchy originates together with and at the same moment as the very creation of the world, through the sacrifice of the body of the Primeval Man, Purusha. From the sacrifice of his head come Brahmins; from his arms, Warriors; from his thighs, Freemen; and from his feet, Servants (RV 10:90:12). The cosmogonic hymn that describes how the gods created the cosmos through a sacrificial ritual, occurring in the very earliest text of Sanskrit that is available to us, the Rig Veda, datable in its current form to roughly 1000 BC, naturalizes an unequal social order.

Ramayana:

> In the Ramayana, the Shudra ascetic Shambuka was killed by Lord Rama for performing penances which were reserved for those of priestly birth, The Hindu, Apr-2016

Mahabharata:

Ancient prejudice, modern inequality, The Hindu, Jan-2016

> When Ekalavya turns out to be a better bowman than the Kshatriya prince Arjuna, Drona asks for his right thumb as tuition fee. Ekalavya agrees, but not without understanding that he is being discriminated against yet again. Ekalavya’s initial disobedience (which makes him a secret apprentice) as wel

It is commonplace these days for some groups to claim that either caste system didn’t exist or if it did it was highly fluid, it was just an Indian version of feudalism, class and that the caste system is a Muslim/colonial invention anyway. All this amounts to little less than denial of history and atrocities.

The same groups claim that they are correcting myths put forward by imperialists and anti India left wing historians from the West and India itself. To support their claim they will ironically quote left leaning Westerners themselves. Let’s look at what our own scholars have to say.

Here’s MN Srinivas:

>For three millennia caste has dominated the lives of the inhabitants of the Indian sub-continent, influencing if not determining their choice of occupation, diet and spouse, their collective rank in relation to other caste groups and numerous other matters. It has also provided a metaphor for ordering relations with non-Hindu groups including tribals. In the process, non-Hindu groups took on, to some extent, the colour of caste.

Here’s Deepak Lal:

>In the late 1960s while visiting Kerala, I-a Hindu from the Gangetic heartland went to the Sri Padmanabhaswamy temple in Trivandrum, where the usual pandas accosted me. One came up to me and enquired about my origins: my jati and gotra. He then rattled off the names of at least ten generations of ancestors. >>He then asked for the names of the spouses and children of myself and my cousins. He did not ask for any money and was only interested in updating his records. Unless he had imagined my ancestors (and I could check the veracity of at least the last four), this would put my caste-based ancestry into the fifteenth century!

Lal also cited an important article by Ashok Rudra, I’ve linked it, here are parts that concern us:

https://i.imgur.com/6tlfrdv.png

https://i.imgur.com/CYH8b8k.png0

To avoid bias let’s look at the works of RC Majumdar. A scholar few will label as imperialist or leftist.

From his Ancient India

https://i.imgur.com/9MPenBq.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/CQw3yGV.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/CSasuHv.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/osoJ9tN.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/yR92QOb.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/0vfPofm.jpg

[https://i.imgur.com/xXWVORl.jpg](https://i.imgur.com/xXWVORl.j

Many conservative fundamentalist Hindus argue that caste based discrimination only entered India after either the British, or after the invasion of Islamic Rulers right before the British. That is almost entirely false.

Who accepted it?

Let's assume for a moment that the British did indeed bring the caste system into India. Even in such a case, would Hindus blindly accept it and go against their own scriptures, in a time when superstitions and religious morals were valued so much? It is easy to convince any group that they are the ones in danger and that they are the ones who need to fight back to resist a force which in reality doesn't exist, but to convince such a backward people to go against their own religious morals would be close to impossible.

Hindu Scriptures

Several old Hindu scriptures do, in fact, associate lower castes with what humans today consider 'inferior' parts of the body.

In the Purusha Sukta, all four castes are mentioned by name, along with their 'origin':

>brāhmaṇo'sya mukhamāsīd bāhū rājanyaḥ kṛtaḥ, ūrū tadasya yad vaiśyaḥ padbhyāgï śūdro ajāyata. candramā manaso jātaḥcakśoḥ sūryo ajāyata, mukhādindraścāgniśca prāṇādvāyurajāyata.

This translates to-

>Out of the mouth of the Supreme one came the Brahmana full of intellect, from his arms, the Kshatriya filled with valour, from his thighs were born the Vaishya, prosperous as ever; from his feet was created the Shudra, devoted to service.

As can be seen here, while speech (the mouth), strength (the arms), and business (the thighs, a reference to how traders kept sacks of money on their thigs at the market) are assigned to the Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas, the Shudras are assigned the job of labour (the feet).

Across the world, in various religions, knowledge, strength, and money are valued as the fundamental principles of a good life, but reducing the shudras to the status of mere labour, stripping them of all other indicators of success, and trapping them into the work of their ancestors is a clear example of discrimination.

Though caste-based discrimination in such an era might have been less rampant, it is evident that lower castes were trapped inside a terrible industry of menial jobs.

This question needs some explanation, but if you don't have patience please read the last quote. In the Vedantic and Yogic Darshanas: out of infinite possibilities of Brahman arises a throbbing or vibration (Śakti), the concept of creation and its preservation emerges from this as a thought, this concept is titled Vishnu (Viṣṇu) - meaning that which is "all-pervasive" or that which "encompasses everything". Hence Viṣṇu is an aspect of Cit Śakti (cit:śakti) and so the entirety of creation becomes Viśvām. This is why Vishnu and Sakti always come together. In Sanskrit, "Viś" or "Viśta" means that which enters or permeates, hence the title Viṣṇu or Śipi-viṣṭa. Sri Aurobindo famously calls Viṣṇu “the space or canvas in which all inhabitants flourish”, while Śiva is the auspiciousness that is a natural occurrence untouched by the temporary realities created by Prakṛti.

Shiva is Su:Mangalam, śam-yoḥ sumnam ( bliss/ānandam), Śreṣṭhaḥ (pure) and that Siva is Sada (forever), meaning there is no negation of auspiciousness in the infinite state called Brahman. Brahman is forever WHOLE (Purnam) and is ***Forever (Sada) Auspicious (Siva)***. The force or innate indweller of all is Rudra. This statement is Satyam - knowing this, realizing this, is Sundaram (the ever blissful joy). Hence “Satyam Śivam Sundaram”. Let us elaborate with a question, that which pervades everything - is it ominous or auspicious? It is auspicious, this concept is called Śiva, and the encompassing nature is called Viṣṇu, the force that propels creation is Rudra, the vibration/resonance/sound is called Śakti, the mind and the ruler of the individual's psychology is Indra, the life-force is Vayu, the brilliance is Surya, the transmutation is Agni, speech is Vak/Sarasvatī, and variation/flavor/sweetness of Rudra is the Immortal Soma (always accompanies Rudra).

The Viṣṇu of the Puráńas is an aggregated personification of Śakti, Indra, Brahmā and Surya (including many other Vedic Solar Deities called Adityas), whereas Śiva, thought to be associated with Rudra, Soma, Agni, Varuna, Mitra, Vayu, and Maruts in the Vedic realm, remains a total enigma. Across the literature, we see various sages, Ṛṣi, Asuras, Devatas, Avataras, and many prominent personalities establishing Liṅgas. Historical evidence like the Vrātya seals and Liṅga found in the Indus Valley have been unearthed across diverse lands. In this research let us not take the historic approach; rather, focus on the indications in l

Personal backstory : I lean towards Marxism and Socialism. But I am a Indian nationalist and majority of Indians Marxists I have met or interacted with are just resentful identity politics Marxist thinking that the Marxist doctrine is going to help them assuage their resentment against their imagined "Oppressors". They will not admit their real oppressors if they belong to their own clan, caste, creed. Most of such "Marxists" are either Islamists or Atrocity literature fed "Dalits".

In 2014 - 2016, I heard JNU product Kanahiya Kumar screeching "ManuWaad se .." and the rest of his Islamist atheists and Woke liberals friends yelling "Azaadi". Knowing the pseudo leftists of all tribes - pseudo Marxists and pseudo Liberals - I knew Kahaniya Kumar would never say ShariaWaad se Azaadi. His own head would be given Azaadi from his body by his fellow "Marxists". In my mind "ManuWaad" was just "Hindutva" or "Hindu Rule". I had never heard of this term before. So I Googled what it means.

It just means "feudalism".

- - -

On the marketing of Feudalism as "Hindu Caste System"

- - -

Feudalism was the prevalent social and economic system on the entire globe throughout the middle ages. And this is basic Liberal history as well as basic Marxist history. Now that truth is obfuscated, and it is termed as "Hindu Caste System", to libel Hinduism and Hindus, and to continue the fracturing of society. The people who are using these libels, apparently to "purify the social evils", are actually the one who are supposed to know these basic historical truths.

Basic history -

"In any case, by the time written history began, distinct economic and social classes were in existence, with members of each class occupying a certain place in the organization of work. At the apex of the social pyramid stood the ruler (often worshiped as a divinity in Mesopotamia and Egypt) and the nobles (probably grown out of a warrior group that had subjugated its neighbors). Closely aligned with them were the priests; possessing knowledge of writing and mathematics, the priests served as government officials, organizing and directing the economy and overseeing clerks and scribes. The traders and merchants, who distributed and exchanged goods produced by others, were below the noble-priest class in the social pyramid. A sizable group of artisans and craftsmen, producing specialized goods,

Hindonts, even right wingers, have for several millennia believed that varna was always a part of Sanatana Dharma. I am here to tell you all that it never was (nope, not even a little bit). The modern day Hindontism has almost nothing to do with what our ancestors actually practiced. We always say that the Vedas are the real heart of Sanatana Dharma, but we do not even know what is in them let alone practice what is in them.

The varnas are only mentioned once in the entirety of the four Vedas (in the Purusha Suktam), yes, JUST ONCE. If we look deeper, we realize that even this one mention of varna was put in much later. These are some quotes I found (yes, most are rice bags but this just solidifies my argument since they have everything to gain by us being divided).

V. Nagarajan believes that it was an "interpolation" to give "divine sanction" to an unequal division in society that was in existence at the time of its composition. He states "The Vedic Hymns had been composed before the Varna scheme was implemented. The Vedic society was not organized on the basis of varnas. The Purush Sukta might have been a later interpolation to secure Vedic sanction for that scheme".

As compared with by far the largest part of the hymns of the Rigveda, the Purusha Sukta has every character of modernness both in its diction and ideas. I have already observed that the hymns which we find in this collection (Purusha Sukta) are of very different periods.

— John Muir

That the Purusha Sukta, considered as a hymn of the Rigveda, is among the latest portions of that collection, is clearly perceptible from its contents.

— Albrecht Weber

That remarkable hymn (the Purusha Sukta) is in language, metre, and style, very different from the rest of the prayers with which it is associated. It has a decidedly more modern tone, and must have been composed after the Sanskrit language had been refined.

— Henry Thomas Colebrooke

So, the true, unadulterated Vedas do not even mention the varna system nor does it mention the four varnas AT ALL. Our pUrvajAs called themselves AryAs and that is what we should call ourselves as well. There never was any Brahmana, Kshatriya, Vaishya, Shudra, or Dalits. This might shatter your world-view but that is because we have been living a lie for several millennia

[ Edit - this is about the Vedanta school of Hinduism only, the one propagated by Veda Vyasa, Adi Shankaracharya, Ramanujacharya, Madhvacharya, Ramanandachary, Vallabhacharya, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, etc]

Let me start off saying that I am not fazed by the statements of the critics of Hinduism who have demonized the word polytheism and try to apply that to Sanatana Dharma to prove it wrong. Neither am I speaking out of the widespread hate against it. Sanatana Dharma stands independent and self-sufficient. It needs no support from others, for it itself is the most well-founded philosophy we have. So it does not need to prove itself to critics or the sensibilities of the changing times. Once upon a time polytheism was the trend and now it is not, but Sanatana Dharma does not need to change itself for such trends. It is eternal and powerful.

The reason I am writing this is because many Hindus themselves are unaware of this fact of their religion. Moreover, polytheism has been shot down by Shastra and Acharyas so clinging on to it is incorrect.

Let me say here that if polytheism is simply about the worship of multiple gods, then yes in a way it is sanctioned by the Vedas (Edit - in the end I have clarified, we see these devas as representative of the same Purusha). However, if it is to consider multiple gods as supreme and capable of bestowing liberation then no, it is not.

Adi Shankaracharya in his Gita Bhashya says, na hi isvaradvayam sambhavati, aneka ishvaratve vyavahara-anupatteh For there cannot be two Supreme Gods, if so, the world as it exists now will not be able to function properly.

The reasoning is if A and B are supreme gods, then if A and B both want different things at some point, the universe wouldn't be able to function properly, as nobody could stop A or B from doing what they want (owing to both being supreme). And if A and B always want the exact same thing for all of eternity then there is no basis to claim difference.

Sruti too says similar thing. Svetasvatara upanishad 6.8 declares as follows:

na tat-samaś cā abhyadhikaś ca dṛśyate

“There is no one equal to him or superior to him.” This is about the Purusha who is glorified in the Purusha Sukta and also in every branch of the Veda.

There is one Bhagavan, Purushottama, under whom all devas act. It is like a king with ministers under Him. All act under His approval. Sruti says so, Taittirīya Upaniṣad (2.8) it is said:

bhīṣāsmād vātaḥ pavatebhīṣodeti sūryaḥbhīṣāsmād agniś c

The Rigveda speaks not only of the unity of gods but also of the organic unity of the entire existence. The ‘hymn of man’ (purusha sukta) delineates the heavens, the earth, planets, gods, living and non-living objects as the limbs of one great person who pervades the world and yet remains beyond it and inexhaustible. The characteristic of Vedic thought is that each god, when spoken of, is extolled as the supreme God, the creator of the universe and the lord of all gods. This led Prof Max Mueller to infer that Hinduism developed from polytheism through henotheism to monotheism. The fact, however, is that the Vedic religion has, from the beginning, a monotheistic orientation as evidenced by a number of hymns. ‘The One Reality is described by the wise in different ways’ (ekam sad viprā bahudā vadanti-Rig, I, clxiv, 46). ‘He is one without a second’ (ekamevadvityam-chandogya Upanisad, Vi, ii, 1), ‘All this verily is brahman’ (sarvam khalvidam brahme – chandogya, III, XIV, 1). Hindu cults like Śākta, Śaiva, Vaishnva, Saura and Ganapatya, though worshipping different deities, are at bottom, based on the concept of one supreme God. When the Azhvārs sing the glory of Vishnu, Nāyan(m)ars of Śiva, Vārkarīs of vitthal and Dhārkarīs of Rāma, they speak of the same God.

I don't want to step on anybody's toes here, but the amount of non-dad jokes here in this subreddit really annoys me. First of all, dad jokes CAN be NSFW, it clearly says so in the sub rules. Secondly, it doesn't automatically make it a dad joke if it's from a conversation between you and your child. Most importantly, the jokes that your CHILDREN tell YOU are not dad jokes. The point of a dad joke is that it's so cheesy only a dad who's trying to be funny would make such a joke. That's it. They are stupid plays on words, lame puns and so on. There has to be a clever pun or wordplay for it to be considered a dad joke.

Again, to all the fellow dads, I apologise if I'm sounding too harsh. But I just needed to get it off my chest.

Do your worst!

I'm surprised it hasn't decade.

For context I'm a Refuse Driver (Garbage man) & today I was on food waste. After I'd tipped I was checking the wagon for any defects when I spotted a lone pea balanced on the lifts.

I said "hey look, an escaPEA"

No one near me but it didn't half make me laugh for a good hour or so!

Edit: I can't believe how much this has blown up. Thank you everyone I've had a blast reading through the replies 😂

It really does, I swear!

Buenosdillas

They’re on standbi

Pilot on me!!

Dad jokes are supposed to be jokes you can tell a kid and they will understand it and find it funny.

This sub is mostly just NSFW puns now.

If it needs a NSFW tag it's not a dad joke. There should just be a NSFW puns subreddit for that.

Edit* I'm not replying any longer and turning off notifications but to all those that say "no one cares", there sure are a lot of you arguing about it. Maybe I'm wrong but you people don't need to be rude about it. If you really don't care, don't comment.

When I got home, they were still there.

What did 0 say to 8 ?

" Nice Belt "

So What did 3 say to 8 ?

" Hey, you two stop making out "

I won't be doing that today!

[Removed]

You take away their little brooms

This morning, my 4 year old daughter.

Daughter: I'm hungry

Me: nerves building, smile widening

Me: Hi hungry, I'm dad.

She had no idea what was going on but I finally did it.

Thank you all for listening.

There hasn't been a post all year!

Why

It’s pronounced “Noel.”

After all his first name is No-vac

What, then, is Chinese rap?

Edit:

Notable mentions from the comments:

• Spanish/Swedish/Swiss/Serbian hits

• French/Finnish art

• Country/Canadian rap

• Chinese/Country/Canadian rock

• Turkish/Tunisian/Taiwanese rap

There hasn't been a single post this year!

(Happy 2022 from New Zealand)

Nothing, it just waved

Him: I can explain everything!

(It's his best joke yet I think)

Bob

Personal backstory : I lean towards Marxism and Socialism. But I am a Indian nationalist and majority of Indians Marxists I have met or interacted with are just resentful identity politics Marxist thinking that the Marxist doctrine is going to help them assuage their resentment against their imagined "Oppressors". They will not admit their real oppressors if they belong to their own clan, caste, creed. Most of such "Marxists" are either Islamists or Atrocity literature fed "Dalits".

In 2014 - 2016, I heard JNU product Kanahiya Kumar screeching "ManuWaad se .." and the rest of his Islamist atheists and Woke liberals friends yelling "Azaadi". Knowing the pseudo leftists of all tribes - pseudo Marxists and pseudo Liberals - I knew Kahaniya Kumar would never say ShariaWaad se Azaadi. His own head would be given Azaadi from his body by his fellow "Marxists". In my mind "ManuWaad" was just "Hindutva" or "Hindu Rule". I had never heard of this term before. So I Googled what it means.

It just means "feudalism".

- - -

On the marketing of Feudalism as "Hindu Caste System"

- - -

Feudalism was the prevalent social and economic system on the entire globe throughout the middle ages. And this is basic Liberal history as well as basic Marxist history. Now that truth is obfuscated, and it is termed as "Hindu Caste System", to libel Hinduism and Hindus, and to continue the fracturing of society. The people who are using these libels, apparently to "purify the social evils", are actually the one who are supposed to know these basic historical truths.

Basic history -

"In any case, by the time written history began, distinct economic and social classes were in existence, with members of each class occupying a certain place in the organization of work. At the apex of the social pyramid stood the ruler (often worshiped as a divinity in Mesopotamia and Egypt) and the nobles (probably grown out of a warrior group that had subjugated its neighbors). Closely aligned with them were the priests; possessing knowledge of writing and mathematics, the priests served as government officials, organizing and directing the economy and overseeing clerks and scribes. The traders and merchants, who distributed and exchanged goods produced by others, were below the noble-priest class in the social pyramid. A sizable group of artisans and craftsmen,