Shudra Puns

I've always thought of Shudras and Dalits as the same. It was until recently I came to know that they are different.

What were the duties of a Shudra and that of a Dalit ?

And what caste category they fall into ? Are both eligible for merit and reservation quotas ?

If you guys were following my previous account ,you would know that I immerse myself in attempting to understand the theological position of the Vedas on the varna system.

English versions of the Taittiriya Brahmana are unavailable on the web. As I do not know Sanskrit ,it is highly difficult for me to verify the authenticity of the translation provided by J Muir.

I first came across these verses in Ambedkar’s Riddles in Hinduism.

1.2.6.7–"The Brahman caste is sprung from the gods; the Sudra from the Asuras “

3.2.3.9–"Let him at his will milk out with a wooden dish. But let not a Sudra milk it out. For this Sudra has sprung from non-existence. They say that which a Sudra milks out is no oblation. Let not a Sudra milk out the Agnihotra. For they do not purify that. When that passes beyond the filter, then it is an oblation".

Could someone adept in Sanskrit translate these verses for me ? It would be much appreciated if you could also elaborate on the context of these verses as they are given in isolation in J Muir’s Original Sanskrit Texts Volume 1.

Thank you in advance

This is a very popular conspiracy theory which is believed by a major chunk of Hindus, particularly the so called low caste Hindus, who want to believe Hinduism is friendly or inclusive of them, classic case of Stockholm Syndrome.

And since alot of these so called low caste Hindus are getting educated and prosperous after independence, the so called high caste Hindus, particularly the Bramans keep on enforcing this belief of theirs to win their support & keep them entangled in this religion of theirs.

 

Here's what Hindu Scriptures say about origins of Valmiki -

Ramayan, which is considered to be the creation of Valmiki himself, refers to him as son of Prachetas (Varuna) - thus making him a Braman.

Ramayan 7.96.18 > I tell you the truth, O Rama, that these impressible twin brothers are your son. I am the tenth son of Pracheta, so, far from speaking untruth, it doesn't even spring up in my mind. I therefore know the truth that these twins are your sons.

 

These following verses also confirm him being a Braman -

Skanda Purana 5.1.24 Verses 3 to 34

Skanda Purana 6.1.124 Verses 3 to 85

Padma Purana 5.66 Verses 143 to 146

Also Manorama is hot on the trail of a game called Free Fire, which is pretty popular after looking it up. Is this just a knee jerk reaction from mainstream malayalam after the discovery of gaming culture? Or something more sinister that I’m not aware of?

Edit : kshudra not shudra

https://preview.redd.it/egxu5ualpre71.jpg?width=933&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=074e4cb376d6347af907e26462712ca861adc1f7

>“There is hardly a village, great or small, throughout our territories, in which there is not at least one school, and in larger villages more.” (Source: G.L. Prendergast, 1820)

>“It has generally been assumed that the education of any kind in India…was mainly concerned with the higher and middle strata of society (the Brahmins, Kshatriyas and Vaishyas). However, as will be seen, the data of 1822-25 indicates more or less an opposite position…in the Tamil-speaking areas the twice-born (in schools) ranged between 13% in South Arcot to 23% in Madras… while the Soodras and the other castes (later to be labeled as SC) ranged from about 70% in Salem and Tinnevelly to over 84% in South Arcot.” (Source: The Beautiful Tree, Dharampal via Collectors reports from the 1820s)

>“It is true that the greater proportion of the teachers came from the Kayasthas, Brahmins, Sadgop and Aguri castes. Yet, quite a number came from 30 other caste groups also, and even the Chandals had 6 teachers. The elementary school students present an even greater variety, and it seems as if every caste group is represented in the student population, the Brahmins and the Kayasthas nowhere forming more than 40% of the total. In the two Bihar districts, together they formed no more than 15 to 16%. The more surprising figure is of 61 Dom, and 61 Chandal school students in the district of Burdwan, nearly equal to the number of Vaidya students, 126, in that district. (As per Adam) only 86 of the ‘scholars belonging to 16 of the lowest castes’ were in the (British) missionary schools, while 674 scholars from them were in the ‘native schools’.” (Source: The Beautiful Tree, Dharampal via William Adams’ Reports on Education in the 1830s)

>“In most areas, the Brahmin scholars formed a very small proportion of those studying in schools. (In higher learning, especially the disciplines of Theology, Metaphysics, Ethics, and Law, Brahmins formed the majority) But the disciplines of Astronomy and Medical Science seem to have been studied by scholars from a variety of backgrounds and castes. This is very evident from the Malabar data: out of 808 studying Astronomy, only 78 were Brahmins; and of the 194 studying Medicine, only 31 were Brahmins. Incidentally, in Rajahmundry, five of the scholars in the institution of higher learning were Soodras. According to other Madras Presidency surveys, of those practising Medicine and Surgery, it was found that such persons belonged to a variety of castes.