Bhakti-Kal and
Caste Question
- Kanwal Bharti
(An abridged version of talk delivered on 23rd
October, 2024 at Calicut University)
(Translation from original Hindi to English: S R Darapuri, National
President, All India Peoples Front)
I say this with emphasis that in Indian history two periods, only
two periods, came as a boon for the Dalit castes. One was the Muslim period and
the other was the British period. If the Muslims and the British had not come
to India, the fortunes of the Dalits would probably never have risen in this
country. It was in these two periods that the Dalits realized their human
nature. And they developed a yearning and struggle for freedom from slavery.
Even today I shudder to think that if the Muslims and the British had not come,
what would have happened to us? Would the Hindu kings and princes have given us
human rights? Would the Hindus who did not give water to the Dalits from their
wells, have given them the right to education and freedom? I leave these questions
for your consideration.
Remember that the Bhakti movement came in this Muslim period
itself. Islam had come to India in the seventh century itself. Obviously, when
Islam came, Muslims also came with it. In other words, Islam came along with
the Muslims. With this, a big revolution came in the field of language.
Sanskrit, which was the elite language of literature, lost its dominance and
local dialects started becoming the language of poetry. Brahmins looked at this
language other than Sanskrit with hatred and despised it by calling it asadhu,
uncultured, uncivilized, and corrupt. A writer named Gunadhy had written a book
named Brihatkatha in Paishachi language. Because of writing in this language,
the king of that place insulted him in the court.
The second big revolution happened regarding caste. Siddhas came in
the eighth century itself, whose period is till the twelfth century. There were
84 Siddhas, out of which 28 Siddhas were Shudras and 4 were women. Other
Siddhas included Brahmins, Thakurs and Vaishyas. Thus, we see that in the
medieval period, the caste system was broken in the field of knowledge. There
were castes, but there was laxity in their Varna-karma. In the Varna system,
only a Brahmin could be a religious teacher, but this bond was broken in this
period. Along with the Shudras, women also became religious leaders. In this
century, Sarahapad was born. He was a Brahmin. But he strongly refuted the
Vedas, scriptures, yagnas, varna system and caste. One of these Siddhas was
Machhendranath, who started the Nath sect. His disciple was Gorakhnath.
Gorakhnath made Shiva-bhakti so popular and so widespread that from east to
west and north to south, there is no province where Gorakhnath does not have
influence among the common people. You will be surprised to know that even
today, in every corner of the country, a huge population of Dalit-backward
castes consider Gorakhnath and his disciple Jahar Peer, who was a Muslim, as
their deity.
The Bhakti movement comes in the tradition of these Siddhas and
Naths. When the Bhakti movement started, there was a strong stream of Nirgun
poets in it, which was against caste. In this, another stream was started by
Brahmins, which was in favour of caste. This stream was started in opposition
to Nirgun, i.e. in counter. We know this as Sagun Dhara. This stream was
started in the name of Vishnu's incarnations Ram and Krishna. But none of the
saints of Sagun Dhara denounced caste, rather they remained staunch supporters
of the caste system. Dr. Ambedkar has written that Saint Gyan Dev was so
enamoured of his Brahmin status that when the Brahmins of Paithan refused to
accept him in their community, he moved heaven and earth to get recognition as
a Brahmin among them. Similarly, there was Saint Eknath, for whom the film 'Dharmista'
was made to show him as a hero, because he had shown the courage to eat with an
untouchable. He did this not because he was against caste, but he did it
believing that if he got contaminated by this, he would become pure by bathing
in the Ganga. Yatha - Antyajacha Vithaal Jyaasi/ Ganga Snaane Shuddhatva
Tyaasi. This saying has come in Chapter 28 of Eknathi Bhagwat. There was a
saint Ramanand, who is imposed on Kabir and Raidas as a false Guru. He used to
say, "He who worships Hari, becomes Hari's." But no verse of his is
found in the refutation of caste. Kabir has a Sakhi - "Sakat Brahmin jini
mile, baisno mil chandal/ ank maal de bhentiye, mano mile Gopal." If you
meet a Shakta, Brahmin and Vaishnav-Chandal, then do not meet the Shakta and
Brahmin, because both are the same. But if you meet a Vaishnav-Chandal, then
embrace him, because he has not got the status of a Vaishnav, he is considered
an Untouchable. These were the Untouchable Vaishnavs made by Ramanand. He used
to initiate Brahmins in the temple with proper rituals with chanting of
mantras, but he would make the Untouchables stand outside the temple and say
from a furlong away, say- Ram Ram. When they said, Ram Ram, then Ramanand would
say to them, "Go, your initiation is done, you have become a
Vaishnav." But they were never allowed to enter the temple. Those Untouchable
Vaishnavas were made to do the cleaning work outside the temple.
I had told you yesterday also that the Nirgun and Sagun saints of
the Bhakti period should not be considered the same. Ramvilas Sharma and some
other Brahmin critics have committed the crime of mixing them, but you should
not commit this crime. Both are different. Now I will tell you why the Brahmins
needed to start the Sagun stream? The main reason for this is Islam, which
transmitted such a stream of monotheism and love among humans, especially
humans of lower castes, that Brahmin-religion and the caste system were in
danger. Many critics, among whom Hazariprasad Dwivedi is the main one, do not
believe that Islam had an influence on Bhakti literature. They say, everything
has come from the Vedas and Vedanta, Kabir's revolution also came from the
Vedas and Vedanta and Tulsi's Varnashrama too. Is not this amazing knowledge!
But he also says emphatically in the introduction to Hindi literature that
'even if Islam had not come, twelve percent of this literature would have been
the same as it is today.' That is, he believes that Islam had four percent
influence on the literature of the Bhakti period. But this four-anna effect had
only so much effect on Brahmin saints that they loosened the shackles of
untouchability to prevent Shudra castes from converting to Islam, but did not
abolish them. And Tulsidas was so harsh towards Shudras that he considered the
rise of Shudra poets as the ill-effects of Kaliyug. He could not tolerate that
a Shudra becomes so elevated due to his qualities that he starts preaching to Brahmins
by birth, “Are we any less than you?” “After becoming Shudras, we are like
Brahmins, but we are less than you/ The Brahmin who knows Brahma, scolds him
even after seeing him with his own eyes.” The beauty-consciousness of Nirgun
poets was that “Do not worship a Brahmin, who is devoid of qualities/ Worship
the feet of a Chandal, who is proficient in knowledge.” This is the verse of
Saint Raidas. This Nirgun beauty-consciousness kept worrying Brahmins in the
society for a hundred years. In opposition to this, Tulsidas established the
Varna system in the sixteenth century and said, “Pujiye Vipra Seel Gun Heena/
Nahin Na Shudra Gun Gyan Praveena.” Those who have read Ramchandra Shukla will
know that Shukla ji has called Kabir arrogant, uncivilized, and uncultured. Is
not it surprising that he did not see arrogance, arrogance and uncivilizedness
in Tulsidas who said, “Pujiye Vipra Seel Gun Heena/ Nahin Na Shudra Gun Gyan
Praveena,” but he saw it in Kabir who was refuting the discrimination. Among
the saints whom Tulsidas has worshiped in Manas, Brahmins are the first to be
worshiped by him. “Bando Pratham Mahisur Charana/ Moh Janit Sansay Sab Harana.”
This is such a big support of caste in Tulsidas. Therefore, I am repeating my
point again that the Nirgun and Sagun poets and saints of the Bhakti period
should be considered as one. The Saguns did not oppose the caste system, only
the Nirgun poets did. Caste was not a matter of concern for the non-Dalits then
and neither is it now.
The biggest rebellion against caste in the Bhakti period was done
by the Nirgun saints of the fifteenth century, and this rebellion was to reject
the power of Brahmins in the society. No Nirgun saint made a Brahmin his Guru.
This was the first attack on the root of caste. Because the root of caste was
only Brahmin. That is why Kabir said in a sky-piercing voice, 'Brahmin is the
Guru of the world, but not the Guru of the Sadh/ He died after delving into the
four Vedas.' He said, Brahmin may be the Guru of the world, but he cannot be
the Guru of the Sadh. Nirgun saints called themselves Sadh, not Sadhu. By
rejecting Brahmin, they cut the root of caste. Because Brahmin was the one who
established caste. Nirgun saints believed why make a Brahmin their Guru? What
does he have other than imparting knowledge of the books of Vedas and Puranas?
What does he have other than teaching to declare this world as false and the
other world as true? He is a Shudra, he is Untouchable, he is a Mlechha, he is
entitled, he is not entitled, what does he have other than this rhetoric? He is
so afflicted with the complex of superiority that he considers everyone else to
be lowly except himself. Just yesterday in the session Professor Madhav Hada
had said that the thinkers of the West considered the Indian thinkers to be of
second class. But he does not tell that the Brahmin thinkers also consider the
Shudra thinkers to be of second class. By putting stamps and tilak on their
bodies the Brahmins make one feel that they are not like other humans, they are
different from them, they are superior. In this way the Brahmin likes social
inequality and social isolation. Kabir had asked such a Brahmin by putting a
finger in his eyes—if you are superior by birth, then why were you not born
with these three sticks from birth? Just like everyone else, you are also born
from a drop. But if you are different, then why were you not born from some
other way? If you were born from Brahma's mouth, then you would have come out
from his mouth only - 'Jo karta varna bichaara/ janmat teen danda anusar/ jai
tu bahan bhabhi jaaye/ aan vaat kahne nahin aaye.'
And the contagious disease was so dreadful for the Brahmin that if
even the shadow of a Dalit fell on him, he would immediately take a bath.
Yesterday, Avdhesh Pradhan ji, while referring to Bhaktmal in his lecture, had
called it a great book on coordination of Sagun-Nirgun poets. But this book is
not about coordination, but a book that distorts the characterization of Nirgun
poets. This book was written by Nabhadas in the sixteenth century, in the
period of Tulsidas. Nabhadas is said to be a Shudra. I do not know whether this
book was written by Nabhadas, or some Brahmin wrote it in his name. But this is
the same text which has fabricated the stories of Kabir and Raidas being made
disciples of Ramanand. In this Bhaktmal itself, it is mentioned that when Kabir
was called for a discussion with Ramanand, Ramanand had put a thick sackcloth
curtain in between so that Kabir's shadow would not spread contamination. Was
such a strange creature who believed in untouchability fit to become Kabir's
Guru? Would Kabir have made him his Guru? Never. Kabir says, "A Guru is
needed who makes the disciple Brahma." One who makes the disciple's body
Brahma. Kabir has said a very beautiful thing that the condition of a Brahmin
is like a boat of blind people, in which all the blind are sitting and they
take it in whichever direction they want, they have no goal - Kabira, the story
of a Brahmin, so the boat of blind people/ All the blind people sit together,
take them wherever you like.'
The God of the Nirgun saints
was Niranjan, devoid of caste and class. Their Nirgun God had no form, no
class, no lineage, no clan, and no abode. But the Sagun saints did not believe
in a formless God. Their work could not be done with just one God, and it
cannot be done even today. Because a temple of formless God cannot be built,
his idols cannot be made, and plays cannot be performed in his name. If Sagun
Brahmins believed in a Niranjan Parmatma, then they would have had to insist on
social equality. Then what would have happened to the Varna system, for the
establishment of which they created so many incarnations and stories? Remember,
they needed to establish Sagun deities, because they had to declare the Varna
system as a divine system, which they could do only by making Brahma its
creator.
Kabir has refuted such devotion, and rebuked such devotees, for
whom caste existed earlier. See these verses of his---
Jab tak naata jati ka, tab tak bhakti na hoye.
If any warrior does devotion, he loses caste, class and family.
Where there is devotion, there is no disguise, there is no
Varnashram.
The devotion which is based on love for the name, is rare in the
world. Finally, I will conclude with some of Raidas sahab's Sakhis. He had
called the Dalit castes as subordinates. Although politically all Indians were subordinates,
but socially only the Dalits were subordinates. He said that Dalits are such subordinates,
whom no one loves---
Living is a sin, O friend, know this.
Raidas Das, who loves a dependent.
Know him as a Brahmin, who is absorbed in Brahma.
Raidas, caste and class do not matter, this is the poor.
Make friendship with a Muslim and love a Hindu.
Raidas, all are Hari's light, all are our friends.
But according to Kabir, when 'Sudras and Mlechha reside in the
mind, I have not recognized the soul of Ram.' The Sagun saints in whose hearts
Shudras and Mlechha resided, their devotion was also hypocrisy.
