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Navajyothi Sree KARUNAKARA GURU 7

perpetrated elaborate and complex vedic ritual as well. Above all,
in course of time, they brought about the system of castes,
varnasramadharma. Thus they fragmented society into a plurality of
communities.
But the Brahmins defeated themselves in what they did, they
were to draw no benefit from their action. There is a reason for this
failure. Ritualism became paramount with them. Their principal
action, karma, became a mere performance of tantric rites. Through
tantra they welded Trimurti worship with social life and political
govern ance in such a way that they, being the custodians of religion,
gained full control over society. In course of time interpolations were
made in the scriptures. These interpolations twisted the scriptures to
present the Brahmin as God incarnate. Even the state (king) was made
to accept the Brahmin as such.
When this system was extolled and the Brahmin began to
rule by proxy, Manu, the archetypal teacher was blotted from human
memory. The brahminic system, insular as it was, kept its knowledge
from the world at large. The Brahmins became thus responsible for
the creation of very low modes of worship in people of the depressed
classes. These low modes of worship persisted for ages depriving
us of spiritual strength. Though the Brahmins were responsible for
this deprivation, they themselves are undergoing considerable so cial
hardships today.
The next castes in the hierarchy are the Kshatriya and the
Vaisya. The Vaisya being a trader would act as expedient. He would
not reach out or strive for something beyond his grasp. From being
non committal the Vaisya has degenerated into being apathic. This
apathy happens in many respects to a person who is always making