Asura question

In the book I have never told otherwise. In Asura, Ravana is the son of Brahmin, Vishravas who is the son of Pulasthya. His mother is Kaikasi, who is an Asura woman. I do not know whether you have missed it while reading, but there is a scene, where he asserts his Brahmin identity while beheading the King Anaranya of Ayodhya- a Kshatriya. Asura is not against the Brahmin caste, it is against the discrimination that has come in the society in the name of Caste. The birth of Ravana or Rama in a particular caste does not matter, the way in which they have been used to perpetuate caste system matters

Rama's killing of Shambuka as he was a Shudra who learned Vedas may have most probably been added by some vested people and Rama as person might not have done that. The question is not whether Rama did it. The Question is how even our sacred books have been used as tool for oppression by our forefathers. I remember my father who used to discuss this things with me saying that in his childhood, members of our community (Brahmins) used to use this killing of Shambuka as an example of how Daharmic Rama was and opposed universal education proposed by the then Cochin and Travancore rulers as against the spirit of our tradition and vedas. Rama essentially became a tool for such people and the sad fact is that 45 % of Kerala got converted to Islam or Christianity due to this kind of pig pigheadedness of its priest community.

In Kashmir, you might be knowing the same thing happened as the majority got converted due to the horrible caste system of our religion.

When Swami Vivekananda visited Kerala, he described it as the mad house of India due to its caste system. Imagine this happening to a culture which used to trade with Indus Valley civilization and is as or more older than many ancient cultures like Mesopotamia or Egypt. The land was supposed to have ruled by Mahabali who had proclaimed that all men, woman and animals are equal in the dawn of civilization and it was the same state which got called as Mad house due to the grip of Caste Brahmanism. Ironically, Kerala Hinduism was saved by Adi Shankara initially and E M Shankaran Namboodiripad and his communism recently (Though the latter has become irrelevant due to the same pigheadedness of the communists - who are the modern day equivalent of conservative Raj Gurus)

My point is that Indian and Hindu civilization is not all about Brahmincial traditions and vedas. There have been ideas and thought process much before even Vedas had evolved in our great country and the parallel tradition of our country cannot be ignored by saying that all that is told by a few priests in our holy books is the only truth.

One of the best stories I have heard is when Adi Shankara was walking through a narrow bridge and a Pariah came in front of him blocking his way. The Sishyas of Jagat Guru asked the Pariah to move away without polluting the way of Acharya. The Pariah asked the Guru is it not the same Parabrahmam that resides in the Guru and in the lowly Pariah or is there a Brahmin Parabrahmam and a Pariah Parabrahmam. It is said that the Guru fell on the feet of the illiterate Pariah to ask for forgiveness and the tradition says that it was none other than Shiva who had come to teach a lesson to the Guru. This story is enacted every day as an ancient dance form of Theeyam in Northern Kerala temple of Parassinkadava (A Bhairava temple where the lowly dog is the holy animal and not cow)

These are all parallel tradition that made our religion alive with the masses as the high philosophy of vedas and advaitha were either too elitist or were denied to the common man

Regards

Anand Neelakantan

Ravanan is a Tamil and we are proud about the same...

Well explained, Anand. I like to add to your explanation a different entity oppressed in the name of casteism, Music.

Hailing from TamilNadu I've witnessed the extreme acknowledgement and abjuration shown towards two different musical genres. One is the renowned carnatic music and other is the dalit music(as called) Parai Isai. One is considered divine and other dreck. While carnatic music undergoes the previlege of being played in temples, Parai Isai is played during funerals. But documented history through ancient anthologies and inscriptions highlight echoes of brass horns interwined with the beating of murasu(which is the main instrument of parai isai) being played in temples and during coronations.

What led to the ostricization of the ancient music that was divine once and is now attributed as Parai Isai played only by the dalit's is a mystery. This perputation of caste system and ostricization make me stronlgly believe in MaxMuller's theory.

Regards
Arun

For All good reasons,the critics must read books called "Ramayana Vishavruksham"(Telugu) by Ranganayakamma,written in early 70's and "Ramayana- A True Reading" by Periyaar. Both authors are Socialists and Historians. In their Non-Fictional works,both had done tremendous job to unveil the mockery and ordeal which had done by mythologies to history and Indians. Explanations to every incident(Shlok by Shlok) were presented.
Answers to every unclear thoughts of the folks are there in those books.

And every word by Mr. Neelkanthan,above,is utter truth.Coming to the point,in those times(Clans,Sects,tribal periods of Iron Age and Bronze Age) there used be Matriarchy system(refer anthropology) in all tribes,where father's name or tribe was not inherited,rather the children belonged mother's tribe and taken name after that. Ancient Indian authentic culture(Indus valley civilization,refer Discovery of India- Nehru) wasn't Vedic or Caste based. All the ill-conceived traditions and myths were the product of Vedic traditions which were completely foreign to that period. Egalitarianism was there in India in Pre-Vedic period. So the remains of the pre-vedic period still existed in the age of Ravana and Rama(If they were not just mythical characters). So naturally he(Ravana) belongs to his mother's clan,not to his father's(as Vedic Patriarchy System).

Hinduism isn't one religion or not religion(according to the def.) at all. Mythologies and Vedas are entirely different. Mythological works of Vedic period are purely Cultural genocide,and are based vested interests of those authors and kings under whom these were written(Refer those books,i mentioned above). And one more book by Kancha Ilaiah called "Why I'm not a Hindu".

If you say Rama a god and lord on the basis of Ramayana(a mere fictional work), Harry Potter must be a God and Super-powered Human then(On the basis of his tales),would you agree to worship Harry??

There are no paradoxes and blurred visions in history as they are in Mythology. Vedic Mythology's vicious and wicked attempts to banish and tarnish the good old Indian culture and tradition -- and simultaneously serving the ill system and its vested interests-- are 'lethally' answered with the same fictional way(but with veracity) by Mr. Neelkanthan,which is quite laudable.

Its so easy for twisted minds to always denigrate highly respected ideals and scripts which have been praised by scientists and intellectuals of western countries. Francois Voltaire , famous French philosopher says " all that we have has come to us from banks of Ganges". He said this in 18th century. Just reading Ramayana as a story has never done anyone any good, its philosophical sense is what needs to be understood. One thing agreed is that he was a human ( Avatar of Lord Vishnu) and lived like one with highest ideals making him known as Purushotthama. Someone has written that he entered river Sarayu,.., yes he did but interpretation and understanding of this person is fully twisted and perverse and so is his thought that Lord Krishna died of diabetes ! This guy is a lost soul ! He does not even know entire concept of why Lord Krishna let an arrow led him to shed his mortal body and return to Vaikuntha , abode of Lord Narayana of whom he was an Avatar. There is a background to this arrow which I think the ignorant persons need to understand and learn. Anyways, amrutha is not for lost souls like Anand or Sainath and their likes, who have are trapped in their own inferiority complex and anything vedic is not for such people ! So, even after 60yrs of independence and affirmative action through reservations quotas, we know what has happened ! Food for thought , positive that is and not twisted and pervert !

I am not supporter of Cast system of Brahamnical atrocity. But here I would like to mention one thing. These cast system and their oppression is neither Vedic nor others ancient text supports this. This has come when many traders started to visit India in early 7th CE.
These traders from Mesopotamia and Egypt where status of priest very political and powerful. These trader always shared their knowledge with Indians and their kings. That early Vedic time condition of Brahmans were very ill cause of Brahmanism rules for them.
few I am explaining based on Smriti and Vedic text.
1. No true Brahman can take food more than 5 home.
2. No Brahman who doesn't know Vedas teach in school and others king dome to earn money.
3. Brahmans were supposed to do Punch Maha yagana which is still very hard practice to do from morning to night.
4. Brahmans children not allowed to warfare cause its consider sin if Brahman is killed any kingdom.
5. Brahmans were supposed to live less materialistic while other cast shudra, vauishya and Kshatriya enjoyed every materialism without social biased.
6. Brahmans were imposed more hard punishment during theft, rape and extra marital affair (mentioned in Manusmriti).
7. Brahamans has high status of respect but low status of pleasure. Pick up any text you will find that every king only donate cow to brahmans. if shudra's were poor why not king donate cow to them. Even so called Mahabali donate cow to poor dwarf Brahman, so does Ravan.
8. Brahmans, were forced to stay outside the jungle and very few who achieved high status like Vashistha, Viswamita, vyasha and Valmiki jati chose to be royal consult but without materialistic profit.
9. Brahmans were only allowed to do celibacy, very few kings we have found in text which has taken celibacy. Another wise it is consider that Brahmans has to do celibacy to make happy god.
10. Text like bhagwatam, mahabarata..brahamns like sudhama, drone are potrayed as poor people with high moral. why not shudra.
My purpose is that in early Vedic era it is considered that people who has high moral and knowledge should not indulged into materialism cause it can corrupt their divine knowledge.
But after knowledge back and forth from other civilization, transferred the Brahmans post something different. Now they were started to consider themselves as victim of hard rule of Vedas, few of them break from system and become Buddhist, Janis because they were more reluctant in rules than Vedic system. Left Brahman’s started knowledge to other civilization of racism to breed in India And they hold most powerful weapon to take revenge of many century material biased against them. Chanakya and other Brahman promote other cast king like Chandragupta (Vaishya) and Shudra king in many states. From this CE Brahmans were not mere religious rule follow people, they started to use their political power and create Purina’s who show Brahmans status more high in society. These implications from 7CE to 14CE were help Mughals to win the war against many kingdom cause Brahmans create distingustion that only Kshatriya will fight. Latter during bhakti movement these cast system diluted and many scholar like dayanand saraswati, shri arbindo, swami ramkrishana paramhansh, vivekanand, jyotiba rao phule intervene the system. But this system promoted By British raj by hiring pundits and giving them jobs to understand this society. They were very sharp and understand this divide very quickly. Lord risely, Jhon Williams and Max mullers used this divide and create merging Jati-Verna system with Cast system (racial science of West). During the 300 yrs. of Raj, it’s merged a lot that, Dr. Amebedkar suggests Dalit reservation.
In Parallel, British Indologist and scholar worked on parallel theory of ethnicity based on color and linguistic of south Indian peoples. They created myth of St. Thomas, Myth of Kadamb Kumari, Myths of Aryan invasion theory, Myhts of Ashura as native people. They succeed this experiment in Shree-lanka by making Sinhalese aryans and Tamils as a Dravidians. Same experiment is going in India also. Writer like Anad is just wheel of this chaos.
Dravidians were native people because in India no Aryans ever invaded. I am student of archeology and I have studied Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro civilization, there is no discontinuity, these people migrated to gangetic plane due to drying of River Sarasvati.
All North and south Indians are Dravidians actually; Sanskrit is developed by panini for grammatical purpose and spread like English to day. Most gangtical plane people accept it as native while south merged it with Sanskrit. Many Tamil world is found in Sanskrit.

So request to reader, do an unbiased study before making any mind for Indian History because still it is less truly studied history.

Yes, ravan was an asura. Asura means those who oppose devas. Who were vedic devas? Indo-aryans.

Actually, asura were indo-europid people, also known as nordic race. Indo-aryans, indo-europeans belong to same blood lines.

Unfortunately, people don't try to study max-muellers statement. And no, these indic people are not vedic. Vedic people died long time back including vedic brahmans.

@surender: castes are fake. One thing to consider. Vedic brahmans don't have surname, but post vedic brahmans have surnames. What it depicts? Vedic brahmans were different than these brahmins of todays time. Vedic brahmans were a homogeneous group of people, and the post vedic people are profession based. That's why those who did not enter brahamncial fold never liked these fake profession based brahmins.