Manu Smriti – Why Maligned and Defamed?

Scripture as old as 2nd century BC which is orated in chaste Sanskrit following truthful  impeccability of Panini “Asthadhyayi “ should have been matter of splendid inheritance and pride of intellectual competence for any civilization.

Yet, the discourse around Manu Smriti is based on rejection and repudiation on some fallacious imagination. Narratives have been manufactured about its anti-women right and anti-weaker Caste right.  How it all started and who conspired to take it forward?

A painful yet factual truth which exists and the masses do not know is that we do not have an original copy of Manu Smriti today in our library. Infect we have today more than 50 manuscripts of Manu Smriti today and each claiming to be original and oldest.  One of the popular Calcutta manuscripts with Kulluka Bhatta Commentary is quite popular among the researchers.

We will be covering in another E book how the Indian scripture was written, maintained, proliferated and of course adulterated.

To add to my reader’s disbelief, the Manu Smriti, the one that Babasaheb Ambedkar burnt on 25th Dec 1927 was also not original rather a translated version.

Who translated Manu Smriti? And what was the source of this translation? It is never revealed objectively to the vast audience just to fuel the controversy and malign the cultural heritage of India.

William Jones in 1794 an English Judge in Kolkata used his choice and imagination to translate this Great Scripture written in chaste Panini Sanskrit. Was he a Sanskrit scholar? No and he himself never claimed so. Thereafter two more British clerks William Hunter and Max Muller who are decorated orientalists choose their words, sentences and imagination to create English translation of Manu Smriti. Both never read Panini Grammar Ashtadhyayi.

William Jones, Max Muller and Hunter had a common objective to manufacture a divisive narrative and fuel hatred in a section of Sanatan society. And they were able to plant the seed successfully. They were missionaries on mission to discredit any religious value and heritage other than their own. Worldwide, The communist and left leaning fake intellectuals have demeaned every tradition which has impeded their theory of class struggle.

Hence, endless reams of paper were conspired and printed denouncing specially two aspect of Manu Smriti to the masses and especially to the impressionable young generation.

·        Unjustified Female rights and against the scientific idea of feminism.

·        Inequality among the caste and suppression of Dalit Right.

There are series of Shlokas written in those inherited Sanskrit Manu Smriti which stands for the rights, liberties and freedom of females. Critique can pick up another set of shlokas from among these sets of inherited manuscript manipulating and abusing the same spirit. Why so? Answer is, all the manuscripts in hand are not carrying the Vedic essence on which the Manu Smriti is based upon.  Yes, with 50 original yet varied authorless manuscripts, literary incorruptibility is never guaranteed.

Manu Smriti is narrated by Sage Manu and Maharishi Bhrigu on conduct of Social and moral value to be pursued by the society. And hence it carries forward the same Vedic essence. The Rig Veda mentions some of supreme female scholar Romasha, Lopamudra, Apala, Kadru, Visvavara, Ghosha, Juhu, Vagambhrini, Paulomi, Yami, Indrani, Savitri, and Devajami. The Sama Veda adds Nodha, Akrishtabhasha, Sikatanivavari and Gaupayana. And not to forget the great Gargi, Maitrya, they all have contributed in writing of Vedic literature without any gender prejudice, discomfort and differentiation.

One Shloka that is common in all the 50 manuscript of Manu Smriti and which explains the essence of all Vedic literature as well is:–

यत्र नार्यस्तु पूज्यन्ते रमन्ते तत्र देवता:।
यत्रैतास्तु न पूज्यन्ते सर्वास्तत्राफला: क्रिया:।

Where Women are honored, divinity blossoms there, and wherever women are dishonored, all action no matter how noble it may be, remains unfruitful.

Similarly to explain the essence of Vedic Literature female power and divinity, another Shloka in Rig Ved narrates the declaration of the feminine energy as the essence of the universe, the one who creates all matter and consciousness, the eternal and infinite, the metaphysical and empirical reality (Brahman), the soul (supreme self) of everything.

या देवी सर्वभूतेषु शक्ति रूपेण संस्थिता।

नमस्तस्यै नमस्तस्यै नमस्तस्यै नमो नम:।।

Adi Parashakti is the Supreme Being and recognized as Para Brahman. The Devi Bhagavata Mahapurana suggests that Adi Parashakti is the original creator, observer and destroyer of the whole universe.

Yet the deceitful interpretation and malice against female honor were smuggled into the translation creating an insidious design to create self-hating low self-esteemed Hindu.

The other conspiracy about unequal treatment to caste Dalit their right and deprivation had been raised quite vociferously. Infect Babasaheb Ambedkar had raised some of such questions while he was burning the scripture itself.

To what extent Manu Smriti is responsible for this rigidity and who had conspired to fuel it is even a larger subject. The question that Babasaheb Ambedkar raised were:-

I do not believe in Chaturvarna based on birth: – Vedic Scripture and Manu Smriti nowhere writes a word about Chaturvarna System by Birth. It has been explained at numerous places including one from the Bhagwat-Puran through Lord Shri Krishna himself. It is deed not birth that will decide the ChaturVarna.

Lord Krishna sings in Chapter Four, Verse Thirteen of Bhagavad Gita:

cāturvarṇyam mayā sṛṣṭam
guṇakaramavibhāgaśaḥ,
tasya kartāram api mām
viddhy akartāram avyayam

“Although I have created the four classes (Varn)-Brahmin, Kshatriy, Vaishy and Shudr-according to innate properties and actions, know me the immutable as a non-doer.’’

I do not believe in caste distinctions: – Yes Caste is nowhere and never mentioned in Vedic Scripture. Maharishi Valmiki who was not a born Brahmin yet he acquired the ability of Greatest among the Rishi, wrote Ramayana the most revered epic of Sanatan and sheltered Mata Sita and taught two Prince Lav and Kush under his authority.

I believe that untouchability is an anathema to Hinduism and I will honestly try my best to completely destroy it: – Yes Babasaheb Ambedkar was accurately right yet he missed out that the Vedic Literature and Manu Smriti is not the reason of this maladies.

I will not follow any restrictions about food and drink among at least all Hindus: – Vedic Literature does not profess any mandatory code anywhere about civility in general life. Unlike other Abrahamic literature it is un-coded. And free will and liberty has been guaranteed in all the entire essence.

I believe that untouchables must have equal rights to access to temples, water sources, schools and other amenities: – True and Vedic Literature including Manu Smriti does not obstruct.

The fact is Manu Smriti, is the oldest legal text among the many Dharmaśāstras of Sanatan and at best it is advisory in consonance with Vedic essence. To ordinary citizens the Sanskrit language is no more a subject of professional pursuit and hence it is not followed and not understood. Absence of knowledge is the reason for poison, deceit, hatred being spread by left leaning intellectuals among the section of aspiring society and young generation.

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