Why are Brahmins considered docile and easy targets?

[ashwin_ash]

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:eyebrows:Why are Brahmins considered easy pickings for other castes? In general, I've noticed that Brahmins themselves do not like other Brahmins. And this image that Brahmins are submissive makes it worse.

Ravana was a Brahmin, Parasurama is a Brahmin (he is one of the chiranjeevis). Chanakya was a Brahmin too, and the man who devised tantra, Adi Sankara was a Brahmin too. Why does our caste hesitate to invoke such powerful imagery in times of crisis? At this rate, I feel that atleast tambrams will soon become extinct (Iyers and Namboodiris for sure, considering the very high rate of emigration owing to persecution and lack of alternatives).

 

[Raghy]

:eyebrows:Why are Brahmins considered easy pickings for other castes? In general, I've noticed that Brahmins themselves do not like other Brahmins. And this image that Brahmins are submissive makes it worse.

Ravana was a Brahmin, Parasurama is a Brahmin (he is one of the chiranjeevis). Chanakya was a Brahmin too, and the man who devised tantra, Adi Sankara was a Brahmin too. Why does our caste hesitate to invoke such powerful imagery in times of crisis? At this rate, I feel that atleast tambrams will soon become extinct (Iyers and Namboodiris for sure, considering the very high rate of emigration owing to persecution and lack of alternatives).

Sri.Ashwin, Greetings.

Brahmins are not easy pickings. Harijans were very easy pickings for the past more than few centuries or longer. They were made to submit to all and sundries. Brahmins can oppose and do oppose. Tamil Brahmins left, most of them on their own seeking greener pastures. So, they are not 'extinct' per se. By the way, a submissive person will not have the courage to travel to alien lands seeking better prospects. So, submission is not on the card at all. I don't know, but in my opinion, the opening post doesn't sound right.

Cheers!

 

[Iyyarooraan]

Brahmins can do every thing that others can do. But they are not the ones to venture into others domain - high or low. They mind their own business that is why they have to suffer so much agony. There is word around that because some Brahmins eat meat, non-veg items are costing more! If they enter into every others business - including scavanging and vettiyaan vElai - there will be a lot of tear shedding. Another movement like Hitler's (genocide) will take birth. Is it hatred? Or helplessness?

 

[kunjuppu]

Brahmins can do every thing that others can do. But they are not the ones to venture into others domain - high or low. They mind their own business that is why they have to suffer so much agony. There is word around that because some Brahmins eat meat, non-veg items are costing more! If they enter into every others business - including scavanging and vettiyaan vElai - there will be a lot of tear shedding. Another movement like Hitler's (genocide) will take birth. Is it hatred? Or helplessness?

iyya,

one cannot live isolated in a world, or wish for isolation. if that happened, india would have been unpopulaed.

starting from the earliest aryan invasion, we had waves of conquerors.

the same thing goes with communities. we live in urban areas, and we intermingle, workwise, educationwise and neighbourwise. unless you are willing to protect what you have, and unless you preserve your natural born aggression to defend your rights, these will be taken away.

this is the law of the human jungle.

when i was young, i used to get teased. i used to have bigger, stronger friends, who used to come to my aid. both the teasers, and their deterrents were NB hindus, not christians who were also numerous in my neighbourhood. i only wish, my parents had inculcated the habit of standing up and fighting in me. instead, it was always, 'run away, dont get into trouble, if someone bothers you complain to the teacher'..and such sissy stuff. i used to cry on the spot. out of shame, anger and impotence.

my children, not only have their aggression well preserved, but strong in body through building, and no one, in the white society comes near them. it is just the way they carry themselves. that is what i have learned in life.

i think tambram parents instead of considering that mind should be only spent of books, understand that the mind is large enough to accommodate more than books - encourage sports, body building and above all the confidence to face the world boldly and in the face. this will go a long way, in bolstering our image, of our boys, and perhaps, convince our girls to look at them as potential mates..too.

 

[Mayuram V.Sankaran]

Of all the Brahmins in India, the Tamil Brahmins (Iyers and Iyengars), as I used to know them, were indeed a very submissive, sensitive and somewhat thin-skinned people, who tended to shy away from their own kind as there was a lot of competition and very little love or affection lost among them. Indeed, to my knowledge, the previous generation of Tamil Brahmins, who had migrated from small towns and villages to the highly commercial and industrial towns and cities within India, showed all the tendencies to put down without mercy their own kind in order to put themselves up in life. The widows and orphans were the worst-hit in the process. If the head of the household were to die, within the ten-day period of mourning the house will be stripped clean of all valuables and movables by the elder brothers and sisters and they will also decide to sell the parental home without regard to the widow or the younger siblings who still had to sail through life. All that mattered to them was their own welfare and that of their own children to the exclusion of anyone else. If the younger brothers and sisters were mediocre and not good enough in their educational attainments or employment potentials to become professionals, officers and managers or they were infirm mentally or handicapped otherwise, they will treated like 'asses that will face the wall' in their future. Nobody will offer their daughter in marriage to such 'donkeys' and even their own widowed mother will not be treating them well. She will move in with the more successful among the children of hers and send a message of being proud of her 'foolish son' only when he becomes an officer in government or manager in some kind of corporation and not remain just a clerk or a school teacher all through life. To conclude, they worshiped 'material success' in life without caring much for a 'moral character' or 'good nature'.

 

[sangom]

:eyebrows:Why are Brahmins considered easy pickings for other castes? In general, I've noticed that Brahmins themselves do not like other Brahmins. And this image that Brahmins are submissive makes it worse.

Ravana was a Brahmin, Parasurama is a Brahmin (he is one of the chiranjeevis). Chanakya was a Brahmin too, and the man who devised tantra, Adi Sankara was a Brahmin too. Why does our caste hesitate to invoke such powerful imagery in times of crisis? At this rate, I feel that atleast tambrams will soon become extinct (Iyers and Namboodiris for sure, considering the very high rate of emigration owing to persecution and lack of alternatives).

Shri ashwin,

I will say that your post itself answers your question Tamil Brahmins, (because I do not know enough about the other brahmins) and I presume you come under that category, have this tendency to squeeze out inspiration for the present life situations from out of mythological past, instead of from today's world. What have ravana, parasurama, chanakya or adi sankara done to prove that they were not "soft" targets? Come to think of it, the first two of these personalities could be seen as having been cowed down simply before a monkey (hanuman), a mere human boy (rama), respectively, while chanakya could only tag himself onto a potentially brave leader (which shows he by himself was unable to wreak vengeance), and adi shankara did not do anything brave except ordering a chandala to clear away from his road. Are these sufficient evidence to prove that they were very brave specimens and not easy pickings?

I find Namboodiris are not at all bothered about such things. They appear to me essentially very pragmatic and seem to know how best to succeed in the contemporary world. Tabras, on the contrary, have a mental block caused by their imagined ancient past, the loss of their monopoly in government jobs, and the tendency to live in the past.

Tamil Brahmins do not dislike other Tabras, but they will seldom help one another, nor unite for anything, under any one leader; they are so egotistical.

 

[ashwin_ash]

Shri ashwin,

I will say that your post itself answers your question Tamil Brahmins, (because I do not know enough about the other brahmins) and I presume you come under that category, have this tendency to squeeze out inspiration for the present life situations from out of mythological past, instead of from today's world. What have ravana, parasurama, chanakya or adi sankara done to prove that they were not "soft" targets? Come to think of it, the first two of these personalities could be seen as having been cowed down simply before a monkey (hanuman), a mere human boy (rama), respectively, while chanakya could only tag himself onto a potentially brave leader (which shows he by himself was unable to wreak vengeance), and adi shankara did not do anything brave except ordering a chandala to clear away from his road. Are these sufficient evidence to prove that they were very brave specimens and not easy pickings?

I find Namboodiris are not at all bothered about such things. They appear to me essentially very pragmatic and seem to know how best to succeed in the contemporary world. Tabras, on the contrary, have a mental block caused by their imagined ancient past, the loss of their monopoly in government jobs, and the tendency to live in the past.

Tamil Brahmins do not dislike other Tabras, but they will seldom help one another, nor unite for anything, under any one leader; they are so egotistical.

Tambrams are extremely egotistical, thats true. All I implied was, Ravana and Parasurama were extremely violent men. I am not justifying the violence, but they commanded respect. Hope you get my point.