Dr Aravind Malagatti, a renowned figure in the arena of literature, recently kicked off a controversy, when he criticized the Hindu religious text, the Bhagavad Gita.
A former director and professor of Kannada at the Kuvempu Institute of Kannada Studies, Mysore University, and director of Prasaranga, the publication wing of the Mysore varsity, as also the honorary president of the Jayalakshmi Vilas Palace Museum, Dr. Malagatti talks on his controversial statement in an exclusive interview with Shreyas H.S, Staff Correspondent of newskarnataka.com.
Mr. Malagatti claimed in a program organized at Mysore, that some verses of Gita support inequality. He held the Gita responsible for caste partisanship prevailing in the country. However his statements drew flak from many quarters, even as religious outfits staged protests against his statements.
1. With your studies on the Gita, do you believe the Bhagavad Gita strongly propagates sectarianism?
Prof: Yes, Bhagvadgeeta does a job of sowing the seeds of sectarianism (varna) in the readers mind and preaches inequality. Caste system is the product of varnashrama, which lord Krishna claims to have created. Chaturvarnyam maya srushtyam guna karma vibhagasha [4-13].
2. According to Hindu scholars, the Gita teaches the perfect way of life for the universe, what is your take on it?
Prof: Of course, it preaches the perfect way of life – jeevana dharma, for one sect of Hindus. However, way of thinking of other sects has not been taken in its fold.
3. What is your interpretation of chapter 4, verse 13, a line of which says, caste is determined by character and works not by birth (chaturvrana maya sisthtam gunadharma vibhagasah)?
Prof: The shloka is not clear in its connotation. There are three gunas, satva, raja and thama. On the basis of these three, there are four varnas! There are six karmas [shatkarmas] adhyayana, adhyapana, Yajna, yajana, dana, pratigraha. (These are meant for Brahmins). What combinations of these must have resulted in four varnas? Lord Krishna suggests hierarchy in gunas [14-8]. Same hierarchy is implied in varnas also. Jatidharma and kuladharmas are also mentioned in bhagavadgita [1-42].
4. Can the slow evolution of Indian society be attributed to the teachings of Gita in our way of life? Can this deeply rooted caste system in India eradicated?
Prof: The Gita was not known to many hindus, as education was denied to shudras and women. Popularizing it now will hinder the progress of the society. There are folk ramayanas and folk mahabharata’s, but not folk geetha, indicating that it was not popular among the common people.
Caste system can be eradicated through inter caste marriages. But, the Bhagavad Gita opposes varna sankara.
5. What is the impact of the Gita’s teaching on modern Indian society?
Prof: The Gita contains certain good preachings also, that should be practiced, instead of reciting. But contents regarding hierarchy of varnas and subordination of women, vaishyas and shudras should never impact the society.
6. Has the Gita still remained as a book of the upper caste, specifically Brahmins, in terms of interpretation of Shlokas of the Gita?
Prof: Geetha doesn’t contain the way of thinking of non Brahmins.
7. Do you feel, with the rapid socio cultural changes due to the information age, Brahmins, will in future retain control over the interpretations of the Gita?
Prof: As a book, it has to be interpreted by all interested people. There is no question of retaining control over the interpretation.
8. Is the Gita not at all worth reading in the present context of social life?
Prof: It is worth, excepting the contradictory issues in it.
9. Is it true or do you believe, in the argument of Kedar Joshi, who says Gita is nothing but the example of Hindu terrorism?
Prof: I have not read Kedar Joshi.
10. The views that lower cast, who have sinful birth go to the highest goal in the shelter of Krishna is shear symbol of slavery?
Prof: Going to the highest goal is not a symbol of slavery. But identification of women, vaishyas and shudras as those of sinful birth is questionable. [refer 9-32]
11. Who is this Krishna, by the way? Is it the Brahmins’ creation to hold monopoly of knowledge and economy?
Prof: Monopoly of knowledge and economy can’t be held through religious texts.
12. Is it time for youths of India to renounce all religious scripts?
Prof: Definitely not. Nothing is useless. Retain all old, religious works in order to understand the lapses in them and to construct a new and relevant way of life.
