In the continuation of my previous post, some clarifications of classic terms: Soul and Brahmin, will be my point of interest in this post.
A layman will term Brahmin as a body born in some high caste family irrespective of what are his future deeds. But how can we describe Brahmin as a "body".Anything could be a deciding factor for describing someone as Brahmin. The factor can be a soul. It can be one who performs spiritual rites. It can be one who has knowledge. It can be one who masters every skill.
Isn't it going too puzzling? To find out what Brahmin is, one has to critically examine each factor which terms someone as Brahmin.
Assume soul to be the deciding factor. Throughout every generation the soul remains same, only the body changes. And since all the works that body does are outcome of previous works, it means that Soul can do good/bad work in different generations. But Brahmin is supposed to do good deeds only, hence soul can't decide who is Brahmin.
Assume body as a deciding factor.Now the body is made up of 5 elements which are common for all types of individuals. These elements can never decide who is Brahmin. There must be some other term which can certify Brahmins.
It is said that class of family makes someone Brahmin. But the mythology states that many sages were born from diverse origins, like drop of sweat, deer, ant-hill etc. Obviously, no-family origin also made them Brahmins.
Knowledge can't decide someone as Brahmin. There were many Kshatriyas who had unbound knowledge in the past. But since we can't mix the 4 classes of society, there must be some other deciding factor.
Performing spiritual rites and works never make someone Brahmin as the works get impelled by previous birth karmas.
As an example from my previous post, after going through the "9-day long" journey of hardships and struggles, we attain the fruit from Goddess Kali, Laxmi and Saraswati. But since this cycle is repetitive, we have to face this cycle throughout our lifetime. The one who passes this stage every time successfully without bearing in his mind any feeling of self, through the fulfilment of his nature, becomes rid of the faults of desire, attachment, etc., and endowed with qualities of tranquillity, etc., rid of the states of being, spite, greed, expectation, bewilderment, etc., with his mind unaffected by ostentation, self-sense and the like, he lives. He alone, who is possessed of these qualities, is the Brahmana.
Lastly, it will be wise to say that Brahmin and Soul have no relative connection. The connection of Soul remains with body everytime. But the deeds of body changes, so Soul itself get affected and loses its purity. What the body does at a particular instant makes a person near or far to the state of Brahmana.
A layman will term Brahmin as a body born in some high caste family irrespective of what are his future deeds. But how can we describe Brahmin as a "body".Anything could be a deciding factor for describing someone as Brahmin. The factor can be a soul. It can be one who performs spiritual rites. It can be one who has knowledge. It can be one who masters every skill.
Isn't it going too puzzling? To find out what Brahmin is, one has to critically examine each factor which terms someone as Brahmin.
Assume soul to be the deciding factor. Throughout every generation the soul remains same, only the body changes. And since all the works that body does are outcome of previous works, it means that Soul can do good/bad work in different generations. But Brahmin is supposed to do good deeds only, hence soul can't decide who is Brahmin.
Assume body as a deciding factor.Now the body is made up of 5 elements which are common for all types of individuals. These elements can never decide who is Brahmin. There must be some other term which can certify Brahmins.
It is said that class of family makes someone Brahmin. But the mythology states that many sages were born from diverse origins, like drop of sweat, deer, ant-hill etc. Obviously, no-family origin also made them Brahmins.
Knowledge can't decide someone as Brahmin. There were many Kshatriyas who had unbound knowledge in the past. But since we can't mix the 4 classes of society, there must be some other deciding factor.
Performing spiritual rites and works never make someone Brahmin as the works get impelled by previous birth karmas.
As an example from my previous post, after going through the "9-day long" journey of hardships and struggles, we attain the fruit from Goddess Kali, Laxmi and Saraswati. But since this cycle is repetitive, we have to face this cycle throughout our lifetime. The one who passes this stage every time successfully without bearing in his mind any feeling of self, through the fulfilment of his nature, becomes rid of the faults of desire, attachment, etc., and endowed with qualities of tranquillity, etc., rid of the states of being, spite, greed, expectation, bewilderment, etc., with his mind unaffected by ostentation, self-sense and the like, he lives. He alone, who is possessed of these qualities, is the Brahmana.
Lastly, it will be wise to say that Brahmin and Soul have no relative connection. The connection of Soul remains with body everytime. But the deeds of body changes, so Soul itself get affected and loses its purity. What the body does at a particular instant makes a person near or far to the state of Brahmana.
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