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| ] was a hierarchical social order in ancient India, based on the ]. Since the Vedic corpus constitute the earliest literary source, it came to be seen as the origin of caste society. In this ] view of caste, varnas were created on a particular occasion and have remained virtually unchanged. In this ordering of society, notions of purity and pollution were central, and activities were delineated in this context. Varna divides the society into four groups ordered in a hierarchy; beyond these, outside the system, lies a fifth group known as the ]s, of which the Chandala became a constituent part.<ref>{{cite book |title=Early India: From the Origins to AD 1300 |first=Romila |last=Thapar |authorlink=Romila Thapar |publisher=University of California Press |year=2004 |isbn=978-0-52024-225-8 |url=https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=-5irrXX0apQC&pg=PA63 |pages=63, 511}}</ref> | ] was a hierarchical social order in ancient India, based on the ]. Since the Vedic corpus constitute the earliest literary source, it came to be seen as the origin of caste society. In this ] view of caste, varnas were created on a particular occasion and have remained virtually unchanged. In this ordering of society, notions of purity and pollution were central, and activities were delineated in this context. Varna divides the society into four groups ordered in a hierarchy; beyond these, outside the system, lies a fifth group known as the ]s, of which the Chandala became a constituent part.<ref>{{cite book |title=Early India: From the Origins to AD 1300 |first=Romila |last=Thapar |authorlink=Romila Thapar |publisher=University of California Press |year=2004 |isbn=978-0-52024-225-8 |url=https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=-5irrXX0apQC&pg=PA63 |pages=63, 511}}</ref> | ||
| According to an account, the ] met a Chandala in Varanasi, with his dogs by his side.<ref></ref>A disciple of Sankara asked Chandala to stand aside. The Chandala reponded "O guru! You preach Advaita Vedanta and yet you make a distinction between man and man. Is Advaita only preached and not practised? Sankara was surprised to hear the Chandala.All of a sudden the Chandala changed his form .But Shankara beheld another sight. The Divine form of the eternal Lord of the Universe, Sri Mahadeva, radiant and shining with the light of thousands of crores of suns and fire, stood before him in all glory holding in His hands the four |
According to an account, the ] met a Chandala in Varanasi, with his dogs by his side.<ref></ref>A disciple of Sankara asked Chandala to stand aside. The Chandala reponded "O guru! You preach Advaita Vedanta and yet you make a distinction between man and man. Is Advaita only preached and not practised? Sankara was surprised to hear the Chandala.All of a sudden the Chandala changed his form .But Shankara beheld another sight. The Divine form of the eternal Lord of the Universe, Sri Mahadeva, radiant and shining with the light of thousands of crores of suns and fire, stood before him in all glory holding in His hands the four Vedas "the golden form of shiva".Lord said he took the form of Chandala only to make him realise the meaning of vedas. <ref></ref><ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.ochs.org.uk/downloads/classes/gmishra02mmas04.pdf| title = A Journey through Vedantic History -Advaita in the Pre-Sankara, Sankara and Post- Sankara Periods| author = Mishra, Godavarisha|accessdate=2006-07-24| format =PDF| archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20060622102818/http://ochs.org.uk/downloads/classes/gmishra02mmas04.pdf| archivedate = 22 June 2006}}</ref> | ||
| In modern Indian usage, ''Chandal'' is a general derogatory slur used to refer to a filthy, mean or low person.<ref name="Pariah"/><ref>{{cite book |first=A. K. |last=Biswas |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Z15uAAAAMAAJ|title=The Namasudras of Bengal: profile of a persecuted people |publisher=Blumoon Books |year=2000 |page=viii |quotation=Though he is physically almost practically unknown, save and except in Bengal, calling someone a Chandal is the ultimate insult and humiliation of a Hindu anywhere under the sun.}}</ref> | In modern Indian usage, ''Chandal'' is a general derogatory slur used to refer to a filthy, mean or low person.<ref name="Pariah"/><ref>{{cite book |first=A. K. |last=Biswas |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Z15uAAAAMAAJ|title=The Namasudras of Bengal: profile of a persecuted people |publisher=Blumoon Books |year=2000 |page=viii |quotation=Though he is physically almost practically unknown, save and except in Bengal, calling someone a Chandal is the ultimate insult and humiliation of a Hindu anywhere under the sun.}}</ref> | ||
Revision as of 20:30, 17 November 2018
For the town in Bangladesh, see Chandal, Bangladesh.
Chandala is a Sanskrit word for someone who deals with disposal of corpses, and is a Hindu lower caste, traditionally considered to be untouchable.
Classification
Varna was a hierarchical social order in ancient India, based on the Vedas. Since the Vedic corpus constitute the earliest literary source, it came to be seen as the origin of caste society. In this Brahmanical view of caste, varnas were created on a particular occasion and have remained virtually unchanged. In this ordering of society, notions of purity and pollution were central, and activities were delineated in this context. Varna divides the society into four groups ordered in a hierarchy; beyond these, outside the system, lies a fifth group known as the untouchables, of which the Chandala became a constituent part.
According to an account, the Adi Sankaracharya met a Chandala in Varanasi, with his dogs by his side.A disciple of Sankara asked Chandala to stand aside. The Chandala reponded "O guru! You preach Advaita Vedanta and yet you make a distinction between man and man. Is Advaita only preached and not practised? Sankara was surprised to hear the Chandala.All of a sudden the Chandala changed his form .But Shankara beheld another sight. The Divine form of the eternal Lord of the Universe, Sri Mahadeva, radiant and shining with the light of thousands of crores of suns and fire, stood before him in all glory holding in His hands the four Vedas "the golden form of shiva".Lord said he took the form of Chandala only to make him realise the meaning of vedas.
In modern Indian usage, Chandal is a general derogatory slur used to refer to a filthy, mean or low person.
See also
References
- ^ Viswanath, Rupa (2014). The Pariah Problem: Caste, Religion, and the Social in Modern India. Columbia University Press. p. 268. ISBN 978-0-23116-306-4.
- Jha, Ashok Kumar (2013). Meghadutam. PartridgeIndia. p. 101. ISBN 978-1-48289-494-3.
- Thapar, Romila (2004). Early India: From the Origins to AD 1300. University of California Press. pp. 63, 511. ISBN 978-0-52024-225-8.
- Bhaja Govindam of Sri Sankara, A. V. Suryanarayana, 1975, p. 3
- Sarama and Her Children, Bibek Debroy, Penguin UK, 2008
- Mishra, Godavarisha. "A Journey through Vedantic History -Advaita in the Pre-Sankara, Sankara and Post- Sankara Periods" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 June 2006. Retrieved 24 July 2006.
- Biswas, A. K. (2000). The Namasudras of Bengal: profile of a persecuted people. Blumoon Books. p. viii.
Though he is physically almost practically unknown, save and except in Bengal, calling someone a Chandal is the ultimate insult and humiliation of a Hindu anywhere under the sun.
Further reading
- Anna Dallapiccola, Dictionary of Hindu Lore and Legend, ISBN 0-500-51088-1