Slokam 7

A hundred sons were produced by the union of the Paramathma with Jayanthi.  All of the hundred sons would be different in their approach to life.  No two beings on this planet (or anywhere else) can be identical. If two beings were identical, there would be only one, not two.  It is said in the slokam that Bharatha, the eldest became the emperor.  Nine sons became well known yogis.  Another nine became rulers of the different regions of Bharatha’s kingdom. The remaining eighty one became Brahmans, by the strength of Rishabha’s austerity.

The diversity of the Paramathma’s children mutually serves to sustain the kingdom.  This diversity is reflected in the functional caste system.  Some of us become traders, some warriors, some ascetics and some to do all the menial work.

This functional caste system was not meant to be by birth. However, because most of the education and learning was imparted at home, by the parents,  the sons invariably followed the father in terms of occupation.  There was never any bar to people from other castes to learn to take on other occupations.  A farmer could choose to train to become a blacksmith.  The so called caste system was a politicization of what was really a functional occupation based on learning  that was imparted within the family.

In the modern setting, education and learning is performed in independent institutions.  So the need for the children to follow in their parents footsteps is not there. 

Diversity is the enabler of functional specialization. If all of us became pilots, no one will be there to build the planes that we wish to fly. 

Diversity in functional terms, in appearance,  in physical disposition,  in emotional terms,  in terms of financial standing,  are all the requirements to build a functional modern society.  

The vedas to begin with were only one.  Vedam was subdivided into four parts so that one person could become a specialist in only one area.   This is not meant to restrict people with superior capabilities in mastering all the vedas. The subdivision has occurred with the consideration that in the Kaliyugam the time and effort required to earn a living and acquire the basic essentials takes up most of our time and energies, leaving little resources to pursue higher objectives.

Likewise, the depth of knowledge required to pursue a profession is also increasing. So a profession like medicine is subdivided into innumerable branches and a doctor can only be a pediatrician or an aneasthologist.

A teacher can specialize in only one subject.  

Specialization and diversity are interlinked.  Todays society demands specialized knowledge and functional skills that require long years of investment of time and energy. 

Specialization in our professions, should ideally lead to stability in our daily lives,  which should in turn promote our seeking of higher spiritual objectives. However, Indira’s disruptive activities are very much in vogue and more than at anyother time in our evolution,  insecurity on our professional and financial fronts are at an all time high.  Our needs are on the rise and making ends meet to support the family takes away all our energies and resources.  This preoccupation with mere survival is the bane of Kaliyugam,  which is expected to finally lead to destruction.

May we respect diversity and give equal importance to all of humanity, and most importantly, recognize that all roles and abilities are equally important in society irrespective of social status or functional occupation.