25 April 2023

Gajalakshmi Paramasivam

 

AMERICAN & INDIAN CASTE SYSTEMS

 

Today, we remembered and paid tribute to all those who fought for us, in wars. I personally paid my respects to my mother’s brother Uncle Ratnam Durai who is a war hero, who in his will wanted his savings to go to my mother as her dowry. His painful war experience was recorded as follows:

 

STATEMENT OF CAPTAIN RAYMOND A.MALONEY OF

THE US AIR CORPS TO THE U.S. O.S.S IN 1945

DEATH OF RATNUM DURAI. O.S.S. AGENT CODE NAMED REX

ON 22 JANUARY  1944 BY

JAPANESE KEMPEITAI’S DAILY TORTURE & BEATINGS

 

Q:        Do you have any information concerning the death of one RATNAM DURAI at the New Law Courts Building, Rangoon, Burma? If so, please state what you know of your own knowledge concerning the incident?

Capt. Maloney: When I was placed in the New Law Courts Building, RATNUM DURAI was already confined in a cell adjacent to the one to which I was assigned, and was moved to my cell in about 10 days. On nearly every day for several weeks after I arrived, one or more interrogators, usually the interpreters, would come to the cell and ask him questions. I understood from the questions that they were seeking information as to the radio frequencies and codes he used as an agent for the United States intelligence, where he was trained, and the names of other natives trained with him. The interrogators would frequently beat him with a heavy club or rubber hose while in the cell. At other times he would be taken from the cell and be gone for a period of from a few hours to 2 days. When he was returned to his cell his body would show evidence of very severe beating, and frequently he had been so badly mistreated that he could not walk. About half the time he was given nothing to eat and did not recover. He died in January 1944, about 6 weeks after I arrived. He had no diseases or injury, except from apparent beatings, when I first arrived.

 

Q: State what was told to you concerning this mistreatment and of the background of RATNUM DURAI?

Capt. Maloney: I was told that DURAI was a Hindu and a citizen of Burma, but had been trained by the United States Intelligence and dropped from a plane behind the Japanese lines in Burma as an agent; that he was captured during the latter part of November 1943 and immediately brought to the New Law Courts Building.

DURAI told me that he was always beaten when he was taken from his cell for interrogation and that on several occasions he was hung by his feet from the ceiling of the interrogation room, so that his head was barely above the floor, and that water was then poured in his nose.

 

Q: Can you give any information as to those responsible for the mistreatment resulting in the death of RATNUM DUARI?

Capt. Maloney: There was one Japanese interpreter who was on the case continuously and gave many of the beatings. He was about 25 years old, about 5’5” tall and could speak good English. He said he knew a little about boxing and that he was one of the few Japanese there who wore their hair long as in Western style.

Signed : RAYMOND A.MALONEY, Captain, AC. ASN 0-726056

 

 

 

As per my understanding of the system of Karma, we carry forward good /positive Energy when we complete our experiences. The stronger the pain the richer the completed Energy. This valuable lesson will assist war affected Sri Lankans to develop self governance power. In my conversations with some who responded to my article on caste system I used my understanding of karma as follows:

 

American Hindu:

 

Dear Gajalakshmi,

Sorry to hear that the farmer caste is still discriminating against other castes. Being in the middle of the conflict, you are well able to appreciate the sorrow that humans cause each other by magnifying non existent differences, while ignoring the similarities.

In the USA of course, there are no caste differences based on work, which if present would bring society to a standstill. America is still divided on political lines reflected in the major parties on racial lines. Many are apprehensive that it could lead to a civil war.

 

We are of course born into different situations depending on the lessons to be learnt in life - the best teacher.

 

The caste system in the North East of Sri Lanka is based on sheer hypocrisy.

 

The Caste system in India is shown in this image -

 

As you can see, in Sri Lanka, except for the Brahmins in temples, we all belong to the Sudra class.

There is nothing to divide Sri Lankan Tamil Hindus into superior and inferior! We do not differ in colour or any other morphological difference.

As in America, the superiority / inferiority is based on beliefs convenient to the exploitation of groups of fellow humans. 

 

I think that the present difficulties for Sri Lankan Tamils arise from the KARMA of 2000 odd years of false caste discrimination against groups of people who are not different in caste in the eyes of God.

Efforts to prevent fellow Hindus from worshiping at the temple is an abomination to Hinduism!

Efforts to discourage fellow Hindus from getting an adequate education for thousands of years pushes them into poverty! 

Efforts to limit attendance at eating places like cafes, etc. and imposing barriers to marriage leaves great trauma in the mind / suffering.

 

In short, Tamil Hindus in Sri Lanka have been following customs directly opposite to the major teachings of Hinduism about the Jeevatma and Paramatma, the purpose of our many lifetimes being to realize that both are the same - that God exists in everyone of us. Without realizing this, we will wonder from lifetime to lifetime as if blindfolded, collecting bad karma in not treating others with respect and goodness.

Every time someone hurts another's feelings by ignorant beliefs of being superior, there will be consequences for the individual as well as collectively for the group enforcing these adharmic practices!

 

It is very unlikely that there will be peace of mind for the discriminating Tamils, becoming subjected to the same humiliation by another majority group in Sri Lanka.

All Tamils must start by forgiving and changing our ways, so that the bad karma ceases.

It is foolish pride and false beliefs that keep us going round and round in circles. What do we know of what we were in our past life? What will we be in our future life?

It is all Maya that drives our wheel of life (Samsara).

 

In this age of job opportunities, caste based on hereditary work makes no sense.

If Sri Lankan Tamils want to change their lot in life, the most important step is to stop hurting fellow Tamils.

 

Gaja:

 

I believe that caste, like Tamil & Sinhalese; Hindus & Muslims was towards developing sovereignty in small groups. This also helps develop our cognitive power. In secular management these are projects within a program. Projects have a beginning and an end. When we make projects our programs, we begin parallel systems that never meet.  If the projects / ethnicities are sovereign and therefore independent of the program, the groups would maintain their distance from each other. When they learn voluntarily from the other’s example they would pay their respects to the one who produced the example. That is the confirmation that we are sovereign group. One who takes another’s finished product must pay the due price as an outsider / customer or pay one’s respects to remain in the program.

 

It is interesting that you have concluded as follows:

 

‘America is still divided on political lines reflected in the major parties on racial lines. Many are apprehensive that it could lead to a civil war.’

 

This is where Americans of Sri Lankan origin who have realised sovereignty would naturally become the vaccine that would prevent racial war. Those who are yet to reconcile would accelerate the American civil war. The reason for the divisions is the breakdown in institutional  structures at the workplace, due to focus on economic outcomes. When votes are ‘bought’ for money the merit-based structure walks out.

Hence I oppose your following statement:

 

‘In the USA of course, there are no caste differences based on work’

 

It is there as karma. It surfaces as racial disputes at the workplace which then affects the vote. Sins are like the Corona Virus about which you have wisdom through the medical pathway. Why was it named Corona? It was out of man’s control and like a king it had its own mind. The looks confirmed this. Like Godfather it mutated and maintained its lead.  That is how our sins work. They awaken the past when our current structure is weak – often due to excessive benefits being ‘taken’ by the official heads/kings.

 

You state:

 

‘There is nothing to divide Sri Lankan Tamil Hindus into superior and inferior! We do not differ in colour or any other morphological difference.’

We do . The pariahs below the Sudras in your caste hierarchy are dark skinned. Have you seen a ‘fair-skinned’ Pariah? I haven’t.  Ask yourself why you classified all of us as Sudras / unskilled worker? That is like Mr Wigneswaran referring to LTTE leader as ‘Thambi’

When we take rebirth, it happens through our ‘sins and virtues’ / Paavam & Punniyams. They  are Equal & Opposite Kings. They, like the Corona, would not directly attack us. They would influence us through our current ‘uncorrected errors’. As a wise medical specialist you are skilled. By calling yourself a Sudra you are demoting yourself to the Karnan who was referred to as Suda \ Suta Puthiran/Son. Likewise Mr Wigneswaran who demoted himself to the level of de facto leader Prabhakaran. Both are false.

Arjuna of the Kshatriya / Warrior caste kept referring to Karnan as Suda putran (son of Sudan ) to empower himself. Once a guy of my children’s age group, of a leading family in Thunaivi said to me that when they were conscious of caste discrimination in football, they felt empowered and played to ‘win’. But now that  determination was missing. He used the word ‘ormam’ to present the reason for the empowerment. It their parallel of excessive empowerment by officials in power. Karnan as per Truth was a prince. But due to his mother’s reckless use of mantra, he became an illegitimate child.  The lesson for us is, if we use heritages recklessly we would produce children / systems that are illegitimate in that environment.  We call them rebels in Sri Lanka. Some Tamils did refer to the LTTE leader as ‘sun’ This automatically discards our investment in the official system of Democratic Politics. In Democracy, it is essential that we facilitate the freedom of the ‘opposition’ to surface through its own sovereign power. The level at which it so manifests is the level of our natural civilisation. If you are cognisant of Tamil investment in intellectual leadership you would provide natural leadership to all groups that invest in brain-power that has the natural ability to consolidate once your use goes past the surface level where we copy and paste. They are the Sudras.  When we go past that ,  that level we form our own intelligence. Then we are Kshatriyas. When we go past this brain we access the Universal power of the Soul. At that level, we access the essence of wholesome Energy of Truth, which is Universal power. This was known to me during the time I went to Jaffna to publish my Tamil book on Thesawalami.  While there I felt the urge to introduce each chapter  through an indicator, which was on the basis of my intuitive Intelligence. But not so the following introduction to the book itself.  at http://www.austms.org/

If you ask me for the meaning, I will have difficulty explaining as per my own intelligence. Yet I did not consciously seek it. It came to me through cyberspace. Later after finalising with the printers, I felt ‘free’ to go to Nallur festival. While waiting for Swami to come out, I received a call from Aandra Printers in relation to printing . I left immediately.  On the way, I ‘saw’ on a temple wall, the form of Kadayit Swami – Yoga Swami’s guru’s guru.  I felt their common power was blessing my book. But later, when I learnt about the discovery of Sai Gayathri, by Sai devotee G.V. Subba Rao, (see below) the penny dropped. I discovered in Jaffna the Thirukkral that best fitted my investment in Thesawalamai mantra. It being a true heritage merged naturally with Thirukkural.   Those who maintain this layer through mantra-chanting and other rituals are Brahmins. You could say that in Jaffna,  was crowned  a Brahmin by Jaffna Divine Gurus. You may already know about Sai Gayathri, but to help others in this group, I produce an excerpt: from https://www.facebook.com/SRI.SATHYA.SAI.BABA/posts/sai-gayatri-meaning-origin-essence-glory-the-revelation-of-sathya-sai-gayathriby/10154956379721119/

.

 

 

By G.V. Subba Rao, reprinted from Sanathana Sarathi, March 1979

 

The occasion was Christmas Eve of 24 December 1977. The place was the Sathya Sai Mandir in Brindavan, Whitefield, near Bangalore. The assembled audience consisted of a group of students and faculty members of Sri Sathya Sai College as well as a number of visiting devotees. It was in the glorious presence of Sri Sathya Sai Baba himself that a great vedic scholar Pandit Sri Ghandikota Subrahmanya Shastry was inspired to announce Sri Sathya Sai Gayathri, the mystic formula devoted to Sri Sathya Sai.

This reads as follows:

Om Saayeeshvaraaya Vidhmahe

Sathya Dhevaaya Dheemahi

Thannassarvah Prachodayaath

 

When was pregnant with my third child I decided to name her Gayathri, who was born on 23 October 1977. The day is the same as Mr Wigneswaran’s birthday. It is also the same as Jeevarasa of Thunaivi who also was born on 23 October 1977. To me, this means that both – the problem and the solution are my children. Realising  this I dedicated my recent book ‘Different Logics’ first to Gayathri who cured herself from Long-Covid. Gayathri did not like the last position on age basis, Hence within the children of Equal status Gayathri was given the Brahmin position:

‘DEDICATED

To Energies from:

Daughter Gayathri the lone fighter against the unknown

Daughter Uma the consolidator of the known

Son Pradeep the eternal Artist

Husband Param the reliable teacher of the known

You Reader, my other half

 

Sri Lankan Tamil Politician

 

Interesting coincidence!

In  America the clergy is one group                              Brahmins

                                                         

those in the Military Services are in another group               - Shatriyas 

                                                         

those in business are the third group                                      - Vaisiyas

  those in workers' unions                                                         - Sudras

all others                                                                                  - Pariahs ?

 

Gaja:

As per my discovery about Americans:

 

Those who believe in the law are                   Brahmins

Those who currently practice the law are          Kshatriyas

Farmers, those in  Business and all those who are driven by money are –                                                                        Vaisiyas

All process workers are                                  Sudras

All those who  ‘show’ more loyalty to the current form of the country they left behind for status  benefits are               Pariahs.  

The rebels called them Traitors.

 

Regards

Gajalakshmi