India’s caste system has been around for several thousand years. I am Indian. There is one thing that I have learned, and that is that you cannot escape the caste system. You may like it or abhor it, but there is no escape. Within the caste system, who were the Shudras? How did they emerge? They are the lowest of the four main castes.

There are those who are at the top of the food chain – the Brahmins. The Brahmins claim to be the voice of God. They believe that they are superior to the others, even if they are poor and uneducated. They have arrogated all sorts of privileges unto themselves. At the bottom of the pile lie the Shudras. Below them, are the Dalits. They make up the bulk of the population. Even an educated, respected, and influential person like Dr. B.R. Ambedkar could not escape his Dalit heritage. At the end of his life, he converted to Buddhism.

Who were the Shudras, and how did they come to lie at the bottom of the heap? This is a complex story and is the subject that Dr. Ambedkar deals within this book.

Most of the laws, or ‘smriti’s’ were written by Brahmins. The most famous, or infamous, of these, is the Manu Smriti. The Manu Smriti derived much of its authority from the Vedas, and indeed one hymn, the ‘Purusha Sukta’. In this hymns, the four castes were compared to the four major sections of the body: head, arms, thighs and feet. The Brahmins were the head and deemed to represent the voice of God. The Shudras were the feet, so the lowest of the four original castes.

Dr. Ambedkar has quoted this hymn at length, and several others. When I read the translation of the hymn in his book, I could not find a statement that the Brahmins were superior to the other castes. It merely identified the parts of the ‘Divine Body’ with the various castes. I am surprised Dr Ambedkar missed this.

The book is not easy reading. Dr. Ambedkar writes with force, directly and follows a precise flow of logic. He pulls no punches.

Dr Ambedkar started by analyzing most of the ancient texts. He has a lawyer’s mind and has listed the number of times each caste is referenced in the Vedas, or other texts.

The Vedas were first transmitted verbally, and only later committed to paper. Dr. Ambedkar compared the styles of the two major Vedas with those of the two minor Vedas, and infers there were two classes, or types, of Aryans.

He further states that the Shudras were upper caste Aryans - indeed that they were kings and rulers. He postulates that they oppressed the Brahmins cruelly. The Brahmins revolted and denied them the ‘sacred thread’ ceremony. Consequently, the Shudras became ‘once born’ instead of being ‘twice born’ and fell to the bottom of the heap.

We lay readers are not experts on the ancient texts. Books like ‘Aryans, Jews, Brahmins’, prove that many Western and Indian ‘experts’ also misinterpreted these ancient texts. Books like The Manu Smriti influenced people like Nietzsche. He, in turn, influenced Nazi philosophy and the philosophy of Aryan supremacy.

Dr. Ambedkar’s logic is impeccable. We must rely on his logic. I say, ‘why not?’. His intellectual pedigree is impeccable. His analysis is outstanding, and he has quoted judiciously. Brahmins have written most interpretations of the ancient texts. It is time we had more Dalit interpretations. There is merit in what he has written, and the book deserves a wide audience.

It is not a transformative book. This is unfortunate. ‘Who were the Shudras?’ is too intellectual. People are moved by emotions and stories. This book has neither. It will appeal to a small audience.

Dr. Ambedkar’s life story is inspiring. This should motivate Dalits and Shudras to lift themselves and claim their rightful place in Hindu society ( )

Read this to know the shocking and painful history of Shudras. ( )