Latest news with #Manusmriti
The Hindu
18 hours ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Bharat Mata row: CPI(M) accuses Kerala Governor of crossing Constitutional line by using RSS symbols at State events
Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] has accused Kerala Governor Rajendra Arlekar of crossing a Constitutional line by using Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh's (RSS) emblems at official functions hosted by Raj Bhavan. CPI(M) State secretary M.V. Govindan told reporters on Friday (June 20, 2025) that General Education Minister V. Sivankutty had held the Constitutional line by walking out of a State function where Mr. Arlekar paid obeisance to the image of a 'woman holding a saffron flag', a ubiquitous heraldic device used by the RSS. He said the picture, 'replete with majoritarian religious imagery, broadcast the RSS' schismatic aspiration to render India a Hindu nation by supplanting the Constitution with the Manusmriti', an anachronistic and ancient text subscribes to a Hindu society defined by a segregationist and repressive caste and gender-based hierarchy. The CPI(M) welcomed the government's decision to include the Governor's role, responsibilities and Constitutional limitations as Head of State of Provincial Governments. 'Under severe social criticism for using RSS imagery at State events, Raj Bhavan initially recanted the political symbolism but relapsed to Sangh Parivar's ways soon after,' Mr. Govindan said.
The Wire
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Wire
Delhi University Vice Chancellor Says Manusmriti Removed From Curriculum, Won't Teach in Future
New Delhi: After a new course in the Delhi University titled Dharmashastra Studies included Manusmriti as a primary text vice chancellor Yogesh Singh said on Thursday (June 12) that the text will not be taught at the institution 'in any form'.'We will not teach any part of Manusmriti in any form in the University of Delhi. This direction has been issued even earlier by the vice-chancellor's office, and departments should adhere to it. The department should not have put it down in the first place following these directions,' said Singh, reported the Indian the objective of the course stated that 'ancient Indian society, in terms of whole and its parts, has been depicted in the texts compiled in Sanskrit known as Dharmashastra.'Other Hindu religious texts such as Ramayana, Mahabharata and Puranas have also been included as part of the course. The paper has been introduced as a core course in the current academic session and carries four credits. It is open to undergraduate students with working knowledge of such as Apastamba Dharmasutra, Boudhayana Dharmasutra, Boudhayana Dharmasutra, Vashistha Dharmasutra, Manusmriti, Yajnavalkya Smriti, Narada Smriti, and the Kautilya Arthashastra were included as primary readings.'The text has been removed from the Sanskrit department's 'Dharamshastra Studies'. In the future also, whenever it comes to our notice that the text has been suggested for studying, the administration will remove it,' V-C Singh told Hindustan the introduction of Manusmriti was widely criticised for extoling and reinforcing social, economic and gender inequalities, had prompted in some sections of faculty members in the varsity to raise concern over the move.
Time of India
2 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Is Manusmriti that bad?
Jagdish Batra is Professor Emeritus of English, SRM University in Haryana. He has nearly four decades of teaching and research experience. His area of specialization is Indian English Fiction on which he has presented papers at many international conferences in Europe and South East Asia. A Rotary Study Exchange Scholar to USA, Dr Batra has published eight books besides some sixty research papers and a number of general articles/blogs etc. LESS ... MORE That the Indian politics is caste-based goes without saying. The projected caste census is the culmination of such politics. With each passing day, the casteist discourse will become shriller, for sure. However, it is a matter of regret that even the academia has willy nilly become involved in this political slugfest. Recent flip-flop over the inclusion of Manusmriti as part of the study of Dharmashastra in the Delhi University's UG syllabus has once again brought the text into public discourse. It would be pertinent to recall the take of politicians on Manusmriti from the days of independence of the country. The first adverse comment on this text came from Dr B.R. Ambedkar, who is venerated as the messiah of the depressed classes in India for the provision of the reservation clause in the constitution prepared under his chairmanship of the drafting committee. The issue of implementation of the Mandal Commission recommendations in the 1990s brought the focus back on to the caste-based politics. The Bahujan Samaj Party, under late Kanshi Ram and then under Mayawati took up the Manusmriti castigating it as responsible for the discrimination in Hindu society against the so-called lower castes. We know that Manusmriti locates in the ancient society four varnas. There is difference between varna and caste. According to latest research as mentioned in the book Varna, Jati, Caste (2023) authored by Indologists Rajiv Malhotra and Vijaya Vishwanathan, the castes were the result of intermingling of varnas which shows there was no discrimination. It was only during the oppressive Muslim period that the jatis degenerated into a rigid hierarchical structure due to various constrains put on the Hindu society. Now the jatis were declared based on birth. This continued during the English period because the colonizers could pit one caste against the other in keeping with their policy of 'divide and rule'. However, there are several verses in Manusmriti which prohibit intermixing of varnas and lay down punishment in some cases for flouting this injunction. The contradiction can be resolved if we believe the verses to be more of prescription than description of reality. There is no doubt that such discrimination goes against the very ethos of Hinduism that believes that God created and indeed lives in every body. Such practices have done much harm to Hinduism. Times have changed and people belonging to different castes do adopt different professions than those prescribed for their varnas in ancient times. As such, any kind of discrimination is certainly not acceptable. Another objection against Manusmriti is regarding status of women in society. A woman, according to Manusmriti must treat her husband as god. Also, it says that a woman is under the watchful eyes of father as an unmarried girl; under the protection of husband as a married woman; and under the care of son in old age. On the other hand, no difference between male and female with regard to various samskaras like yagyopavit, and the inheritance of property is found in the book. Women's position in society is exalted by the assertion that gods reside where women are worshipped. The paradox can probably be resolved by taking into account the differential in calibre and status of the woman in various situations. While a weak woman may need protection from others, a scholar is worshipped for her intellectual acumen and there is no dearth of hallowed female scholars in our history. There is need to ask if Manusmriti is all about discrimination and has no historical or social value. Without paying much attention to the East India Company people who took it as the base to understand and formulate certain laws to govern the Hindu community, a dispassionate study shows that it deals with a number of important subjects, starting with the theme of creation, explaining the geography of Brahmavarta and Aryavarta, social structure, duties and rights of people in all stations and ashrams or phases of life, etc. The text also takes up the emergence of Dharma or the law governing day-to-day conduct of people, explaining in minute detail various issues related to personal and social life. The book is rightly known all over the world as the Law of Manu. The minute details go to the extent of describing what would be called table manners in our times — prohibition to wear one cloth while taking food, maintenance of cleanliness of a place, protection of environment, performance of various rituals from birth to shraadh, rules for copulation; manners like respecting the aged, not laughing at the handicapped, etc. All of these are quite relevant to our times. All said and done, there is need to place Manusmriti in proper context. It is a valuable historical document that describes the society of a particular time. Surely, not all that is there in it is relevant today. It may be mentioned here that of the two categories of classical Sanskrit texts — Shruti and Smriti, the former is believed to have been conveyed by the Almighty in the beginning of the creation to certain rishis through intuition. These are sacrosanct and not amenable to change. But the Smriti texts were created by humans even though these explain and illustrate the Shruti and relate to us what is practically relevant in the day-to-day life, and so these are subject to revisions and recensions. No religious injunction is violated in Hinduism if Manusmriti is not followed in toto. In fact, as opposed to Manusmriti, in some regions, Yajnavalkya Smriti — another of the 18 Smriti texts — which is more liberal in treatment of women and lower classes is preferred. Another approach is how Swami Dayanand Saraswati, the founder of Arya Samaj accepted the text: he rejected those parts of Manusmriti which are contradictory in sense to the Vedas. Facebook Twitter Linkedin Email Disclaimer Views expressed above are the author's own.
Time of India
5 days ago
- General
- Time of India
India's culture best in the world: Nirbhayananda Saraswati
Dharwad: India's culture is being hailed as the best in the world despite several mediocre historians trying to depict the western culture as superior, said Shri Nirbhayanand Saraswati, chief of Shri Ramakrishna-Vivekananda Ashram, Vijayapura. Speaking at a function to celebrate the 70th year of the visit of philosopher-saint Gurudev Shri RD Ranade to Dharwad and the centenary of the Academy of Comparative Philosophy and Religion (ACPR) organised at Srujana auditorium here on Saturday, Nirbhayanand Saraswati said India's culture has survived several onslaughts because of its inner value-based strength. The seer expressed his disappointment over the "mediocre intellectuals and historians losing their analytical ability". "Some intellectuals are depicting that Manusmriti is Sanatana Dharma. Actually, Upanishads represent Sanatana Dharma. These intellectuals read books written in other languages also and expand the horizon of their knowledge," he said. Stating that Gurudev Shri RD Ranade was a great scholar and philosopher, Nirbhayanand Saraswati said one should read Gurudev's literature to understand Upanishads easily. "Gurudev's literature guides us towards realising the truth," he asserted. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Forget Furosemide, Use This Household Item To Help Drain Edema Fluid WellnessGuide Learn more Undo Nirbhayanand Saraswati released three books — Smrutigandha, Amruta Rasavani and A symbiotic Friendship — penned by Sharad Joshi and Prof Sutar. Secretary of ACPR, Belagavi Maruti Zirli said Gurudev Ranade, who was the vice-chancellor of Allahabad University, had special affinity for Dharwad and he visited the city several times to deliver special lectures on the 'Pathway to God in Kannada literature' at Karnatak University. The ACPR organised the function at Dharwad to commemorate Gurudev's visit to Dharwad, he said. Zirli said the ACPR is working on publishing all the books written by Shri Gurudev and they will be released in Aug. Chairman of the department of philosophy, Karnatak University, Prof BH Gujalar also spoke. Subrahmanya Bhat welcomed the gathering.
Indian Express
6 days ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
No references to Pakistan, Iqbal or Manusmriti in syllabi, Delhi University's Philosophy dept told
Faculty members of Delhi University's Department of Philosophy have been instructed to ensure that no references to Pakistan, philosopher and poet Muhammad Iqbal, or Manusmriti should be included in any undergraduate or postgraduate syllabi. The directive was issued in an email sent earlier this week, following instructions from the Dean of Academics, and the department has been asked to complete this review by June 16, it is learnt. The email states: 'There is an official instruction from the Dean of Academics (on June 12) to check that our UG Syllabi Semester 1-8 (NEP) as well as our PG Syllabi (NEP) Semesters 1 and 2 do not have any of the following items – either in the list of readings or in any of the unit contents: any reading of Manu, any reading of Muhammad Iqbal, any mention or content related to Pakistan.' Faculty members were asked to cross-check the content of each course and confirm by June 16 that none of the above items were included. 'To ensure full accuracy and responsibility… the course designers should be asked to ensure this with reference to each course,' the email further stated. 'The Dean of Academics has instructed us to do this within 3-4 days,' it added. Calls and messages to Dean of Academics K Ratnabali went unanswered. The Head of Department, Philosophy, Enakshi Ray Mitra, declined to comment. A university official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said, 'This was verbally communicated many times by the Vice-Chancellor himself — that anything that divides society will not be taught at Delhi University. Two years ago, readings about poet Iqbal were removed. Despite reiterating this, several departments are still introducing these topics into their syllabus proposals.' This is not the first time these texts and figures have come under scrutiny at the university. In 2023, the Academic Council (AC) approved the removal of a unit on Muhammad Iqbal from the BA (Hons) Political Science course titled 'Modern Indian Political Thought'. Iqbal, who authored Saare Jahan Se Achha, was later designated as the national poet of Pakistan. That same meeting saw the introduction of a new elective on Vinayak Damodar Savarkar for students pursuing the BA Programme with Political Science as a major. Last month, the Standing Committee on Academic Affairs recommended the removal of references to politically sensitive topics such as the Kashmir conflict and the Israel-Palestine issue from the Psychology syllabi, describing them as 'divisive' and lacking psychological relevance. The committee instead suggested greater focus on Indian thought, including the teachings of Buddha and Gandhi, as part of efforts to rebalance what it termed the 'over-representation of Western thinkers.' On June 12, V-C Yogesh Singh reiterated that Manusmriti would not be taught 'in any form' at DU after the text appeared in the reading list of a new Sanskrit undergraduate course. 'This direction has been issued even earlier by the Vice-Chancellor's office, and departments should adhere to it,' Singh had told The Indian Express. A similar proposal to include Manusmriti in the undergraduate History (Honours) syllabus was withdrawn in 2024 following protests. In the Philosophy department, The Indian Express has also learnt that a proposed Discipline Specific Elective course titled 'Bio Politics' has been dropped. The course had earlier been placed before the AC, with suggestions from the Standing Committee to revise its title. Eventually, the course was removed by the administration. A faculty member from the department said, 'The reason that was communicated to us was that this was more of a Political Science subject than a Philosophy subject. We first changed the name, but were later informed by the administration that this paper has been dropped.' 'Even though many professors in our department do not believe that this is a political paper. We thought it was important to retain it in the 7th semester, but there is no time to fight for it now,' the faculty member added. The Bio Politics course was designed to examine 'life as a site of both technological production and economic manipulation.' According to the official syllabus, it aimed to explore the relationship between life and politics through the writings of Michel Foucault, Giorgio Agamben, Antonio Negri, and Jacques Ranciere, situating these texts within 'the ideological context of liberalism and fascism'.
