A call for ban or burning of Manusmriti is an assured route to cheap publicity in a country where 80% of population is Hindu. In one of my articles, ‘Don’t Pay for SEO: Just add ‘Caste’ and ‘India’ (criticalthinker.guru;theindianfreepress.com), I had pointed out that a quick, cheap (and distasteful) way to catch eyeballs is including Caste system of India in your speech and publications.

VCK calls for a State-wide protest in Tamil Nadu in 2020 (October 24) to ban Manusmriti.

Mayawati has amassed property and wealth worth millions of dollars as Dalit Leader by regularly ranting and criticizing  ‘Manuwadi Soch’.

B R Ambedkar burnt a copy of Manusmriti in 1927.

Periyar wanted it banned/ burnt in 1922.

Encyclopedia Britannica (EB) writes:  “The received text (Manusmriti) dates from circa 100 CE.”

An English translation by G. Buhler published on www.islamawareness.net, reads: Manusmriti: The Laws of Manu: 1500 BC.

So much about the year of its publication!

“Its influence on all aspects of Hindu thought, particularly the justification of the caste system, has been profound.”  (EB)

Really?

9/10 Hindus told me they have not read Manusmriti. “It influences…” without reading. Wow!

Who was the author of Manusmriti?

“It is attributed to the legendary first man and lawgiver, Manu.” (EB). By the way, EB claims to be verified source of knowledge to justify its high price.

The closing verse (12.126) of Manusmriti says:

So much for the competence of the English translator!

It is not revealed by Manu. It is revealed by Brigu. It is titled ‘Manusmriti’. It is Brigusmriti. It is ‘Manav Shastra’, the code of conduct for every human being to be virtuous/ successful. It is not about ‘Brahaminwad’. It is about ‘Manavwad’.

A correct translation should read “Here ends Manav Shastra (code of conduct for human being), described by Brigu, which if followed in daily life will help achieve virtuous life.”

Is it set in Stone? Is it pro- Brahmins?

I would say, certainly not. It is rubbish to say so. Please see below verses 12.108- 12.114 that say that if there is any matter/ point not covered in this, how will it be resolved? Who can resolve it?

The answer is “an assembly of ‘Shishtas’ (appropriately educated and experienced). Not Brahmans by Jati.” (Jati is Verna- class, not caste).

Manav Shastra propounds Veda as the Supreme source of code of conduct, not Smritis including this one. Please see below 12.94 – 12.97.

The English translation of the verse 12.97 above once again shows how translators in English have woefully or mischievously translated four ‘Varnas’ into four Castes, instead of four Classes.

Please know protests is a very good business. Protest leaders, more often than not, are the fronts of the forces that are against Sanatan Ideology.

You may  be wondering why are there so many enemies of Sanatan ideology?

The answer lies in the fact that Sanatanis (followers of Sanatan Dharma) are not convertible, either by inducement of money or force. Sanatanis have sacrificed their lives but not converted. Please read about Guru Teg Bahadur, Guru Govind Singh, Bhai Mati Das, as shining examples. Real hard nuts to crack. Obviously, to be hated and opposed. And what is the best place to attack them? Their ideology. Their book(s).

This is not to deny the class differences that existed or exist in India. By the way, where those don’t? There are separate clubs and associations of people that are justified in a context and may be unjustified in another.

Some would cherry-pick from books like Manusmriti and misquote (out of context). Majority don’t read. A good solution may be please read, ‘as it was’.

The author would like to thankfully acknowledge the source of quoted verses of Manusmriti  https://archive.org/details/ManuSmriti_201601/mode/1up

DISCLAIMER: The author is solely responsible for the views expressed in this article. The author carries the responsibility for citing and/or licensing of images utilized within the text.