Punjab "deras" point to continuing caste tensions

A friend, Randy, sent me a link to an article about "Deras, Caste Conflicts and Recent Violence in Punjab." It's interesting.

Twice I've visited Dera Baba Jaimal Singh in the Punjab area of India. It's the headquarters of Radha Soami Satsang Beas, an organization that practices a form of neo-Sikhism.

Meaning, a living guru is worshipped, not the Adi Granth Sahib, a book (which traditional Sikhs revere in somewhat the same sense as Christians look upon the Bible, as God's word).

I wasn't aware how many "deras" there are in the Punjab. The article says:

In Punjab, the number of Deras are not in hundreds but in thousands. A study conducted by the Desh Sewak, a Punjabi newspaper published from Chandigarh, gives figures that there are more than 9000 Sikh as well as non-Sikh Deras in the 12,000 villages of Punjab.

Being an American, I don't understand how the caste system can still be such a powerful influence in 21st century India. But the Deras, which are described as sects "headed by self-styled godmen," have sprung up largely in response to caste inequalites.

Much of the following that the sects are attracting is because people from lower casts and lower stratas of Punjab society are trying to seek a distinct identity for themselves.

Dalits are the low-ranking ethnic group that is getting shafted by caste prejudices. By contrast, the first article says that the Jatt Sikhs are on the high end of the Punjab totem pole.

Recently riots broke out in the Punjab after a leader of one of the sects, Dera Sach Khand, was killed in Vienna. If it weren't for religion -- the weird aspects of Hinduism and Sikhism -- likely none of this would be happening.

Comments

[Harry]

Being an American, I don't understand how the caste system can still be such a powerful influence in 21st century India.

Modern India, It's 'modern' inhabitants need caste in particular the lower castes. They are like the eastern of equivalent of the damned in hell. Existing to keep the others in check, morally for out of fear of becoming one: 'the other', higher caste members correct themselves. Also providing the masses with a security of self and identity. We need 'the other' to establish who we are. If no lower caste people existed what would be the value of a brahmin? We exist in order for those of the higher castes to feel secure in their (false) identities. This is the long and short of it.

[AMIT BHATIA(engineer)]

Hi,

It is not like that. Punjab had been the centre of lot of spiritual movement for centuries. and people are quite innocent and pure minded. its place where 10 sikh gurus and guru ravidas preached. also there was so much sufi movement here.

coming back to spirituality, my parents are from punjab. i visit the place almost every year. infact the place where i belong is HOSHIARPUR, which is called city of saints. every village has some place of saint. see if some grains fall in some place, when they ripe and bears its own seeds they drop around leading to more similiar plants around. if there is one complete guru, obviously there will be some followers who advance to upper realms and became saints themselves.

coming to beas, im third generation in my family who is a follower of radhaswami satsang, beas. and there is no place like beas in the whole world. forget about caste system, it is still alive becos of two causes: political and religious. saints come and try to break the same. as my guru say we shud widen our thinking above religions and focus only on spirituality.

Go to beas, if you want to and if you go with full faith and wider point of view you will find place a landmark of humanity and marks of spirituality is quite evident.

if u need more info im at your service.

[Amaranth]

AMIT BHATIA you said "we should widen our thinking about religions and focus only on spirituality?" Why should we do that? Isn't that actually narrowing our thinking? When a religion supports a caste system, shouldn't we stand up against that part of religion? Or is it spiritual to just let things be as they are? I feel that one cannot have spirituality without fully living here as a part of the world. Your relationships to other people, to society, to your environment must come before any meditation or spiritual practice. What good is preaching about universal love and compassion when they are just in someone's mind but not in his actions. I thought that mysticism is more about living fully in the mystery of reality than about achieving different states of consciousness. It is weird to me to try and elevate one state of consciousness above others. Similarly why would one elevate one place on earth above others? There are many places on earth that are beatiful, also many places where you can find human beings that are wise ( I am avoiding the word spiritual as I do not know what it means to be spiritual ). Yes, if you go to beas full of faith you will find it to be a place like no other, but if you go with faith to any other place ( like Vatican or Delphi ) you will be feeling exactly the same. There are many "holy" places on earth. I am more the kind of guy who thinks that thinking about some places as being holy is misguided. I prefer to think that everything is holy, which means only that one should try to achieve a harmonious relationship with the environment he is in.

[Brian]

Amaranth, excellent points. Reading your comment, I was reminded of all of the stories in mystic literature about how God (or an enlightened state of being) is found as much in a garbage dump as in a church or other holy place.

Like you said, once we start believing that this place is holier than that place, we get into religious bickering and divisions: "My holy place is holier than your holy place!" Which is pretty damn ridiculous, if God or ultimate reality is supposed to be everywhere.

[Amaranth]

Brian exactly. If one believes in a God that is omnipresent at least one should be consistent with that belief.
Also I would add that if God is supposed to be everywhere, if ultimate reality is everywhere, then there is no need for the word God or ultimate as God is that that is - reality. So what does that tell me about reality? Absolutely nothing, except that I should be humble and careful when approaching the question of what is that which is. Humble because there are many beings that have different perception of reality, not just me. Careful because how can I possibly say that my conclusions about reality are absolute truth.

[tAo]

amit bhatia was not here for any discussion. amit bhatia is nothing more than another hit and run radha soami poster, here only long enough to preach and dump another load of radha soami beas cult dogma "info". no doubt amit bhatia didn't even bother to see what this site is about. alas, yet another sad example of radha soami cultism.