Modern man obsessed with sensual pursuits considers anything against this framework as outdated or perhaps even oppressive. The reformist exploits such people who on account of various circumstances have discarded a traditional way of life – one with rules and regulations, to maintain the ideal known as “society.” The individual, now weakened from both sides, is fit to be moulded by the reformer assuming he does not become one himself. During this stage of vulnerability one such pillar of Hindu dharma – marriage, has been converted from a sacred rite to a contract.
Marriage, in the Hindu context is a sacred union that is primarily dependent on dharma which oversees economic and pleasure-based pursuits (marriage series). When it is reduced to the status of a mere contract, as done by the Indian Government, it destroys the bridge between the material and immaterial, turning man into nothing more than an aesthetic animal. It is therefore not surprising to observe attempts to destroy Hindu traditional way of life through the incentivization of inter-caste marriage.
Fusion of blood can alone create the feeling of being kith and kin and unless this feeling of kinship, of being kindred, becomes paramount the separatist feeling – the feeling of being aliens – created by Caste will not vanish. Among the Hindus inter-marriage must necessarily be a factor of greater force in social life than it need be in the life of the non-Hindus. Where society is already well-knit by other ties, marriage is an ordinary incident of life. But where society cut asunder, marriage as a binding force becomes a matter of urgent necessity. The real remedy for breaking Caste is inter-marriage. Nothing else will serve as the solvent of Caste.
– Dr.B.R.Ambedkar, Annihilation of Caste
The need of fusion of blood to create the feeling of being kith and kin seems to have been adopted by the Indian government.
The foundation* of this was built on the Hindu Marriage Act (HMA) of 1955. The main features are:
- Opposition to bigamy (having two spouses at a time)
- Mental capacity (required for consent)
- Marriageable age (then at a minimum of 18 for the bride and 21 for the groom)
- Prohibition of sapinda marriage (Prohibited relations i.e those with common ancestry)
Objection to a marriage cannot be done based on custom unless it has been proven that they have a sapinda relationship. This means that intervention in the name of caste, gotra, and other customs doesn’t invalidate a marriage.
Section 29 of the HMA (1955) is interesting because it states –
A marriage solemnized between Hindus before the commencement of this Act, which is otherwise valid, shall not be deemed to be invalid or ever to have been invalid by reason only of the fact that the parties thereto belonged to the same gotra or pravara or belonged to different religions, castes or sub-divisions of the same caste.
It is clear from the above that inter-caste marriage is legally acceptable. The Protection of Civil Rights Act, 1955, and Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) {PoA} Act, 1989 were brought into proper force with a Centrally Sponsored Scheme i.e, Centrally Sponsored Scheme for the implementation of the Protection of Civil Rights Act, 1955 and the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989}. This scheme has allowed the central government to assist both the states and union territories in implementing the above as well as in assisting (incentivizing) inter-caste marriage where one of the spouses belongs to Scheduled Caste.
A National Committee, chaired by Prime Minister V.P. Singh, was set up to celebrate Dr.B.R.Ambedkar’s centenary in 1990 and recommended establishing an international center in his name. Prime Minister Modi has inaugurated the Dr. Ambedkar International Centre (DAIC) in 2017 after laying its foundation in 2015.
In 1992, an autonomous body was been set up under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment for the establishment of the Dr. Ambedkar Foundation (DAC) which has been at the forefront of many reform schemes including inter-caste marriages. The DAC initiated the Dr. Ambedkar Scheme for Social Integration through Inter-Caste Marriage in 2013.
We shall look into the details of this scheme by summarizing a report which is an outcome of the study, ‘The Impact of Inter-Caste Marriage Scheme of Dr. Ambedkar Foundation on the Lives of Beneficiaries’ (2017-2019)”.
The main idea behind the scheme is to provide a monetary web for inter-caste married couples who may otherwise be dependent on their parents. This is aimed to help them “integrate” into mainstream life after the incident.
According to the National Family and Health Survey 4, only 3.4 percent of marriages are between Scheduled Castes and Non-Scheduled Castes while IHDS-II (India Human Development Survey) data puts the rate of inter-caste marriage around 5.82 percent. They aim to increase this through coordination between the central and state governments to make sure these incentives are given properly. The scheme earlier provided an incentive of 2.5 lakh rupees for an inter-caste couple where one of the spouses was a Dalit but had an income restriction of 5 lakh rupees (combined per annum). This income restriction has been removed under the Modi Government (2017).
Central assistance has been provided to states to incentivize inter-caste marriage. There is a 50-50 share/contribution of funds between the above two. The first state that has incentivized it is Rajasthan under the ‘Dr. Savita Ben Ambedkar Inter-caste Marriage Scheme’.
Below is a table providing information on state-wise central assistance and number of beneficiaries:
The Supreme Court of India passed a judgment – Shakti Vahini vs Union of India and Others, explicitly stating that Khap Panchayat intervention in marriage between two consenting adults is illegal, and has taken measures in the form of establishing certain courts along with fast-tracking legal action against them.
Regardless of how many people are directly “benefited”, it must be understood that the political parties that normally fight each other on almost every issue, seem to be united in such an attack on Hindu dharma. We see schemes such as Chandranna Pelli Kanuka (TDP-2018) later converted by YSRCP to YSR Pelli Kanuka, in Andhra Pradhesh (2020 onwards), Gujarat (BJP) in 2018—increased its incentive amount from 50k to 1 lakh and in 2019 broadened its scope earlier from a marriage between “Savarna Hindu and Scheduled Caste” to where one of the spouses has to be a Hindu except Scheduled Caste. An even more recent example is in Rajasthan (INC-2023) where Savitaben Ambedkar Antarjatiya Vivah Protsahan Yojana has increased the amount from 5 lakh to 10 lakh.
They regret various technical difficulties that have resulted in a decrease in the efficiency of their schemes including: “casteism” (especially in Bihar), time-consuming procedures, and getting recommendations (from MLA/MP).
They do, however, take a bit of relieved breath when observing that urban areas tend to increase inter-caste marriage rates which is not surprising. In this context the words of the Shankaracharya of Puri, Śrīmajjagadguru Svāmī Śrī Nischalananda Sarasvatījī Mahārāja (Mahārājajī) come to mind. He remarks that mahāyantras (explained in video previously linked), being established most firmly in urban areas, lead to a disbelief towards the deity, disbelief towards the utility of animals, and disbelief towards humans, which implies that sustainable living and harmony amongst fellow humans and nature is no longer possible because of the absence of a system centred around Bhagavān. In such a situation, there is a destruction in the joint family system which is followed by the destruction kula devatā, kula guru, and of course its marriage-oriented customs.
The idea of “the feeling of being kith and kin” through the “fusion of blood” being the only way to achieve harmony in society is misguided. To eliminate all that makes an individual or community unique so that all are the same is itself illogical, as there can never be a check on this.
Once everyone has uprooted caste, can everyone truly be equal?
Will all people become equal in wealth, intelligence, or even just kind?
We are in the end left with a people that now come under “mass”. Can they not be divided based on political affiliation as seen in the western countries they consider to be ideal?
These masses are all equal but in what sense? They are equal in the lack of an identity, a culture, one that prevents them from seeing anything beyond the scope of their vision. Even if we do acknowledge their flawed sense of equality as something to achieve, we must then look into the prevailing systems of Hindu dharma and determine if they have such a notion or not.
Mr.Nitin Sridhar provides insight into the relationship between sāmānya (common) and viśeṣa dharma (specific), and how svadharma (individual dharma) is the combination of the two. For one to even practice caste-specific duties it is required that he first fulfill all his common duties.
It is interesting to observe that these self-proclaimed reformers never use this as a basis to address deviant behaviour that has arisen in the name of caste, etc.
The modern man addicted to excess freedom but disgusted by duty can never understand that varṇāśramā creates a bridge between the material and immaterial and therefore, serves as the chief system for one’s upliftment because the goal is to achieve mokṣa . Difference i.e., distinctness is only present when one attains a place in this world by obtaining flesh. The flesh that makes up our body is merely a vessel that holds the true self which persists even with the destruction of the former so it is understood that equality makes sense only when it refers to one’s true self which is the ātmā and its destination free from the clutches of saṃsāra.
In short, to destroy distinction is to wage a war against nature and its laws. Man having the active capacity to follow or deviate from these laws must understand that the only system – the Puruṣa model that creates a unified being from various distinct parts such as the head, shoulders, thigh and feet etc – that is closest to its laws, can bring about a refined way of life which ultimately allows one to go above it and realize the Paramātmā.
Even if all of this is ignored as some feeble attempt to preserve “Brahmanical Hegemony”, the concept of mass doesn’t hold for long because the tendency towards dispute or just disagreement is natural between people as perspectives are different and this itself is enough for conflict. Despite the majority of people being against inter-caste marriage including Muslims, it is interesting to observe that the Indian Government which prides itself as being the largest democracy seems to have no respect for the sentiments of its subjects.
It is truly worrisome to observe that “intellectuals” and reformers who scream about the consequences of traditionalist society never mention the consequences (or at least potential) of their ideology and actions. The West has for the most part, implemented such ideas, and the question that every reader should ask is – do we want such things in our society and if so what purpose does it serve?
Richard Weaver observing the decay of American society remarks:
A just man finds satisfaction in the knowledge that society has various roles for various kinds of people and that they in the performance of these roles create a kind of symphony of labor, play, and social life. There arises in fact a distinct pleasure from knowing that society is structured, diversified, balanced, and complex. Blind levelers do not realize that people can enjoy seeing things above them as well as on a plane with them.
Hierarchy as a phenomenon can never be erased no matter how much one tries rather it only transforms with its adherents having to adopt a false doctrine to support it. In the absence of a caste system, only an ignorant person assumes that the vacuum left by it won’t be substituted with anything else. A class system is one such example which we won’t delve into here.
In the 1960s, some people in Germany considered the abuse of children as progressive. Helmut Kentler considered that true democratization of German society could take place only by destroying what he considered “repressive moral strictures” and by liberating children, would somehow achieve this. The reformer screaming on about progress cannot assure that his baseless tantrums can keep society in check when all traditional norms have been abolished.
Puri Shankaracharyaji explains that allowing inter-caste marriage leads to a slippery slope, such that inter-religious and even inter-species marriage may take place. Now it is easy for some to laugh off the last part as ridiculous. It should be understood that all this means is that without regulation anything can happen and we see that with people marrying themselves, a dog, or even a robot. Some consider dogs equivalent to children and decide to have none of their own. Where does this progression stop?
It is therefore important that all Hindus make sure that they practice dharma according to the śāstra, community, and Ācāryas.
Recent analyses of reports show that there is a possible correlation between increased education of the groom’s mother especially plays a role in increased inter-caste marriage despite the son’s or bride’s education. The main interference against this is the parents who are the focus of the reformists’ attack showing that dharma prevails not only because of sacred chants but the mouth that transmits it from generation to generation.
We thus understand that the concept of Hindu marriage is not merely some formality before two consenting adults but a sacred union meant to uplift the gone and coming generations and it is understood that our antagonists oppose us not because of genuine concern as their approach clearly shows. They have instead waged a war, one with religious-like fervour — a crusade.
Note: *The Special Marriage Act, of 1954 is an Act of the Parliament of India enacted to provide a special form of marriage for the people of India and all Indian nationals in foreign countries, irrespective of the religion or faith followed by either party. This is linked with the Hindu Marriage Act 1955 as well.
References:
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“Initiatives for Social Unity.” Press Information Bureau, pib.gov.in/PressReleseDetail.aspx?PRID=1881428. Accessed 10 Aug. 2023.
Mitchell, Travis. “4. Attitudes about Caste.” Pew Research Center’s Religion & Public Life Project, 29 June 2021, www.pewresearch.org/religion/2021/06/29/attitudes-about-caste/.
Prachi Salve and Saumya Tewari, Prachi Salve and Saumya Tewari. “Just 5% of Marriages in India Are Inter-Caste, Says Report.” Scroll.In, 13 May 2016, scroll.in/article/807948/just-5-of-marriages-in-india-are-inter-caste-says-report.
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Tridip Ray, Arka Roy Chaudhuri. “Chances of an Inter-Caste Marriage Go up If Groom’s Mother Is Educated: Study.” ThePrint, 5 Mar. 2021, theprint.in/opinion/inter-caste-marriage-india-groom-mother-educated-study/526481/.
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Karimi, Faith. “These Women Wanted a Symbolic Expression of Self-Love. so They Married Themselves.” CNN, 31 May 2023, www.cnn.com/2023/05/28/us/sologamy-self-marriage-women-cec/index.html.