“Covered with flowers, Hanuman, the son of the wind, became brilliant in the middle of the Ashoka grove, looking like a mountain of flowers.” (Valmiki Ramayana, Sundara Kand, 14.11)

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पुष्पावकीर्णश्शुशुभे हनुमान् मारुतात्मजः
अशोकवनिकामध्ये यथा पुष्पमयो गिरिः

puṣpa avakīrṇaḥ śuśubhe hanumān māruta ātmajaḥ
aśoka vanikā madhye yathā puṣpamayo giriḥ

“I know that in the modern times of political correctness, the safe opinion is to criticize. Let everyone know that you are against it. You shun that sort of bigotry, that kind of discrimination based on the circumstances of someone’s birth. You make it clear that you are for equality, that everyone should have an opportunity for success. No one should be shut out.

“But then, behind the curtains, when no one is looking, people let the truth be known. You see, they are completely in favor of the caste system. They say that the lower castes automatically follow lower behavior, such as excessive drinking and sleeping. A caste above the lowest cares only about turning a profit. Money is everything to them. Why, then, should the higher castes pretend that they are the same? Why should they bring themselves down a level?

“Do you see what I am saying? Is there not some legitimacy to claiming status based on birthright? The ancestors put in the work. They are responsible for the progeny. We know that many of the characteristics carry over to the next birth. What is wrong in recognizing that? We see that institutions automatically follow some sort of hierarchy, be it a government or a large corporation. Even professional sports features different positions, with a chain of command and utilization of skillsets appropriate to the situation. Therefore, what is wrong with identifying someone as a brahmana and giving them privileges?”

There are essentially two problems. One is that birth is no guarantee of a particular outcome. We cannot conclude a nature exists based simply on the standing of the parents. Children are known to deviate. If not trained properly, they might follow the way of the animals. How many people today identified as “trust fund babies” do nothing but spend money? They are known more for the parties they attend than the work that they do. In fact, they don’t have to work at all. They were born into wealth. All of the qualities related to hard work, perseverance, dedication, sacrifice, and struggle are foreign to them. Why, then, should they enjoy a privileged status from those who know better?

The second problem is that the divisions are more for the proper functioning of society than for reaching the highest destination. If we think of society as the largest organizational unit of intelligent beings, then the brahmanas are at the top. They are like the ones guiding the ship. The kshatriyas protect and defend. They do so without fear. The vaishyas produce. They can feed everyone else. The shudras serve. They offer assistance wherever it is needed. They are the manpower.

चातुर्-वर्ण्यं मया सृष्टं
गुण-कर्म-विभागशः
तस्य कर्तारम् अपि मां
विद्ध्य् अकर्तारम् अव्ययम्

cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ
guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ
tasya kartāram api māṁ
viddhy akartāram avyayam

“According to the three modes of material nature and the work ascribed to them, the four divisions of human society were created by Me. And, although I am the creator of this system, you should know that I am yet the non-doer, being unchangeable.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 4.13)

It is a mistake to think that only the higher statuses can achieve the supreme destination. This kind of exclusivity is directly rejected by the person whose opinion matters the most. The one who institutes the divisions of varnas in the first place says that even those considered sinful by birth, papa yoni, can reach the param gatim. The path towards that achievement is devotion.

मां हि पार्थ व्यपाश्रित्य
ये ऽपि स्युः पाप-योनयः
स्त्रियो वैश्यास् तथा शूद्रास्
ते ऽपि यान्ति परां गतिम्

māṁ hi pārtha vyapāśritya
ye ‘pi syuḥ pāpa-yonayaḥ
striyo vaiśyās tathā śūdrās
te ‘pi yānti parāṁ gatim

“O son of Pritha, those who take shelter in Me, though they be of lower birth – women, vaishyas [merchants], as well as shudras [workers]— can approach the supreme destination.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 9.32)

What to speak of lower castes, sometimes the homage might come from outside of the human species. Long before the onset of modern scientific analysis, Vedic literature presented the food chain. One kind of species dominates over another. One species tops a previous kind of species, thereby creating a pecking order.

अहस्तानि सहस्तानाम्
अपदानि चतुष्-पदाम्
फल्गूनि तत्र महतां
जीवो जीवस्य जीवनम्

ahastāni sahastānām
apadāni catuṣ-padām
phalgūni tatra mahatāṁ
jīvo jīvasya jīvanam

“Those who are devoid of hands are prey for those who have hands; those devoid of legs are prey for the four-legged. The weak are the subsistence of the strong, and the general rule holds that one living being is food for another.” (Shrimad Bhagavatam, 1.13.47)

The human being is the top species, based on the potential for intelligence. The human might not be as fast as the leopard, but the human can dominate by creating schemes for both safety and exploitation. The bird is superior to the tree, since the bird can move and the tree cannot. The flowers are helpless to the changes in nature. The smallest interference can cause the flower to fall.

At the same time, every kind of species can pay homage to the Supreme Lord and his servants. Sometimes, that homage may arrive accidentally, through fear, or through a surprise. We have the case of the startled birds in the Ashoka grove in Lanka, during the time of the Rakshasa leader named Ravana. Those birds abruptly left their perch when they felt the weight of an intruder. You see, Shri Hanuman, who is normally a Vanara of significant size, was in a diminutive stature while searching for the missing princess named Sita. Hanuman happened to go through the Ashoka grove. Startled by the intrusion, some birds felt it necessary to quickly leave.

In the process, the wings of those birds clipped branches of a tree. This was a chain reaction that resulted in the already beautiful Hanuman now covered by flowers. It is said that he looked like the Spring season in a living form. The entities paying homage in this way are outside of the caste system. They are dominated by the otherwise superior species. Still, their interaction with Hanuman shows the potential for transcending the circumstances at birth. In this way, we see that devotion removes distinctions. The person offering the worship rises above the modes of nature that temporarily cover them. The items used in the offering become purified, such that even the nonmoving flower can be considered prasadam, or the Lord’s mercy.

In Closing:

Pecking order to see,
Brahmanas highest to be.

Even with species the same,
Described in hierarchy chain.

But eligible the lowest still,
Like flowers on Hanuman to spill.

Paying homage as glorious considered,
Potential each soul to be delivered.

Categories: questions

Tags: dailyprompt, flowers, hanuman, hare krishna, poem, poems, poetry