The Manu Smriti or the Yagyavalkya Smriti has no connection with Adi Manu or the Sage Yagyavalkya. The Smritis were written during the reign of Pushyamitra about 2200 years ago. There is no reference of such Smritis in the Mahabharata also,? said Shri Ashok Singhal, VHP president in a statement issued in New Delhi recently.
He said, ?There are two portions in the Smritis?Yama and Niyama. Yama consists of eternal values while the Niyamas were the periodic governing laws or codes of conduct meant for running the affairs of the state of the then kings. There are more than 300 Smritis. They have little to do with the eternal values of dharma. These have been responsible for gross discrimination that is alien to our concept of ekaatmataa (integralism) that is expounded in our ancient scriptures?the Shrutis (the four Vedas?the eternal revealed scriptures) and the Upanishads.?
Shri Singhal said that the caste untouchability never existed in Hindu society. ?It is the creation of the Muslim rule. Because those who fought and refused to embarace Islam were punished for their commitment to their indigenous ethos and thrown out of the society as untouchables. These heroic people are enlisted as Scheduled Castes. We must differentiate between the Scheduled Castes and the shudras. Shudras were held with respect before the advent of the Smritis and the Scheduled Castes are of recent origin created during the Muslim rule,? he added.
The Vishwa Hindu Parishad totally rejects the Manu Smriti as it has no place in a civilised society. The Dharma Sansad and the Margadarshak Mandal of VHP have totally rejected the caste untouchability. They have decided to give Mantra Deeksha without any discrimination. He said in the Vedas, there is no discrimination amongst the four Varnas. All are considered genius and masterminds in their own fields and all looked upon one another with respect. Recitation of the Vedic mantras in daily life was practiced by the entire society irrespective of Varnas. (FOC)
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