Extract from the collection
Hindu Dharma
http://www.kamakoti.org/hindudharma/part19/chap3.htm
Organisations like the Arya Samaj have accepted the right of all to learn the Vedas and perform sacrifices. Here and there a Subramanya Bharati or someone like him imparts Brahmopadesa to a Pancama. This is not acceptable in the least. I am a representative and spokesman of the sastras. It is my duty to state that this is not permitted by the sages who created the sastras and assigned the duties special to each caste. The sages were known for their spirit of sacrifices and impartiality and they had no interest other than the happiness of mankind.
It is true that Brahmins have gone astray. But what is the meaning of creating a new class of Brahmins? It amounts to saying, "The Brahmin has forsaken his dharma. Now I will take it over." To take up another man's dharma, apart from forsaking one's own dharma is a grave offence, worse than nearly giving up one's own dharma. I have stated repeatedly that all karma has only one purpose, that of destroying one's ego-sense, ahamkara. What is the foundation of varna dharma? It is one's willingness to follow the vocation and dharma that belong to one by hereditary without any consideration of one's likes and dislikes.
So, though reformers may start a movement to throw open Vedic learning to everybody, only four or five percent of the people will join them. The remaining will continue to be in the old Hindu set-up. Also the few who join the new caste will have a sense of fear and a feeling of inferiority. They will keep doubting whether their actions will yield the desired result. If that be so, how will their minds be pure? It is not only the ego-sense that makes the mind impure but fear, the feeling of inferiority and being racked by doubts. Rites performed in such a frame of mind will not serve the purpose of creating happiness in the world. Besides, members of the new caste are likely to develop conceited thinking that they are doing what Brahmins by birth ceased to do or could not do - there will be a spirit of challenge in their action, a desire to make an exhibition of it, will be no sincerity in their actions. All told, neither they nor the world will benefit from their works.
If you believe in the sastras you must believe in them fully. If you are an atheist you could reject all of them. But to make a show of being very clever and twist the sastras as you like, accepting some parts or rejecting or changing some others, is an offence more grave than that of being an atheist. To think that Mother Veda should dance to our tune is also a great offence. Learning the Vedas in such an attitude is tantamount to ridiculing them.
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