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From: raghu@ut-sally.UUCP (Raghu Ramakrishnan)
Newsgroups: net.nlang.india,net.politics,net.religion.jewish,net.nlang.africa,net.religion
Subject: Re: Some Ideas from India: Laws of Manu: Duties of Sudras
Message-ID: <3949@ut-sally.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 8-Jan-86 11:44:58 EST
Article-I.D.: ut-sally.3949
Posted: Wed Jan  8 11:44:58 1986
Date-Received: Thu, 9-Jan-86 03:36:54 EST
References: <589@harvard.UUCP> <3909@think.ARPA>
Reply-To: raghu@sally.UUCP (Raghu Ramakrishnan)
Organization: U. Texas CS Dept., Austin, Texas
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>> From paturi@harvard.HARVARD.EDU.ARPA (Ramamohan Paturi):
>> 
>> 			Some Ideas from India
>>                         ---- ----- ---- -----
>> 
>> The following is taken from "A source book in Indian Philosophy" 
>> (S. Radhakrishnan and C. A. Moore).
>> 
>> Manu's code (???? BC)  gives detailed instructions regarding the then social 
>> rules and practices in India. It believes in the fourfold order 
>> of society as a means of social cooperation for the common 
>> good. Each one has 
>> to perform the function for which his nature best suits him. 
>> The following are 
>> the duties of Sudras who form the fourth group according to the caste system 
>> (brahmin, ksatriya, vaisya and sudra in that order).
 
>
>  So, unless you are a student of the study of "Vedic India"
>you can safely forget all about Manu's code.
>
>                                               murali.


Not quite, since it formed the basis for many prejudices and customs that
are only recently disappearing. But I agree fully with you that the
original posting should have emphasized the position of Manu's nonsense
in Hindu philosophy and coda and also its credibility and applicability
at the present time. Especially since it was widely cross-posted and
people with relatively little knowledge of India would be reading it.

- raghu ramakrishnan