CASTE- A (true) Vaishnava (high caste Hindu) is he who knows no other but the Lord and by the Guru's Grace realizes himself. He holds his mind and brings it (back) to its only Home. His self dies and he utters (nothing but) the Name of the Lord. Blessed is such a Vaishnava, for he Merges in Truth. (Var of Sri Raag, M. 4 with Shlokas)
- All abide in Your Hope: On all hearts rains (Your Mercy). All are partners (in Your Grace); O Beloved, You are alien to none (Raag Majh M. 5)
- You art here, You art Hereafter; All the creatures are Your own Creation. (Majh M. 5)
- He, whose inverse Lotus is upwards turned, gathers Light: And he Sees the All-pure in all, O dear ! (Majh M. 5)
- Neither the body nor the caste go along (with one) in the world. Where one is to answer for one's deeds. One is released only by Practising the (Lord's) Truth (Majh M. 3)
- What merit is in caste? Realize the Truth within; (Of whatever caste one may be), he, who tastes the Poison will die ! (Var of Majh and the Shlokas of M. 1)
- What is cold before the fire? What is night before the sun? What is darkness before the moon? What is caste before the water and the winds? Discriminate , O Saints, and search your hearts. The Light of the Lord Pervades all; how near how near He is! Near, too near, is He to all the world; He, the Far Away Lord, beyond Measure (Gauri Poorbi, M. 4)
- (The Brahmin) spreads out his dhoti and on it he squats; And, like a donkey, gulps down all that comes his way. But, without deeds, he is not emancipated not, For, emancipation comes from dwelling upon the Lord's Name. He bathes and anoints himself and worships (the diety), Then he threatens with a knife to receive in charity. He recites the Vedas, uttering them sweetly with the tongue (Gauri M. 5)
- True, True, True, is He. Not one is separate from the True Being. (Gauri Bavan Akhri M. 5)
- He, who dwells within and without on the Lord's Name with Love And receives instruction from the Perfect Guru and abides with the Holy, is saved from Hell. Hell is not for him, Whose body and mind are permeated through with the Lord's Name. (Gauri Bavan Akhri M. 5)
- He understands the essence of the Vedas, Puranas, and the Smritis, And finds the Apparent in the Subtle, He instructs all the four castes in the Lord's Wisdom, Nanak: Such a Pundit I salute for ever. The seed of the Lord's Name is in every heart. Let any of the four castes repeat His Name, And lo, he, who utters it, is Saved. (Gauri Sukhmani M. 4, Ashtapadi)
- The one who You cause to realize (Your Essence), is the one who receives Your True Name. He looks upon all alike, he is the Knower of the Quintessence. Nanak: He is the Victor of the whole world (Ashtapadi Gauri Sukhmani M. 5)
- Remember the One Lord only in Your mind, Whose form is one, but manifestations many. (Gauri Sukhmani M. 5)
- I am jealous of no one; I have become the Dust of all; I recite Your Nectar Name in the Society of the Holy (Gauri Sukhmani M. 5)
- The Brahmins, the Kshatriyas, the Vaishyas, the Shudras, and even the low wretches are all Emancipated contemplating their Lord (Thitti Gauri M. 5)
- The True Beneficent Guru is always Compassionate: He is without envy too, and looks upon all as the creatures of the One Creator-Lord (Var of Gauri M. 4)
- In the womb of the mother, no one knows one's caste, It is from the Lord's Seed that the whole Creation came into being. (Gauri Kabirji)
- See the Light within and don't ask about caste: caste is of no avail in the next world. (Asa, M. 1)
- Hereafter, caste nor color go with you. What one becomes depends on one's deeds. (Asa, M. 3)
- If superior is your caste, O Bride, And you are honored in the society, and also you have a beauteous abode to live in, But, if you have Ego in your heart, you are indeed deformed. Charming, with well-cut figure, wise and clever you may be, but if you are proud of yourself, then you are consumed by infatuation (Asa M. 5, Panchapadas)
- What have I to do with the distinctions of caste, For, I but Cherish ever the Name of the Lord? (Asa: Word of Sri Namdevji)
- To the Lord, the Sustainer of the earth, was Namdev's Mind attuned. And lo he, calico-printer of little worth, became worthy of Praise. Giving up his spinning and weaving, Kabir Cherished the Love of the Lord's Feet, And he, the weaver of low birth, became the Treasure of Virtue. Ravidas, the cobbler, who carted the dead animals, abandoned the love of Maya; and he became renowned through the companionship of the Saints and saw the vision of the Lord. Saina, the barber, who was engaged in doing odd little things, became known the world over when he enshrined the Transcendent Lord in the mind, and was acknowledged among the devotees of the Lord. Hearing all this, Dhanna, the Jat, also became dedicated to the God's way and he was ushered into the Lord's presence: O how Fortunate he was!(Word of Bhagat Dhannaji)
- O mind, always utter the Lord's Praise. By singing and hearing and contemplating Him, one is saved, caste or no caste. I know this way as I am merged into my Creator-Lord. (Devghandari M. 5)
- Those turned GGod wardsbelong to the Caste of the True God. For, within them abides their Lord and Master who is their Bosom-friend. (Vadhans M. 3)
- Unknowable is my Lord, Infinite. Unfathomable and Imperceptible, Who Dies not, nor is bound by the Writ of Karma. His Caste is ccaste less He is incarnated not and is Self-existent: He is neither lured away by Doubt nor Attachment (Sorath M. 1)
- O Lord, I beg at Your Door; Bless me with Your Grace. As saffron, flowers, musk and gold embellish the bodies of all (without distinction), in the same way the scented chandan of the Saints, and this indeed is their merit, is that the Saints make fragrant all who come to them. Does anyone ever curse or slander butter or silk? (Tilang M. 1)
- Contemplating the Lord, men of low caste attained the highest position. Vidura, son of the slave-girl, with whom did Krishna chose to abide? O brother! Hear the unutterable Gospel of the Lord which rids you of your doubt and woes and hunger. Ravidas, the tanner, praised his Lord for a brief time. The low-caste wretch was purified and all four castes bowed to his feet. NNamdevloved his Lord. Though people called him a calico-printer, the Lord turned his back upon the high castes and hugged him, His devotee, to His Bosom. Even the sixty-eight pilgrim-stations anoint the foreheads of the devotees of the Lord. Nanak seeks to See their Vision every moment, only if the Lord Blesses him so. (Suhi, M. 4)
- Wisdom is that which is imparted to the four castes alike: Nanak says: One who meditates on the Name of the All-pervading Lord, alone is Emancipated in the Kali-age. (Raag Suhi M. 5)
- The Kshatriyas, the Brahmins, the Shudras and the Vaishyas: the Lord's Word is equally for them all. So worship (the Word), Your Guru, as God, day and night, more and forever more (Bilawal M. 4)
- Of the egg-born, the sweat-born, the earth-born, the foetus born, and the creatures of all colors and kinds, Not one is Saved, except by seeking the Saint's Refuge, Be he a Brahmin, a KKshatriya a Vaishya or a Chandala. Namdev, Jaidev, Trilochana, Kabir and Ravidas, the untouchable tanner. And Dhanna, the Jat, and Saina (the barber), all Met with God, repairing to the Saints' Feet. (Bilawal M. 4)
- The highest of the high and purest of the pure is the one in whose heart abides the Lord. Nanak washes the Feet of such a devotee who dedicates himself to his Lord, even if he belongs to a low caste.
- You are of high caste, but feed yourself upon the lower castes. By forcing your will, you fill yyourbelly. Investing the Chaudasa and the Amavasa days with sanctity, you beg for alms: lo, you fall into the well, lamp in hand. You are a Brahmin wwhileI am a weaver from Kashi, how can I be your equal? But, while you are drowned with all your faith in the Vedas, I am saved, uttering the Lord's Name (Kabir)
- I've abandoned my father and mother, and have sold off myself to the Saints; I have lost my caste, and Praise ever my (ccaste less God. (Sarang M. 5)
- Kabir: If turmeric loses its yellow, the wheat-flour its white, Then blessed is their love, for, it makes them lose their caste (Shlokas of Bhakta Kabirji)
- My weaver's caste is no longer a stigma to me as within me I cherish my God. My Lord has taken me into His embrace and all my involvement is past. (Shlokas of Bhagat Kabirji)
|