Mata bhiksham dehi... Community vs Socialism
So, like many of my other friends back home, I also went through the process of "Upnayan Sanskar" when I was in college (yes that late, for I could never agree to it, felt weird... but anyways).
The ceremony has started being considered as a step into adulthood, but alas it wasn't really.
The ancients divided life into phases, one of which was the "Brahmacharya Ashram", when the purpose of a man was to learn whilst not being bothered by the temptations of life.
An important part of that ritual involved shaved-head-dhoti-clad boy requesting alms from the elder women around, requesting "Mata! Bhiksham dehi." (Mother, please provide alms).
It is a ritualistic tradition, to be followed since things are done like this here, now. But I wondered what it meant in the day of old. Then, young boys, prince or paupers alike, would go about their days of learning, requesting alms from the community.
Did that make the time socialist?
At first I thought so, but then an alternate idea came through.
Actually, no. The times were representational of how the community shall invest in it's own future. The community provided the young students (बटुक ) with the basic necessities of life. Thus ensuring that they do not sway from their path of learning. This learning provided the communities with thinkers, teachers, scientists and doctors and surgeons (yes they were then too. ref. Charak Samhita, Sushrut Samhita, which even has surgeries), warriors, farmers and rulers, too. The learning ensured that they were the best.
Yet, it was not the socialist way of life, that demands from each as per his abilities and to each as per his needs. All students, prince or pauper, had the same needs. All they had were their abilities, and all they had to do, during that phase, was to improve them.
And then once back in the community, they had to earn per their abilities, what they could.
Just as it should be...
The ceremony has started being considered as a step into adulthood, but alas it wasn't really.
The ancients divided life into phases, one of which was the "Brahmacharya Ashram", when the purpose of a man was to learn whilst not being bothered by the temptations of life.
An important part of that ritual involved shaved-head-dhoti-clad boy requesting alms from the elder women around, requesting "Mata! Bhiksham dehi." (Mother, please provide alms).
It is a ritualistic tradition, to be followed since things are done like this here, now. But I wondered what it meant in the day of old. Then, young boys, prince or paupers alike, would go about their days of learning, requesting alms from the community.
Did that make the time socialist?
At first I thought so, but then an alternate idea came through.
Actually, no. The times were representational of how the community shall invest in it's own future. The community provided the young students (बटुक ) with the basic necessities of life. Thus ensuring that they do not sway from their path of learning. This learning provided the communities with thinkers, teachers, scientists and doctors and surgeons (yes they were then too. ref. Charak Samhita, Sushrut Samhita, which even has surgeries), warriors, farmers and rulers, too. The learning ensured that they were the best.
Yet, it was not the socialist way of life, that demands from each as per his abilities and to each as per his needs. All students, prince or pauper, had the same needs. All they had were their abilities, and all they had to do, during that phase, was to improve them.
And then once back in the community, they had to earn per their abilities, what they could.
Just as it should be...
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