Should We Edit Bigotry Out of Ancient Texts? #shorts

The recent controversy around the Ramcharitmanas raises an important question - is it desirable to edit out bigotry from ancient religious texts?

Credits:
Edit & Motion Graphics: Vibhav Saraf
Scriptwriter: Amlan Sarkar
Voiceover: Aditi Patel
Visual Researchers: Bavana Gone & Quoyina Ghosh

[shrutisharma]

The problem with retaining texts such as these is that most people will not challenge the texts or introspect at all. If anything, I think there should be some kind of drive to remove the categorisation of such texts as religious, as many pundits (including some in my own family) look upon the Manusmriti as religious instruction rather than an ancient book of law (which it is). I think blind acceptance of such texts which are deemed as religious is an inherent problem with most followers of all religions. Most religions only work if you strip them down to their simplest form. Casteism is disgusting and I hope it’s eradicated completely.

[unnatimpandey_]

This is my observation, I don't know if any of you can relate to this or not, but I think Swaddle team is a little left leaning(no issues in having a certain political leaning but then you should not share your political views mixed with someone's religious beliefs, I think) from the time I saw their Love J*had video where they justified a woman (I don't remember her name, mentioned in the video) changed her Hindu name to name from the other religion, where she was talking about how badly her in-laws treated her and the video concluded that there is no such thing as love j*had but it is Purest Love, and when they condemned the"Wife Guys", just from then I think twice before believing in their sources and information, what you guys think?
And my explanation/opinion on the following matter:
First of all the lines referred here are said by Samudra(ocean) who is considered a non living who can't think on his own and he is also called Jad (जड़) meaning stupid in,
"Vinay Na Maanat Jaldhi Jad,
Gaye teen din beet,
Bole Ram SaKop tab,
Bhaye bin hot na preet"
And it's also about interpretation, as tadna means looking, as you say in(eg.), "Tad kisko raha hai?" Or making someone free in, "Hey Sharde maa, Agyaanta se hume tad de maa".
It means vigilance also.
And last but not the least as you can't read Shakespeare's Macbeth today as the language and meanings of the word are totally different from how it is used today, similarly these texts also can't be read, just to learn literature or language or culture but you have to read them with belief and devotion, to understand how a devotee is writing to glorify his deity and not to make some judgements or talking ill about any section of the society.

Thanks for reading the whole comment, different views are most welcome without hatred and sorry for the long comment 😁

[madhurgupta]

जाकी रही भावना जैसी प्रभु मूरत देखी तिन तैसी

[Beanhill_]

I don’t think we can sanitise our past. I think we should look at these and be reminded of how much worse we used be.

The issue is that people think it’s ok to support backward ideas from the 16th century because it’s part of their religious text.

So no don’t remove the text but please be a decent enough person to know how disgusting some ideas were.

[nitikasingh]

Well that particular text people are referring here does not means beating people it means glaring at them.

[amritarupalaha]

If Tulsidas could edit the Valmiki Ramayan by introducing misogynist episodes like Sita's banishment and casteist ideals like killing of Shambuka, 1000s of years later, and people believe these things to be real incidents, why can't there be a new interpretation of Ramayana today, free of all this? If anything, these episodes only ruin the character of Ram. In Adi Kand to Yuddh Kaand, his attitude towards women and lower castes is completely different. We shouldn't edit Ramcharitmanas, rather we should stop treating it like the gold standard for Ramayan.

[-aeshe-]

Yup, we should learn equality n healthy beliefs separate from this. Knowing what stuff is wrong in writings n old scriptures is important to distant from them while analysing it, taking in somebody's perspective, seeing the world, learning how the past time n environment was possibly different n enjoying the story in general.

P.s.:- also, there's a chance that the person penning them might have thought it wouldn't have been passed or approved of in society if it didn't have the ideals and perspectives it(the society) approved of, similar to the reaction of these people n them not responding to someone's opinion cuz of their own, unchecked, n not thought through, ideals.

[mrunalravibharti]

I guess swaddle team n people like Mr. Maurya have to understand the meaning of texts before passing remarks on it. Texts nothing to do with cast based discrimination it focuses on sate of mind or behavior of human in life evolution to calculate morals of one individual deeds. & not on cast group. Ramcharit Manas celebrates relationship like Nishadraj n Ramji friendship, sugriv, shabri, Hanuman, Vivbhishan, Mahashri Valmiki so many of examples of Morden non general catogary communities as per allegations.( we all are Hindus by birth we don't need invasionary mindset based certificates from anyone)

[khubiduttsharma]

Please do the quraan and Bible also!
Why does your analysis always begins and ends on Sanatani Scriptures?

[ZarathustraSpeaking]

Wow, swaddle can make good content 🙆‍♂️

[AnneX]

ok.... edit those texts and remove the caste based reservation as well... it can't be either or situation as bcoz of centuries of bigotry and subjugation lower castes have benn given reservation. if you're rewriting history then it means you were never wronged and hence don't need reservations in the present.

[apurvajha]

The thing is most of the people study the pirated version and not the real one. People still think that their was a caste syrem based on birth. Caste system was based on the work u r doing n it was not like u jave right to disrespect the sudras. Spambuk vadh wakt hi kaha gya tha ki kalyug k har prani shudra hoga? Reason? Kyuki kalyig m har kisi ko job krna hoga, pausa kamana hoga ya toh sareer ko khata k ya galta tarah se, therefore all are shudras. Agar shree ram ko shudro se dikkat hota toh wo kabhi sabri k berr nhi khate, aur wo v wo berr jo juthe ho. Sabri ek vilni thi, therefire st according to aj ki bakloli. Ravan ek brahman tha aur uska vadh shree ram ne kiya. They just want to destroy and manipulate people iaur apne hi dharm se durr kar rhe h

[.vedhasvaidya]

Try suggesting an edit to the Qur'an they will hack you to pieces the fact that they can say such things about Hindu texts is a testament of our tolerance