History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v7.c96.s1.65

v7.c96.s1.65

It should not be forgotten that high spiritual life and moksa were not denied to the śūdra It is true that the Pūrvamīmāṁsā denied to the śūdra the right to study the Veda and to perform Vedic sacrifices (VI. 1. 26). But even in those ancient times one sage, Bādari, advocated that the śūdra could study the Veda and perform Vedic sacrifices (P. M. S. VI. 1. 27). Besides, it should be noted that the śūdra was not at all debarred from a spiritual life and could secure mokṣa by studying the Mahābhārata (which contains thousands of verses on Mokṣa), which Vyāsa compassionately composed for the benefit of women and śūdras and which calls itself (in Ādiparva chap. 62. 23) Dharmaśāstra, Arthaśāstra and Mokṣaśāstra, as declared by the Bhāgavatapurāṇa I. 4. 25. All that was decided was that a śūdra could not secure Mokṣa by the study of Veda. Śaṅkarācārya on V. S. I. 3. 38 points out that śūdras like Vidura (Ādiparva 63. 96-97 and 114, 106. 24-28, Udyogaparva 41. 5) and Dharma-vyādha (Vanaparva 207) possesed knowledge of *brahmavidyā* and that it is impossible to say that they were not able to secure Mokṣa. Vide above pp. 921-22 and note 1468a for the discussion of the relevant passages. It is noteworthy that even in early Vedic times the Rathakāra (a caste not belonging to any of the three higher classes) was allowed to set up Vedic fires and could repeat certain Vedic mantras for that purpose and the Niṣāda (also not belonging to any of the three varṇas, but being a śūdra) was allowed to perform an *iṣṭi* to Rudra with Vedic mantras. Vide pp. 1290-91 (for Rathakāra) and pp. 1295-96 (for Niṣāda) above. These facts show that Vedic sacrifices had penetrated into certain śūdra castes long before the sūtras and smṛtis The Bhāgavatapurāṇa (VII. 9. 10) was prepared to hold that a cāṇḍāla (by birth) if he becomes a devotee of Viṣṇu was superior to a brāhmaṇa who was not such a devotee.