"There is nothing wrong with Brahminism. People who accuse Brahminism have not read Adi Shankara. He clearly says Jathi, Nethi, Kula, Gotra durakam. Caste, religion%u2014all this you have to transcend; it is not what you are. Whatever caste a person is, the wise will always be respected%u2014Vidhwan sarvatra pujith. Of course there has been oppression of Dalits [but] there has been oppression in many countries and many cultures. Christians had the Spanish Inquisition, [they%u2019ve] been against science, [but] you can%u2019t say that Christianity is bad.
In the Brahminical text it is written that the sudhra is the feet, but it also says that the feet should be worshipped. No part of the body is considered low in the Vedic literature. Throwing [out] all Brahminical wisdom is foolishness.
I think we are blowing out of proportion the Dalit issues. Not all Brahmins have always suppressed Dalits. Even Ambedkar%u2019s mentor was a Brahmin. Basavanna, Adi Shankara, Ramanujacharya%u2014[all] worked for Dalits."
