Cremation, Caste, and Cosmogony in Karmic Traditions.

Jagadbandhu
The development of religious practices and the relation
between Brahman priests and low-castes are partly
dependent upon the political and demographic situation
in the area. Structures of dominance are not only
ideological and religiously defined but maintained
through presence of people and social interaction. When
Brahmans represent a small minority without actual
powers to influence and manifest their position as a
“high-caste”, new social institutions and solutions
appear. Today, the financial condition for the Brahmans
in Faridpur is not prosperous. There is little ritual work
despite the high number of Hindus in the area, and
consequently the earnings from being a priest are low.
The low-castes are seldom using Brahman priests for
their rituals, and the number of priests has decreased.
Nowadays Brahmans are engaged in agriculture,
commerce and service, and they work as teachers.
Another reason for the decline of priests is the high
number of Kali temples, and the Kali cult is particularly
a “low-caste cult” in this district. In Faridpur, there are
estimates that there are approximately five hundred
temples altogether including private and personal
temples, and of these five hundred temples some four
hundred temples are Kali temples. The four main
temples in Faridpur are: 1) Shree Angan Temple
(Jagadbandhu Ashram), 2) Tepapola Krishna Temple, 3)
Shareshor Durga and Krishna Temple, and 4) Nuton
Kalibari Temple.
The temples and the religious development in Faridpur
have to be seen in light of Islam, but more importantly,
the cult of Jagadbandhu (fig. 6.1). Jagadbandhu – a
Hindu Godhead who the devotees claim is Krishna and a
direct incarnation and manifestation of God himself –
has a crucial role in the religious and social development
in Faridpur. “Lord Jagadbandhu came down to this
mundane plane with a view to protecting the world from
imminent danger of annihilation of “Mahapralay”. The
Dark Age (Kali Yuga) is over and the Bright Golden
Age is knocking at the door. We are now in the final
phase of the transition”, the believers claim, and “this is
the most crucial period in the history of human
civilisation. Birth of a new world order shall be preceded
by unprecendented destruction. Lord Jagadbandhu, the
saviour of the world, advises the mankind to live like a
“Brahmachari”. Such a philosophy of life alone can save
us from imminent destruction” (Dutta 1994:30-31).
Jagadbandhu – “The Friend of the Universe” – was born
April 28, 1871 (ibid:12). For Hindus it is an axiomatic
truth that God exists, and the supreme Lord is called Sri
Hari.
Chapter 6:
Castes without Brahmans
89
The Lord came to earth and manifested himself in
human form, and this need to attain a human form is
more a divine need that a human need, because it is the
very nature of God to reveal himself. From the view of
Jagadbandhu’s disciples, there have been three main
divine manifestations. Firstly, Krishna came with all his
divine force. Secondly, Sri Gauranga who brought about
a heavenly unification between men and God, and
finally, Prabhu Jagadbandhu, who manifested himself in
Murishidabad and Faridpur. As an incarnate the Lord is
both Man and God, and God is a real human but without
the human imperfections. Thus, Jagadbandhu is seen as
the full and complete manifestation of God who started
with Krishna and then Gauranga (ibid:1-3). Although
Jagadbandhu had a mother, he was not born from the
mother’s womb. Jagadbandhu declared himself “I am the
eternal Lord Srikrishna and Sri Gauranga. The sum total
of the two manifestations is Haripurush Jagadbandhu.
Know it for certain. I am THAT” (ibid:19), and such
declarations are interpreted as evidence for his divinity
and God-consciousness (ibid:20). According to
Radhakrishnan, “religion is the name for man’s total
conscious attitude toward life as it is found and
enlightened by rational awareness and knowledge”, and
the aim is to achieve union with the Ultimate Reality –
the Godhead (ibid:34).
The teaching of Jagadbandhu emphasises that all are
equal for God and there are no castes. Jagadbandhu
himself taught and helped outcastes back into society,
and they are now enjoying social benefits within society
as respected members of the community. The deviations
from traditional presentations of caste systems have to
be seen in light of Jagadbandhu teachings and the
general absence of Brahmans. The disciples of
Jagadbandhu are continuously helping deprived people
in the town, and the ashram is highly acknowledged
among the common people. Mahatma Ghandi’s
movement against untoucahbility is, according to
Jagadbandhu’s devotees, initiated and has its origin in
the teaching of Jagadbandhu (Dutta 1994:42). In
Calcutta Jagadbandhu also helped the untouchables back
into society, and this is mainly what distinguishes
Jagadbandhu from the other Godheads because the latter
gods did not pay so much attention to the fallen,
deprived, and drowned people (ibid:53).
In the Bengali year 1298 (1891 CE), Lord Jagadbandhu
went together with a large number of followers to
Nadawip. One day, when the high-caste had their meal,
some devotees of the Mohanta community (Bagdi)
came. The high-caste abandoned their meals on the plea
of losing their caste, and the Mohantas became insulted.