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Is Buddhism A Religion
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So far as the caste question is concerned both Mahavira and Buddha revolted against castism based on birth.It needs no explanation to state that the feeling of superiority generated by caste based social structure is the principal source of inequality and want of fraternity in the Hindu society right from the times of Mahabharat when the preceptor like Drona went to the cruel extent of cutting the thumb nof his ardent devotee Ekalavya and preventing Karna from challenging his pupil Arjuna only on the ground that Arjuna was a Kshatriya and the other two were of a lower caste This evil of castism has gone so deep in the whole of Indian society that it has affected even the Mohamadans, Christians Jains and Buddhists. And now a days our elections are fought on caste basis. Uttaradhyayan Sutra, a Jain scripture, which has recorded the last sermon of Lord Mahavira, records verses after verses against caste system as prevalent in his time, and aserts that it is the action (Karma) which determines who is a real Brahmin, Kashatriya and others. In times of Mahavir and Buddha the Vedic
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