Hypocrisy and Inertia in Brahmins: A Critical Rereading of Samskara as a Critique of Caste System in India

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Main Author: Avishek Manna
Format: Recurso digital
Language:English
Published: Zenodo 2025
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author Avishek Manna
author_facet Avishek Manna
contents <p><strong>Abstract</strong>: U. R. Ananthamurthy’s <em>Samskara</em> (1965) remains a landmark in Indian literature for its searing critique of Brahmin orthodoxy and the caste system. Set in a decaying agrahara, the novel focuses on the internal contradictions, hypocrisies, and moral inertia of the Brahmin community in the face of social and spiritual crisis. This paper revisits <em>Samskara</em> as a powerful interrogation of caste privilege, exposing the moral bankruptcy and performative piety of upper-caste elites. Drawing upon the central character Praneshacharya’s spiritual dilemma and the community’s collective inaction, this study analyzes how Ananthamurthy uses narrative irony, symbolism, and philosophical inquiry to challenge the sanctity of caste-bound identities.</p>
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spellingShingle Hypocrisy and Inertia in Brahmins: A Critical Rereading of Samskara as a Critique of Caste System in India
Avishek Manna
Caste, Brahminism. Hypocrisy, Inertia, Purity
<p><strong>Abstract</strong>: U. R. Ananthamurthy’s <em>Samskara</em> (1965) remains a landmark in Indian literature for its searing critique of Brahmin orthodoxy and the caste system. Set in a decaying agrahara, the novel focuses on the internal contradictions, hypocrisies, and moral inertia of the Brahmin community in the face of social and spiritual crisis. This paper revisits <em>Samskara</em> as a powerful interrogation of caste privilege, exposing the moral bankruptcy and performative piety of upper-caste elites. Drawing upon the central character Praneshacharya’s spiritual dilemma and the community’s collective inaction, this study analyzes how Ananthamurthy uses narrative irony, symbolism, and philosophical inquiry to challenge the sanctity of caste-bound identities.</p>
title Hypocrisy and Inertia in Brahmins: A Critical Rereading of Samskara as a Critique of Caste System in India
topic Caste, Brahminism. Hypocrisy, Inertia, Purity
url https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18247428