If there is one text from ancient India which has been condemned like hell is Manusmriti. People say it is the cause of all problems in Hinduism.
Some people even say that Manusmriti should be burnt. They chant slogans - HUM LEKE RAHENGE AAZADI, MANUWAAD SE AAZADI !
To those who scream this, and condemn Manusmriti, they haven't read it.
But wait, BR Ambedkar did read it and he burnt it !
Actually BR Ambedkar read the Manusmriti which was translated by Max Muller. And do you know what the qualifications of Max Muller were ?
He couldn't pass the 1860 election of the Boden professorship of Sanskrit. He did not have practical first hand knowledge of Indian culture and customs.
The biggest evidence found is a letter which was written by Max Muller to his wife in which he has himself mentioned that he was appointed by the Britishers to translate the Vedas and Indian texts in such a way that the Hindus lose faith in them.
This was a time when the Gurukuls of India were shut down by the British and Hindus didn't have access to the knowledge of Sanskrit, so they couldn't question Max Muller and the British on the wrong translation.
Ambedkar in his book 'Who are the Shudras ?' himself wrote that he didn't know Sanskrit and relied on Max Muller's translation of Manusmriti and other ancient texts for 15 years.
Ab jab galat translation hi padha hai toh galat dhaarna hi banegi. I don't blame him.
Now people say that Manusmriti divided ancient Indian society in the terrible hierarchy of caste and was unfair to Dalits.
First of all, Dalit is not a varna, it's a recent word. Dalit means jiska Dalan kiya gaya ho, this was true in the context of British India and post independence.
There are only 4 Varnas mentioned in Manusmriti -
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The shlok means - Brahmin, Kshatriya and Vaishyas are twice born and Shudras are born only once. There are only 4 Varnas.
The mention of the 5th Varna, which is considered as untouchables, are not mentioned in Manusmriti because there were none. Untouchability wasn't a practice of ancient India.
Now one will say that it is unfair to Shudras as it says they are born only once.
First of all, you must know what a Dwija is, a person is born twice meaning he has obtained a set of skills and wisdom, his life changes and thus is said to be born twice.
A person obtains knowledge and starts to teach, his life is changed. This is how a Brahmin is Dwija.
A person obtains the knowledge of weapons and becomes a warrior, his life is changed. This is how a Kshatriya is Dwija.
A person obtains skills of art or buisness, his life changed and this is how a Vaishya is Dwija.
But a shudra is someone who doesn't obtain wisdom or skills. And hence his life doesn't change.
