Manusmriti: A Target Without Context

When you have no issue to raise,

blame the Manusmriti.

When you want to appear modern,
blame the Manusmriti.

When you want to project yourself as an intellectual,
blame the Manusmriti.

When you want to look secular and liberal,
blame the Manusmriti.

When you want to appear “woke,”
blame the Manusmriti.

When you want to portray yourself as a champion of Dalit rights,
blame the Manusmriti.

When the privileged castes get minus or zero marks,  

blame the Manusmriti.

When you want to indulge in minority appeasement,
blame the Manusmriti.

When security personnel control the rioters and outlaws,  

blame the Manusmriti.

It hardly matters whether you have any knowledge of Sanskrit
or have ever actually read the Manusmriti.

And yet, there is often little courage to critically examine
the problematic or objectionable passages of the scriptures of other religions.

Perhaps the real issue is not the Manusmriti at all,
but the convenience of turning it into a ready-made target—
without knowledge, without context,
and without the courage to apply the same standard of scrutiny to everyone.