SatyakAma JAbAla

सत्यकाम जाबाल

The Two Streams :

The Upanishads in the यजुर्वेद are of the two kinds :

The शुक्ल यजुर्वेद and the कृष्ण यजुर्वेद.

This is what I think as a student of the Upanishads. No claim is made that my knowledge is correct and perfect. Please check yourself if you don't agree.

The story of Satyakama JAbAla is about a disciple of JAbAla Rishi who was sent by his mother to the Gurukul of JAbAla Rishi for learning the VedaVidyA from the Rishi.

Rishi JAbAla asked him, - who was his father? Satyakama, a mere boy of 6 or 7 years of age didn't know the answer. So the Rishi told him to ask about this to his mother. Satyakama went to his mother. His mother told him that she had been a housemaid in many a houses and didn't know who might have fathered him.

SatyakAma returned to the Sage / Rishi JAbAla and told Him what was told to him by his mother.

Hearing this JAbAla thought a little and said to Satyakama : You speak whatever your mother told to you without fear. I  take it that your Father was therefore of the Brahmin class (ब्राह्मण वर्ण). However I give you my JAbAla Gotra / जाबाल गोत्र.

Hence now onwards you will have this name : Satyakama JAbAla - The one in my Gotra (the Traditional branch of a Vedika Rishi / Sage).

Because Who-so-ever aspires for Truth is verily a Brahmin indeed and should be treated like one born as a Brahmin.

There are two major Upanishads in the name of JabAla / JAbAli Rishi. One of the two is JAbAlopanishad a short one, and another is somewhat detailed and is so named bRhajjAbAlopanishad.

We know KaThopanishad. This is about the story of Nachiketa and Yama. The father of Nachiketa was one वाजश्रवा / vAjashravA. Yama in this text addressed NachiketA variously also as Gautama, Kaushika, Bhargava, AruNi Ouddalaki as well. 

They all belong to Rishi bhRgu / ऋषि भृगु, विश्वामित्र, भार्गव . 

Rishi bhRgu is one amongst the 7 famous Sages together described as "Saptarshi". Gita tells

"ऋषीणामहं भृगुः" and "कवीनामुशना कविः।।"

Evidently, since times immemorial, the Sanatana Dharma prevailed all over the globe. We can connote "अङ्गिरा", "AngirA" to "Angel", and JAbAla-Rishi to Gabriel.

We know Gabriel was the Arch-Angel - आर्ष अङ्गिरा Who gave instructions to the three most Prominent Prophets of the three Abrahmic Religions.

The relevant point is : If many of those belonging to these religions aspire for getting connected to सनातन वैदिक धर्म /  Sanatana Vaidika Dharma, what might be their Gotra / (Gott in German, God in English)?

Shouldn't they give a thought to this?

Maybe they would wish to get connected to the JAbAla Gotra.

Again, to what Social Class / वर्ण they may select for them?

This depends purely, entirely upon their own understandaming, determination and inclinations. Everyone is always free in Sanatana Dharma to think for oneself  accordingly and no any one other could enforce upon him except the stream they want to join to.

The "Birth" in a race is the  जाति / "Caste" while the वर्ण - ब्राह्मण, क्षत्रिय, वैश्य  and शूद्र are a social class and depends upon the quality of actions and tendencies as is described in the Gita - Chapter 4, stanza 13 :

चातुर्वर्ण्यं मया सृष्टं गुणकर्मविभागशः।।

तयोस्तु कर्तारं मां विद्ध्यकर्तारमव्ययम्।।१३।।

(अध्याय ४)

Therefore it is implied that all humans are equal in their rights and are free to decide for themselves what Gotra /  गोत्र  and class वर्ण they might belong to, and no one else can impose upon him what  Class / Gotra according to and in what race one is born into.

The last but not the least important is the gender. Of course the gender has its own Dharma / nature and accordingly as no one can go against one's natural and Dharma / spontaneous tendencies, and the two genders have some different and basic characters of their own, this too is according to what one thinks fits for oneself and there is no conflict any in the Sanatana Vedika Dharma.

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