Religious Hegemony versus Freewill: A Critical Analysis of Samskara

This research paper explores how religious hegemony governs the lives of Brahmins in the villages of Karnataka during the 1960s by giving prominence to patriarchy and by investing unshakable faith in one Acharya, who is supposed to have the knowledge and wisdom of all Hindu scriptures. It reveals how such dependence of society on some Acharyas makes them handicapped, and decays their common sense and rationality while bringing up superstations and blind faith; all condition the individuals as poor decision makers or unable to make decisions at all during crucial moments of life and death. This paper reveals how people with free will exercise common sense irrespective of their low caste. If a Brahmin does something using his freewill he becomes a villain, and (d)evil in that socio-cultural milieu. Besides, this paper brings out the hypocrisy, duality, and lust of Brahamanical characters, which is worse even than an anti-Brahamanical brahamin. Moreover, this paper showcases how freewill results from the clarity of heart that helps in decision-making for the larger welfare of society. In contrast, religious hegemony prevents an individual from empathizing with others while giving way to hypocrisy.