--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Denying the poor access to knowledge goes…" description: "\"“Denying the poor access to knowledge goes back a long way. The ancient Smriti political and legal system drew up vicious punishments for sudras seekin..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d78/p-sainath-59704_legal-system_denying-the-poor-access-to-knowledge-goe_601548.jpg" --- # Denying the poor access to knowledge goes back a long way… ![“Denying the poor access to knowledge goes back a long way. The ancient Smriti political and legal system drew up vicious punishments for sudras seeking learning. (In those days, that meant learning the Vedas.) If a sudra listens to the Vedas, said one of these laws, ‘his ears are to be filled with…” quote by P Sainath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d78/p-sainath-59704_legal-system_denying-the-poor-access-to-knowledge-goe_601548.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d78/p-sainath-59704_legal-system_denying-the-poor-access-to-knowledge-goe_601548.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d78/p-sainath-59704_legal-system_denying-the-poor-access-to-knowledge-goe_601548.jpg) > ““Denying the poor access to knowledge goes back a long way. The ancient Smriti political and legal system drew up vicious punishments for sudras seeking learning. (In those days, that meant learning the Vedas.) If a sudra listens to the Vedas, said one of these laws, ‘his ears are to be filled with molten tin or lac. If he dares to recite the Vedic texts, his body is to be split’. That was the fate of the ‘base-born’. The ancients restricted learning on the basis of birth. In a modern polity, where the base-born have votes, the elite act differently. Say all the right things. But deny access. Sometimes, mass pressures force concessions. Bend a little. After a while, it’s back to business as usual. As one writer has put it: When the poor get literate and educated, the rich lose their palanquin bearers.”” [P Sainath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-sainath/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Restricting education to the privileged maintains power; when the poor become literate, the elite lose control. **In simple terms:** Education is used to keep power; the poor learning threatens elite dominance. Key Takeaway Recognize and dismantle barriers to knowledge access. Themes power education social inequality elitism knowledge access Mood critical determined hopeful Type political social educational When to use this quote - policy reform - community education programs - digital literacy initiatives - grassroots activism Key Concepts Caste system social stratification political control economic disparity Questions to Reflect On - How does education shift power dynamics? - What concrete steps can broaden access to learning? A Different Perspective Resistance from entrenched interests may slow progress. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ancients Restricted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ancients-restricted-4903361/) [Denying Poor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/denying-poor-4903360/) [Legal system](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/legal-system/) [Long way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long-way/) [Punishments Sudras](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/punishments-sudras-4903362/) [Vedas Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vedas-said-4903364/) [Vedas Sudra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vedas-sudra-4903363/) ## Related quotes > [Being a seeker means no matter what the Vedas said, what Krishna or Shiva said, you have to know the truth in your own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaggi-vasudev/being-a-seeker-means-no-matter-what-the-vedas-said-what-krishna-or/) [Jaggi Vasudev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaggi-vasudev/) > [ “I believe \[...\] that while all human life is sacred there’s nothing wrong with the death penalty if you can trust the legal system… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/i-believe-that-while-all-human-life-is-sacred-there-s-nothing-wrong/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [There have been some gains made in terms of more equality for women in the workplace and in the way the legal system deals…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-chapman/there-have-been-some-gains-made-in-terms-of-more-equality-for-women/) [Tracy Chapman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-chapman/) > [Torture is such a slippery slope; as soon as you allow a society or any legal system to do that, almost instantly you get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iain-banks/torture-is-such-a-slippery-slope-as-soon-as-you-allow-a-society-or/) [Iain Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iain-banks/) > [None of us like the concept of law because none of us like the restraints it puts on us. 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