704 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES
with second cousins. Those who wish to adopt the system may follow it. While framing this Bill we should keep in mind the Principle of Eugenics also. It is wrong to consider that our Smritikars (annotators) have mentioned nothing at random. Our Smritikars were past-masters of the Science of Eugenics. They were not common people. They were highly learned and well informed persons. Whatever doctrines they laid down were perfect in all respects and were propounded after mature consideration. Their decrees were so perfect that it was not at all deemed essential to effect any changes in them say after 6, 8, 10 or 12 months. Our Smritikars were very wise and intelligent. Deep meditation of hundreds of years is essential to suggest any changes in what they have written. Undoubtedly you may make suitable amendments there in, because from time to time suitable amendments have been made in these Smrities. But we must consider this fully well whether by introducing these changes the society will be benefitted or put to loss.
Shri H. V. Kamath (C. P. and Berar : General): Are the Hon. Members of this House not intelligent?
Mr. Deputy Speaker : Please go on.
Shri Gokulbhai Daulatram Bhatt : I am not so intelligent and learned as Shri Kamath is. I do not allege that the Hon. Members here do not possess intelligence. Everybody has got his own intelligence. Everybody can think. But I say that I will not accept lying down all that Dr. Ambedkar says in a manner that great men have great views. Similarly if any Pandit (scholar) were to come and say that whatever has been done for the untouchables is not at all justified, then also I will not take his word for granted because I do not believe in the maxim that great men have great views. But I was submitting that whatever our Smritikars have done, have done after fully taking into consideration the future of the society. It is quite true that these Smrities were codified according to the then needs of the society. Today our society consists of numerous castes and sub-castes, the people belong to different sects, they believe in various doctrines, there are Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists and followers of other schools of thought and so on. They are divided up into numerous religious sects. It is not an easy task to inter-blend them in a single system.
Sir, I will now take only a little more time. I had just stated that the honourable Dr. Ambedkar said, “Custom will eat into the code