Mahad ke satyagraha ne ek talaab ke paani se shuru hokar samajik asamaanata ke gehrayiyon tak prashn uthaye the. Lekin Dr. Ambedkar jaante the ki samasya sirf kisi vyavahaar ya pratha ki nahi thi — yeh samasya ek soch ki thi, jo sadiyon se dharm ke naam par sahi thaharaayi ja rahi thi. Unke liye asli ladai un mool vicharon ke viruddh thi jinhone jaati pratha ko janm diya aur use sahi thaharaya.
Unhone dekha ki is vyavastha ki jad ek dharmik aur samajik drishtikon mein chhupi hai — ek aisa granth jise kai log dharmik samvidhaan ke roop mein maante the: Manusmriti. Yeh granth Hindu dharm ke niyamon aur samajik vyavastha ka aadhaar maana jaata tha. Lekin ismein jaati ke aadhar par manavon ke adhikaron mein bhed kiya gaya tha. Is granth mein shudron ko shiksha, adhikar, aur maryada se vanchit rakhne ki vyavastha thi. Ambedkar ne jab is granth ka gahraai se adhyayan kiya, to unhone tay kiya ki is soch ka khulkar virodh kiya jaana chahiye.
25 December 1927 ko Mahad mein ek vishaal jan sabha ka aayojan kiya gaya. Is din ko Ambedkar ne “Samta Din” ke roop mein manane ka nirdharan kiya. Poore Maharashtra se log Mahad pahunch rahe the — yuva, mahilaayein, vriddh — sabke chehre par utsah tha. Yeh sirf ek sabha nahi thi, yeh ek sankalp tha. Sabha mein Dr. Ambedkar ne Manusmriti ke un paathon ko padha jahan shudron ke viruddh kathor niyam likhe gaye the. Unka swar narm tha, lekin unki baatein dard se bhari thi.
Unhone kaha, “Is granth ne humein janm se hi nichla darja de diya. Yeh humare khilaf sirf vyavahaarik nahi, dharmik aadesh ban gaya. Agar hum ise aaj bhi maante rahenge, to hum kabhi barabari ke pat par nahi aa sakte.”
Sabha ke antim kshan mein, logon ke beech ek chulha tayar tha. Usmein Manusmriti ki pratikriti rakhi gayi thi. Dr. Ambedkar ne swayam aage badhkar us granth ko aag mein daala. Us aag mein sirf kagaz nahi jal raha tha — ek soch jal rahi thi jo sadiyon se logon ke man aur jeevan par raaj kar rahi thi.
Logon ne haath jodkar, aankhon mein aansu lekar, is drishya ko dekha. Koi naara nahi laga, koi utsav nahi manaya — lekin ek gehera samvedansheel samarthan tha, jo chehron par saaf dikhta tha. Ambedkar ne usi samay kaha, “Yeh dharm virodh nahi hai. Yeh us vyavastha ka virodh hai jisme janm se kisi ko adhikaar aur kisi ko apmaan diya jaata hai.”
Is ghatna ne kai jagahon par pratikriya utpann ki. Kuch dharmik samudaayon ne iska virodh kiya, kuch netaon ne ise samajik kranti ka prarambh kaha. Lekin Ambedkar apne faisle par atal rahe. Unka kehna tha ki jab tak samajik samvidhaan mein asamaanata hai, tab tak aise granthon ka virodh uchit hai.
Manusmriti Dahan ek ghatna nahi thi — yeh ek vichar ka prastav tha. Ek purani soch ke viruddh naye samaj ke sapne ka prarambh tha. Ab andolan ka mool patra ban gaya tha samvedansheelta, tark aur nyay. Is din se Ambedkar sirf ek neta nahi rahe — wo ek soch ke pratinidhi ban gaye.
Agla kadam Nashik ki taraf tha — jahan bhagwan ke darshan tak kuch logon ke liye band the. Ambedkar ne tay kiya, ab yeh band darwaze khulenge. Samvidhaan ki roshni ab mandiron ke dwar tak pahuchne wali thi.