Casteism
in India has gotten a lot of criticism, and rightly so. The way casteism is at present
should not even exist. We should throw it out. Casteism as we find it today is
now nothing more than a misrepresentation and misinterpretation of a legitimate
and progressive Vedic system known as varnashrama. However, we need to know the
difference between the two, then get rid of present-day casteism to again
utilize the genuine and liberal form of social organization, known as
varnashrama.
WHAT
CASTEISM IS TODAY
The
casteism that we find today says that if you are born in a family of a certain
classification, then you are of the same class with little possibility of
changing. It dictates that your social order, occupational potential and
characteristics are the same as your parents, which is a label that may have
been placed on a family hundreds of years ago. In the Vedic system, there were
four basic classifications. There were the Brahmanas (priests and
intellectuals), the Kshatriyas (warriors or Soldiers), Vaishyas (the merchants
or businessman), and the Shudras (common laborers, musicians, dancers, etc.).
Casteism says that if you are born of a Brahmana family, then you are a
Brahmana, no matter whether you truly exhibit the genuine characteristics of a
Brahmana or not. It is as if when one is born in a doctor’s family, the child
is also considered a doctor.
Pyramid
of Indian caste System
However,
anyone knows that to become a doctor requires the proper training and
perception to see if the child will be a qualified doctor or not. Just being
born in the family of a doctor does not mean that the children will also be
doctors, although this may help. But they surely are not doctors merely by
birth. Training and intelligence must be there. And before training, there also
must be the proclivity, tendency, and attraction to even be a doctor. Without
that, no amount of training will be of much use because the student will still
not want to be, or qualify to be a doctor. Therefore, this form of modern day
casteism is useless.
WHAT IS THE ORIGINAL VEDIC SYSTEM CALLED
VARNASHRAMA
The
original Vedic system called varnashrama was legitimate and virtuous. It was
meant for the progressive organization of society. Varnashrama is the Vedic
system that divides society into four natural groups depending on individual
characteristics and dispositions. Everyone has certain tendencies by their own
natural inclinations and choice. These inclinations are also seen in one’s
occupational preferences. These activities are divided into four basic
divisions called varnas. Varna literally means color, relating to the color or
disposition of one’s consciousness, and, thus, one’s likelihood of preferring
or showing various tendencies for a particular set of occupations. This would
be determined not by one’s birth, but by one’s proclivities as observed by the
teachers in the school that the student was attending. For example, there are
those who prefer to offer service to society through physical labour or working
for others, or through various forms of expressions like dance and music
(called Shudras); those who serve through agriculture, trade, commerce,
business, and banking or administrative work (Vaishyas); those who have the
talents of leaders, government administration, police or military, and the
protection of society (Kshatriyas); and those who are by nature intellectuals,
contemplative, and inspired by acquiring spiritual and philosophical knowledge,
and motivated to work in this way for the rest of society (the Brahmanas). It
was never a factor of whether a person had a certain ancestry or birth that
determined which class was most appropriate for him or her, although being born
in a particular family or tribe would give a natural likelihood to continue in
the same line of activity. Ashramas divided society for spiritual reasons.
These were Brahmacharya (students), Grihasthas (householders), Vanaprasthas
(the retired stage, at which time a person begins to give up materialistic
pursuits and focus on spiritual goals), and Sannyasa (those who were renounced
from all materialistic affairs, usually toward the end of their lives, and
completely dedicated to spiritual activities). This provided a general pattern
for one’s life in which people could work out their desires and develop spiritually
at the same time. The ashramas divided an individual’s life so that a person
could fulfill all of one’s basic desires as well as accomplish the spiritual
goals of life. Only according to one’s qualities, tendencies, and traits,
usually as one grew up in school, was it determined which varna was best for
that person. And then he would be trained accordingly to do the most suited
work that fit his qualities, much like the way counselors work with students in
schools today.
The real
purpose of varnashrama was not to label or restrict someone. It was actually
part of the means for self-discovery and development. It was to assist a person
to find their place in life where he or she would be most comfortable in terms
of functionality and occupation. It was meant for helping society to become
spiritually harmonized and make the everyday tasks into a means of spiritual
progress and growth. In this way, the varnashrama system is based on the
natural divisions within society and is not meant to establish forced
distinctions or restrictions. To explain further, in Bhagavad-gita (4.13) Lord
Krishna says, “According to the three modes of material nature and the work
ascribed to them, the four divisions of human society were created by Me.” Then
He continues, “Brahmanas, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas and Shudras are distinguished by
their qualities of work in accordance with the modes of nature.” (Bg.18.41)
Herein we can see that there is no mention of birth as a determining factor for
one’s varna or classification. They are ascertained by their qualities of work.
Furthermore, “By following his qualities of work, every man can become perfect.
. . By worship of the Lord, who is the source of all beings and who is
all-pervading, man can, in the performance of his own duty [or occupation],
attain perfection.” (Bg.18.45-6) Herein we can understand that these divisions
are created by the Lord so that everyone can be rightly situated in the work
and activities that are most suitable for each person, and in which they can
feel most comfortable.
In the
Vishnu Purana Lord Parasharama also says, “The Supreme Lord Vishnu is worshiped
by the proper execution of prescribed duties in the system of varna and
ashrama. There is no other way to satisfy the Lord.” So, by engaging in this
varnashrama system the Supreme Lord can be satisfied with one’s occupation. It
is a way of making one’s work and activities into devotional service to the
Lord. However, it may be pointed out that a person in pure spiritual
consciousness is above all such designations, even though for his service to
God he may act in any one of these divisions at any given time. Now we can
understand how the Vedic arrangement of varnashrama provides the means for each
person in each varna to be able to make spiritual advancement by offering one’s
activities to the Lord. In whatever position one is in, all of one’s duties can
become an offering of love to God, which becomes the highest level of
meditation, intention, or activity. Even Guru Nanak denounced the caste system
and taught that everyone is equal, regardless of caste or gender. Guru Nanak
said “Worthless is caste and worthless an exalted name, For all mankind there
is but a single refuge.” (AG 83). “Recognize the Lord’s Light (Spirit) within
all, and do not consider social class or status; there are no classes or castes
in the world hereafter.” (Guru Granth Sahib Ji) This system, however, was never
meant to divide people according to materialistic classifications. It was meant
to unite people in a cooperative society in the service of God. In Vedic times,
even the Shudras had the same rights as those of the other varnas, and their
dignity was preserved without discrimination. The Vedic culture, ultimately,
was for the well-being and spiritual advancement of the whole society. Forced
designation or untouchability was never a part of the Vedic process. Thus,
additional groups have been manufactured to accommodate this, such as those who
are described as outcastes or “untouchables”. As far as “untouchablitiy” goes,
it was never mentioned in any Vedic literature. This was never a part of the
Vedic system, but merely a more modern invention. There is no justification for
it. Logically speaking, if a person is not performing any unhygienic
activities, then why should he be called a Dalit, or an untouchable, simply
because of the family in which he was born? Even after performing something
dirty, one need only wash oneself properly to be clean again. On the other
hand, I have seen Brahmanas in India who ate eggs, ate meat, and drank alcohol,
all considered to be dirty or contaminating things. How does one clean oneself
from that if he is considered a clean and pure Brahmana? It means that such a
person is hardly a Brahmana at all, even if he is born in a Brahmana family. So
classification is to be judged by qualities, habits, and the content of one’s
character, not by mere title and birth. In the Bhagavad-gita (18.42), Lord
Krishna explains that the natural qualities of the Brahmanas are peacefulness,
self-control, austerity, purity, tolerance, honesty, wisdom, and knowledge. The
Mahabharata also explains that a Brahmana must be perfectly religious. He must
be truthful and able to control his senses. He must execute severe austerities
and be detached, humble, and tolerant. He must not envy anyone, and must be
expert in performing religious sacrifices and giving whatever he has in
charity. He must be fixed in devotional service and expert in Vedic knowledge.
In today’s form of casteism, when we see Brahmanas who are proud of their
position, or who desire material benefit, or look condescendingly at those of
lower castes, they are not really elevated but are materialistic. This means
that they have lost the true qualities of Brahmanas. They actually help promote
contempt throughout casteism. Thus, for those that act this way, and not all of
them do, only by birth are they called Brahmanas, but the necessary
qualifications are not found in them. The caste system has become simply a
materialistic, useless, and destructive system. Casteism started developing in
India at the begining of Kali Yuga after the End of Mahabharata war. However,
the British encouraged the practice of casteism to increase the divisions
between people, thus making it easier for the British to rule over them. A
disunited society will hardly have the force, cooperation, or strength to
defend itself from intruders. So the British fueled casteism and kept it more
ingrained in society for their own interests. British used divide and rule
policy for dividing the Hindu majority. As casteism continues, it furthers the
fragmentation of Indian society. In fact, you could say that it has practically
killed Vedic society and has brought about the numerous divisions and social
quarrels that we now find in India. Even amongst the Hindus alone, there has
been fighting along caste, ethnic, and sectarian lines for hundreds of years.
This is one of the main reasons why the country has been weakened to such a
degree that they could not properly defend themselves in a unified way from the
genocide under the Muslim invasions, and now modern fundamentalism. This sort
of fragmentation also forced Indians to endure two centuries of British
persecutions. Casteism today promote emphasis on bodily and social
distinctions, contempt, and disapproval among the people of different classes
and ethnic groups. For this reason, we still see today that when the Shudras
and Dalits feel like they are disliked by fellow Hindus, they become Muslims,
Christians, or Buddhists in the attempt to find greater acceptance and avoid
class differences. The result of this has been social disharmony. Otherwise,
there would have been no need for parts of India to be divided to create
Bangladesh and Pakistan, which have since become nothing more than mortal
enemies of India. Have any lessons been learned? Apparently not. Ethnic intolerance
is on the rise in many parts of India. Therefore, it needs to be replaced by
the genuine system of varnashrama, or simply thrown out completely.
Source: All
the ancient books of my country.
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