WHAT IS THE CASTE SYSTEM ALL ABOUT?
An account of the Varna system in Vedic Times in India
Wikipedia describes castes as “rigid social groups characterized by hereditary transmission of lifestyle, occupation and social status”. The word is derived from the Portuguese word casta meaning “race, lineage or breed”. Hence, the word ‘caste’ is not an Indian word.
Though the caste system in India is said to have its origins in ancient (Vedic) Indian society, the modern concept of the caste system is social or societal.
Really the caste system has originated from two concepts — Varna and Jathi.
Varna is the system described in the Vedic texts, which we shall see below. Jathi is the word for ‘caste’, and it depends upon one’s birth and lineage.
It was during the Mughal and the British era in India that the caste system was followed by the British when they appointed Christians and Hindus belonging to the upper castes to their administrative service. The British incorporated the caste system into their governance.
When India gained independence and formulated its own policies the reservations system for castes was followed for government employment and in higher education with a view to the uplifting of the lower classes.
The modern concept of the caste system is by and large the doings of the Mughals and the British. It was done with the aim of uplifting the lower castes. But now it has turned into a Frankenstein monster promoting caste politics, caste vote banks, caste-based violence, and the like.
What was the original “caste” system in ancient or Vedic India?
This was called the Varna system and was propounded in the Vedas.
The ‘Purusha Sooktham’ in the Vedas describes the four Varnas as Brahmins (derived from the head of the Purusha -The Supreme Godhead) the Kshatriyas (derived from the arms of the Purusha), the Vaisyas (derived from the thighs of the Purusha) and the Shudras (derived from the feet of the Purusha). All the four Varnas are derived from the Purusha or the Supreme Godhead itself.
Lord Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita states about the Varna system of classification in a verse. (Chapter 4, Verse 13)
चातुर्वर्ण्यं मया सृष्टं गुणकर्मविभागश: |
तस्य कर्तारमपि मां विद्ध्यकर्तारमव्ययम् || 13||
chātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛiṣhṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśhaḥ
tasya kartāram api māṁ viddhyakartāram avyayam
Meaning: The four Varnas are created by Me based on the three modes of material nature (Gunas) according to the people’s qualities and activities (occupation). I am the creator of this system, but I am the non-doer and the eternal.
The Lord categorically states that He has classified people into four groups based on their occupations and their nature (Gunas) and not according to their birth.
This Vedic concept of stratifying humanity into the four classes is the most scientific so far. The nature or Gunas of individuals are of three types — Sattvic (mode of Goodness- Sattva), Rajasic (mode of Passion- Rajas), and Tamasic (mode of Ignorance- Tamas). People can be classified into four classes based on the preponderance of these three modes of nature.
The Brahmins are those who exhibit the mode of Goodness. They are in professions like teaching, the spread of knowledge, and worship.
The Kshatriyas are with the preponderant mode of passion intermingled with the modes of goodness. They were in administration and management and in the olden days were kings and warriors.
The Vaisyas are with the mode of passion intermingled with some ignorance and were engaged in business and agriculture.
The last class is the Shudras who exhibit predominantly the mode of ignorance. They form the working or labor class.
Lord Krishna clearly explains in the Bhagavad Gita that this classification is based on the nature and activities of people and not on their birth. Furthermore, these were not rigid classes and were changeable.
Indian Vedic history is thus rife with examples of individuals changing from one class (Varna) to another due to changes in their nature and occupation. Ratnakar, who was a hunter (Shudra) with effort transformed himself into Sage Valmiki (Brahmin) who later wrote the great epic the Ramayana.
Sage Vyasa (Brahmin) was born to a fisherwoman (Shudra).
Sage Parasurama (Brahmin) and Guru Dronacharya (Brahmin) were warriors (Kshatriya) due to their nature and occupation.
Sage Viswamithra (Brahmin) was originally a Kshatriya king and by virtue of his penance and learning turned brahmin.
Thus, the interchange of Varnas was not impossible or banned in the Vedic society. All the sages are held in high esteem because of their mode of goodness and their teachings to society.
This is reality is the Varna system propounded in the Vedas.
Also, untouchability was not a part of the Varna classification. The only requisite was ‘cleanliness’ (Soucham) which was occasionally lacking in the lower classes. This later formed the basis of untouchability and was taken advantage of by the political bosses.
Modern politicians have distorted this into the ‘Caste System’ and used it for political and administrative gains.
Jathi on the other hand is based on birth and lineage. In the olden days and modern era, the son often followed the occupation of the father — a teacher’s son became a teacher, the king’s son became the king, the businessman’s or farmer’s son followed his father’s profession and a laborer’s son often followed his father’s footsteps.
Even in modern society, we find that a doctor’s son becomes a doctor most of the time, a politician's son becomes a politician to ‘serve’ society, a businessman’s son follows his father’s business, and so on. As years progressed, these occupations became caste-based and people were divided into various castes — not only four. This is the basis of the modern caste system.
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