The Hindu caste system, which was created initially for systemic spiritual and social growth of people, has now become a curse to the Hindu society because of its misinterpretation, ignorance, and disadvantages taken by some sections of society. Some people blame the current form of the caste system on Hinduism, which is absolutely wrong. Evangelists provoke some so-called low-caste people to accept their religion by using the caste system as a weapon against Hinduism.
This article is not written to support any form of the caste system, but to present the truth behind it in front of the people. Upon completion of reading this article, I assure you that you will have an in-depth knowledge of the caste system and you will come to know that these are not Hindus actually who are responsible for the current form of the caste system, but it is the lack of that scientific knowledge which has led to this stage.
Introduction to the Hindu Caste System:
The caste system is a system that decides a person’s social status and trade by his/her birth.
The modern caste system is a misinterpreted form of Varnashrama, called Chaturvarnya System, i.e., Four Varna System.
It is important to note that Hinduism advocates Varnashrama and not the modern caste system, which is based upon the caste of the family in which a particular person is born.
The Hindu caste system is broadly divided into four categories:
1. Brahmin – Brahmin is the highest-revered society in Hinduism, who by birthright can perform all the rituals and become the temple priest or do teaching or scholarly jobs.
2. Kshatriya – The main job of Kshatriya is to protect society from external aggressions and to keep law and order. Kshatriya is the second-highest-revered community, but their status is below the Brahmins.
3. Vaishya – Vaishya is the trading community. Their job is to trade. Their status is below that of Kshatriya.
4. Shudra – Shudras enjoy the lowest status in the caste hierarchy. Their main job involves physical labor such as cleaning, pottery, carpentry, etc.
Origin of the Caste System:
Most of the concepts in Hinduism have their basis in the Vedas. The cast system also has its roots in the Rig Veda. In the Purusha Sukta, a hymn explains how the four varnas were born and is the basis of the caste system in Hinduism.
Rigveda 10.90:
11. When they divided Puruṣa, how many portions did they make?
What do they call his mouth, his arms? What do they call his thighs and feet?
12. The Brahman was his mouth, of both his arms was the Rājanya made.
His thighs became the Vaiśya, from his feet the Śūdra was produced.
Compared to the mouth and arms, the feet are considered inferior. Therefore, Shudras are considered inferior to other Varnas. Actually, this should not be the case. Shudras are born from the feet of Purusha, which, which implies that Shudras carry the weight of the whole society. Without them, society will be handicapped.
Bhagavad Gita:
The Bhagavadgita is a vital Hindu scripture, and it explains the duties of the four Varnas.
The following are some verses related to the caste system:
“The [social] system of four castes was generated by Me according to the division of Gunas and Karma. Though I am the generator, know Me as a non-agent and immutable.”
“The duties of the Brāhmaṇas, Kṣatriyas, Vaishyas and the Śūdras, O Arjuna, are distinctly divided according to their inherent dispositions.”
“O Arjuna, the activities of the Brahmanas, Kshatriyas, Vaisyas, and Sudras are clearly divided according to the qualities born of their own nature.”
“The actions of a brahmana arising from his own nature are serenity, self-control, austerity, purity, tolerance, honesty, knowledge of the Vedas, wisdom, and firm faith.”
“The actions of a Kshatriya born of his own nature are heroism, exuberance, determination, resourcefulness, without a trace of cowardice in battle, generosity, and leadership.”
“The actions of a vaisya born of his own nature are agriculture, cow protection and trade; also, the actions of a sudra born of his own nature consist in service to Brahmanas, Kshatriyas, and Vaisyas.”
“It is better to engage in one’s own dharma (occupation), even though one may perform it imperfectly, than to accept another’s occupation and perform it perfectly. Duties prescribed according to one’s nature are never affected by sinful reactions.”
Ancient Caste System, i.e., Varnashrama or Chaturvarnya System:
Each human being is born with certain characteristics and with some natural inclination towards a particular occupation. E.g., some people are natural businessmen. They do not want to work for others at any cost, even if they are highly paid. On the contrary, some people want to serve and do not at all want to do business. Some people want to join the armed forces only and fight for the cause of their country.
A few years back, British scientists discovered that to be a successful businessman, a person needs to be born with a specific set of genes. There is a rumor that even some companies plan to check the gene map of a person who has applied for a specific post to see whether they fit that particular job.
Varnashrama was the system that was used to recognize the inclination of a person toward a particular occupation and help him to do the job for which he would be best suited. It was of no significance in which family he was born. There were no restrictions on marriage between persons of two different castes.
Now, the question that arises is whether the ancient Hindus knew about genes? If so, to what extent? Because the laboratories that we have now were not available at that time, then how?
Hindu Caste System During the Medieval Period:
The medieval period was the worst period for Hinduism. It was in this period only that the castes were divided into many sub-castes. Moreover, regionalism added new aspects to the castes.
The four categories mentioned above are further divided into subcategories. For example, in Brahmins, there are subcastes like Chitpavana Brahmins, Deshastha Brahmin, Kayastha Brahmin, Vaishnava Brahmins, Kokanastha Brahmins, and many more.
When a baby is born in a Hindu family, he/she is not only a Hindu but is also attached to a particular caste and subcaste, which his/her family is from. For example, if a baby is born in a Deshastha Brahmin family, he will be a Hindu and a Brahmin, but a Deshastha Brahmin.
The occupation of a person was decided by his caste only. That means a carpenter’s son will have to do carpentry only and not other jobs like pottery, or he cannot be a soldier, while a soldier’s son will have to be a soldier only, and he will not be doing other jobs.
Modern Hindu Caste System:
At present, in India, there are more than 2800 castes and subcastes. In Vedic times, there were only four varnas. So, over a period of about 3500 years, Hindus have thrown out the original caste system and have evolved into a new form of the caste system.
In modern India, people are not bothered much by caste unless it comes to elections and marriage. People are throwing out the old thoughts of the caste system. Modern Indian society is inclined towards a money-centered society instead of a caste-centered one. But unfortunately, the caste system is not entirely eradicated, especially in rural areas where people still consider the caste of a person as a primary factor. The conditions are changing fast.
By the efforts of the Indian government and social organizations, rural India is also changing. Though the sporadic incidences are still there, the future is very optimistic. Lower caste people have been given reservations to occupy higher authority positions in government institutions. They have also been given reservations in government services to progress faster.
Science Behind Ancient Caste System:
The following paragraph is just a hypothesis, as it is hard to prove what happened thousands of years ago and how things developed. We will give some theoretical evidence to prove science in the ancient caste system. I do not claim that it is 100% true.
What I think is that ancient Hindus were advanced in science and technology, including genetics. They knew that these are the genes (not exactly but something like that) which control the properties of a human being, like skin, color, hair, an inclination for the job (whether he is a fighter or labor, etc.), nature, diseases, etc. At that time, there were no laboratories to take a blood sample and identify the genes, but they had developed another way of finding it out: Janma Kundali or Janma Patrika.
Janma Patrika is sketched based on the positions of stars, planets, and nakshatras at the time of a person’s birth. If you have ever seen a Janma Patrika or if you have ever shown it to a priest who has a profound knowledge about it, he will readily tell the characteristics of a person, like skin color, nature, job prospects, and a lot of other things, without seeing that person. I have personally experienced this many times.
I am giving a few examples here of what I have experienced:
1. Since my childhood, I wanted to join either the armed forces or the police force, but I did not know why. Unless and until a few years back, I did not even consider any other career. I tried my best to join the armed forces, but unfortunately, I could not. (My Varna is Kshatriya, which means warrior, according to my Janma Patrika.)
2. My brother always wanted to be a businessman. Though he could not, he is still trying to become one. Actually, he likes business from the heart (His varna is Vaishya according to his Janma Patrika).
3. One of my friends wants to do business at any cost. Right now, he is working and doing a small business, also for which he has to work about 16-18 hours a day. He thinks each and everything in terms of business (He is also a Vaishya according to his Janma Patrika).
These are very few examples. I have seen the Janma Patrika up to 90% accurate in some cases, but I am not sure how one can tell the future of a person from Janma Kundali.
In conclusion, what I want to tell is that it is quite possible that the occupation of a person was decided in ancient India based on Janma Kundali as the Janma Kundali was considered a gene map (if you think in modern terms). Only the technique to find the characteristics of a person was different.
But in the flow of time, people might have started misusing it as it is tough to know who was born at what time, and Janma Kundali can easily be manipulated by someone who knows about it. So, people at that time must have decided to allot a job to a person based on which family he was born into, instead of his Janma Patrika, as the next generation carries genes of the ancestors. For example, if a person was born in a Shudra family, he had to do labor work; if he was born in a Brahmin family, he had to do priestly work.
Thus, the caste system, which we see now, must have arisen.
Now, the most basic question is, did ancient Hindus know about genetics?
My answer is, “Yes.” If you have some knowledge about a typical Hindu family, every family has a gotra. Gotra is the lineage or clan associated with a Hindu family. Each family has a gotra. Some families have different gotras, and some families have the same. In preparation for a Hindu marriage, before making any decision, the gotra of the two families is checked. A marriage between the same gotra is not allowed as they are considered to be from the same origin, and genetically, the would-be bride and groom would be brother and sister! The marriage between the same gotra could have adverse effects on the forthcoming generation.
It sounds weird, but it is true.
I think that proves my point.
The Rise of Untouchability:
Please read the above paragraphs also, if you want to know how untouchability might have arisen.
I must first mention here that in any Hindu scripture, like the Vedas or the Bhagavad Gita, there is no such concept. This inhumane thing was put into practice by some misguided people, and Hinduism does not support untouchability in any form.
In medieval India, people of the upper caste and even the lower caste also used to observe the practice of not touching persons from some of the subcastes of Shudras, like the sweeper, toilet cleaners, cobbler, etc. These people were forced to live outside the village, were not allowed to share the water resources the upper caste people used, were not allowed to enter temples, were not allowed to attend the marriage ceremony of an upper caste person, were not allowed to do intellectual jobs, etc.
Due to the caste system, some of the lower caste people were forced to do jobs like toilet cleaning, sweeping, and other jobs which are considered dirty and useless by society. The people doing these jobs might have failed to maintain cleanliness because of the water scarcity or due to other reasons.
As most of the Hindus are idol worshippers, persons doing these jobs might have been considered dirty by the people doing other occupations. Therefore, I think, this concept of untouchability might have arisen.
Untouchability is illegal now according to the Indian constitution and law, and no one in India observes this. However, some conflicts still happen in some parts of rural India over entering the temple and sharing the same water resources.
Can You Change Your Caste?
In the current form of the Hindu caste system, changing the caste is not possible. But when a girl marries a boy from another caste, her caste changes unofficially. However, in ancient times, there were several examples where people changed their Varna.
1. Sage Vishwamitra was a warrior but became a Brahmin afterward.
2. Karna was considered the son of a charioteer but was allowed to be a warrior.
3. Yadavas were warriors by birth, but they were mainly in the milk business.
4. Vidura’s mother was a servant, but still, he became a minister.
5. Aitareya Rishi was the son of a Daasa or criminal, but became a Brahmin.
There are many other examples of people accepting different professions irrespective of their Varna. Therefore, we can say that it is possible to change your Varna. The contemporary concept of caste is not a part of the Sanatana Dharma.
Caste System in other Religions in India:
Is it not funny to know that even people from other religions like Christianity and Islam observe the caste system, and they have groups resembling castes and subcastes in their religion also?
Unfortunately, it is true. Islam has around 80 different groups, the same as castes and subcastes in India. People from different groups do not marry each other. For example, Konkani Muslims think of themselves as different, and they do not establish marital relations with others easily. Differences between Sunni and Shia are prevalent.
Christians in India have divided themselves over regions. There are groups like Goan Christians, UP Christians, Catholics, Marathi Christians, Keralite Christians, and a lot. People from these groups consider themselves superior to each other, which is totally against their religion.
Clearly, this has nothing to do with Islam or Christianity. It is the side effect of the Hindu caste system, which has penetrated through other religions also.
How to Eradicate the Caste System in Hinduism:
No doubt, whatever may be the reason, observing the caste system in any form, which may be ancient, modern, or medieval, is not suitable for humanity. We should not, at any cost, divide humanity in terms of religion, caste, or even genes. Every human has the right to choose their own form of employment, no matter what his/her genes say. Therefore, it is the duty of all Hindus and people of other religions also to eradicate the caste system. It is really possible and feasible. If we can eradicate slavery, then why can’t we eradicate the caste system? This thing will take some time, even a few hundred more years, but it will be eradicated. I suggest some simple things to accelerate this process.
1. Meet every person as a human being and not as if someone representing his/her caste, religion, race, etc. Never ask anyone what is his/her caste.
2. Never look for a person’s caste during marriage.
3. Politicians are making use of castes for their vote banks and making use of reservations merely to gain more votes. It is the duty of those who get the reservation to deny it. Rise on your own. You are the greatest creation of God. You do not need crutches of the reservation to stand, throw it.
4. Teach your children about equality and not about the caste system.
5. Avoid caste-related comments, not even for fun; it really hurts the person.
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