The caste system is being used as weapon against Hindus. It is being labelled as cause of backwardness of India. In reality it is this diverse Hindu society which created a mighty civilization thousands of years back and is continuing till date despite onslaught on it by foreign rulers who ruled India for near thousand years. This civilization has outlasted all other civilization on this planet. This civilization called Vedic civilization gave science and Math to this world. Other civilizations on Earth believed in too much present that they have become past This Vedic civilization believed in future hence continuing .India was most prosperous state till foreigners conquered it and destroyed it.
It is important to understand importance of Varna/ caste system in ancient India. In order to integrate the various diverse groups into one ecosystem so that communities could trade, communicate and resist central authority Varna system was adopted. In this system there was division of labour with preservation of natural diversity in the individual. This is even seen today when we see diversity in rituals, deities, food habits and language , yet we all belong to Hindu society. Society was divided into four groups [ Varnas]. These four groups were---Brahmins, Kshatriya, Vaishya and Shudra. Brahmin was to guide and teach society including rituals , Kshatriya was to rule and defend , Vaishya to deal in trade and Shudra to do petty day to day works including menial work. Division of labour was done according to capability of individual and was not birth based. Dharamshastras forbade Brahmin to enmass wealth. Brahmins had no organization to dictate. Varna-Ashram system ensured that no one was exploited so telling Brahmins made life of Shudra miserable is far from truth. Magesthenes , Greek traveler states in his book that there was no slavery in India. This is the period when Maurya’s were rulers. Infact he calls shudras , Sodrai’ , an important community in society. This is contrary to western writers who tell us Shudras and Dalits have been enslaved since Vedic times in India.
Hinduism is not canonical , not defined by Dharamshastras so telling taboos ,restrictions , untouchability are sanctified by core Hindu texts is absurd. Word caste does not exist in Sanskrit. This word was coined by Portuguese when they came to India. They saw Indian community organized into various occupational”Jatis”. They called them casta which was turned into caste system by British. West in order to legitimize their rule started denigrating Indian civilization. They demonized Sanskrit language and blamed Indian social order for backwardness /poverty of India. They came up with theories like “wokeism” and critical race theory [CRT] to prove their superiority and blamed caste system for enslaving Shudras and Dalits while it has been proved by historians , travelers that there were no slaves in India. Day in and out west is playing this Shudra card to denigrate India’s social order and culture.
Vedic civilization on contrary is diverse with mutual respect and reducing consumption. Western civilization in contrast is violent , destructive and consumption based. In west diversity is in name only.It is egoistic and there is endless expanse of desires in it. Vedic culture of nature ,is a being with its own rights but west says nature is its property. West has been harping on hierarchy of caste system but ignores merits of varna/ jati system. There is a small group of western writers who feel resilience of Indian social order has led to survival of Indian culture despite long foreign rule.
It is important to understand the importance of this varna/ jati system. Idea was to integrate the various diverse social groups into one ecosystem. To be a Hindu means to follow Dharma, not dharma shastra. Dharmashastra came very late. They assigned duties to each jati’s. Jati system was an open social order. There were intermarriages in varnas leading to multiplication of jati’s. Manu Smriti endorsed intermarriages. It also mentions people changing professions subject to need of hour. A kshatriya could work as potter subject to need. So nothing like birth based Varna. In nutshell during Vedic period there was Varna system which neither was birth based ,no hierarchy ,no communal hostility, no untouchability with no political grouping. Dharamshastras which came late added birth based varna, formalized jati’s. Dharamshastras were never dogmas for Hindu faith ,did not have status of Vedas and Upanishdas. Dharamshastras were tough on Brahmins. Manu smriti is blamed by some western writers for advocating untouchability.On contrary smriti disapproved of some vocations like butchery , hunting , calling them impure in the path of spiritual liberation . Restrictions with such type of vocations were more for hygiene , not for hatred. Untouchability started as a way to maintain ritual purity not way towards hatred towards particular community. There are lots of examples of marriages between brahmins and Shudras. Some Shudras performed vedic rites. Ved Vyas , Valmiki ,Vashita are classical examples of Shudra performing Brahminical roles.This debunks brahmins degraded Shudras.
Caste is not necessary factor to be a Hindu. There have Shudra kings, Shudra advisors to kings.Mahars were Shudra but became Kshatriya once they went to battle field. Shudra were economic backbone in Vedic economy. There were times when Shudra and Vaishya worked together in economic fields and were jointly called “Sudrayau”. There were many Shudras who became bhakti saints , example Saint Kabir. Manual scavenging was British creation. Modern Hinduism rejects caste system as told by Aurobindo ,Vivekananda, Sai baba etc.
It is interesting to note that Muslim kings were advised to employ who had aristocratic background. Sir Syed Ahmed khan , founder AMU banned admission to low caste Muslims. 75% Indian Muslims are called Dalit Muslims by Muslim world. Caste and untouchability are a reality for Muslims in South Asia. In Muslim period there was jati breakdown and abuse , hierarchy became stronger, caste became birth based, untouchability and endogamy came in. Even in Christianity between Catholics and protestants there are lot of divisions and subdivisions yet no one west discusses these issues in western society. Western model of society not only is divisive but is imposing too. With the arrival of Europeans Varna was turned into caste system. It was officially declared birth based , untouchability and endogamy are highlighted.
In post independence era this caste system has been turned into vote bank. Officially untouchability is declared illegal but on ground exploited to hilt to get votes and there is political grouping[communalism] too. Globally this caste system has been turned into critical caste, wokeism , linked to communal hostility. There is serious attempt in west to destroy Hindu culture because they feel it is an serious threat to Christian social culture. Western capitalism does not free society from structural biases. With their colonial mind set they destroy anything which comes in their way and want to establish new economic and social order which is human unfriendly.
In summary:- Vedic period--- Varna system , not birth based , no untouchability.
Dharamshastra --- Formalize jati’s, no untouchability ,hierarchy added .
Muslim rule----- Jati breakdown , abuse , birth based, endogamy and untouchability.
European period-----Birth based , untouchability , rigid hierarchy, communal hostility.
Post independence----untouchability illegal, vote bank , political grouping.
Bhagwat Gita---Varna system is not birth based says Lord Krishna. It was created on the basis of individual character and occupation. They were created on the basis of gunas and karma. Krishna life encompasses all varnas—” Raised by Vaishya[cowherd], ruled Dwarka [kshatriya] ,becomes charioteer [Shudra] , taught Gita [Brahmin]”. That should silence critics of Varna/ caste system of Hindu society. It is the resilience and accommodation of this Hindu society that has allowed it to survive despite very serious attempts by adversaries to defame it.
JAI SHRI RAM
