Why are Hindus so ignorant about the Caste system? Why cant they clear the misconceptions and dispel the myths?
The Caste System: Clearing up the Misconceptions
India and Hinduism in particular have come under a lot of flak on account of the Caste System. A noble system, which was actually a symbol of the Utopia that was ancient India, has been misused and abused over the last few centuries. The Caste System as it was in 1947, when India attained independence, still had the concept of untouchability, and “untouchables” were then born into an impoverished life, destined to stay poor and backward till they died. Interestingly enough, a man of the highest intellect arose from being an “untouchable” and wrote the Indian Constitution, which is regarded as one of the most egalitarian and fair constitutions in the world.
Official practice of the Caste System was banned by the new Republic of India in 1950 and over the last 55 years, Caste differences have virtually disappeared in India’s cities. Unfortunately, in many of India’s villages, Caste divisions exist and there are occasional rounds of violence between members of high and low castes. More education to the masses has helped reduce this friction, but higher caste persons, who enjoy their status in the “social ladder,” are adamantly resisting change. Similarly being a low caste person in India has distinguished advantages. Preferential admissions to universities, government job reservations and other “privileges” come with being a low-caste member in India.
In modern India, both high caste Brahmins and low caste Dalits are guilty of misrepresenting and abusing the Caste System. This misuse of scriptures has been to the delight of the anti-India elements both in India and overseas. With the advent of the internet, many web-sites have been proliferating for the purpose of demeaning Hinduism and the Caste System, using quotes from the Bhagavad-Gita, the scared text of the Hindus.
The first verse that is so commonly misused is Bhagavad-Gita 1:41 which says: “By the prevalence of impiety, O Krishna, the women of the family become corrupt; and women being corrupted, O descendent of the Vrishni-clan, then arises ‘intermingling of castes.’”
This verse is not a racist statement calling for segregation as has been interpreted by many an India-baiter. Indian culture has always valued the integrity of the family as an institution in life. The verse states that when the true moral integrity of families is destroyed, the morality in the whole society will go down and there will be an ad-mixture of castes. Caste here is not in the perverted term that is misused by India’s politicians and “caste-activists.” Noted Hindu Teacher, Swami Chinmayananda said, “what we witness around us, in the name of caste, is the ugly decadence into which the Hindu way-of-living has fallen.”
Caste in those days was conceived of as an intelligent division of the available manpower in the community on the basis of intellectual and mental capacities of the individual. A person wasn’t born into a caste but rather assigned one on the way he lived his life. It must be understood that in ancient India, all children spent their entire childhood in residential schools known as “Gurukuls” where they learned all about life. It was from here that a young adult chose his caste with the belief that all kinds of work and activity are equally important.
Thus, a person with a high intellect and a passion for research and studies became a Brahmin. Those who had leadership qualities and political ambition became a Kshatriya. People who wanted to be involved in agriculture and trade became Vaishyas. The Shudras, who were later termed “untouchables,” were actually just people who chose service and labor as their activity. All four castes were equally important in Indian society.
The verse’s usage of the phrase ‘admixture of castes’ has nothing to with protecting the purity of any race; but rather, emphasizes that inter-mingling of incompatible occupations can be destructive to a society. For instance, if a lawyer was in an operation theatre to operate on a patient, the result would be dangerous. The verse’s essence lies in the preservation of families and values, not to create a sense of confusion.
The other commonly misused verse is Bhagavad-Gita 4:13 which reads: “The four-fold Varna been created of GUNA and KARMA; though I am the author thereof know Me as non-doer and immutable”
This verse has been even more misused by social criminals to justify the perverted form of the Caste System. “Varna” or caste refers to different shades of color but not in the context of the color of a person’s skin. The text attributes some definite colors to the ‘gunas’ which mean mental temperaments. Attribution of color to a form of behavior is seen in the English language, where the color red is often used to denote anger. The reference to the white, red and black colors is about man’s thoughts. Swami Chinmayananda said, “From individual to individual, even when thoughts are superficially the same, there are clear distinctions recognizable from their temperaments. On the basis of these temperamental distinctions, the entire mankind has been, for the purpose of spiritual study, classified into the four castes.” Different professions and activities needed different types of temperaments. The system of equality of all kind of work emphasized by the Caste System created a Utopian society in ancient India. The principle was that all castes work in cooperation and partnership for the good of society.
**Unfortunately, in the early middle ages, power politics reared its ugly head into India. Then this communal feeling cropped up in its present ugliness. Because of a general ignorance among ordinary people at that time, some Brahmins paraded their assumed knowledge by quoting bits and pieces of verses. This was when a perverted version of the Caste System was born. In the second text that this author discussed, these abusers of the text, claimed the whole text said just “I created the Four Varnas,” leaving out the rest. This tragic butchering of the verse made it look like the Caste System was a divine sanction and that God decided who was in a caste. This was perverted to the belief that a person is born into a particular caste. Those who cut the text emitted the part that said, “By the differentiation of the mental quality and physical action (of the people).” The full definition clearly removes any misunderstanding and provides us with a way to understand the true significance. Swami Chinmayananda added that “Those who did this (perverted the text), were in fact, the greatest blasphemers that Hinduism ever had to reckon with.” **
**It was not the system but a selfish set of people who blatantly abused the system for their benefit who are to blame. Whether it’s the high or low caste that is exploiting the system in modern day India, the fault lies exactly with the people. Unfortunately every religion and religious text has been manipulated for those that want power and control. It’s the younger generation that needs to forget the injustices of the past, bury all hatchets and look forward to working together to create another utopian society. **
The Caste System: Clearing up the Misconceptions - Panorama - TakingITGlobal