Castes & varna (jat community)

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Lynken Ghose wrote:

 

>I heard something different. I heard that the varna system was

>still pretty meaningful in the North (i.e. that there are jatis

>assigned to all 4 varnas), but in the South most jatis are either

>Sudra or Brahmin.

 

I would call that the "orthodox view" as represented by Jati-Bhaskara,

Brahmanotpatti-martanda etc.

 

There are several views one can use to classify a caste into a varna.

I would list them thus:

 

Liberal view: In this view all traders are Vaishyas, all landowning

castes are kshatriyas etc.

 

Orthodox view: In this view only those who have traditionally

received the sacred thread can be Kshatriya or Vaishya. Thus a

caste can be 'sachchuudra vanika', a clean trader shudra.

 

Extreme view: This has been taken by some very orthodox scholars who

say that Kshatriyas and Vaishyas have ceased to exist. This view is

not just simply arrogance, but has a historical basis.

 

There have been many court cases in the british period regarding

placement of a caste into a varna. I am aware of many disagreements

about many of the castes. I think these disagreements generally

started in the british period.

 

Take a caste such as the Kayasthas. They have a distinguished

background. India's first president was a kayastha. Vivekananda,

Aurobindo were kayasthas and Maharshi Mahesh Yogi is one. Which

varna do they fit in? There have been several court cases, articles

and even some books taking one or the other side.

 

If one accepts the view that the four varnas do exist today, it would

be complex excercise to classify most castes in to a specific varna.

In Jati-bhaskara, placement of several castes is specifically

discussed; a lot of scholars would disagree with the conclusions

presented there.

 

My own view is that the 4 varnas today exist only as concepts.

 

We can consider Mahatma Gandhi as a rishi and lawgiver for modern

times. By spiritual leadership he was a Brahmin (his son married

daughter of the most brahmanical of the brahmins: Chakravarti

Rajagopalacharya), by birth in the Modh caste a Vaisya, by political

leadership of the people a Kshatriya, and by insisting on cleaning

public toilets a shudra. What is applicable to him, is applicable to

all.

 

N. Ganeshan wrote:

 

> The British colonial rulers' census operations brought

> some problems when the varNa system gains ascendancy in the British

> rule. Eg., One caste that made into Hindu high caste

 

I also have the same impression.

 

> But conservatives among velalas and brahmins wrote counter arguments

> to this, and a lot of polemics in press, courts, ensued about 100

> years ago.

 

I have seen some things like that for some castes of North India also.

 

Yashwant