What is varna?

[Guest guest]

> SP himself said that woman's varna is determined by the husband's.

 

I want to see a quote on that one. I gave lots of quotes and philosophical

explanation that this is not possible. I gave all those quotes about

pratiloma and anuloma marriages and mixing varnas. I explained that

arrangment is made that male and female of the same varna are getting

married and in that way the varna is kept. Marriages where male and female

don't belong to the same varna are not desirable. However, marriages where

a male has higher varna are acceptable, while the marriages where a male has

a lower varna are considered degraded and children born from such marriages

are called varna-sankara.

Do I have to go again through the whole thing?

There is nothing to be proud about being a brahmana, ksatriya or whatever.

 

1) Brahmana is a type of material body, belonging to the civilized human

species (both genders) performing activities in the mode of goodness.

 

2) Ksatriya is a type of material body, belonging to the civilized human

species (both genders) performing activities in the mode of passion.

 

3) Vaisya is a type of material body, belonging to the civilized human

species (both genders) performing activities in the mixt mode of passion and

ignorance.

 

4) Sudra is a type of material body, belonging to the civilized human

species (both genders) performing activities in the mode of ignorance.

 

The activities of genders might be different, but the varna is not

dependend on the type of activity, but on the mode of material nature that

activities are performed in. The brahmana and sudra might be doing sometimes

the same kind of activity but the mode of nature they are working in is

deciding which category they belong to. Similarly, men and women might be

having different occupational duties and doing different activities, but

which category their body will belong to depends on which mode of nature

they are working in.

 

"As described in Bhagavad-gita, the caste system is the creation of the

Lord and is arranged according to the quality of work rendered to society

and not in terms of birthright, as falsely claimed in the present degraded

society." SB 3.3.28

 

The thing is that the bodies are being classified according to the work

they perform. It is not that varna is dependent on the body. The type of

body (brahmana, ksatriya etc.) is dependend on the nature of activity.

That's the difference between the caste system and Krishnas

varnasrama-system. In the caste system bodies are classified according to

birth, family they come from, and in the varnasrama-system bodies are

classified according to the nature of activities they perform.

 

"The system of four classifications in human society according to quality

and work is very scientific. This system of brahmanas, ksatriyas, vaisyas

and sudras has now become vitiated as the present caste system in India, but

it appears that this system has been current a very long time, since it is

mentioned in Srimad-Bhagavatam and Bhagavad-gita. Unless there is such a

division of the social orders in human society, including the intelligent

class, the martial class, the mercantile class and the laborer class, there

is always confusion as to who is to work for what purpose."

 

"So Krsna says four classes of men, catur varnyam... Catur means “four”,

and varna means “division of society”. Just like varna means color. As there

are division of color, red, blue and yellow, similarly human being, human

society should be divided according to the quality. The quality’s also

called color."

 

It is the quality (color), the guna, that defines which varna some body

belongs to.

 

"You must have the qualification of the engineer. That is called guna. If

you simply say that “I am a son of an engineer, therefore you must accept me

as engineer,” that is not accepted. Have you got qualification of engineer?

If he says “Yes,” then consider it. So guna."

 

Ys. Sraddha dd