Jayate` Varnasankara..!

[anveshan]

The oligarchy of brahmin-kshatriya-vaishya combine has throttled down the majority throug millennia. The Caste system 'Father' Manu invented to pursue a group of oligarchs'heinous vested interests got 'divine' sanctions from the Highest authority, so he told and made us believe.

 

The chaturvarnya has done irreparable damage to all that Sanatana Dharma stands for. Even the Biblical God has asked only 'to go and enslave them' and enjoy their service. They were not made untouchables. Manu & Co made the majority of the people less than swines, treating them as such.

 

The first reference to varna (class based on birth or caste) is to be found in the Purusha-Sukta of the Rig Veda

 

The system of varnashram dharma, now popularly known as the caste system, is upheld by popular Hindu scriptures like Ramayana, Mahabharata and Bhagvat-Gita The great Rama killed Shambuka, a sudra, simply because he was practicing ‘tapasya’. Dronacharya refused to teach archery to Ekalavya simply because of the same reason and when Ekalavya mastered I on his own(accepting Drona as notional Guru), Drona asks for his right thump as gurudakshina so that he should not outrival Kshatri Arjuna!

 

The Bhagvat-Gita, too, favors varna-vyavastha. When Arjuna refuses to fight, one of his main worries was that the war would lead to the birth of varna-sankaras or offspring from intermixing of different varnas and the consequent "downfall" of the family. On the other hand, Krishna tries to motivate Arjuna to fight by saying that it was his varna-dharma (caste-duty) to do so because he was a Kshatriya. Krishna goes to the extent of claiming that the four varnas were created by him only.

 

In the very first chapter of Manusmriti, it is clearly stated that Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas and Shudras were created by Brahma (creator of this world) from his mouth, hands, thighs and feet respectively . Manu claims that the same Brahma, who created this world, also created Manusmriti and taught it to him. The duties of the different varnas are also mentioned in the Manusmriti. The Brahmins were created for teaching, studying, performing yajnas (ceremonial sacrifices), getting yajnas performed, giving and accepting daan (gifts) The Kshatriyas were created for protecting the citizens, giving gifts, getting yajnas performed and studying. The Vaishyas were created for protecting animals, giving gifts, getting yajnas performed, studying, trading, lending money on interest and doing agricultural work. The Shudras were created by Brahma for serving Brahmins and the other two varnas without being critical of them.

 

It is interesting to note that studying, getting yajnas performed and giving gifts or charity are common duties of Brahmins, Kshatriyas and Vaishyas; whereas teaching, accepting gifts and performing yajnas are reserved exclusively for Brahmins. The Shudras, of course, are denied the rights to study, getting yajnas performed by Brahmins or even giving gifts to them.

 

Manusmriti further states that having originated from the mouth of Brahma, being elder and being the repository of the Vedas; Brahmins are the masters of the entire universe. Besides, Brahmins alone act as a sort of post office for transmitting food to the gods and the dead, that is to say, the gods and the dead eat food through the mouths of Brahmins (apparently because they do not have mouths of their own). Therefore, no one can be superior to Brahmins. All others are said to enjoy everything owing to the Brahmins' mercy. The Manusmriti clearly states that Brahmins alone are entitled to teach this dharmashastra and none else.

 

Assigning different duties and occupations for different varnas. This is to be enforced strictly by the king. According to Manusmriti, if a person of lower caste adopts the occupation of a higher caste, the king ought to deprive him of all his property and expel him from his kingdom. Treating Brahmins as superior and other varnas, namely, Kshatriya, Vaishya and Shudra as inferior to him in descending order with the Shudra occupying the bottom of the hierarchy. A Brahmin is to be treated as god and respected even if he is ignorant. Even a hundred-year old Kshatriya is to treat a ten year old Brahmin as his father. Brahmin alone is entitled to teach. If a Shudra dares to give moral lessons to a Brahmin, the king is to get him punished by pouring hot oil in his ear and mouth.Similarly, if a Shudra occupies the same seat as a Brahmin, he is to be punished by branding his waist (with hot rod) or getting his buttocks cut.

 

The punishment for a particular crime is not same for all varnas. In fact, the punishment varies depending on the varna of the victim as well as the varna of the person committing the crime. For the same crime, the Brahmin is to be given a mild punishment, whereas the Shudra is to given the harshest punishment of all. Similarly, if the victim of a crime is a Shudra, the punishment is mild, and the punishment is harsh in case the victim is a Brahmin. For example, if a Brahmin is awarded death sentence, it is sufficient to shave his head, but Kshatriya, Vaishya and Shudra are to actually die. If a Kshatriya, a Vaishya, or a Shudra repeatedly gives false evidence in the court, he is to be punished and expelled from the kingdom, whereas the Brahmin is not to be punished, he is to be only . But If a Brahmin forces a Shudra to work for him, whether by making or not making payments to him, he is not to be punished, because Shudras have been created only for serving Brahmins. If a Brahmin abuses a Shudra, he is to be fined mildly, but if a Shudra abuses a Brahmin, he is to be killed. On the other hand, even if a Brahmin kills a Shudra, he is merely to perform penance by killing a cat, frog, owl or crow, etc. Thus a Shudra is to be killed for abusing a Brahmin, whereas a Brahmin is to be let off lightly even if he kills a Shudra. Such is the unequal justice of Manusmriti.

 

Let us see what Manusmriti, has to say about the C handala. The Chandala, says Manusmriti, must not ever reside inside the village. While doing their work, they must reside outside the village, at cremation ground, on mountains or in groves. They are not entitled to keep cows or horses, etc., as pet animals. They may keep dogs and donkeys. They are to wear shrouds. They are to eat in broken utensils. They are to use ornaments of iron, not of gold. They must keep moving from one place to another, not residing at the same place for a long duration.

 

The Apastamba Dharma Sutra and the Vasishtha Dharma Sutra endorses the laws codified by Father Manu.

 

A fine system of 'division of labour'! This 'division' divided humans into 'humans' and 'sub-humans' and a 'holy'

cow was much superior to the sudra. Any way the 'Creator' created as such, they say. The creator has every right to create to his liking. But when the creator is referred to as 'Param Pita', he is supposed to have certain qualities.

The 'Param Pita' the dwijas created was the Param Pita of them, not of the masses.

Who Knows?

[Guest guest]

manusmriti was never a law book in the vedic times

like koran is to the muslims.

however, the hindus did malpractice varnasrama

for a long time.

i think it is going away now.

 

but every society will have the four varnas always.

when the intelligent class of a society

devotes soley to study of dharma and guiding the society

to become god conscious, then they are called barhmanas.

 

 

[Jahnava Nitai Das]

This may be relevant (from Letters section):

 

 

Could you please tell me where the caste system originated from, if the majority of hindus recognize it, and where the current caste system problems stem from.

Thank you for writing. You are correct that the present caste system is not something originating in the Hindu religion. According to the hindu scriptures caste was nothing but a term for one's occupation. If one was a teacher he was called a brahmana; if one was a soldier; he was called a kshatriya; if one was a business man or a farmer he was called a vaishya; and if one was a laborer he was called a shudra. This had nothing to do with one's birth, but with one's qualities and actions. There are countless examples in the Hindu scriptures of people being born to parents of one caste, but becoming a different caste by training. In additon to this, caste was never used to discriminate against people. The different castes are described in the scriptures as the different limbs (arms, legs, stomach and head) of society. One does not discriminate against one's own legs just because they perform a different function than one's head. All of one's bodily limbs are working for the common body, and as such all are respected

equally.

 

The Vedic society is divided into four divisions of occupation (varnas) and for orders of life (ashramas). This system is known as varnashrama. Since your questions are on the caste system, I will avoid speaking about the four orders of life, even though they intersect with the four divisions of occupation.

 

The four divisions of occupation (known today as caste) are actually based on one's acquired nature. Originally this system was not based on birth. This is explained in the ancient scripture Bhagavad Gita as follows:

 

catur-varnyam maya srishtam

guna-karma-vibhagashah

tasya kartaram api mam

viddhy akartaram avyayam

 

"According to the three modes of material nature and the work associated with them, the four divisions of human society are created by Me. And although I am the creator of this system, you should know that I am yet the nondoer, being unchangeable."

 

The four "castes" or varnas were determined according to one's qualitities (guna) and one's activities (karma) - and not by birth. This system of division of occupations exists naturally in every culture of the world. According to one's qualities, one will perform activity (an occupation), and according to one's occupation one is given a designation. In the English we use the names teachers, administrators, farmers and manual laborers. In sanskrit these are called brahmanas, kshatriyas, vaishyas and shudras. The words may be different, but these natural divisions exist in every society.

 

The four divisions of society work together as one body. The scriptures figuratively describe the body of society with the head being the brahmanas (the intellectual class), the arms being the kshatriyas (the adminstrative class), the stomach being the vaishyas (the agricultural class), and the legs being the shudras (the worker class).

 

The Vedic society was ran by a king (who belonged to the kshatriya class). This king was guided and advised by the brahmanas, and based on their proper guidance the king would administer the society. The vaishyas (business men) were mainly engaged in agriculture and cow protection. In the vedic culture the cow is considered as wealth, since the milk it produces sustains the entire society.

 

Each caste or varna has a particular definition based on qualities and activities. In the Bhagavad Gita the following definitions are given:

 

brahmana-kshatriya-visham

shudranam ca parantapa

karmani pravibhaktani

svabhava-prabhavair gunaih

 

"Brahmanas, kshatriyas, vaishyas and shudras are distinguished by the qualities born of their own natures in accordance with the material modes, O chastiser of the enemy."

 

shamo damas tapah shaucam

kshantir arjavam eva cha

jnanam vijnanam astikyam

brahma-karma svabhava-jam

 

"Peacefulness, self-control, austerity, purity, tolerance, honesty, knowledge, wisdom and religiousness-these are the natural qualities by which the brahmanas work."

 

shauryam tejo dhritir dakshyam

yuddhe chapy apalayanam

danam ishvara-bhavash cha

kshatram karma svabhava-jam

 

"Heroism, power, determination, resourcefulness, courage in battle, generosity and leadership are the natural qualities of work for the ksatriyas."

 

krishi-go-rakshya-vanijyam

vaishya-karma svabhava-jam

paricharyatmakam karma

shudrasyapi svabhava-jam

 

"Farming, cow protection and business are the natural work for the vaisyas, and for the sudras there is labor and service to others."

 

We find in the ancient scriptures of India there are many cases of someone belonging to one caste changing to another caste by developing the proper qualities. For example, the great king Kaushika became the most famous brahmana by the name Vishwamitra.

 

Today the natural divisions of society have degraded into a birth based caste system. This is not in accordance with the ancient scriptures. People without any good qualities are claiming to be brahmanas simply based on their birth. In the ancient text known as Bhagavata Purana it was predicted that in the future caste will be determined by birth, and the only qualification of the brahmana will be the string he wears around his shoulder - vipratve sutram eva hi.

 

In India the brahmanas wear a thread which is part of their ceremonial dress. Today external symbols such as the thread are the only qualification which establishes one as a brahmana. The inner qualifications of peacefulness, self-control, austerity, purity, tolerance, honesty, knowledge, wisdom and religiousity are ignored.

 

In summary, the present caste system has been manufactured by men for the purpose of exploiting society. The original divisions of society are natural and spontaneous. They exist in every society under different names and designations.

[anveshan]

=====================================================

"when the intelligent class of a society

devotes soley to study of dharma and guiding the society

to become god conscious, then they are called barhmanas."

=========================================================

You are perfectly all right. But when this intellingence

is diverted to meet heinous self interests, subjugation and persecution of a people, they are not dealing with dharma at all, or their intelligent self do not know what is dharma.

 

Manu's was a codified system of law and was directly handed down to him or revealed to him none other than the Ultimate Brahman, so the vedic scriptures say.

 

It is not at all a splendid 'division of labour', as the stout defendants of it put it. It was created for enslaving a people, out of fear, and the protagonists obtained 'divine' sanction.

 

"As the Brahmana sprang from (Brahman's) mouth, as he was the first-born, and as he possesses the Veda, he is by right the lord of this whole creation ."

-- [ Manu.I.93 ]

 

" Whatever exists in the world is, the property of the Brahmana; on account of the excellence of his origin the Brahmana is, indeed entitled to all ."

-- [ Manu.I.99-100 ]

 

"The wealth that is stolen by the Brahman tends to well being in the next life ; the wealth that is given to the Sudra tends to Hell." (Sukraniti)

-- [ Tirth.118 ]

" When a learned Brahmana has found treasure, deposited in former (times), he may take even the whole (of it); for he is the master of everything."

 

" When the king finds treasure of old concealed in the ground let him give one half to Brahmanas and place the (other) half in his treasury."

-- [ Manu.VIII.37-38 ]

 

A Brahmana may confidently seize the goods of (his) Sudra (slave); for, as that (slave) can have no property, his master may take his possessions.

-- [ Manu VIII.416-417 ]

 

That the Brahmans were a `Master Race' and thus accordingly entitled to subjugate, exploit, exterminate or dominate other (`varnas') or Peoples.

A divine', splendid division of labour.