Varna and Jati
Caste
Anyone who wants to belittle Hinduism will always bring up the question of caste. First of all let us be clear on this point. The word “caste” is a Portuguese word which was brought in by the British in order to divide the Hindus and thus make it easier for them to rule us. There is no such word in Sanskrit or any other Indian language.
The ancient Vedic system of the divisions of society comes from the word “varna” which means “colour” and “vri” which means the choice of one’s occupation. There only four varnas in our society – Brahmana, Kshatriya, Vaishya and Shudra. The Purusha Sukta of the Rig Veda describes the creation of these four sets of people based on their mental characteristics and the mixture of the three gunas in them. The three gunas are sattva, rajas and tamas. Even though these are subtle qualities, they form the basis of the physical world. In fact the whole world as well as our own nature is a combination and permutation of these three. These terms are used in physics as well. Rajas is what is known as kinesis or activity, tamas is its opposite known as inertia or lethargy and in between we have the balancing principle of sattva which is harmony or balance. The Brahmins came from the head of the Supreme Purusha and thus they are those in whom sattva guna predominates. This means that they were noble, intelligent, and austere and filled with a deep desire to attain the highest state of humanity which is divinity. Therefore they were the priests, the philosophers and teachers of the society. The Kshatriyas came from the arms of the cosmic person and they were the rulers and warriors. Kshatriyas are those in whom both rajas and sattva are combined. Therefore they were fit to rule as well as to fight and defend the country but they had the noble qualities of compassion and desire to give charity etc. The Vaishyas came from the thighs and they were a mixture of rajas and tamas with a little mixture of sattva . Their mental characteristics made them eminently suitable for trade, commerce and business activities. Finally the Shudras came from the feet. In them there was a preponderance of tamas mixed with rajas. Tamas means lethargy and laziness therefore they were the ones who were given the work of manual labour by which their tamasic qualities could be kept in control.
These four divisions are the very basis for the proper functioning of any society even in the modern age. Every society has to have an intellectual class, a ruling class, an economic class and a service class. Without these four a society cannot function at its best. A society that pays respect to the wise and the noble, who pays respect to their teachers and advisers, is a stable society. A society in which the rulers would approach the wise men of their land to decide the problems of the land will become a Rama Rajya or a perfectly run society based on Dharma. In ancient Hindu society we find that every kingdom had its own ‘kula guru” or family preceptor who was the one who advised the rulers on the right course of action. Needless to say every society has to have an economic class as well as a serving class. All modern societies have these four classes but they did not become rigid as they did in India.
It must be understood that the Vedic Varna system was not a caste system but a system made for the benefit of the whole society so that it could work without a hitch. This is the background by which Lord Krishna states in the Gita that he is the creator of this four-fold division. This division ensured that the society as well as the country and the world runs on well-oiled lines in which everyone has a specific role to play. Again it must be noted that Krishna’s definition of the varnas were based on the mental classifications.
“A Brahmin is one who is noble, straight-forward, truthful, ascetic, and ever interested in attaining the highest perfection of human life.”
“A Kshatriya is one in whom all noble qualities like the giving of charity ability to rule, ability to fight etc were dominant”.
In the Vedic Age the Kshatriyas or rulers would approach the Brahmins to sort out their problems. The king would rise up to greet his guru. Now, however we find that rulers are governed by the Vaishyas or the economic class. They are ruled by the business men and banks! This is why there is a downfall in the moral tone of all the societies in the world.
There was great flexibility in this type of classification and all possibility to change from one to the other. Yudhishtira says in the Mahabharata that a Brahmin who has the qualities of a Shudra should be considered as a Shudra and a Shudra with the qualifications of a Brahmin should be considered a Brahmin. Vyasa, the author of the Mahabharata was himself the son of a fisher-woman. Valmiki, the author of the Ramayana was a hunter! Many other cases can be cited. But with the progress of society, birth became an easier criterion for labelling a person rather than mental characteristics. Hence there was a gradual degeneration of this varna system. Left to itself it might have died a normal death with the advance of society. But with the advent of the British there was a distinct change. They started to use the word “caste” instead of varna and began to exploit the jati system which also existed at that time. The stratification of Hindu society into “jatis” came long after the original “varna” system. In fact each “varna” could and did have many “jatis” in it. There are thousands of “jatis”but only four “varnas.”
The word “jati” originates from the word ‘jana” which implies birth. This jati or caste as the British wrongly called it, is based on rigid principles and there is no possibility of change. It is a closed type of stratification. It was based on the type of work that a person did and all those who did that sort of work were grouped together and would help each other and follow their special rules and regulations. “Jatis” have regional variations based on linguistic differences. The jatis or castes as the British called them also have subdivisions and sub-castes. Actually the “jatis” did not see themselves as inferior to others. They had unique cultural habits and always tried to prove their superiority by weaving stories and legends round their own heroes and traditions and folk narratives. The British strove to preserve these sub-castes and did their best to shatter the Hindu society into fragments because they realised that if all Hindus united they would not be able to control them. This is true even today. After the British left the ruling parties for the next sixty years did their best to foster these differences so as to keep themselves in power.
Actually both varna and jati were encouraged by the Brahmins in the beginning since they realised that it was the only way they could preserve the highly diverse and complex life style of India. First and foremost the varna system ensured that the best genes of the country were preserved from dilution through indiscriminate mixture and perhaps even disappearance as has happened with all other societies. Even today we can find Brahmins who can trace their lineage back to the rishis who lived hundreds of years ago. No other culture can be compared to this. Every varna and jati had certain established types of conduct and life style pertaining to cleanliness, diet and rule of honour that they tried to keep up to. Much more than communism this gave some sort of order to the vast differences we find in mankind as a whole. Each one had his own dharma or rule of conduct that he was supposed to follow and this dharma was always for the good of the whole community. The jatis which were based on professions also elevated and gave value to every type of occupation. The members stood united and defended themselves from external exploitation and tyranny. One must remember that the country at that time was torn by continued foreign attacks, invasions and deliberate attempts to deflect them from their culture by offering lures and incentives and even death. The conquerors were determined to break down this ancient heritage and this they did by fostering enmity and creating dissension between the jatis. The miracle of the Sanatana Dharma is that despite the stupendous upheavals that were taking place in the country, the culture managed to save itself through this very system of varna and jati and kept itself reasonably intact till today.
It is a fact that Indian society is still based on “jati” but with the advance of education there are more and more intermarriages and slowly I feel a new society based on the highest ideals of the Sanatana Dharma will emerge and all Hindus will unite and accept their ancestral heritage and live up to their noble past. During the age of the colonial rule, education ensured that Indians were given a totally western perspective and were taught to despise their own culture. Hindus were encouraged only to read English literature and see their own past history as myth. Sixty years after independence we are still slaves of this western mentality. At last now we have a true patriot who is slowly giving us a new perspective on life. Hindus are slowly realising the greatness of their unique culture. The advice of the Gita to Arjuna is slowly being understood by us. We have an exceptional culture – the only one which proclaimed the Utopian ideal of a united world - an International state with no boundaries –Vaasudeva Kudumbakam! The highest ideals given to us by our scriptures is to see the divinity existing in everything and everyone and thus realise that even though our humanity may confine us, and create barriers, yet it is possible to reach the state of divinity which is in every creature and which reaches its peak in the human being.! This is the philosophy that has inspired countless people all over the world to come to India and seek out the hidden gems within us. Let us strive to bring up a Hindu Rashtra in which every citizen will follow the highest ideals of the Sanatana Dharma and thus set an example to the whole world- a race of human beings who are ready to evolve to their next stage which is divinity!
Hari Aum Tat Sat
