Caste system is the creation of the racially conscious Vedic Aryans who wanted to distance the native Indians like Dravidians, Nagas, Hill tribes, etc. from their society and deny them any role in the socio-political arena. Varnashrama Dharma, which is wrongly quoted as the basis for caste system, is the categorization of different spiritual statuses based on inborn tendencies of man. It is universal and has nothing to do with birth, race, community and religion. On the contrary, ‘jati’ is birth-based social segregation of people according to their race, profession, worship, community etc. and is a creation of the Vaidikas. Who is a sudra and who is a brahmana according to Varnashrama Dharma? Aitareya Brahmana mentions that a sudra is one who eats everything (without discrimination), who is always after sensual pleasures, does all work improperly and who is immoral and who has forsaken the Veda or the guidance of an omniscient Seer or Guru. (sarva bhaksha ratir nityam, sarva karmakaro ashuchih, tyakta vedastvanaacharah, sa vai sudra it smritah). A Brahmana, according Sayana, the expounder of Vedas, is one who has known Brahman or realized Brahman (Brhm adheeyate vidanthi vai brahmanah). Brahmana means, one who has the radiance of Brahman. So, there can be no community or caste of Brahmins. If one is a brahmana (brahma jnani), it is not necessary that his son also becomes a brahmajnani ipso facto.
Similarly all other varnas have been defined according to particular character traits. Character traits are formed from former samskaras or karmic tendency. Therefore, varna cannot be determined by birth in a particular family, clan or gotra. It has been mentioned in the Bhagavat Gita (Ch.4) that from Satva guna, gyana or knowledge arises, from rajas, greed and from tamas, insensitivity, delusion and ignorance. The gunas are subject to change. Sometime, all four varnas may be found in a same family according to the predominance of gunas. In the Purusha Sukta of Rigveda, it has been mentioned that from the face of the Supreme God personality, Brahmana was born, and from the hands kshatria, from the navel vaisya and from His feet, the sudra. If it is argued that since the castes are born from the organs of Supreme Godhead, therefore, the caste system stands legitimized, then the answer is that the son of a Brahmajnani does not become a brahmajnani. Only by the realization of Brahman, one can become brahmana. First of all the birth of four varanas from the Godhead does not show actual birth from the Godhead. If there were really any caste differences, God Almighty could have created them with distinct physical appearances so that people would have followed the caste rules without any room for doubt. It is the way of the rishis to give analogical explanation to make a point. Here the brahmana stands for the realized sages, the saptarshis and other primal sages, who are said to have originated first from the light of God. It does not stand for a community or jati. All human races have originated from the sankalpam of these primal rishis.
The less authoritative smriti texts and puranas promote blatant caste discrimination. The sudra is denied the rights to spiritual knowledge and spiritual practices, while the Brahmin is made equal to the status of gods (brahmana devo bhava). This is clearly a case of interpolation by the Vaidikas, the community of priests, who wanted to establish their hegemony in the society. Unfortunately, the Hindu faith is showcased promoting the absurd stories in the puranas. Sri Vyasa, the compiler of Vedic texts mentions in Matysa Purana that at the end of Dwapara Yuga and in the beginning of Kali Yuga, interpolations in the scriptures would take place through selfish persons. All such caste discrimination and caste references should be removed from the Hindu scriptures, otherwise, the teachings of the great rishis would not be honored. In the Bhrigu Smriti (Ch.4), it has been mentioned that the interpolations in Smriti texts like Manu Smriti should be rejected as they are the handiwork of greedy Vaidikas and that only the truthful words of the rishis should be accepted as pramana or authoritative (bhavanthop sada thuccha swartha lobhaika hetukam, vakya jaatam parithyajya, grihnanthu muni bhashitam).
The caste division is a major hurdle in the path of Hindu unity. Majority of Hindus belongs to the so called Sudra class. The word Brahmana or Dwija in the scriptures stands for a sage who has realized God and Sudra is a person who has no spiritual inclination (vasana). There could be sudras among Brahmin community also and in the same manner, there could be brahmins among sudra community or any other people. But the tragedy is that the puranas and dharmasastras have interpreted caste based on birth or heredity. This is wrong and it should be corrected if Hindus are to be united spiritually and socially. Otherwise, the limbs of Hindu India would be cut one by one and in the end would disappear. It has already happened by way of the creation of Pakistan, Bangladesh, and now Kashmiris, Nagas, etc. are fighting for independence. Hinduism has lost its authenticity because of the wrong doings of a few people who misinterpreted the teachings of the great rishis for their self-promotion.
The caste based politics as well as reservation policy is the outcome of caste system. Conversion of Hindus to foreign religions and the birth of Buddhism, Jainism, Sikkism and innumerable other mutually conflicting sects and anti-Hindu social movements like Dravida Munnetta Kazhakam, Marxism, etc. have arisen due to caste system. No self-respecting person in this age can accept the high and low notions of caste system. Hinduism is ridiculed and attacked because of the promotion of caste system and the spiritual anarchy created by the simultaneous worship of innumerable deities instead of One Almighty God (Brahman). This also is the result of a clever manipulation by the Vaidikas for the promotion of temple tradition. Even though the Hindu scriptures are the storehouse of rich knowledge, they do not get the universal acceptance which they deserve because of these abominable spiritual practices and anomalies. Can anyone drink a cup of pure milk if it is mixed with a drop of poison? Similar is the case of Hindu scriptures. Therefore, a re-edition of all dharmasastras and puranas should be brought out avoiding all caste references based on birth. Wherever the word Brahmana or Dwija appears, there the meaning should be interpreted as a sage who has realized Brahman according to the definition that a Brahmana is one who has realized Brahman. This would be the first step to make Hinduism acceptable universally. The antagonism towards Sanskrit language also stems from the high and low notion of caste in the scriptures.
Mukundan P.R.
Trivandrum, Kerala
Source: WHN Media Network
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