 | Caste: Encyclopedia II - Caste - Origins of the Caste System
Caste - Origins of the Caste System
The Indian religious system (Hinduism) is attributed to have created the caste system. This theory is analyzed below.
Caste - Varna
In Sanskrit, Varņa means color, appearance, physical form or characteristic. One of the hymns of the Rig Veda, one of the holiest Hindu scripturs, gives the following enumeration in the famous Purusha Sukta (RV 10.90):
मुखं किमस्य कौ बाहू का ऊरू पादा उच्येते ||
ब्राह्मणो अस्य मुखमासीद बाहू राजन्यः कर्तः |
ऊरूतदस्य यद वैश्यः पद्भ्यां शूद्रो अजायत ||
Its rough translation is : "What became of his (the Cosmic Spirit's) face or mouth? What became of his two arms? What became of His two thighs? What were (the products of) the two feet called? From His face (or the mouth) came the brahmanas. From His two arms came the rajanya (the kshatriyas). From His two thighs came the vaishyas. From His two feet came the shudras."
This is the only hymn in the Rig Veda, which belongs to that book (Xth) which many historians claim to be a little later addition to the existing nine books, that enumerates the four Varnas for the first and the last time (without defining anything). The other three Vedas and Upanishads have extremely rare mention of the Varnas. In later Hinduism, people interpreted this hymn such that the society is to be divided into four Varnas or castes, which are:
- Brahmana: The priests and the teachers
- Kshatriya (or Rajanya): Administrators and Military men
- Vaishya (or Arya): Traders, merchants, businessmen, farmers and herdsmen
- Shudra: Servants
In any discussion of the 'caste-system', ManuSmriti is often quoted. However, the text Manu Smriti does not form a part of Hindu Scriptures. So any quotation from ManuSmriti is suspect especially as regards its relevance. To a large extent, ManuSmriti is used by politicians and sociologists to denigrate those of the Hindu faith. In fact, it was popularized by the British colonialists as the most authoritative law book of the Hindus and imposed upon them. See this article.
However, in even later Hinduism, as claimed by the Manu Smriti, there came to exist another class of people who were not even given a position in any of the four Varnas, and consequently, became associated with the meanest of the jobs. The upper castes who were supposed to maintain rutual and corporal purity, came to regard them as untouchables. Hence there also came about a fifth varna, which some say arose out of "nowhere", of people now called the Dalits (the oppressed), Harijans and formerly known as "untouchables", see "Pariah (people)".
It is very clear that in the early Vedic times, the Varna system (if at all it existed) meant classes with free mobility of jobs and intermarriage. One hymn of the Rig Veda states:
कारुरहं ततो भिषगुपलप्रक्षिणी नना | (RV 9.112.3)
"I am a bard, my father is a physician, my mother's job is to grind the corn......"
While intermarriage between Brahmana bridegrooms and Kshatriya princesses was extremely common (even sanctioned by the later Manu Smriti), in many instances, marriages between Kshatriya princes and Brahmana brides was also observed (severely condemned by Manu Smriti). One of such instances is marriage of Dushyanata, a Kshatriya prince, with Shakuntala, a daughter of the sage Vishvamitra and adopted daughter of sage Kanva.
In later times, with the elaboration of ritualism, the caste sytem became absolutely hereditary (the historians disagree as to when) and the Shudras were not even allowed to hear the sacred word of the Vedas.
"If the shudra intentionally listens for committing to memory the veda, then his ears should be filled with (molten) lead and lac; if he utters the veda, then his tongue should be cut off; if he has mastered the veda his body should be cut to pieces." (Manu Smriti XII. 4)
A stark contrast to this is a mantra from the White Yajur Veda itself:
यथेमां वाचं कल्याणीमावदानि जनेभ्यः ।
ब्रह्मराजन्याभ्याँ शूद्राय चार्याय च स्वाय चारणाय ।
प्रियो देवानां दक्षिणायै दातुरिह भूयासमयं मे कामः समृध्यतामुप मादो नमतु ।। (White Yajur Veda 26.2)
"I do hereby address this salutary (Vedic) speech for the benefit of humanity – for the Brahmanas, the Kshatriyas, the Shudras, the Vaishas, the kinsfolk and the men of lowest position in society. May I be dear to the learned in this world."
Caste - Twice Born
The first three castes are seen as 'twice born', and are allowed to study the vedas. Existence of Castes is validated through the idea of rebirth according to a person's karma, the sum of an individual's deeds in this life and in past lives. After death, a person's life is judged by divine forces, and rebirth is assigned in a high or a low place, depending upon what is deserved.
Caste - Jati
- Sub-castes within a Varna are called Jati
- Each Jati members are allowed to marry only with their Jati.
- People are born into their Jati and it cannot be changed.
- Each jati is part of a locally based system of interdependence with other groups, involving occupational specialization, and is linked in complex ways with networks that stretch across regions and throughout the nation.
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 Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Origins of the Caste System", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki |
