Hinduism and Caste System: Does Hinduism support Caste system?

By www. hinduwebsite.com

Hinduism and Caste System: Does Hinduism support Caste system?

Hinduism is the religion of all, not of a few privileged. A great service it would be to Hinduism, if the present day Vedic teachers identify bright children from the lower castes and start teaching them the Vedas and the Upanishads and allow them to serve God in the temples of India. The strength of Christianity stems from dedicated missionaries who come from all sections of society. The weakness of Hinduism and of India is caste system, which divides the Hindu society into divergent and bickering groups and keeps them apart. 

Perhaps there is no other nation in the world that is openly and shamelessly as racial as some of the nations in the Indian subcontinent. A number of Indians who visit foreign countries often complain about being treated condescendingly on account of their skin color or accent, without acknowledging the fact that a vast majority of people in their own country exhibit a far greater obsession with accent, the color of ones skin and ones family (caste) background. 

And there are countless scholars who justify the caste system quoting chapter and verse from the Hindu scriptures, ignoring the fact that they were convenient interpolations in an otherwise sacred lore to justify a cruel and unjust system theologically using the very authority of God. 

Caste System has been the bane of Hindu society for centuries. In terms of damage to human progress and suffering, it did much greater damage for a much longer period to a great many people than the slave system of the western world. The caste system was a clever invention of the later Vedic people, who found it to be a convenient way of perpetuating their religious distinction and social privileges. 

The idea of keeping oneself away from unclean people is understandable in a society that was obsessed with the concept of physical and mental purity. Even in modern societies people would not like to interact with people who are physically unclean and are into wrong ways of living. But what was wrong with Vedic society was to attribute these qualities to a group of people on a hereditary basis irrespective of their individual distinctions and then deny them perpetually the right to lead a normal and decent life through self effort.

The caste system is based upon the organization of society into four distinct classes. The criteria for this classification was originally the color of the skin and later occupation.

The four distinct castes were:

1.    Brahmins (priests) who had the exclusive right to perform Vedic rituals and Vedic studies,

2.    Kshatriyas (warriors), whose responsibility it was to protect the people, wage wars and rule the lands,

3.    Vaishyas (traders), who had the right to engage in trade and commerce and own the agricultural lands and

4.    Shudras (the unclean) who had the burden of serving the other three communities in discharging their respective duties. Apart from these, there were untouchables, who lived outside the communities and were not allowed to enter freely the towns and villages. They were assigned the menial jobs and kept out of sight an out of reach.

The Rigvedic society probably had a caste system that was flexible and allowed an individual to change his caste if he so desired. But during the later vedic period it became very rigid. The caste system was responsible for the weakness of Hindu society and for the invasion and subjugation of Hindus by several foreign forces. The physically strong shudras were condemned to pure agricultural labor and menial jobs. They would have been more useful as fighters and soldiers and defended the land well against foreign invasions. 

Today untouchability is a serious crime. But the idea of caste system still prevails in the minds of many Hindus. The following points are worth noticing:

1.    Inter caste marriages are not approved in many traditional and rural communities. 

2.    Caste based organizations and associations still exist in India and play a crucial role in perpetuating the idea of caste and the politics of caste. 

3.    Upper caste people are very much agitated over the government's reservation policy.

4.    Caste conflicts often lead to violence and bloodshed in backward areas. 

5.    In many educational institutions students tend to group themselves on the basis of caste, with the tacit connivance of teaching faculty. A similar trend is often noticeable in the work places.

6.    Caste is an important factors during general elections and many politicians shamelessly and clandestinely seek votes in the name of caste.

7.    Indian temples are still under the siege of caste chauvinism. The temple administrations, some of which are managed by government officials, do not recruit people from other castes to act as temple priests.

Does Hinduism support Caste system?

Hinduism does not support caste system. The focus of Hinduism is on the individual and his salvation not on his caste or its privileges. Scholars tend to quote the Purushasukta as the basis for the emergence of caste system. There are also references to caste system in the Bhagavad gita. But for a serious student of History, it becomes obvious that these references appear to be deliberate manipulations and later day interjection intended to justify a system that was otherwise fully unjustified. The Manusmriti, in the form that is available today did more damage to Hinduism and the self esteem of many Hindus than Islam and Christianity. 

Hindus should be clearly aware of the distinction between a sacred scripture (shruti) and a book written by an individual (smriti) such as Manusmriti. Manusmriti was probably edited and reedited a hundred or thousand times by different scholars during different periods. It is time Hindus realize this and stop castigating Hinduism on the basis of this grotesquely tampered scripture. It is time they examine their thinking and take some positive steps to create a more equitable and dignified human society based on a new manava dharma shastra based on present day values and ideals.

Courtesy to www. hinduwebsite.com

Hinduwebsite.com provides comprehensive information on Hinduism and related religions. Besides religion, we also provide free email services, daily news and a host of other resources that make Hinduwebsite a truly comprehensive information portal comparable to any other in this category. Make Hinduwebsite.com your home page for information updates and a great browsing experience. Visit our shopping center where you will find useful products and services from some of the best websites in the world in each category. Please help us with your suggestions and ideas to improve the website. We also invite intellectuals and scholars to submit their original articles and works on Hinduism and related religions to Hinduwebsite for publication. Quality submissions will be rewarded with suitable compensation.