{"id":293,"date":"2011-01-19T19:18:59","date_gmt":"2011-01-19T19:18:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/projectconversion.com\/?p=293"},"modified":"2011-01-19T19:18:59","modified_gmt":"2011-01-19T19:18:59","slug":"hinduismday-19-the-varnas-caste-system","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/projectconversion\/2011\/01\/hinduismday-19-the-varnas-caste-system.html","title":{"rendered":"Hinduism\/Day 19: The Varnas (caste system)"},"content":{"rendered":"
\u00a0<\/div>\n

The varnas<\/em>, otherwise known in the West as the “caste” system, is probably the most controversial and villainized\u00a0aspect in all of Indian culture and Hindu theology. Because Hinduism (Sanatana\u00a0Dharma) is such an ancient and integrated\u00a0faith and way of life, one must be\u00a0willing to peel back thousands of years of History, tradition, culture, and perspectives in order to glean the foundation of\u00a0this social system that has come to be\u00a0so reviled that its very usage is now illegal in modern India. I will briefly explore the varnas<\/em>\u00a0here, as well as deliver an introduction to their relevance from a scriptural basis and how the caste concept has evolved over the centuries.<\/p>\n

Varnas\u00a0or, “colors”, are designations to one’s social position based on\u00a0a mixture of the three gunas, or physical\/mental\/emotional dispositions within them. These gunas are\u00a0sattva<\/em> (creative, inspiring, mentally quiet), rajas<\/em> (restless, dynamic, fierce), and tamas<\/em> (lazy, negligent, dull).<\/p>\n

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The Brahmanas <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Brahmanas<\/em>\u00a0are the intellectual and spiritual class, designated with the color white. Members of this group are more sattvik\u00a0centered with a rajasik\u00a0base and are charged with the spiritual and intellectual well-being of society.<\/p>\n

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The Kshatriyas<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Kshatriyas<\/em>\u00a0are the warrior, leader, and administrative class with a color designation of red.\u00a0This class exhibits rajasik\u00a0qualities with a sattvik\u00a0base.\u00a0Their duty\u00a0is to protect and nurture society. The hero Arjuna of the Bhagavad Gita was a Kshatriya<\/em>.<\/p>\n

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The Vaishya<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Vaisya<\/em>\u00a0are the tradesmen and business class of\u00a0society, designated with the color brown. Members of this class possess rajasik\u00a0qualities with a tamasik\u00a0base.\u00a0They\u00a0are responsible for\u00a0running society’s economic interests.<\/p>\n

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The Shudras<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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The Shudras<\/em>\u00a0are the laborers, designated black, and are charged\u00a0with providing labor for society’s progress and well-being. They display tamasik\u00a0qualities with a rajasik base.<\/p>\n

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There is another caste called the dalit or, “<\/em>Untouchables.” This class was made infamous by such caste opponents as Mahatma Gandhi, who called for equality among the castes.<\/p>\n

The Varnas in theology:<\/strong><\/p>\n

The earliest concept of a class-based society rose within the oral tradition of the Rig Veda, the oldest holy text within the Hindu tradition. Within, we receive\u00a0an illustration of\u00a0how these groups of men came to be:<\/p>\n

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The Br\u00e2hmana\u00a0was his mouth, of both his arms was the R\u00e2janya\u00a0made. His thighs became the Vaishya, his feet became the S\u00fbdra.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The “his”\u00a0refers to Purusha or, the primordial man–cosmic soul. Others have interpreted this story to reflect\u00a0Mankind as rising from the various parts of Brahma himself. Indeed, opponents of the caste system’s evolution into a rigid and limiting institution point out that if the classes in fact derived from Brahma himself, then all parts are equal and holy.<\/p>\n

Interestingly enough,\u00a0Lord Krishna\u00a0tells Arjuna in the Bhagavad Gita (“Song of the Lord”)…<\/p>\n

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Those desiring success in their actions worship the gods; through action in the world of mortals, their desires are quickly fulfilled. The distinctions\u00a0 of caste, guna, and karma have come from me.\u00a0I am their cause, but I myself am changeless and beyond all action.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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Because the Bhagavad\u00a0Gita is a lesson in becoming one with the divine Self (in this case, Lord Krishna), Krishna is telling Arjuna that the eternal Self–the cosmic Cause that makes up our souls–is incorruptible\u00a0and therefore transcends the varnas. Even the Brahmanas must climb to reach moksha<\/em>–liberation, and therefore we are all equal.<\/p>\n

From a social perspective, the varnas were classifications based on personal dispositions that, as a whole, created a balanced society in which everyone played a productive role.<\/p>\n

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The balance of the varnas, with Lord Krishna as the center (Cause).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Of course as Mankind often does, the original intent of a harmonious society became tainted by the ambitions and reinterpretations men placed on the meaning of the classes. The caste system as we’ve known it in recent\u00a0history evolved into a rigid\u00a0system of ascription in which that was virtually no hope of movement. One’s\u00a0occupation and\u00a0lifestyle was\u00a0now a part of their genetics. Corrupt holy men rationalized this with twisted versions of karma and dharma. This\u00a0new philosophy, designed to protect the lineage of the few and privileged,\u00a0contradicts the scriptures in which Lord Krishna himself had been born a simple cowherd and other\u00a0notable rishis<\/em>\u00a0(holy men) as well as avatars of\u00a0Vishnu had\u00a0traversed the classes based on effort and developed aptitude toward other occupations.<\/p>\n

It would be unfair to point a finger at the Indian subcontinent for such abuses based on\u00a0a warped view of scripture.\u00a0Indeed, few religious or philosophical traditions are clean of the stain of atrocities\u00a0justified\u00a0by\u00a0interpretation of holy writ. Our duty then is to dig into the muck and bring to light the true meaning behind these words within the context of their times of mention.\u00a0Only with these insights, brought about by deep self-examination, will we be able to wash ourselves of the grim of prejudice based upon misguided and antiquated pretences. This is\u00a0work left\u00a0to only a few at present who have the courage to get their hands dirty. It seems then, that we\u00a0would all do well to be\u00a0an unclean\u00a0“Untouchable” from time to time after all.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0 The varnas, otherwise known in the West as the “caste” system, is probably the most controversial and villainized\u00a0aspect in all of Indian culture and Hindu theology. Because Hinduism (Sanatana\u00a0Dharma) is such an ancient and integrated\u00a0faith and way of life, one must be\u00a0willing to peel back thousands of years of History, tradition, culture, and perspectives…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":437,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[16,36,46,69,166,233,313,316],"class_list":["post-293","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-hinduism","tag-andrew-bowen","tag-bhagavad-gita","tag-caste","tag-day-19","tag-krishna","tag-project-conversion","tag-untouchable","tag-varna"],"yoast_head":"\nHinduism\/Day 19: The Varnas (caste system) - Project Conversion<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/projectconversion\/2011\/01\/hinduismday-19-the-varnas-caste-system.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Hinduism\/Day 19: The Varnas (caste system) - Project Conversion\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"\u00a0 The varnas, otherwise known in the West as the “caste” system, is probably the most controversial and villainized\u00a0aspect in all of Indian culture and Hindu theology. 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