I have taken a couple of religious studies courses where they have mentioned the Caste System found in India. Also I have read some about it online.
My Hindu friend told me that this system is not part of the Hindu religion, but is rather a political creation.
I was wondering whether you agree or disagree with this.
Also if you believe this system is part of your religion, I am interested to see where it is taught in your Scriptures.
Thank you
The caste system as it is practised today in India is a corruption of the original
varnashrama system instituted by Lord Krishna, the Supreme Lord. Lord Krishna states in the Bhagavad-Gita "According to the three modes of material nature and the work associated with them, the four divisions of human society are created by Me. And although I am the creator of this system, you should know that I am yet the nondoer, being unchangeable." (Bhagavad-Gita 4:13)
According to the original
varnashrama system, your
varna (Sanskrit
colour, refers to the colour of the temperament of one's mind) was determined by your actions and abilities, not by birth. In the Mahabharata, King Yudhishtira is asked what makes a
brahmana (a member of the highest
varna and the priestly class) - is it birth, knowledge or good conduct? Yudhishtira correctly replies that it is good conduct which makes one a
brahmana - neither birth nor knowledge can make one a
brahmana if one's conduct is bad. In addition to the four
varnas, or divisions of labour, there are also four
ashramas, or divisions of life. These are:
Brahmacharya - celibate student life in an ashram, studying under a guru;
Grihasta - married life as a householder;
Vanaprasta - retired life; and
Sannyasa - renounced life. A sannyasi renounces the world and everything in it for pursuit of spiritual knowledge and liberation. All gurus are sannyasis.
The modern corruption of the
varnashrama system, where a person born to a
brahmana is considered to be a
brahmana, is like asking the son of a surgeon to perform a complicated operation, simply because his father is a surgeon.
