Comments on: Caste Again

By: Devdutt

Devdutt — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 14:26:21 +0000

bhumiar is a caste or jati, not class….no idea of origin though

By: rahul

rahul — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 12:52:13 +0000

do u hv any idea abt the origin of bhumihar? they belong to which class

By: Jayant

Jayant — Sun, 19 Sep 2010 08:47:04 +0000

I have always beleived that caste was based on what work an individual is doing. And since till just about a few decades ago – when there was no scope for higher education – the profession was inherited so was the caste. You learnt your trade from your father/uncle – so a warriors son became a warrior, a preist’s son became a priest & a doctors son became a doctor.
Also untouchabilty which was carried on to ridiculous heights by the so called ‘orthodox’ keepers of tradition is required by a pure hygenic necessity. Very few people know that a medical doctor (vaidya) might be a vaishya or bramhin profession but a surgeon is a shudra profession. It is a practice that the surgeon becomes untouchable before, after and during surgery. Also he will not touch anything. Science will call this as aseptic behavior – we can also equate this with untouchability. So that means that a shudra performs your bypass surgery then clenses himself by whatever antiseptic means – becomes a bramhin, comes out and meets your family & educates them about the outcome of surgery 7 post operative care – then becomes a vaishya and charges you for his services. Three varnas in say 6 hours!!!
It is my firm belief that with opening up of educational & professional barriers caste as practised in medeival times has lost its significance. It is only significant to self seeking politicians who use it for votebank purposes.
Mayawati might scream herself hoarse about being a ‘Dalit ki beti’ – but her position, ambition and demeanor makes her a kshatriya – that is if you discount her pechant for horse trading and moneymaking which would make her a vaishya!!

By: Ridhi Sundar

Ridhi Sundar — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 11:36:15 +0000

“What about the causes for non-transferability of occupation across the caste or Varna?”

1. Stability of society.

Let me try to explain…

If people will start to take others occupation without considering their Varna then people will go for few occupations where there is more money. Though you can argue some people go on their interest that is negligible..
And the consequence is before you today every body is going for business or trying to become doctor or engineer. No one is there to cultivate land their are no good teachers.

2. Genetic transfer of occupational qualities:

When generation after generation people will work on a perticular occupation they will get more and more expertized on that occupation.

Thanks
Ridhi Sundar

By: Ridhi Sundar

Ridhi Sundar — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 11:26:40 +0000

This is a wrong concept. There is no first class or second class. They are equivalent not equal. Male and female have different qualities. A man can not give birth to a child. Man and woman are given with their natural qualities from nature and they have to work accordingly.

Thanks

By: Pravin

Pravin — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 00:13:01 +0000

“Women were/are second class citizens in most cultures irrespective of class or caste”

I think it’s just widely accepted perception in today’s time.

As everyone in cast system plays equal(important) role.

Gender too play equal role in symbols. Nothing like first class or second class.

By: Rajendra Kumar

Rajendra Kumar — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 14:20:44 +0000

I am sorry to say that we are having here quite ignorant people.
Has Karma theory passed any tests?
Will somebody please tell me?
What about the causes for non-transferability of occupation across the caste or Varna?

By: Ridhi Sundar

Ridhi Sundar — Fri, 07 May 2010 19:17:52 +0000

Varnashrama system today which we call as cast system are not exactly same. Today’s cast system is a detoriorated form of the original Varnashrama system. Varnashrama system is one of the greatest gieft of the Aryans to the human society.

Actually the Varnas are created by the god himself. In Vagabat Gita Lord Sri Krishna says ” Chaturvarna Maya shristam” ( I have created the 4 Varnas).

All the human being are having some special charecteristics . These charecteristics are collection of the gunas. The gunas are classified into 3 types.

1. Satwa
2. Rajah
3. Tamah

All the beings in this world are collection of these three characteristics. SOme one having some gunas more and some thing less. Accordingly all the human beings classified to 4 main catagories.

1. Bipra ( Don’t confuse bipra with Bramhan Bramhan is a different concept)
2. Kshyatriya
3. Vaisya
4. Sudra

Bipra were the persons having more satwa guna. Kshyatrya were having more Rajah guna. Baisya were having Rajah guna as well as tamah guna. And Sudra were the persons with more tamah guna. Let me make one thing clear all the people having all the gunas but some guna dominates some other guna. No guna is again bad. All the guna can be utilised to serve the society. So there is no way any Varna is superior or inferior.

As all varna were associated with different gunas the karma ( Wrok) done by the people of different varna were different. Bipra were associated with intelect. THey were the head of the society. THey used to teach the society how to live and grow. Bipras used to know all the work but they cannot take any work as their profession. They give their knowledge to the other people to get their work with more skill. For example a Bipra can do research on how the quality of a pot be better. How it can be made better. But he can not make pots to sell. He will then teach this to the potters. The Bipras were having the knowledge on economics, politics all aspects. So they were the advisers to the king.

Kshytriyas were responsible for the protection of the contry or society. So they were the arms of the society. With the advice of Bipras they used to rule the contry.

Vaisya were the merchants. They were the economic center of society. They were like stomach of the society. They used to merchandise the objects and earn mony and give the mony for social developement.

Sudra used to fulfill the need of all the previous three Varnas. The society was running due to these people. SO they were the Leg of the society.

So all the Varna were integral part of the society. Without one part other can not survive.

The question arises then why was it made by birth? This is just a minute science. Genetic science. The characteristics ( Gunas) gets transfered through generations. So these characters gets evolved generation to generation when one again practises the same kind of work and the society grows.

The rule in varnashrama was no one can take over the job of any other varna. It was considered as a great sin. Only in disasters when there is no other way to survive the life one can do the job of other varna. By this social balance was maintained. There were no question of unemployment.

The system got detoriorated when Vaisya and Kshyatriyas misused the mony and power. The system got broken. The Vipras who used to respected for their intelects got humilited as they were always poor and sudras did not get proper value for their service and treated badly.

Varnashrama iss a great scientific system gifted by the law makers of ancient times. If this can be revived it would be great.

Cheers
Ridhi Sundar

By: Dr. Devdutt Pattanaik

Dr. Devdutt Pattanaik — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 02:14:21 +0000

The Hindu answer to it will be – both are correct, or perhaps neither.

By: Sunil

Sunil — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 12:36:10 +0000

No where in our Scriptures is told that one caste is inferior to another. If there is, kindly enlighten me.

Also, caste meant the social structure depending on the job / activity of the person, which was possible to be changed. If Drona had not opted the life of a Khsatriya, why was he at the battle field as he is a born Brahmin?

I have heard that everybody is born only as a ‘human’, then moves forward by righteous action as a ‘Dwija’ (a person born into a second life like warrior, business man, servant, CA, doctor etc.), and by attaining knowledge of Brahman (the ultimate formless God) a ‘Brahmin’.

Remember Krishna being born a Yadava, in today’s world would have been an OBC. But does any purana / scripture mention him an OBC?

Krishna, born human, rose to the level of Brahman and that is why we consider him none other than Vishnu.

Thanks,