Greetings my fellow humans!
Why the Varna system is a blot on Hinduism?
In this presentation I will be using the terms Jati and Varna interchangeably. Many will undoubtedly object. We have already gone over this in a different thread. The fact of the matter is, the Brahmin orthodoxy, from whom the legitimacy of Varna system is derived, holds these two concepts, i.e., Jati and Varna, as closely related, and in common parlance it is alright to use the two terms interchangeably. In support of this I present the following from the web site of Kanchi Kamakoti Matam: “There are four varnas - Brahmin, Ksatriyas, Vaisyas and Sudras. We identify "varnas" with "jatis". In point of fact, varna and jati are not the same. The varnas are only the four mentioned above, that is Brahmins, Ksatriyas, Vaisyas and Sudras. Within each there are many jatis. Among Brahmins there are Ayyars, Ayyangars, Raos, and so on. In the fourth varna there are Mudaliars, Pillais, Reddis, Naikkars, Nayudus, Gaundars, Padayacis.“
“In common parlance jati is used for varna. I am also using the two as interchangeable terms. “
Sri Vaishnavas also follow the above definition, and I suspect of Madwas do as well. Further, this is how Varna is commonly understood. In the common consciousness of Hindu society, Jati and Varna have remained synonymous. If a claim is made that a nuanced understanding of the texts is needed to really appreciate that Varna has nothing to do with birth, only Jati does, then one might ask how a common man can be expected to see this nuance when even great Acharyas like Adi Shanaka and Bhagavat Ramanuja did not?
In addition, for the common man in day-to-day life, two things are clear from experience, (i) you are born into a Jati and (ii) this Jati system is hierarchical with the Brahmanas sitting at the top. So, for the enlightened and the uninitiated alike, in the fine points of scripture for the former and daily life for the later, Varna and Jati mean either about the same thing or the same thing. Those who still insist that only Jati is birth based and Varna is not, fall outside the mainstream view. So, for the purpose of this discussion, I will follow the Kanchi Kamakoti Matam’s definition under which (i) Jati is simply a further sub-division of varna, and (ii) in common parlance, Varna and Jati may be used interchangeably.
From Vedas, Smrithees, and Ithihasa prunas, we are told the Lord made the four Varnas according to gunas and actions; as a function of accumulated papa and punya, people are born into one of these Varnas; these births are infused with a mix of three gunas with one of the three predominating, for example Satva for Brahmins, etc.; just birth is not sufficient, but one must fulfill the prescribed duties to truly belong to a Varna. Of the four Varnas, only Shudra is once born and because of this he is forbidden from studying Shruti. His source of knowledge is only Ithihasa puranas. Shanakara and Ramanuja cite Manu 10.4 to establish this. They also cites Taittria Samhita 7.1.1.6, which says Shudra are not permitted to perform yagnas, to prove that Shudras are not permitted to study the Vedas.
Why is this objectionable, say some, by claiming that these are just duties, not privileges? A heavy load of stringent duties are prescribed to Brahmanas, and papa will result if these prescribed duties are abandoned. Whereas, there are no ritual duties for Shudras and therefore Shudras are not subject to sins that result from abandonment of ritual duties.
Yes, all this cannot be objected to, if this is a voluntary system and there is no force. Any group of people can believe in anything they want and subject themselves to any austerities they like. However, this system does not offer any choice. A child born in this society is automatically placed and locked into a Varna for life. If the child does not like this system after growing up, he/she is not even allowed to abandon it. Shudras are threatened with severe punishment if the injections are not followed. The punishments meted out to Shambuka and Ekalaiva are just two examples of this. Even if these are just stories, they served as powerful warnings to Shudras, look what can happen if you try to challenge the system.
If the Varna system promises a cushy life for Shudras, would they not be happy to stay in that station and never try to free themselves from Shudrahood? Why then take the trouble of warning them of severe consequences if they transgress? Gautama Smrithi says Shudra are like cemetery and warns that the ears of a Shudra who hear the chanting of Vedas must be filled with molten lead. If he dares reciting Vedas his tongue is to be slit and his body is to be cut. What is the point of such harshness?
But, what is very disheartening is the fact that both Adi Shankara and Bhagavat Ramanuja cite the above injunctions to establish that Vedas should not be taught to Shudra. The practice of keeping out Shudra from Vedic study is followed even in these modern times. No Veda Pathashala run by Brahmnical institutions will accept a Shudra child in their midst.
Some argue that Varnashrama darma is a means by which one purifies one’s soul, a prerequisite for moksha. They further assert that there is no gradation in Varna, all duties are to be performed as Bhagavat Aradanam. The job of a priest is not superior to that of a toilet cleaner. Again, all this is fine if these are voluntary. If you willingly and voluntarily and in full knowledge, believe in this doctrine, then no one has the right to take this experience away from you. But this Varna system is not based on consent. It is imposed on people at the time of birth. People of “low” birth are kept illiterate so that they never would know any better. Just look at the following injunctions against Shudra described in Manu Smrithi.- 8.270 says Shudra are of low origin.
- 2.31 says a Shudra must be named something contemptible
- 3.164 equates a breeder of sporting-dogs, a falconer, one who defiles maidens, he who delights in injuring living creatures, he who gains his subsistence, with Shudra.
- 8.147 says a Brahmana can just seize the goods of Shudra for he is not permitted to have any property
- 9.178 says a son a Brahmana begets through lust on a Shudra female is a living corpse -- who is to determine it is by lust or true love, I don’t know!!
- 10.129 says a Shudra is not allowed to accumulate wealth because Shudra with wealth will give pain to Brahmanas.
- 11.131 & 132 equate the punishment for murdering a Shudra with that of cat, dog, frog, bird, etc. The punishment can be as mild and beneficial to Brahmana as giving ten white cows and one bull to a Brahmana.
Vile teachings of MS are too numerous to enumerate. Some may see humor in this, but normal people are rightly mortified by all this degrading vitriol piled upon a group of people just because they were born Shudra. If the Varna system is for purifying one’s soul, that will lead to enlightenment someday, what is the need for these degrading injunctions?
One may be tempted to brush aside Manu Smrithi as an unimportant or irrelevant text. But, if you did, you will be contradicting great acharyas like Adi Shankara and Bhagavat Ramanuja, both of whom cite Taittria Samhita 2.2.10.2 to extol MS as medicine for society’s ills, like an anti-biotic perhaps. Both these acharyas profusely quote from MS to bolster their arguments. A widely respected commentator of the acclaimed Tamil text on morality called Thirukkural, who happens to be Brahmin (Parimelazhagar), uses MS extensively in his commentary. So, as we can see, MS was held in high regard among Brahmin orthodoxy and intellectuals, and this is still true among the Brahmin orthodoxy.
Religion is normally promoted as a way of achieving something exalted. Yet, the Varna system, as presented to us by Hindu religious texts and acharyas, keeps a large section of the population from advanced religious study strictly based on birth, not on desire or ability.
Based on all these, saying the Varna system is a blot on Hinduism is, IMO, callously mild.
All this humiliation is for Shudra who are part of the Varna system. The lot of the antyajas and avarnas, who don’t deserve to be even included in the Varna system, is far worse. They were relegated to the meanest of menial vocation and some in the orthodoxy considered the mere sight of one of them is polluting.
Up until about 1930s Dalits were legally disallowed to enter a temple premises or even the street where a temple is located. More than 60 years after independence, Dalits are still prevented from entering temples. Even with court order and police protection, Dalits were prevented from entering a temple in Tamilnadu recently by the upper caste Hindus. They were able to enter in their second attempt accompanied by the collector himself. This is not an isolated incidence, it is happening from Assam to Tamil Nadu, from Orissa to Gujarat. The Orissa case is telling. Here is a quote from a priest, “The Dalits have besmirched the religious traditions and have polluted the temple. We need to perform Maha Snana, a bath ritual of the deity."
Gandhi said untouchability is a blot on Hinduism. Some 60 years later Manmohan Singh says untouchability is a blot on humanity. Those who want to say untouchability is not in the Varna system are only obfuscating.
Some people say this is not the fault of the Varna system, Brahmanas are not involved; it is all political and economic. Why then are the conflicts falling along caste lines? A poor upper caste may find his lot not very different from that of a poor Dalit, but he will still side with the rich of his own caste. There is no doubt caste is at the root of these conflicts, which is a product of the Varna system, and thus Brahmins must take responsibility even though their hands are not directly dirty.
Another defense some offer is that people don’t follow the Varna system as intended. If only they did, everything will be perfect. If this was so, then we have to blame the one who designed this system in the first place. God is said to have designed this system, and this almighty god designed a system that was so easily subverted by mere humans? With all his omnipotence and omniscience, why did he not design a system that people could follow properly?
Be that as it may, it is only when we strictly follow the Varna system, as it was designed and explained, we have to engage in brutal oppression of Shudra and avarna, and the domination of women. Only to the extent we do not follow the Varna system, as intended, do we not engage in these vile practices.
Some defend the Varna system from purely religious doctrinal grounds such as Advaitam. They say, in the ultimate, difference is unreal and so on. Those who find such doctrinal defense perfectly legitimate, without any sense of irony, are not averse to criticize things they find objectionable in other religions. For instance, pious Christians consider saving souls by bringing them to Jesus is the most merciful thing their God ordained. For them, proselytizing is a solemn duty because God ordained it. How can something God ordained be anything but good? The same is the case with the doctrine of eternal damnation of those who do not take Jesus Christ as their savior. Fundamentalist Christians believe this to be God’s dictum and therefore moral.
Of course non-Christians reject this out of hand, and rightly so. Christians may believe anything they want, that is fine, but no reasonable person will hesitate to say these are hideous. Many reasonable Christians themselves are properly embarrassed by all this and reject these with equal emphasis. Recently, one of the Christian members of HDF suggested that Christians must focus on the Sermon of the Mount, and not on the theology of resurrection.
Similarly, Varna system may be a perfectly noble system for some die-hard Hindus, but the rest of us cannot be expected to just simply accept their judgment. Arguments that appeal to religious doctrine and dogma may find traction within the confines of shared faith, but not outside. A non-Hindu, or even a Hindu with reform in his/her heart, cannot be expected to accept the claim that Varna system is righteous, any more than a non-Christian can be expected to accept proselytizing is good because God said so. Therefore, to evaluate whether Varna system is a boon or bane for Hinduism, we have to view it dispassionately. We need to evaluate the Varna system whether it has been beneficial to the society in general or not, in a sort of utilitarian way.
Caste/Varna system continues to dog our society in a myriad of ways. It has divided our nation into caste groups that are at each other’s throats all the time. Except a few racists here and there, a system that discriminates based on birth is universally despised. Article 2 of the Universal declaration of Human Rights made in 1948 says the following:“Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status…..” (emphasis mine)
The caste/varna system, so far as it is birth based, is no different from racial discrimination, so says the UN International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, 1965. Here is the text that defines what encompasses racial discrimination. “… any distinction, exclusion, restriction or preference based on race, colour, descent, or national or ethnic origin which has the purpose or effect of nullifying or impairing the recognition, enjoyment or exercise, on an equal footing, of human rights and fundamental freedoms in the political, economic, social, cultural or any other field of public life.” (emphasis mine)
The 2002 report from the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, included the following, “Strongly reaffirming that discrimination based on "descent" includes discrimination against members of communities based on forms of social stratification such as caste and analogous systems of inherited status which nullify or impair their equal enjoyment of human rights,” (emphasis mine)
With world opinion settled against decent based discrimination of any kind, continued support for Varna system on any basis will only have negative impact on how Hinduism is viewed. This is why Varna system is a blot that must be removed as quickly and as completely as possible.
As we have seen in the past few days, Varna is a controversial topic. People come with a particular POV and are quick to accuse others of misunderstanding the whole thing. I do not begrudge enthusiastic young Hindus showing an urge to present the Varna system in as best a light as possible. But, I submit to you, that is not a wise approach. Welfare of Hindu dharma requires an unbiased understanding of Varna, how it is defined in the scriptures, how it is practiced, how it is viewed, and what effect it has had on the society, and, committed action to redress any issues that need remedying.
For all its greatness in advanced philosophical thinking, Hindu religion is inextricably linked to Varna/Caste system. Fine distinctions between Varna and Jati exist only in the minds of Brahmins who are uncomfortable with the discriminatory practices described in Manu, against women and the so called Shudra and Avarnas, and followed by the dominant castes only to the extent convenient. For the orthodox Brahmins and the common people, especially the ones towards the bottom of the hierarchy, these nuances are lost, in theoretical purity for the former, and the day-to-day reality for the later. So, rightly or wrongly, in so far as the insidious caste system is inseparably linked with Varna and Manu, the Varna system remains the worst weakness for Hinduism. This is why the Varna system is a blot on Hinduism and getting rid of it is like cutting off a rotting limb to save the life. The sooner Hindus do it, the sooner they will be back in good health, so long as religion remains of interest to the common folks. Not doing it will inescapably cost it the very existence. Many a religion have come and gone. Hubris in one’s own religious superiority can only result in its fall.
There is intellectual basis for getting rid of this Varna system. From what I have heard, Vishnu Purana and Srimat Bhagavatam say in Kali Yuga everything will be topsy turvy and nobody will follow the prescribed dharma. So, the establishment can say the Varna system is not applicable for the present times and embrace a more open and inclusive theology, somewhat like that of Sri Vaishnavam of Azhvars, or Saivam of Nayamanars and Lingayath of Karnataka. Some have already done this, like Arya Samaj. But unfortunately, they still pay homage to Manu and cling to the same terminologies like Varna. There must be a clean break.
I have said all this because I am fond of Hinduism, even though I am now an avowed atheist. If there must be a religion for society to prosper, then I rather it is Hinduism of Bhagavat Ramjanuja’s kind where the Iswara is not a blob of useless consciousness, but a loving god never separated from each of us.
So, I request you not to think of me as just a foe. I mean no harm for Hinduism. I am also aware that this disclaimer may not satisfy everyone and there may be some heavy push back. I welcome a spirited debate. However, I request everyone to stick to the points and refrain from taking cheap shots. I can only request, the rest is up to you guys. I will respond to any comment that is free of Ad Hominem.
Cheers!
Originally Posted by Nara
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