The Villain That Is Varṇa?
Recently, I observed some WhatsApp Group debates regarding casteism. There is no doubt that there have been caste-based historical injustices. And this isn’t limited to India, but has been prevalent globally. In fact, the English word “caste” is derived from the Spanish/ Portuguese word “casta”. With the rise of nation-states in Europe, this explicitly discriminative “us versus others” got a draconian supplement in the form of imperialism, nazism, etc. The European conquest of the world was driven with the mindset of subjugation of the other races, introducing civilization to the “primitives”, and, if necessary, “extermination of the inferior races”. The Americas, Africa, the Indian Subcontinent, Southeast Asian “spice archipelagos”, Australia, and Europe itself are all witnesses to these themes in one way or another.
Speaking in the Indian context, a big chunk of contemporary discussions & debates is around the themes of equity and affirmative action to correct the wrongdoings of the past. However, a notable segment holds the Indian Knowledge Systems (IKS), and precisely the Vedic systems, to be drivers of caste-based discrimination. They truly, and probably even without any ill intentions, believe that the Vedic systems were designed and enforced to achieve Brahminical dominance.
Interestingly, some prominent scholars with this thought, by their own admission, lack in-depth or even basic knowledge of Vedic or even Pāṇinian Saṁskr̥ta. Language & culture are always closely intertwined. So is the philosophy.
Ironically, their core opponents also share the same background priming along with the same belief presented in a slightly different way — since the scriptures reveal that one class is superior to another, I AM superior to you!
The piece below is to run a few quick fact checks. The Varṇa system mentions differential eligibilities and duties, but is it architected to be power-usurping to benefit a select few? Can a correct understanding and implementation of the design lead to the witnessed social malpractices? Meanwhile, the idea is to also question the veracity of our strongly held notions.
Quick Note(s):
1. Due to fundamentally different background philosophies and, thereby, cultures, which we’ll see later, this post shall use the word “Varṇa” instead of caste. Also, since the prescribed and proscribed injunctions considerably differ with the phase of life (Āśrama) one is in — we’ll also use “Varṇāśrama”.
2. “Brāhmaṇa” is one of the varṇas. However, since it can be easily misread as “Brahman” in the English alphabet using IAST, we’ll use the word “Brahmin” for the varṇa.
3. This piece isn’t comprehensive but merely a sneak peek through the Indic lens. Both corrections and supporting evidence are welcome.
Buddhism & Varṇāśrama
“Buddhism was propounded to annihilate the caste system. Buddhism uproots the Vedic thought and thereby the Brahminical dominance.” These are some common claims made by a few people. Buddhism doesn’t accept the authority of the Veda. But does that necessitate the above claims to be true? Let’s first ask — Who was Siddhārtha? Was he a social reformer, a political activist, or a scholar of polity? Neither. Siddhārtha’s quest was that of a spiritual seeker. After careful contemplations and meditations, Siddhārtha gained Bodhi or “true knowledge”, thus being known as Buddha.
Buddhism exhorts you to renounce all the material possessions, relations, desires, and identifications. And in this process, the Varṇa is also given up. Now, isn’t this strikingly similar to a Brahmin entering the Saṁnyāsa Āśrama? You give up the indulgence in a material life. You give up the rights to earn wealth, to cook food, and to lead a family life. In fact, you also give up your rights to perform the traditional Vedic Homas. You enter into a non-compete agreement with all the Universes. Moreover, during your initiation into the Saṁnyāsa Āśrama, you perform your own final rites! You are no longer the person that you were earlier. You are no longer the Brahmin.
Interestingly, the twentieth verse of the third chapter of the Mahāyāna Buddhist Text — Lalitavistara Sūtra — explicitly states that a Bodhisattva (one who helps the masses achieve Bodhi) will be born only in either Brahmin or Kṣatrīya families.
Then there is a counter-claim — “But, unlike Vedic systems, Buddhism doesn’t reserve liberation for Brahmins alone.” However, the Vedic systems are replete with instances strongly rejecting this claim.
Even though there are Varṇa-based eligibilities pertaining to the chanting of Vedic Mantras, the non-dvijas (those who’ve not undergone upanayana saṁskāra) meditated on non-Vedic mantras received from the Guru. These non-Vedic mantras are a part of the tradition accepting the authority of the Veda. E.g., The Vaiṣṇava Dvādaśākśara Mantra.
The Āstika (or Veda-accepting) text Śrīmad Bhāgavatam describes Nārada R̥ṣi’s journey. In his penultimate life, he was born as a Śūdra. It is in that birth, as a Śūdra, that he attains Bhakti & enlightenment. Later, as Nārada R̥ṣi, he helps many others achieve enlightenment. One such beneficiary was Prahlāda Mahārāja of the Daitya clan, and thus an avarṇa (outside the four Varṇas). Nārada R̥ṣi initiated him into Śuddha Bhakti, and the five-year-old was a fearless, compassionate, enlightened being.
The word Daitya is generally translated as demon, which is usually true. However, the literal meaning of the word is “a descendant of [Mother] Diti”. Similarly, Āditya literally means “a descendant of [Mother] Aditi”. Likewise, we have Dānavas — “the descendants of [Mother] Danu”. As per the Purāṇas, all these mothers, amongst several others, were the wives of R̥ṣi Kaśyapa, who was a Brahmin Prajāpati. However, the Ādityas, Daityas, and Dānavas aren’t Brahmins. There are many other such examples, like Vidura, Rāvaṇa, etc. So does this indicate a blend of matrilineage and patrilineage in the IKS?
Are you a Brahmin? (A Karmakāṇda View)
A baby born to a Brahmin family doesn’t qualify as a Brahmin per se. The baby is merely eligible to be initiated into the Brahmacarya āśrama with the upanayana saṁskāra on reaching the right age (~7–8 years old). Once initiated, one gets the eligibility & instructions to chant the Vedic mantras. Thereafter, throughout life and until initiation into the Saṁnyāsa āśrama, one is ordained to perform Sandhyavandanam (a ritualistic repetition of the Gāyatrī Mantra) thrice a day — just before sunrise, at noon, and just before sunset. In addition to it, the householder and the Vānaprasthi Brahmins are mandated to perform the Agnihotra Yajña twice a day. These practices are to be done daily without any periodic break (or any other break out of volition). A Brahmin must also engage in a systematic study of the Veda and chant the Veda.
Going by the technicalities mentioned above, how many people do you think can be labelled Brahmin today?
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The injunctions do not, by any manner, seem to provide a daily convenience to illegitimately favour a select few. Moreover, for committing the same crime of theft, there is eight to sixteen times stricter punishment prescribed for Brahmins than the one for Śūdras. How would this be a part of a system if it were inherently a device to propagate Brahminical dominance of the society?
These technicalities for one to be truly qualified as a Brahmin seem too difficult to comply with. Is there a behavioural mapping? Perhaps it could be more lenient…
Are you a Brahmin? (A behavioural view)
The above screenshot lists the nine qualities of a Brahmin as described in the forty-second verse of the eighteenth chapter of Śrīmad Bhagavad Gītā. Translation (Bhoomananda.org): Mental discipline, sensory control, austerity, purity, forbearance, straightforwardness, knowledge, realization of the knowledge, and unflinching faith in the spiritual truth — these constitute the natural activities of a brāhmaṇa [Brahmin].
An important point to note is that this is not a checklist to be followed to award the unsolicited certifications of being or not being a Brahmin to others, but a point of self-reflection. And if someone feels tempted to label oneself a Brahmin, an interesting point to note is that, as per Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, one of the most exalted beings in the cosmos — Śrī Sudāmā, who performed all the ordained duties to his possible extent, unto whom even Śrī Kr̥ṣna didn’t know what to offer as a return gift (as anything offered would fall short against his love) — did NOT consider himself to be a Brahmin, but only a relative/ descendant of the Brahmin!
P.S. The popular folklore of him stealing/ not sharing chickpeas (or canā) from/ with Śrī Kr̥ṣna is NOT present in the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam where the entire narrative about Śrī Sudāmā is presented. It is not present in any of the other Purāṇas or Itihāsa texts either. Isn’t this a clear flag that the knowledge about scriptures has been passed down in a tweaked and modified manner? Isn’t the intended Varṇa design a subject to corruption too, when accepted without a rigorous but faithful study of the scriptures?
Now, this is a potential “Aha!” moment for the proponent of Vedic-Brahminical dominance. “You are stripping away the conveniences, but you are awarding yourself the badge of honour that you’re the righteous one, the disciplined one, treading a very difficult path, and therefore you are superior (and thereby seeking respect from others!)”
In the twelfth chapter, from the thirteenth to the nineteenth verses, thirty-four traits very dear to Śrī Bhagavan are listed. The first three traits are adveṣṭā, maitraḥ, karuṇaḥ — free from hatred towards anyone, friendly towards all, compassionate towards all, respectively. Another trait is samaḥ mānāpamānayoḥ (12.18) equally disposed towards “respect” and “disrespect”. Likewise, tulya nindā-stutiḥ (12.19) — does not see censure as misery and praise as happiness. Given all this, does it still indicate that the Vedic Knowledge Systems are devices to establish supremacy in society & exploit a group of people unfairly for selfish reasons? If you look closely, the journey isn’t about acquiring something or “becoming” somebody. Rather, it is about dropping or “unbecoming”. A transition from “becoming” to “being”…
Are you really a Brahmin? (A Jñānakaṇda View)
All the Indian schools of thought (except Lokāyata, also known as Cārvāka), whether Veda-accepting or agnostic, Īśvara-accepting or agnostic, or material or spiritual in nature, accept the theory of Karma. That is, for any effect which is present, there must be an underlying cause. Or, in other words, in the absence of the underlying cause, the effect can’t be present.
This theory of Karma then, upon further examination, leads to the concept of rebirth. That is, you have had countless lives before: a beginningless existence (There are cyclical creations and destructions of the universe).
This is a strong inherent fundamental philosophical distinction from the Western systems (and even Lokāyata), where “you only live once” (or have only one afterlife at best)!
As per the Indic systems, in all probability, irrespective of your current Varṇa, you’ve been across all four Varṇas earlier. And probably beyond these too — an avarṇa, a deva, a plant, a buffalo, a cat, an amoeba, the now extinct dinosaur, etc. The list can go on & on. So what are you truly?
Okay, so one may say that they are currently of such & such Varṇa. So, this is a temporary identification.
However, Vedānta (which is based on the Upaniśads or the conclusion of the Veda) points out that this isn’t merely temporary identification but also an identification of something which is separate from you. (Read more on this here: “Reflections on Advaita”.)
Furthermore, not only is something which is identified as such & such Varṇa distinct from you, but it also doesn’t have any independent reality. Thus, it’s not “really” real, but more of a dream-like phenomenon — you experience it but don’t deem it to be truly true.
So, is the Vedic system by design an oppressive tool designed by the Brahmins? Probably not. Is our understanding of the Vedic system limited? Definitely yes. A natural question which follows is: Is the Varṇāśrama system arbitrary? Or is there some reasoning behind an apparently differential design? What purpose does this design serve? Let’s save it for another story: “Vedic Roots of Varṇa”.
Thank you for reading!
