Posted on: 27 Jun 2018
Shri Anil asked:- What is the situation of caste system in the beginning of this creation?
Swami replied:- God said in the Gita that He created four castes based on qualities and deeds and that He is responsible for the caste system and that He is also not responsible for the caste system (Chaaturvarnyam mayaa srushtam, gunakarmavibhaagashah, tasya kartaarapi maam, viddhyakartaaramavyayam...). The total verse shall be understood carefully with the help of shrewd analysis. There are three points:- i) Caste system is created by God based on qualities and deeds only. ii) God is responsible for the caste system decided by qualities and deeds in the beginning of creation. iii) But, later on, He was not responsible for the caste system. Based on these three points, the concept must be built-up.
In the beginning of creation, God created four castes based on qualities and deeds. This means that in the beginning God created four types of souls assigning them their individual duties. On performing these duties, corresponding qualities also are developed in these four types of souls. For example, a Brahmana type of soul was doing propagation of spiritual knowledge and devotion to lead all the souls towards God (Brahma nayati iti Braahmanah). By this duty, the quality of awareness and alertness of intelligence is developed. The issues of Brahmana were also trained by his elders in the same duty and the issues were also doing this duty very well. Here lies the important point. This may look that the issue of Brahmana must be also Brahmana by birth itself since the qualities of Brahmana must have been passed to his issue. This is the wrong concept developed showing that caste is by birth only. It is not so. The issue of Brahmana also became Brahmana not by being the issue of Brahmana, but, became Brahmana due to the training given by his father and other ancestors. This truth is misunderstood and misinterpreted as the concept that the issue of a Brahmana shall be Brahmana since the qualities are transferred through blood. The genes don’t transfer the qualities, which can transfer only certain mannerisms. If you take the first generation of caste system, it is created by God in the sense that certain specific duties coming under the name of a caste were assigned to a type of soul and by this the caste system is created by God. But, the qualities related to a caste are not created by God, which are only learnt by the souls while performing their specific duties. This establishes the following points:-
1) The caste system originally created by God was only assigning specific duties to specific souls.
2) The qualities (talents) related to the castes were not given by God, which were imbibed by the specific soul in performing those specific duties.
3) The qualities imbibed in performing specific duties are not transferred from the soul to its issue.
4) The same qualities are seen in the issue of a specific type of soul only due to the training given by its ancestors, which didn’t come through the blood of ancestors.
5) This whole system appeared in wrong way that the issue of a Brahmana shall be Brahmana because the qualities of father will be transferred to his issue through blood. The actual truth here is that the qualities of the issue of a Brahmana appeared due to the training given by his ancestors and surrounding atmosphere.
6) A quality enters the human soul from the surrounding atmosphere only and not from blood.
God said that He is the establisher of the caste system in the beginning by assigning specific duties of a caste to a specific soul (Braahmanosya mukhamaasiit… Veda). In this situation only God is the creator of caste system in the sense that He assigned certain duties to certain souls in the beginning. Later on, the issues imbibing the qualities and professional talents through training from ancestors and from surrounding atmosphere appeared as if they have attained these qualities through blood.
But, an issue may not have interest in that specific profession and may be interested in some other profession. In such case, such issue will not get the caste of its father, but, gets the caste of the profession in which it is interested. In this situation, God says that He is not the establisher of the caste system since any soul can get any caste by taking intense interest in such profession and get its related qualities. Vishwaamitra born as Kshatriya became Brahmana by the qualities and deeds imbibed from the atmosphere. Similarly, Parashuraama born as Brahmana became Kshatriya.
This finally means that the caste system is not by birth, but, by qualities only. Shri Rama and Shri Krishna are Brahmanas by qualities and Ravana and Ajaamila are not Brahmanas due to absence of the specific qualities. A Brahmana born to a Brahmana can become Brahmana by the qualities imbibed in the atmosphere of his family. But, a Brahmana born to a Brahmana can’t become Brahmana simply by birth without the related qualities and deeds. Such Brahmana by birth (means born to a Brahmana by qualities) is called as Brahmabandhu (means related to Brahmana by birth) and can’t be called as real Brahmana.
You shall not say that the issue of a Brahmana by birth is Brahmana whether the issue possesses the qualities of Brahmana or not. We shall not also say that the issue of a Brahmana by qualities shall not become Brahmana whether it possesses the qualities or not. Both these are negative extremes. The real point is that anybody having the qualities of Brahmana alone is Brahmana. When the qualities of Brahmana caste are absent, a person born to a real Brahmana can’t be Brahmana simply by birth. This is perfectly logical and completely justified concept.
The very first sentence of the verse is that the caste system is simply based on qualities and deeds and this system was created by God. This first sentence is the soul of the concept presented in the beginning itself. In the next sentence of the verse, the above concept is not contradicted at all. The second sentence only says that God is the creator and not creator of the caste system. This mutual contradiction can be solved by taking the two possibilities separately. First Possibility:- God created the caste system (Tasya kartaaramapi…). This applies to the beginning situation of the creation when there is no caste system and simply four souls are created as per the Veda. Each soul is assigned specific duty of a caste. Here, these four souls are not different in qualities because all the four souls are born to the same God. Hence, all these four souls have the same qualities. God created four types of duties coming under four headlines of castes. This creation means that God created theoretically the caste system. Remember that the souls were not differently created. God only created the system of castes and did not create four souls belonging to different castes because all the four souls came from the same God. These four souls do not have previous births so that you can assume some difference in their qualities. The created four souls have human bodies with blood. You may argue that the issues of these four souls belong to the same castes of their fathers. This is not possible because qualities are not transferred through blood. Hence, even if you argue that the first four souls created by God have different qualities induced by God (because Brahmana is born from face having intelligence originally), you cannot achieve anything since the blood of four souls can’t transfer those qualities to the issues respectively. Hence, the qualities are induced in to the issues only by the training given by forefathers. Even the original souls attained the qualities relevant to their castes while doing their duties. A teacher gains teaching talent while he is teaching and the experience of the profession alone induces its related qualities. This possibility is more correct since the first four souls were not having previous births. Even if you say that God induced four different qualities in to four souls by which the four souls did their professions very well, we don’t have any objection to this opinion, but, there is no trace of use of this opinion since the blood of the four souls do not transfer the qualities in to their issues. Second Possibility:- Second possibility is that God is not creator of the caste system (Viddhyakartaaramavyayam…). This applies to the situation of the world after the creation. This indicates the running system of classification of castes after the creation. This means that God is not interfering with the caste system because the caste system is simply based on qualities and deeds only. This means that a Brahmana by birth having qualities of Brahmana becomes Brahmana and a Brahmana by birth not having qualities of Brahmana is no more a Brahmana.
In this way, God is creator of caste system in the beginning of creation only and not after the creation since the qualities and deeds naturally decide the caste in which God is not involved. This interpretation gives the concept, which is properly correlated. ‘Caste system by birth’ created by foolish tape-recorder priests has brought split in Hinduism. This is time to bring out the concept perfectly to unite Hinduism. Unless we unite one religion, how can we unite different religions? Retaining superiority complex by birth without qualities and deeds is illogical, unjust and foolish.
(Note to Shri Hrushikesh: Please send this to Shri Raghavender Rao.)