18 Oct 2025
[Ms. Kiranmai asked:- Padanamaskaram Swami! I read Shri Guru Charithra whenever I feel low, everytime I read I get stuck at one adhyayam where a Chandala recalls past lives after Shri Nrusimha Saraswati Swami places vibhuti on him. He learns he was once a Brahmin but is now born as a chandala, Swami tells the reason is due to abandoning his parents. If castes are formed out of the interest in a field one chooses, why did Swami gave this discriminated justification? Why did Swami answer like this.]
Swami replied:- The qualities and deeds decide the caste and not the birth as told in the Gita. When Swami addressed a person as candala in the current birth, the word ‘candala’ indicates the worst life of a sinner and not by birth. Due to the sinful deed of rejecting his parents, he became a sinner in the past life and continuing to live the sinful life without reformation even in this birth. If he gets reformed and never repeats the sin in future, he will no longer be called as ‘candala’. God says in the Gita that He has created only four castes based on professional qualities and deeds such as Brahmana, Kshatriya, Vaishya and Shudra (Caaturvarnam mayaa shrushtam). This 5th caste called candala was formed much later when the sinners belonging to all the four castes were expelled from their respective castes in the village because of the sins committed by them. This expulsion was done to bring some reformation in the sinners and not for taking revenge on them. The word ‘candala’ means cruelty and anger. Irrespective of gender, any person, who is cruel, can be called as candala. The son or daughter of a candala cannot be called as candala because every soul is different and children should not be punished for the sins done by their parents. The omniscient God has created the caste system based on professional qualities and deeds for the perfect functioning of the society (Gunakarmana vibhaagashah - Gita). The ignorant and cunning human beings created a caste system based on birth to divide the society following Hinduism. Therefore, God told in the Gita that He is not responsible for the caste system based on birth (Viddhyakartaara mavyayam).
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