Original वर्ण आश्रम (varṇa – Class) Model
While the पुरुशार्थ (puruśārtha – soul commitments) doctrine serves as the backbone of the Hindu religious principles, categorizing the objectives in life, the वर्णाश्रम (varṇāśrama) doctrine, serves as its logical corollary. This doctrine basically contains two parts as discussed below,
In order to live a happy and balanced life effectively prioritizing various पुरुशार्थ (puruśārtha – soul commitments) discussed above, ancient Hindu wisdom has logically divided the society into the following चतुर् वर्ण (catur varṇa - four shades) as testified below,
यत् पुरुषं व्यदधुः। कदिधा व्यकल्पयन्।
मुखं किम्स्य कौ वाहु उरू पाद उच्येते॥
ब्रह्मणोऽस्य मुखमासित् बाहू राजन्यः कृतः।
उरू तद्स्य यद्वैश्यः पद्भ्यां शूरो आजायत॥
(
yat puruṣaṃ vyadadhuḥ। kadidhā vyakalpayan।
mukhaṃ kimsya kau vāhu urū pāda ucyete॥
brahmaṇo'sya mukhamāsit bāhū rājanyaḥ kṛtaḥ।
urū tadsya yadvaiśyaḥ padbhyāṃ śūro ājāyata॥
In how many ways did they imagine Him, when they have set up Purusha? What about the important aspets? What about the externals? What did they attain to variety of productive skills and the powers of movement?
His key part (or mouth) was the man of the Word (brahmana). Into the Prince (rajanya), (the strength) of His arms were made. While His wideness (thighs) became the producers (vaishyas). His power of movement (feet) gave birth to the man of service (shudra).
) पुरुष सूक्त (puruṣa sūkta) (10.90.12) (translation by R.L. Kashyap)
Unfortunately, the whole philosophy behind this beautiful doctrine has become very controversial and in fact, the above verses from the ऋग् वेद (ṛg veda has been thoroughly misinterpreted either mistakenly (by the ignorant masses) or worse still, mischievously (by narrow minded vested interests), eventually plaguing the entire society with जाति (jāti – caste) based racial discrimination.
Hence, before proceeding further, it becomes very important for us to understand and appreciate the real intent behind such doctrine. In the words of Swami Vivekananda, “Do not understand it in the light thrown upon it by interested and ignorant fools, but understand it in the light of the true and original Vedantic conception”. To this end, let us first analyze some of the common mistakes in its interpretations and the real meaning behind the same. Fortunately, for us there is a huge list of noble souls and scriptures that would help us understanding the truth better. The list includes spiritual leaders, philosophers, social reformers, government agencies etc. including Śrī Ādi Śaṃkarācārya Bhagavatpāda, Śrī Rāmānujācārya, Śrī Madvācārya, Śrī Aurobindho, Swāmi Vivekānanda, Swāmi Śrī Dayānanda Sarasvati, Svāmi Sivānanda, Śrī Nārāyaṇa Guru, Śrī Arutpirakāsa Rāmalinga Vaḻḻalār, Mahātmā Gāndhi, Mahākavi Subramanya Bhāratiyār, Periyār E V Rāmasvāmi etc.to name a few.
Primarily, we need to understand the esoteric meaning of the above श्लोक (śloka - verse) rather than getting carried away by its literal meaning of different वर्ण (varṇa -class) emerging from the different देह अङ्ग (deha aṅga - body organs) of the महा ब्रह्म पुरुष (mahā brahma puruṣa -Divine Cosmic Personality). His Holiness, Swāmi Śrī Dayānanda Sarasvati, in his monumental work, “सथ्यार्थ प्रकाश (sathyārtha prakāśa - Light Of Truth)”, very clearly explains this point.
“Your translation of the aforesaid mantra is wrong. The word His has reference to the word Purusha , the Formless All-pervading Being, in the preceding mantra. Being Formless He could not have such organs as the mouth. Were He to possess these organs, He could never be Omnipresent, nor therefore Omnipotent, no could He then create and sustain this universe and resolve it into the elementary condition, nor dispense justice to the souls according to their deeds good or bad, nor could He be Omniscient, Unborn, Immortal and the like.
The true meaning, therefore, of this mantra is that it this universe created and sustained by the Omnipresent God, he who is the (mukh) head, leader among men, is called a Braahman, he in whom power and strength (Baahu*) reside preeminently in a Kshatriya. He who travels about from place to place.”
In order to understand the concept better, let us focus on some fundamental questions regarding the same, in terms of what the scriptures themselves have to say in this regard. To start with let us start reflecting on the following thought provoking question raised by the वज्र सूचिक उपनिषद् (vajra sūcika upaniṣad), considered to be one of the मुख्य वेदान्त उपनिषत् (mukhya vedānta upaniṣad – cardinal vedanta upanishad). It begins its enquiry by asking ‘who is exactly a brāhmana?’
ब्राह्मन-क्षत्रिय-वैश्य -शूद्र इति चत्वारो वर्णाः तेशां वर्नानाम् ब्राह्मन एव प्रधान इति वेद-वाचानानुरूपं
स्म्रितिभिर् अप्य् उक्लम् तत्र चद्यम् अस्ति को वा ब्राह्मनो नाम किं जीवः किं देहः किम् जातिः किं ज्ञानम् किं कर्म
किं ध्र्मिका इति
(
brāhmana-kṣatriya-vaiśya-śūdra iti catvāro varṇāḥ teśāṁ varnānām brāhmana eva pradhāna iti veda-vācānānurūpaṁ
smritibhir apy uklam tatra cadyam asti ko vā brāhmano nāma kiṁ jīvaḥ kiṁ dehaḥ kim jātiḥ kiṁ jñānam kiṁ karma
kiṁ dhrmikā iti
The Brāhmana, the Kṣatriya, the Vaiśya and the Śūdra are the four classes (castes). That the Brahmana is the chief among these classes is in accord with the Vedic texts and is affirmed by the smritis. is in accord with the Vedic texts and is affirmed by the smritis. In this connection there is a point worthy of investigation, Who is verily the brahmana? Is he the individual soul? is he the body?is he the class base on birth? Is he the knowledge? Is he the deeds (previous, present or prospective)? Is he the preformer of the rites?
) वज्र सूचिक उपनिषद् (vajra sūcika upaniṣad) -2
The scripture takes each of these questions and starts filtering out each of them saying all these alone does not necessarily qualify one as a ब्राह्मन (brāhmana). Thus, one does not become a ब्राह्मन (brāhmana) just by his birth, nor does one become a ब्राह्मन (brāhmana) just by blindly performing rituals nor by superficial knowledge or blind intellectual scholarship. Moreover, the four-fold classification was based on the temperamental potential viz. the Spiritual Quotient (SQ) of the individual soul rather than on hereditary basis as misunderstood by many today. In other words, individual souls where associated with specific groups based on their qualifications i.e. कर्म (karma - aptitude) & गुण (guṇa – attitude). This fact is very categorically declared by none less than Lord श्री कृश्न (śrī kṛśna) Himself in श्रीमद् भगवद् गीता (śrīmad bhagavad gītā)
चातुर्वर्ण्यां मया स्रिष्टं गुणकर्म विभागशः।
तस्य कर्तारम् अपि मां विद्ध्य् अक्कर्तारम् अव्ययम्॥
(
cāturvarṇyāṁ mayā sriṣṭaṁ guṇakarma vibhāgaśaḥ|
tasya kartāram api māṁ viddhy akkartāram avyayam||
The fourfold caste has been created by Me according to the distribution of energies and actions; though I am the author thereof, know Me as non-agent and immutable..
) श्रीमद् भगवद् गीता (śrīmad bhagavad gītā) (4.13)
Let us now hear from the मुख्य वेदान्त परमाचार्य (mukhya vedānta paramācārya - principle preceptors of Vedanta) as part of their commentaries on these versesThis is what श्री आदि शंकराचार्य (śrī ādi śaṃkarācārya) in his famous commentary on the above verses declares thus: "The four castes (van.'as, lit., colours) have been created by Me, tsvara, according to the distribution of energies (gunas) and of actions. The energies are Sattva (goodness). Rajas (foulness, activity), and Tamas (darkness). The actions of a brahmawa ( priest ), in whom Sattva predominates, are serenity, self-restraint, austerity, &c., . The actions of a kshatriya (warrior), in whom Rajas predominates and Sattva is subordinate to Rajas, are prowess, daring,. &c., The actions of a vaisya (merchant), in whom Rajas predominates and Tamas is subordinate to Rajas, are agriculture, etc. . The actionof a 5udra (servant), in whom Tamas predominates acid Rajas is subordinate to Tamas, is only servitude. Thus have been created the four castes according to the distribution of energies and actions. This fourfold caste does not exist in other worlds. Hence the limitation 'in this world of man'."
श्री रामानुजाचार्य (śrī rāmānujācārya) the principle proponent of विशिष्टाद्वैत दर्शन (viśiṣṭādvaita darśana - philosophy of qualified nonduality) explains thus on the above verses: "The entire material manifestation from Brahma down to a blade of grass has been divided by Lord Krishna into the four-fold divisions in accordance to their natural dispositions and qualities. For humans they are brahmin or the priestly class, kshatriya the royal warrior class, vaisya the farmer and trading class and sudra the servant class. This is in conformance with their material natures being in goodness, passion or nescience which subsequently qualifies them for the type of occupation they engage in their life. ..."
श्री मद्वाचार्य (śrī madvācārya) in his famous भाष्य (bhāṣya – commentry) on the above verses of the गीता (gītā), further explains the concept thus, “Lord Krishna is the origin of the four classifications in Vedic culture as spoken here. Those of sattva guna or the mode of goodness are designated as Brahmins or priestly class. Those of mixed sattva guna and rajas guna or the mode of passion are known as ksatriyas or warrior class. Those mixed with rajas guna and tama guna or the mode of ignorance are the vaisyas or mercantile class and those in tama guna are the sudras or servant class...The four orders descending in purity from sattva guna to rajas guna to tama guna have been described here. Those in sattva guna are the Vaisnava devotees of the supreme Lord Krishna possessing tranquillity and self- control. All others as their sattva decreases are in tama guna in descending order. Thus sattva guna is determined by one's ability and capacity to be a devotee of Lord Krishna and the further away one is from this the deeper one is covered by tama guna . Thus this is the difference between them and occurs naturally due to their character and disposition. The differences and conditions acquired due to birth should be understood to be merely a designation as devotion to the Supreme Lord Krishna has been seen to arise and manifest in all four orders of existence. Amongst some it is more potent and in others less so and even these differences happen naturally according to an individuals inherent attributes. ”
Besides भगवान् श्री कृष्ण (bhagavān śrī kṛṣṇa) does not stop here and in fact in the 18th chapter , the श्री गीताचार्य (śrī gītācārya - preceptor of the song) very clearly reiterates that the वर्ण (varṇa - class) is purely based on the त्रिगुण स्वभाव (triguṇa svabhāva - trifold natures) which in turn is based on the individual's karmic quotient.
ब्राह्मन क्षात्रिय विशां शूद्राणं च परन्तप।
कर्माणि प्रविभक्तानि स्वभाव प्रभैर् गुणैः॥
(
brāhmana kṣātriya viśāṁ śūdrāṇaṁ ca parantapa |
karmāṇi pravibhaktāni svabhāva prabhair guṇaiḥ||
O Arjuna, the activities of the Brāhmana, kṣātriya, vaiṣyas and the śūdras are clearly divided according to the qualities born of their own nature
) श्रीमद् भगवद् गीता (śrīmad bhagavad gītā) (18.41)
श्री आदि शंकराचार्य (śrī ādi śaṃkarācārya) in his famous commentary on the above verses declares thus: "Divided : the duties are allotted to each class, as distinguished from those pertaining to the other classes. —By what standard ? —-According to the qualities (gunas) born of nature. Nature (svabhava) is the Isvara's Praknti, the Maya made up of the three gu;2as. It is in accordance with the gu?;as of the Praknti that duties—such as serenity and the like —are assigned to the Brahma;zas, etc. respectively.Or to explain in another way : The source of the Brrihniawa's nature (svabhava) is the guna of Sattva ; the source of the Kshatriya's nature is Rajas and Sattva, the latter being subordinate to the former ; the source of the Vaisya's nature is Rajas and Tamas, the latter being subordinate to the former ; the source of the Sudra's nature is Tamas and Rajas, the latter being subordinate to the former. For, as we see, the characteristic features of their nature are serenity, lordliness, activity, and dullness respectively. Or to interpret yet in another way : —Nature (svabhava) is the tendency (Sa/ziskara, Vasana) in living beings acquired by them in the past births, and manifesting itself in the present birth by way of being ready to yield its effects : and this nature is the source of thegu»as, it being impossible for the gu«as to manifest themselves without a cause. The assertion that nature (Sawskara, Vasana) is the cause (of the gu;ias) means that it is a kind of specific cause. The duties, such as serenity, are assigned to the four classes in accordance with the guz/as of Sattva, Rajas and Tamas, which are brought into manifestation by their respective natural tendencies, and which lead to those duties as their natural effects."
Similarly, more recently, Sri Aurobindho also in his famous work ‘The Cycle of Society’ provides a detailed explanation which I would like to reproduce here: “…let us take, for this example will serve us best, the Vedic institution of the fourfold order, caturvarṇa, miscalled the system of the four castes,—for caste is a conventional, varṇa a symbolic and typal institution. We are told that the institution of the four orders of society was the result of an economic evolution complicated by political causes. Very possibly;1 but the important point is that it was not so regarded and could not be so regarded by the men of that age. For while we are satisfied when we have found the practical and material causes of a social phenomenon and do not care to look farther, they cared little or only subordinately for its material factors and looked always first and foremost for its symbolic, religious or psychological significance. This appears in the Purushasukta of the Veda, where the four orders are described as having sprung from the body of the creative Deity, from his head, arms, thighs and feet. To us this is merely a poetical image and its sense is that the Brahmins were the men of knowledge, the Kshatriyas the men of power, the Vaishyas the producers and support of society, the Shudras its servants. As if that were all, as if the men of those days would have so profound a reverence for mere poetical figures like this of the body of Brahma or that other of the marriages of Suryā, would have built upon them elaborate systems of ritual and sacred ceremony, enduring institutions, great demarcations of social type and ethical discipline. We read always our own mentality into that of these ancient forefathers and it is therefore that we can find in them nothing but imaginative barbarians. To us poetry is a revel of intellect and fancy, imagination a plaything and caterer for our amusement, our entertainer, the nautch-girl of the mind. But to the men of old the poet was a seer, a revealer of hidden truths, imagination no dancing courtesan but a priestess in God's house commissioned not to spin fictions but to image difficult and hidden truths; even the metaphoror simile in the Vedic style is used with a serious purpose and expected to convey a reality, not to suggest a pleasing artifice of thought. The image was to these seers a revelative symbol of the unrevealed and it was used because it could hint luminously to the mind what the precise intellectual word, apt only for logical or practical thought or to express the physical and the superficial, could not at all hope to manifest. To them this symbol of the Creator's body was more than an image, it expressed a divine reality. Human society was for them an attempt to express in life the cosmicPurusha who has expressed himself otherwise in the material and the supraphysical universe. Man and the cosmos are both of them symbols and expressions of the same hidden Reality.
From this symbolic attitude came the tendency to make everything in society a sacrament, religious and sacrosanct, but as yet with a large and vigorous freedom in all its forms,—a freedom which we do not find in the rigidity of "savage" communities because these have already passed out of the symbolic into the conventional stage though on a curve of degeneration instead of a curve of growth. The spiritual idea governs all; the symbolic religious forms which support it are fixed in principle; the social forms are lax, free and capable of infinite development. One thing, however, begins to progress towards a firm fixity and this is the psychological type. Thus we have first the symbolic idea of the four orders, expressing—to employ an abstractly figurative language which the Vedic thinkers would not have used nor perhaps understood, but which helps best our modern understanding—the Divine as knowledge in man, the Divine as power, the Divine as production, enjoyment and mutuality, the Divine as service, obedience and work. These divisions answer to four cosmic principles, the Wisdom that conceives the order and principle of things, the Power that sanctions, upholds and enforces it, the Harmony that creates the arrangement of its parts, the Work that carries out what the rest direct. Next, out of this idea there developed a firm but not yet rigid social order based primarily upon temperament and psychic type2 with a corresponding ethical discipline and secondarily upon the social and economic function.3 But the function was determined by its suitability to the type and its helpfulness to the discipline; it was not the primary or sole factor. The first, the symbolic stage of this evolution is predominantly religious and spiritual; the other elements, psychological, ethical, economic, physical are there but subordinated to the spiritual and religious idea. The second stage, which we may call the typal, is predominantly psychological and ethical; all else, even the spiritual and religious, is subordinate to the psychological idea and to the ethical ideal which expresses it. Religion becomes then a mystic sanction for the ethical motive and discipline, Dharma; that becomes its chief social utility, and for the rest it takes a more and more other-worldly turn. The idea of the direct expression of the divine Being or cosmic Principle in man ceases to dominate or to be the leader and in the forefront; it recedes, stands in the background and finally disappears from the practice and in the end even from the theory of life.
This typal stage creates the great social ideals which remain impressed upon the human mind even when the stage itself is passed. The principal active contribution it leaves behind when it is dead is the idea of social honour; the honour of the Brahmin which resides in purity, in piety, in a high reverence for the things of the mind and spirit and a disinterested possession and exclusive pursuit of learning and knowledge; the honour of the Kshatriya which lives in courage, chivalry, strength, a certain proud self-restraint and self-mastery, nobility of character and the obligations of that nobility; the honour of the Vaishya which maintains itself by rectitude of dealing, mercantile fidelity, sound production, order, liberality and philanthropy; the honour of the Shudra which gives itself in obedience, subordination, faithful service, a disinterested attachment. But these more and more cease to have a living root in the clear psychological idea or to spring naturally out of the inner life of the man; they become a convention, though the most noble of conventions. In the end they remain more as a tradition in the thought and on the lips than a reality of the life.
Thus, the personal character and capabilities of every individual, is, to a large extent, determined by his सञ्चित कर्म (sañcita karma) accumulated as कर्म वासना (karmic vāsanās - inherent tendencies); and accordingly, one’s Spiritual Quotient (SQ) is determined as indicated by the following table below:
वर्ण (varṇa - class) | Aspect of Divinity as ऋग् वेद (ṛg veda) - पुरुष सुक्त (puruṣa sukta) | पुरुषार्थ (puru ṣārtha – soul’s objective) | गुण (guṇa - quality) (According to Sri Aurobindho) | कर्म (karma - function) |
ब्राह्मन (brāhmana) | मुखम (mukham - head/face) | मोक्श (mokśa - renounce) | सत्व गुण (satva guṇa) purity, piety, a high reverence for the things of the mind and spirit and a disinterested possession & exclusive pursuit of learning & knowledge | Priestly |
क्षात्रिय (kṣātriya) | बाहु (bāhu - hands) | धर्म (dharma - control) | रजो गुण (rajo guṇa) courage, chivalry, strength, a certain proud self-restraint and self-mastery, the nobility of character and the obligations of that nobility | Administrative |
वैश्य (vaiśya) | ऊरू (ūrū - thighs) | अर्थ (artha - procure) | रजो - तमो गुण (rajo – tamo guṇa) The rectitude of dealing, mercantile fidelity, sound production, order, liberality and philanthropy | Enterprising – Business & Agriculture |
शूद्र (śūdra) | पध्याम (padhyām - legs) | काम (kāma - desire) | तमो गुण (tamo guṇa) obedience, subordination, faithful service, a disinterested attachment | Labor |
Again, Mahatma Gandhi further reiterates this fact, as well, who says, “I believe that every man is born in the world with certain natural tendencies. Every person is born with certain definit limitations which he cannot overcome. From a careful observation of those limitations the law of varna was deduced. It established certain spheres of actions for certain people with certain tendencies. This avoided all unworthy competition. Whilst recognizing limitations, the law of varna admitted of no distinctions of high and low; on the one hand, it guaranteed to each the fruits of his labours, and one the other, it prevented him from pressing upon his neighbours. This great law has been degraded and fallen into disrepute. But my conviction is that an ideal social order will only be evolved when the implications of this law are fully understood and given effect to.”
For better understanding, let us take the case of the ब्राह्मन वर्ण (brāhmana varṇa – brahmin class) – the highest class in the hierarchy. From above table it, is evident that the title is a qualification that one has to earn purely based on merit, that is, noble conduct holistically manifested thought, word and deed. For example, I do not automatically become a medical doctor, just because I was born in doctor’s family. Unless I formally qualify myself and obtain the appropriate university degree, I am not a doctor. Similarly, for a soul to be considered a ब्राह्मन (brāhmana), he has to qualify himself. Please remember this is not an academic qualification but a spiritual pre-requisite prescribed in the scriptures. The श्रीमद् भगवद् गीता (śrīmad bhagavad gītā) for example defines the pre-requisite qualifications for a ब्राह्मन (brāhmana) as follows,
शमो दमस्तपः शौचं क्षान्तिर् आर्जवम् एव च।
ञानं विञानम् आस्तिक्यं ब्रह्म-कर्म स्वभाव जम्॥
(
śamo damastapaḥ śaucaṁ kṣāntir ārjavam eva ca|
ñānaṁ viñānam āstikyaṁ brahma-karma svabhāva jam||
The natural duties of the Brahmanas are the control of the internal and external organs,
austerity, purity, forgiveness, straightforwardness, knowledge as also wisdom [Knowledge refers to
the understanding of subjects presented by the scriptures; wisdom means making them matters of one's own experience.] and faith.
) श्रीमद् भगवद् गीता (śrīmad bhagavad gītā)
-translation by Swamy Gambhiranada (RKM order) (18.42)
And thus it is quite obvious that, one does not become a ब्रह्मन (brahmana - brahmin) merely based on his social caste, rather he has to deserve the same based on his merits. Only a sincere seeker and knower of ब्रह्म ज्ञान (brahma jñāna – spiritual wisdom) becomes ब्रह्मन (brahmana - brahmin). For that matter, anybody, (irrespective of one’s economic or social lineage in terms of religion, cast or creed,) who possess such nobel qualities and abilities is ideally a ब्रह्मन (brahmana - brahmin). Swāmi Dhayānadha Saraswati, very strongly endorses this fact, “Yes. Many, in the past, have become Braahmans many in the present do and many in future, will. Here are some of the historical proofs. In the Chhaandogya Upnishad we read that the sage Javaal of an unknown Class became a Braahman. In the Mahaahaarata, it is written that Mishwaamitra, Kshatriya (second class) became a Braahman, so did the sage Maatang an outcast by birth. Even at the present day, he who possesses the qualification, character and knowledge of a Braahman is respected as such and the ignorant are treated as Shoodraas (lowest class). So will it be in the future”. If one flips through the pages of Indian history, one can obviosuly understand that there are many more such honarable examples as well, viz.-
· जनक महऋषि (janaka mahaṛśi),
· विश्वामित्र महऋषि (viśvāmitra mahaṛśi),
· सिद्धार्त गौतम बुद्ध (siddhārta gautama buddha),
· वर्धमान् महावीर (vardhamān mahāvīr),
· वाल्मीकि महऋषि (vālmīki mahaṛśi)
· ஸ்ரீ குலசேகர ஆழ்வார் (sri kulasEkara aazhvaar),
· ஸ்ரீ சடகோபனஂ (sri sadagOpan) more lovingly called as ஸ்ரீ நம்மாழ்வார் (sri nammaazhvaar),
· திரு திண்ணபஂபனஂ (thiru thiNNappan), better known as திரு கண்ணபஂப நாயனாரஂ (kaNNappa naayanaar),
· திரு நந்தனாரஂ (thuru nandhanaar) better known as திரு நாளைப்போவார் நாயனாரஂ (thiru naaLaip pOvaar naayanaar),
· திரு இராமலிங்க வள்ளலார் ( thiru iraamalinga vaLLalaar),
· Swami Vivekananda,
· Mīrā Bhāi,
· Saint Tukaram etc.
Thus, the life and spiritual attainments of all these noble souls serve as indisputable testimony that spiritual quotient is not necessarily determined by the clan of one’s birth. वज्र सूचिक उपनिषद् (vajra sūcika upaniṣad) further testifies on these lines by declaring thus,
लर्हि जाति ब्रामन इति चेत् तन् न तत्र जात्यन्त्रजन्तुस्व्
अन्क् जाति सम्भवा मह्र्सयो बहव्स् सन्ति। ऋयर्ण्गो मृग्याः
कौशिकः कुशत् जाम्बूकोजम्बुकात् वाल्मिकोवाल्मिकात् व्यासः
कैवर्त कन्यायम् शाश पऋशात् गौतमः वसिश्थ ऊर्व्श्याम्
अगत कलशे जात इति श्रुतवात् एतेशाम् एताम् जात विनाप्य्
अग्रे ज्ञान प्रतिपादित रश्यो भवः शान्ति तस्मान् जातिर् ब्राह्मन इति
(
larhi jāti brāmana iti cet tan na tatra jātyantrajantusv
ank jāti sambhavā mahrsayo bahavs santi| ṛyarṇgo mṛgyāḥ
kauśikaḥ kuśat jāmbūkojambukāt vālmikovālmikāt vyāsaḥ
kaivarta kanyāyam śāśa paṛśāt gautamaḥ vasiśtha ūrvśyām
agata kalaśe jāta iti śrutavāt eteśām etām jāta vināpy
agre jñāna pratipādita raśyo bhavaḥ śānti tasmān jātir brāhmana iti
Then (if it is said) that birth (makes) the brahmana, it is not so, for there are many species among creatures, other than humans, many sages are of diverse origin. We hear from the sacred books that ṛśyaśṛṇga was born of a deer, kauśika of kusha grass; jāmbuka from a jackal,valmiki from an anthill, Vyasa from a fisher-girl, Gautama from the back of a hare, Vasishta from Urvasi ( the celestial nymph), Agastya from earthen jar. Among these despite their birth, there are many sages, who have taken the highest rank, having given proof of their wisdom. Therefore birth does not (make) a brahmana
) वज्र सूचिक उपनिषद् (vajra sūcika upaniṣad) (5)
In fact, according to मनुस्मृति (manusmṛti) everyone originally is born as a शूद्र (śūdra – lowest class) and only based on one’s spiritual progress, he attains the higher states of spiritual classes, including that of a ब्राह्मन (brāhmana)
जन्मन जयते सूद्रः
संस्करद् भवेद् द्विजः
वेद-पथद् भवेद् विप्रो
ब्रह्म जनतिति ब्रह्मनः
(
janmana jayate sūdraḥ
saṁskarad bhaved dvijaḥ
veda-pathad bhaved vipro
brahma janatiti brahmanaḥ
By birth one is a sudra (lowest caste), by
the purificatory process one becomes a dvija (higher caste), by study of the Vedas one becomes a vipra, and one who knows Brahman is a brahmana..
) मनुस्मृति (manusmṛti)
Thus, from all the above discussions and scriptural testimonies, by now it should be clear that the specific class of an individual soul is purely based on merit -spiritual maturity (spiritual quotient). For example, the ideal qualities of a ब्राह्मन (brāhmana) as prescribed in the sacred scriptures, is very beautifully summarized in the following verses:
तर्हि का वा ब्राह्मनो नाम यः कश्चिद् आत्मानम् अद्वित्यम् जाति गुण क्रिया हीनाम् शडुरमि-शद्भावेत्यादि-सर्व दोश रहितम् सत्य ज्ञानान्द आनन्द स्वरूपम् स्वयम् निर्विकल्पम् अशेश कल्पाधारम् आशेश भुतान्तर्यामित्वेन वर्तमाम् अन्तर्भाशिच् अकाशवाद् अनुश्यूतम् अखन्दानन्द स्वभावम् अप्रमेयम् अनुभवैकवेद्यम् अपरोक्शतयाभासमानम् करतलामलकरत् सक्क्षात् अपरोक्शिक्रिय कृतातलया काम रागादि दोश रहितः सामादि गुण सम्पन्नो भाव मात्शर्य तृश्नासा मोहादि रहितः दम्भाहं कारादिभिर् असंस्पृश्ताचेत वर्तते एवम् उक्तलक्षणु यः स एव ब्राह्मन इति श्रुति स्मृति पुराणैतिहासनाम् अभिप्रयाः अन्यथाब्राह्मणत्व- सिद्धिर् नास्त्य एव सत्-चित्-आनन्दमात्मानम् अद्वितीयम् ब्रह्म भवयेत् आत्मनम् अद्वितियम् ब्रह्म भायेत् इत्य् उपनिषद्
(
tarhi kā vā brāhmano nāma yaḥ kaścid ātmānam advityam jāti guṇa kriyā hīnām śaḍurami-śadbhāvetyādi-sarva dośa rahitam satya jñānānda ānanda svarūpam svayam nirvikalpam aśeśa kalpādhāram āśeśa bhutāntaryāmitvena vartamām antarbhāśic akāśavād anuśyūtam akhandānanda svabhāvam aprameyam anubhavaikavedyam aparokśatayābhāsamānam karatalāmalakarat sakkṣāt aparokśikriya kṛtātalayā kāma rāgādi dośa rahitaḥ sāmādi guṇa sampanno bhāva mātśarya tṛśnāsā mohādi rahitaḥ dambhāhaṁ kārādibhir asaṁspṛśtāceta vartate evam uktalakṣaṇu yaḥ sa eva brāhmana iti śruti smṛti purāṇaitihāsanām abhiprayāḥ anyathābrāhmaṇatva- siddhir nāstya eva sat-cit-ānandamātmānam advitīyam brahma bhavayet ātmanam advitiyam brahma bhāyet ity upaniṣad
Then who verily is a brahmana? He who after directly perceiving, like the amalatka fruit in the palm of one's hand, the self, without a second, devoid of distinctions of birth, attribute and action, devoid of all faults such as the six infirmities, and the six stages of the form of truth, wisdom, bliss and eternity, that is by itself devoid of determinations, the basis of endless determinations, who functions as the indwelling spirit of all beings, who pervades the interior and the exterior of all like either, of the nature of bliss, indivisible, immeasurable, realizable only through one's experience and who manifests himself directly (as one's self), and through the fulfillment of his nature, becomes rid of the faults of desire, attachment etc., and endowed with qualities of tranquility etc, rid of the states of being, spite greed, expectation, bewilderment etc., with his mind unaffected by ostentation, self-sense and the like, he lives. He alone who is possessed of these qualities is a Brahmana, This is the view of the Vedic texts and tradition, ancient lore and history. The accomplishment of the state of Brahmana is otherwise impossible. Meditate on Brahman, the self, who is being, consciousness and bliss without a second. This is the upniShad.
) वज्र सूचिक उपनिषद् (vajra sūcika upaniṣad) Translation by Dr. Sarvepalli S Radhakrishna
Corruption of चतुर् वर्ण (catur varṇa – fourfold classes) as जाति वंस (jāti vaṁsa – caste hierarchy)
Hopefully after all these testimonies and discussion, it should be clear that any open minded historical analysis will testify that originally value-based spiritual education was an integral practice, as part of the time-tested वर्णाश्रम धर्म (varṇāśrama dharma) model of गुरुकुल (gurukula) learning. While the चतुर् पुरुषार्थ (catur puruṣārtha – fourfold soul’s goal) doctrine serves as the backbone of the Hindu religious principles, categorizing the four-fold objectives in life, the वर्णाश्रम (varṇāśrama – class-phase) doctrine, serves as its logical corollary. This doctrine basically contains two parts each containing fourfold classifications, viz
- चतुर् आश्रम (catur āśrama – fourfold phases): Next, how the achievement of these स्वधर्म (svadharma – self duties) are effectively managed (planned, organized and implemented) through the different phases (life’s mile-stones) of temporal existence viz. ब्रह्मचर्य आश्रम (brahmacarya āśrama – student phase), गृहस्थ आश्रम (gṛhastha āśrama – householder phase), वनप्रस्थ आश्रम (vanaprastha āśrama – retirement phase) & सन्न्यासम (sannyāsam āśrama – renunciation phase) .
Thus, one does not become a ब्राह्मन (brāhmana), क्षात्रिय (kṣātriya) etc., just by his or her जनन (janana- birth), nor does one become a ब्राह्मन (brāhmana) just by blindly performing rituals nor by superficial knowledge or blind intellectual scholarship. Moreover, the चतुर् वर्ण (catur varṇa – fourfold classes) was based on the temperamental potential viz. the Spiritual Quotient (SQ) of the individual soul rather than on hereditary basis as misunderstood by many these days. In other words, individual souls where associated with specific groups based on their qualifications i.e. कर्म (karma - aptitude) & गुण (guṇa – attitude).
Originally according to the orthodox वैदिक संप्रदाय (vaidika saṁpradāya – vedic tradition), the वर्णाश्रम धर्म (varṇāśrama dharma) was specifically used for classification of the souls purely on spiritual maturity basis. Gradually, for operational reasons, the model was extended to defining the occupational hierarchy in the society in terms priestly visionaries/consultants, political / administrative governance, economic (and other resource) mobilization and executive teams. The intent was to leverage optimum mix of knowledge and skill sets based on the individual abilities to effectively harness the collective consciousness of the society as a whole, towards the वश्वानर पुरुषार्थ (vaiśvānara puruṣārtha – universal soul’s goal). Thus, वर्णाश्रम धर्म (varṇāśrama dharma) which was originally driven by spiritual intentions was extended to vocational or politico-economic fabric. Nothing wrong about it as this a natural evolution and was very effective for several centuries. Of course, even today, in postmodern societies such professional or managerial hierarchies are inevitable in both corporate as well as government sectors. So far so good.
However, somewhere down the line, during the dark middle ages of our society, the concept of वर्णाश्रम धर्म (varṇāśrama dharma) got वक्र (vakra – crooked / corrupted) from वर्गनुवंश (vargaanuvaṁśa – class hierarchy) based on spiritual index to जाति वंस (jāti vaṁsa – caste hierarchy). And soon the social evils of nepotism, racial discrimination and தீண்டாமை (thINDaamai - untouchability) etc., began to spread like cancer across the length and breadth of the country. The concept of जाति (jāti - caste) based hierarchy was never emphasized in the original sacred वेद शास्त्र (veda śāstra - Vedic scriptures) but somehow got introduced in the social lifestyle. जाति (jāti - caste) replaced वर्णा (varṇā - class) and people got confused between the two concepts. For example, technically speaking, ब्राह्मन (brāhmana) is a वर्णा (varṇā - class) and not a जाति (jāti - caste), unlike ஐய்யர் (aiyyar), ஐயங்கார் (aiyangaar) etc. which are social castes. But unfortunately, somewhere down the lane. वर्णा (varṇā - class) got mixed up with जाति (jāti - caste) tagged ‘Brahmin’. So is the case with முதலியார் (mudhaliyaar), செட்டியார்(chettiyaar) etc. Eventually जाति (jāti - caste) was indirectly mapped with वर्णा (varṇā -class) and then tagged as “forward” and “backward” grading purely for materialistic reasons.
Eventually the walls become thicker and the discrimination more brutal. Some (so-called) forward castes in the name of தீண்டாமை (thINDaamai - untouchability), were responsible for the social discrimination. Lower castes were exploited and denied equal justice. They were not allowed to enter the residential areas or places of worship of the forward castes. Spiritual education became the exclusive rights of the forward castes as they denied the right of studying Vedas and other Sanskrit scriptures for other communities. Sanskrit learning was exclusive privilege of selected few so called upper castes...And as these forward castes were a minority, Vedic and Sanskrit scholarship began to reduce.
This majority people and gradually once post English introduction in education these forward casts also lost motivation to learn Sanskrit as they started applying for Government jobs by passing English exams. Industrial revolution and factory model of English education reduced the need for studying Sanskrit, Vedas or scriptures... Sanskrit which was predominantly a language of spiritual learning than for social communication lost importance gradually among forward casts as well.
But ironically the same Westerners who demotivated Sanskrit learning for Brahmin’s by the cheap 'carrot and stick" model of education tied to civil service govt jobs, they themselves pumped lots of money to learn and master Sanskrit. Britain, Germany, France etc... set up their councils here and spent lots of time learning Sanskrit and its scriptures.: Ideological studies became a royal western hobby or profession. Fredric Max Muller was a classic example. In a nutshell, Indians stopped learning Sanskrit while Europeans began learning.
We as individuals also have a constructive role in safeguarding and enriching Hindu spirituality by proactive social role participation in whatever capacity possible. It can be even better stated that while Hindu organizations failed to perform their roles missionaries capitalized the same and began spreading their tentacles. In spite of almost 70+ years post-independence, we are still predominantly following British designed curriculum not only in school education but also higher education. IAS etc.
Tweaked anti Hindu versions of history is taught even today. Complete neglect of ethics and morals and devotion in school syllabus. Our ancient Hindu, Buddhist and Jain Astronomy, astrology, sociology, economics metaphysics, ontology, mathematics etc... Are so advanced many leading western universities across globe are researching for decades...But in Indian curriculum completely neglected. All we teach our kids is how to make money, manage money multiply money ...Educate yourself only for remunerative jobs. So who is the real black sheep? We are following many religious festivals and customs but we hardly try to explain its spiritual and scientific basis and reasons to the younger generation...Because of the failure in knowledge transition...the younger generation lose hold of its foundational wisdom and soon become viable for easy brainwashing...In the name of rationalism (பகுத்தறிவு). We have failed to inculcate பகத்து அறியும் spirituality. Earlier Gurukulam style of education focused precisely on such foundational spiritual education...We no longer are ready to invest time, money or energy in giving it to our kids.
Tweaked anti Hindu versions of history is taught even today. Complete neglect of ethics and morals and devotion in school syllabus. Our ancient Hindu, Buddhist and Jain Astronomy, astrology, sociology, economics metaphysics, ontology, mathematics etc... Are so advanced many leading western universities across globe are researching for decades...But in Indian curriculum completely neglected. All we teach our kids is how to make money, manage money multiply money ...Educate yourself only for remunerative jobs. So who is the real black sheep? We are following many religious festivals and customs but we hardly try to explain its spiritual and scientific basis and reasons to the younger generation...Because of the failure in knowledge transition...the younger generation lose hold of its foundational wisdom and soon become viable for easy brainwashing...In the name of rationalism (பகுத்தறிவு). We have failed to inculcate பகத்து அறியும் spirituality. Earlier Gurukulam style of education focused precisely on such foundational spiritual education...We no longer are ready to invest time, money or energy in giving it to our kids.
