Varna : The Caste System misinterpreted by the British, and the Nehru/Gandhi infected Indian Education System - Where does it come from?!

This is in response to a question posed by Santhip, in a comment on another post.

This bit actually comes from the section of the Veda dealing with society and people, of which, The Mahabhaaratha is but a small part.

Incidentally, it might interest you that The Mahabhaaratha is also a record of the 10,000 basic characteristics of human beings. Every human being is a combination of thousands of these base factors…

The idea of portraying facts through parables, or real-life examples has long been used in Vedic literature. For instance, the ‘fable’ about Tharakasura is actually a record of a cosmic body, a comet, on its path of direct collision with Bhoomi Devi (The Earth?). Let me clarify that. A-Sura is a term for a being that is NOT-Sura. Sura
meaning ‘enlightened’ or ‘aware’ or even ‘conscious’. So, Thara (Light-emitting cosmic body/Star/Comet)-Ka (Son of)-A (not)-Sura (Enlightened/Good) was actually a cosmic body/being that went against the Principle of The Universe. Ultimately, it fell to one of the entities (Lord Shiva)of the Universal Governance Mechanism to ensure that this ‘Thara’ drunk with power (the purana depicts how the entity received special powers via Lord Brahma) did not destroy the fabric of the Universe.

It is in a similar way, with details such as the exact time (depicted by the positions of heavenly bodies that follow strict mathematical patterns) that the creation of the Himalayas as they're thrown up from under the oceans is described. The time-scale (70 million years ago) matches geological data proved by 'modern' science.

To really appreciate the detail of the narration, one must be adept at Samskrth – the precision of expression in that perfect language is absolute pleasure! Those who don’t know Samskrth are apt to misinterpret it based on Kali-marketed archetypes and concepts - No, I'm not telling anyone here to go and learn Samskrth- I'm merley appreciating the beauty and inherently disambiguous nature of the language...it's so hard to express in Hindi, English, Farsi, Tamizh or any other language concepts originally described in Samskrth, but I'm going to try.

I have seen hundreds of writings where Vidhya is translated as knowledge. Actually, Vidhya is Skill, and Gnyaanam is Knowledge. And these are very different concepts in Samskrth…

Why am I harping on about concepts? Because the answer to your question, Santhip, is a concept…

Like it or not, not everyone is born equal. That said, no one is more fortunate or less fortunate than the other. As humans, we merely tend to perceive it as such. The differences are merely Karmic. By design, and by default, we are all immortal beings, part of the Absolute Being – ||Eashwara:||

Hmmm…if we’re all parts of 1 Absolute being, then how come the population keeps going UP?!?! Eh? Aaahh, Brethren – herein lies the concept of the Absolute. Quick Question: If I have 1 Absolute (Imagine this to be a brick) and I chop it midway, into half, what would I end up with?

Two Semi-Absolutes? Hmmm…possible, except that we’re talking about The Absolute here. Conceptually, the Absolute is Omniscient, Omnipresent. In Samskrth, The Absolute is immortal, is beyond emotion or attachment, has no desire - it has no thoughts or attributers - by nature it is INFINITE, and by definition it has no limits - it is all-encompassing, and is yet so subtle that it is The Unmanifest.

What does this bring to our hypothesis about the Absolute brick cut into 2 equal pieces? That’s right – we would end up with two COMPLETE Absolutes each a complete representation of the Original Absolute from which it was cut.

Get it? The Absolute is The Absolute because whatever you do to it, it CANNOT be altered in any way. Chop it into a hundred, and each bit is complete, and Absolute, as was the whole. And Moreover, they’d all be the same size as the Original Absolute. You can go on cutting it into a Billion Little Absolutes, and the same thing’ll happen. The Billions will represent the Original even to having the same size, and powers, and these Billions will be connected to each other as a Single Whole.

Get the idea? If not, read it again. Imagine the whole thing in terms of bricks.

Remember that by origin, we are all immortal absolutes - only the physical body/mind complex is discarded/manufactured each time for a specific Karmic purpose.

This logic won’t apply to our physical world - the body/mind complex or the 'reality' we see/perceive around us- because the Physical World is Maya. Maya is another principle – most simply described as Illusion, or The Unreal. That’s another post in itself. Remind me later…

Now - back to our System: there is no Beginning or End, in the Christian/Biblical/Kali-marketed sense of the word. It’s an Endless Cycle – like the Symbolic Zero (which comes from Ancient Bhaaratha) which has no starting point or end-point.

There is the Supreme Being. Eashwara. This being is neither male nor female, is neither righteous nor unrighteous, has no spoken expression nor any expression in the form of thought – in other words, this Being has NO Attributes. No definable traits, characteristics or properties. It merely IS – It simply exists as Pure Consciousness.

The only ‘activity’ of this being is its cycle of Sleep and Wakefulness. When the Being wakes up, It unerringly starts a cycle of creation/dissolution.

To fully perceive why The Being does this, The Scripture says that each ‘individual’ consciousness must Karmically attain the level of consciousness of The Being.

Anyways, The Being sets off a chain of events that lead to Creation based on a single Principle on which all Universes are created – Purushaartha (Ladies, this has nothing to do with Masculinity in the Human sense.) Think about it – Universe = Uni + Verse = 1 Single Verse…

The first of these events is a Manifestation of The Being itself – remember, The Being has no presence – it’s pure consciousness itself. Hence – the first Manifestation is MahaaKaali – or the Mother of All Creation – Time - which 'begins' when The Being Awakens. And then, IN MahaaKaali (Time), manifests the First Manifested Being of Creation - The SadaShivam. The SadaShivam is best portrayed as the form many of you already know --> ArdhaNareeEashwaran – which is a form of Lord Shiva half masculine and half feminine –often depicted as Half Lord Shiva, Half Devi Parvathi.

Allow me to paint a better picture…what is Manifestation? Okay – here goes – imagine you’re an all powerful creative being (you are, anyways!). You can create anything you wish (you actually command Maya...! It's true). Let’s say you’re a chocolate freak. So then, you start with the form of the Chocolate in your mental canvas – say, it’s a Guylian (best Belgian chocolate in the world, I swear!!) box full of assorted chocs. Then you add detail to it – the wrapping on the individual chocs, the design of the carton, the font in which the name ‘Guylian’ appears on the carton. Remember, throughout this process, the box of Guylian chocs is just an image, or a thought-wave, on your mental canvas. At the exact moment you finish up ‘painting’ the last bit of detail on your mental image, the actual carton of chocolate appears in front of you – it comes into existence based on the Thought-Picture you’ve created. THAT last bit is called Manifestation.

When the Being wakes up, it stirs up the Energy of MahaaKaali, because consciousness exists only IN time. This is an automatic process. Ergo, MahaaKaali, or Time itself, ‘begins’ whenever The Being wakes up, and ‘ends’ when The Being goes back to sleep. Since The Being wakes up and sleep alternately, MahaaKaali is not absolute, or Real. Only The Being itself is Reality. All else is Maya. Even, Kaalam, or Time, the essence of which is MahaaKaali, is painted by Maya.

So, Manifestation happens in Time.

Okay, now, we have the ArdhaNareeEashwaran manifest, the next step is thus:: Lord Brahma and Lord Vishnu manifest from either side of the ArdhaNareeEashwaran’s torso. Then, Lord Brahma – the Preceptor and Protector of Sacred Knowledge, is entrusted the task of propagating knowledge and all that goes with it. His female counterpart, Devi Saraswathi, is Skill Incarnate. All Skills, be it Java programming, brick-laying, stone masonry, project management or patisserie skills, are gained as her blessing. Knowledge is distinctly different from a Skill. Simply put, that which can be applied as a do-able activity is a skill. But subtle experiences that cannot be applied or are not do-able, but add to a Being’s level of consciousness or Karmic level of Existence, is called Knowledge. Skills earn you Dhanam, (wealth) – and he/she who has earned a skill is a Vidhwan/Vidhushi, but Knowledge earns you Yogam (Karmic points) – and he/she who has earned Knowledge is a Yogi (this word is neither masculine/feminine).

Example: Riding a bicycle is a skill, but insight into the principles that go into the design of the bicycle - Gravity, Levers (pulleys/screws etc.), Momentum, Centers of Gravity, pneumatic pressure properties of air(the tires, remember?) constitutes a level of Knowledge.

Knowledge involves experiencing/knowing concepts whereas skills are something you can gain with practice. Hehehe...a bit of irony- priming your consciousness to look for and imbibe Knowledge is a skill that gets better with practice - practice spanning many lifetimes, of course -- couldn't resist ;o)

Lord Vishnu is entrusted with protecting Dharma, or Righteousness (which is a far more powerful concept than ‘good’ or ‘evil’) and destroying Unrighteousness. His counterpart Devi Lakshmi is Prosperity incarnate. Prosperity includes wealth, but is not dependent on it. Prosperity is the sum total of social and familial blessings. He usually manifests in OUR level of reality as an Avathaar (which is NOT a messiah, a prophet or any such fanciful kind of person - An Avathaar is a concept as vast as any - if anyone's interested, please ask, and I'll post.)

Remember, the Universal laws, such as the laws of Karma or Dharma apply equally to all Manifest Beings due to their manifestation. Karma applies as much to Lord Shiva as it does to you or I. There is NO distinction in the applicability of the Law.

The process continues until an entire array of entities is manifested at various hierarchies for the purpose of Governance. There are entities that manage trees (Yakshas and Yakshis), celestial bodies (Devas and Devis), the Elements (Again, Devas and Devis) and so on forth. In total they number 900 million.

Once all this is done (Phew!!) the epitome of the creative process is manifested – Manushya!! Hooray! Manushya is ‘special’ because it is the only created Being that can ‘use’ its Mind, or control its mind. You see, most Beings have minds. But only Manushya (Manam = Mind, Ooshya = He who can Oosh, err, use/control) can manipulate his world and HIMSELF with his Mind.

Lord Shiva cannot change his Behavior/Nature. Asuras cannot consciously change their nature. Kali/Jesus/Allah/Jehovah cannot be free of hatred and anger, because they are in his nature. Surya Deva cannot change his behavior/nature. Of course, to us it looks like these beings are superior to us – and they really don’t need to change their behavior. True. In the hierarchy of Governance, they are in some ways more responsible than we are. However, the reason we are a central part of the System they govern is not just because we can control our minds AND our nature, or put our minds to work for us, but because we consequently can ‘jump’ the 7 levels between our existence and that of The Being. In other words, we are the ONLY Being in the Universe that can attain Moksha from our existing form/level. ALL other beings MUST go through the Hierarchy one step at a time- unless they have gained special Karmic blessings. For us, it’s a birthright, and is inherent to our very Being's creation.

This is also why we are a favorite target for A-Suras, Bhoothams, Rakshasas and other Demons. We are the masterpiece of Creation. Remember, many Demons exist at various levels of consciousness, and are not Physical Beings like we are, or like Asuras are. Kali (Pronounced Kuh-Li, and distinctly different from Devi Kaali), for instance, the Vedic Being that rules The Kali-Yuga, is a subliminal mental demon, or a thought-demon. The word Kali itself means 'Strife + Dissension'. Many of these demonic beings are capable of physical manifestation, though their ‘bodies’ are not made of the same stuff that ours is. Molecules in their system vibrate at higher Angstrom values, controlled by the beings themselves, and can hence vary in their visibility to us Humans - We cannot do so, but Rishis and many other Beings are capable of doing so by meditating and changing their levels of consciousness. In previous Yugas, Humans could achieve such intermediate levels of consciousness by meditation. Not so in the Kali-Yuga...but again, that's another story. For another post...

Back to our story: Now that we understand where we stand in the heirarchy of Creation, let us understand ourselves a bit more.

As observed before, not all are born equal. Karma exists at three levels – Manasa (thought-based), Vaacha (speech-based), Karmana (deed-based).

In the cyclic system, Lord Brahma has a DAY known as a (Kalpam) and NIGHT (oh well, he's gotta sleep too - you did notice how exhausting creation can be!!). Creation occurs during the Kalpam (Lit. trans. Imagination!). The entire system of creation exists as cycles within cycles – starting with the awakening/sleeping of The Being. The lesser cycles include human lifetimes, the cycles of the moon, the cycles of seasons and the cycles of day/night or sunrise/sunset. And the higher cycles are the days and nights of Lord Brahma - the highest being that of The Being's sleep/wakefulness itself.

Trivia: Did you know that the Lotus is symbolic of cycles within cycles? It's petal-configuration makes it unique in the flower-world. Hence its relevance in many a Vedic Ritual...

Lord Brahma literally ‘dreams’ us into existence. In every Kalpam, there are many Manvantharas, and for each Manvanthara there exists a Manu – the first ‘blueprint’ Manushya (I’m skipping a couple of higher time-cycles to cut down on the complexity).

WE live in the 14^th Manvanthara, I think – I’ll need to refer records – so feel free to correct me. Our Manu is VaiVaswatha-Manu, and of him are descended all of us. Each Manvanthara has a set pattern of Chathur-Yugas etc. which differs from other Manvantharas.

1 Kriya-Yuga + 1 Thretha-Yuga + 1 Dwapara-Yuga + 1 Kali-Yuga = 1 Chathur-Yuga

Everything is cut down by 1/4^th in each successive Yuga starting with the Kriya-Yuga. In other words, in the Thretha-Yuga, Humans are only 3/4^th as capable as they were in the previous Yuga. Lifetimes are also only 3/4^th of what they used to be. And so on. These characteristics fall in the definitions of the natures of Yugas, and I won’t go into much more detail at this point.

To continue, good Ol’ Manu’s successors (US!!) were not very smart, so we’ve Karmically put ourselves in a bad situation – Those beings with the WORST Karma are born in The Kali-Yuga to be tortured by good ol’ Kali himself.

This is a Karmic necessity.

Okay…now, where in all this does the Caste-System fit? Varnas, or ‘types’ are the basic definitions of the Types of Human Beings.

Depending on your specific Karma, you’re born into a ‘faction’ of human society that is characterized by specific traits and aptitudes. In the Kriya Yuga, you were actually born into the right faction as per your Karma. This however changes in later Yugas - A Brahmana's son could be a Kshathriya or a Shudra, for that matter. In later Yugas, there are times when the person's inherent behavior does not match the family that he/she is born in, and the only way to know a person's Varna is to consult his/her horoscope - a traditional Vedic horoscope, thank you.

As for details - Shudras are the faction that cares about where the next meal comes from, with whom their next sensual experience is, and where their shelter is provided. In other words, they are not concerned with their true nature, the well-being of society, concepts of knowledge, or concepts themselves, or the building of the nation/kingdom or the upholding of Dharma.

It’s not that they’re bad, irresponsible etc. They are just as necessary to the society as is Prana (a subtle form of energy in the air we breathe.) - and are not at all the 'lower' class that Max Muller's damning translation of The Veda suggests. Remember, that translation was commissioned by (Lord? bah!) Macaulay to create Division in our perfect society after receiving the go-ahead from the British Govt. A Division that even the Mughals could not bring forth.

It’s just the way they are created as befits their Karma. They are neither superior nor inferior to other creations. Their responsibilities end with their immediate surroundings. They have the same levels of built-in goodness or compassion that a Brahmana or a Kshathriya will have. As a matter of fact, the human trait of compassion may be more pronounced in Shudras due to their natural affinity for attachment. They build families. They build houses. They are the masons, the Thatchu-Shasthris (artisans who build Temples etc.), The Revered Guardians of the Smashaanam (cremation ground) that is frequented by the Ultimate Aghori – Lord Shiva.

Hunters (who were the only people, besides Kshathriyas who killed another form of life for sustenance), famers (who virtually ‘belonged’ to Bhoomi Devi), carpenters, iron-smiths, goldsmiths and so on belong to this very necessary class of the Society. This class consists of the cogs that make the social machine work at its very existential level.

Their existence is to society what food is to life, is what houses are to families, is what the gold Thaali is to the sacred institution of Marriage. They are the ‘Maintainers’ - of everything from the fields to the sanitation system.

Vaishyas are the faction that worries about ‘order’ in the society. They ensure that the grain produced by the Shudra farmer is not wasted, and is stored and distributed as required. They maintain accounts, inventory and balance sheets for the society. They live by The Numbers. They foresee a famine before it occurs. They ensure that every farmer is cared for regardless of his/her input into the social production scale.

They are as compassionate as a human being can be – in other words, they are as kind and as affable as the Shudra. When it comes to their responsibilities, they have a built-in Responsibility-Meter that rings loud when they are neglecting their duties. They revere their responsibilities, and duty is everything do them. They criticize themselves when they are behind in their accounts. They follow rules set by The Vedas for business, barter, and economics. They are the worker-bees who handle the Kings treasury and ensure every faction in the society is spoken for, and equally provided for.

These people are the professionals of the society.

Kshathriyas are the faction that has built-in characteristics to protect and secure the society. They are territorial, aggressive in order to have the right mind-set to defend their territory. They are not the wisest of beings, but are certainly capable in terms of physical prowess, and a love of discipline. They revere The Law. They respect the order of creation. They are devotees of The System. Their lives are governed by duty to the Society, and the strict rules that bind them to those whose security lies in their hands. They are bound to listen to their subjects’ wants and needs. They are bound to lay down their lives for the Land that ‘loves’ The Shudras. The Land that is ‘managed’ by The Vaishyas. They are The Servants of the Land.

They are the fearless Generals, The Valiant Kings and Queens, The Knights in Shining Armor that we all need. They live without fear or insecurity. They are not as attached to their families as are Shudras or Vaishyas. They can live in the harshest of conditions. Kshathriyas whose prowess lies entirely in their skills in battle make up the Army. Those that are capable of following strict codes of behavior and restraint constitute the Kings, Queens and so on.

The Brahmanas are the preceptors. They are the thinkers, the faction that performs Vedic Rituals for the benefit of society. They live by the strictest of rules. They are not allowed to work for a salary or for a benefit. EVERYTHING they do must be in pursuit of Knowledge. It is their quest for knowledge that defines their life. They spend the first waking minutes of their day in ice-cold water at least as high as their waist – offering thanks to Surya Deva for shining the light (symbolic of knowledge) on their land, and for those whom they ‘re responsible. They advise The Kshathriyas on governance strategy, on deeds and Karmas that’ll benefit the society. On curses from Bhoomi Devi, on messages from other entities with regard to natural calamities, with information on Lakshanams (Omens) depicted by Prakrthi and Jyothi (the study of which is known as Jyothishm -Astrology) in the wisdom of The Universe.

The Brahmanas are the Acharyas, the Gurus. They represent the forces of Prakrthi that must be revered by all creation, including humans. They are the humblest of all types – they must eat only food that has been given to them in Daanam (charity) by Vaishyas, Shudras or Kshathriyas.

They are NOT allowed to farm their own food, are NOT allowed to obtain wealth as a salary. They may accept only what is given to them in Daanam (charity.)

They are the Seekers of the Truth, the Jignasus – the upholders of the Vedic Tradition handed to Manu as the ManuSmrthi by Lord Brahma himself. Their entire lives are spent in the pursuit of Knowledge. And it is their responsibility to ensure their Knowledge stands in good stead for The Society as a whole.

They are the least attached of all types. Their levels of detachments are very high, and they are highly objective in their pursuit of knowledge. All else, including their own health and their own families are second to their Karmic pursuit of knowledge.

They are not sad when they lose a brother or a mother, because they know that attachment causes grief, and all emotions for that matter. They are the Tantriks, the Poojaris, the Sadhus, the Munis and the Gnyaanis who connect our society to its creators – Ourselves. Remember, the first truth in The Veda is Aham Brahmasmi – I am The Brahma. This follows from our discussion of the concept of The Absolute.

We are all Absolute – we are all One. This principle is known as Advaitham. We are one with ourselves and with all Creation. This is The Truth. And they inherently know it by design.

While we have different capabilities and inclinations as per our Karmic standing, we are all the same. The Kshathriya CANNOT ill-treat the Vaishya/Brahmana, The Brahmana CANNOT ill-treat a Shudra/Vaishya/Kshathriya. Conversely, The Shudra must not interfere with The Brahmanas’ quest for Knowledge by dirtying the Site of a Yaagam, or by destroying days of hard work by polluting the immediate surroundings of the poor Brahmana.

Brahmanas must spend days, or months, even years preparing their Auras and minds for specific rituals.

The Shudra/Kshathriya/Vaishya must realize that a Brahmana’s life is just as hard as a Shudra’s or a Vaishya’s though it ‘looks’ like Brahmanas are living off others’ hard work. The Brahmana’s ego must be destroyed in order to BEG for a living. Respect the dedication to the pursuit of Knowledge.

It’s not an easy thing to do.

There is no class that is superior or inferior to the other, on a social scale. On a Karmic scale, The Brahmanas are higher than all the other classes – the irony of their existence being that they must BEG the other classes to give them grain for their daily meal.

Their existence is purely for Knowledge. Their lives are not as valuable to them as the attainment of Knowledge is.

And thus are defined the characteristics of the Four PRIMARY Varnas in the society of Manushya.

The Vedas do not discriminate - they define. The Varna system does not discriminate - Karma that pre-defines one's Varna is of one's own doing.

Think about it - discrimination is actually a part of every 'modern' democratic society. When we vote for one political candidate over the other, we are actually discriminating. When your high school scores (VCE in VIC, Oz or SAT in the US, or HSC in India) decide whether you are eligible for Accounting school, Medical school etc, it is plain and simple discrimination.

Discrimination is otherwise known as common-sense, in its most positive form. And Racism, in its most negative (European?) form. In its positive form, it is necessary. Let's face it - not everyone has an aptitude for the rigor of the Medical profession, or the Legal one, for that matter. Not everyone has an aptitude for being a good statesman - of course, not all polticians are born equal...

So why exactly is it wrong to classify people by their basic social inclinations? That's right, it's not.

Untouchability etc. are the result of centuries of mistranslation and propaganda marketing by a machine today known as The Vatican - like it or not, even Protestant, Jacobite, Marthoma, 7th Day Adventist, and Pente Costal bodies are controlled by this vast Political Entity. It has accumulated wealth that is many times the GDP of large global economies. It controls more media than most can imagine.

Untouchability was not existent even when Akbar the Great Pig was slaughtering 'Hindus' left and right for not converting to his bastardized religion. Historical records state so (oh for god's sake, stop referring fake records. Has anyone bothered to read unabridged records by Marco Polo? Or Huein Tsang? C'mon, grow up!!)

Sati was always a voluntary practice. No one EVER forced women to jump in. In some cases, the women actually did it to avoid the insult of being raped by some Muslim or British bastard - oh yes, these fellows loved to 'claim' all the 'available' women. Virgin rapes were as common then as corruption is today. Of course, if the poor virgin was a Hindu, then all the better! A Brahmin's wife was an even better conquest. The best thing was most of these women committed suicide after experiencing the ultimate insult to their existence - yes, they were a race of Honor.

This made things perfect - no traces of the heinous crime...

The Caste and Ethic System was so perfect that it is mentioned in many historic records as the fabric that held Bhaarathic Society so strongly that even the Muslims gave up! There was no point of raping a woman if she'd kill herself afterward -they needed converts, NOT dead women.

||Om Shivaya Namaha|| This post is dedicated to all those Brahmanas who preferred to die before they revealed the locations of sacred texts the church wanted to destroy. It is dedicated to all the Vaishyas, Shudras and Kshathriyas who preferred death with honor than a life as a christian or a muslim. Their blood will speak for itself.

This post is dedicated to those proud and honorable women - virgins, wives, daughters, mothers - who destroyed their bodily temple in honor rather than live disgraced as mistresses of the cowardly muslims or christians who raped them with no shame.

Such is the spirit of The Holy Land we call Bhaaratha. The Bhaaratha can be a Shudra, a Brahmana, a Vaishya or a Kshathriya. It doesn't matter. We all come from a great culture called Bhaaratha - that existed from the western edge of modern Iraq to the eastern island of Bali in Indonesia to what is now called Australia...

Today, the Truth (unabridged Vedic scriptures) is protected by select Brahmanic families - many other records protected by Shudras, Vaishyas, Kshathriyas - valiant and steadfast in their quest. Kali, in his demonic rage, has attacked Bhaaratha with all the weapons he has - christianity, buddhism, islam, capitalism, communal/political riots - and yet, Bhaaratha lives on. This post is dedicated to all the Bhaarathas in this world - wherever they be located. For they are living proof that The Truth alone shall triumph...

Thank you, everyone. Thank you, Santhip for posing this question. For only he who seeks knowledge shall be blessed by Knowledge itself. A true seeker of knowledge is a Jignasu, and he shall attain what he seeks through many lifetimes of penance and devotion to The Truth.