Caste by Birth or by Karma ????

Caste system is one bolt on the face of hinduism that they can not wipe out how much ever they try.By no means one can justify it.This barbaric practice finds its origin right in the Vedas.But the jingoism in hinduism has gone to such an extent that many Hindus even today try and defend this insane system.

I have been involved in numerous debates on caste system on various forums and one thing that shocked me was that even the most qualified people have tried and defended caste system as it was based on Karma(work) and not on Janma(Birth)...meaning that caste of a person was decided on his birth and not on his birth.Latter the system got corrupted and came to be by birth.This is a refuge that many people take to give some respectability to the caste system.

But there can not be a bigger lie than this.

Caste was not at all decided on work, but it was decided on birth and the profession was thrust on the individuals.Anyone who has taken the pains to study some of the texts would have known it.But the tragedy with hinduism is that 99.99% of the hindus have never ever bothered to as much as peek at the religious scriptures and yet very passionately defend it (generally based on the call of some self-proclaimed hindutva parties that hinduism is the best).In the process they end up defending even the wrongs of hinduism.This happens when the need of the hour is to have a through cleansing of the structure of hinduism itself.

If we go through various texts carefully we find that Caste system finds its origin in Rig Veda's Purush Sukta.Here no mention of Karma occurs.Infact Purusha Sukta is cosmogony of hinduism and it speaks about the Origin of various things in nature like cows and horses.Of course none of it can be seen from scientific microscope as with all other cosmogonys of the world.But when it comes to the creation of man the verse breaks its flow and creates not a homosapian, a human being but it talks about creation of Brahmins and other castes with graded inequality.Not a single word about Karma is spoken in the entire verse, the only verse in the Most important Veda the Rig Veda!!!So where does the question of Caste by Karma arise from?Manusmriti and latter texts thrust the professions on various castes.

If we turn to more popular events of mythology we have two very clear examples in the Mahabharata.
First one is of Eklavya.
Eklavya was refused training by Dronacharya owing to his caste.Now the act of Dronacharya...is it justifiable or no is an entirely different issue.Right now what we are concerned is that Eklavya had a caste.Before taking any education and much before taking up any occupation Eklavya had a caste....ie before doing any karma Eklavya had a caste...the caste on whose grounds dronacharya refused eklavya the education....So how can anyone say that caste was dependent on Karma?

The second example is more prominent.This is the example of Lord Parshurama and Karna.Initially Karna lied to parshurama to get the education.And the lie he told was that he was Brahmin by birth....He had a caste before taking up occupation.
Karna was then trained by Parshurama himself.And yet he finds out latter that Karna is not a Brahmin but a Kshatriya....now how would that be possible.Considering that if Parshurama had trained karna to be a Brahman and if caste was indeed by Karma then Karna should have become a Brahmin...but he still is a Kshatriya and thats why Parshurama curses him.

Again in Ramayana we find that King Ram goes and kills Shambuka because he is a lower caste person and yet meditating....

So we can say Caste by Karma is a theory which has no grounds...its only a lame attempt to give some respectability to the dreaded caste system.

Not only that. Wouldn't we have atleast one person who was born to lower caste parents and become a Brahman??When this question is put up we have suddenly 3 or 4 names popping up.Prominant amongst them is Ved Vyasa, Valmiki, Vasishtha and few other names like vishwamitra.All of these people have lower caste women as their respective mothers.Hence the argument comes that caste was by karma otherwise how else would the children of these lower caste women become brahmins.A plausible argument...atleast at the outset.

But two things have to be noted here.One is that these people have become Maharishis and NOT Brahmins.There is a difference.Maharishi is a title but Brahmin is a Caste.And yet the things that most of the hindutva vadis try to hide is their Fathers.

Maharishi Valmiki is born of a fisherwomen and hence called Valya Koli during his bandit days...Koli means fisherman.
But Valmikis father is Sage Prachetasa... A Brahmin

Ved Vyasa is also born of a fisherwomen called Satyavati...but his father is Sage Prasara A Brahmin.

Vashishtha is born to Urvashi a prostitute...but his father is Brahma Himself..the Lord.

Vishvamitra...born to due to a charu (you can well imagine what this chari is) given by Rishi Richika a Brahman to his own Mother in law.

Sage Rsyasrnga born to a deer and Sage Vibhandaka, a Brahman...
I dont really know what prompted Vibhandaka to give a birth to a son through a deer but he acts even more strange and raises his this son in isolation and doesnt tell him that female species exist...Why?

There are few others like Jambuka or Agatsya...but again these rishis have divine birth and are not born to human beings at all...so how can they be classified as born to lower caste people?Jambuka is born to a Jackle (I dont know what sick father he had) and Agatsya to a pitcher!!!

Now with this clarifications you can see for yourself that all the names that are brought out just to tell that caste system is by birth either have a Brahmin as their father or are of divine origin...not a single example in the whole 5000 yrs of history of hinduism we see a single person jumping Caste barriers of his parantage...nay fatherage.It is abundantly clear that Caste was not only by Birth but was and still is such a rigid system that in the entire history of hinduism...and this is the oldest religion... not a single person has been elivated in his caste status.

Another point to be considered is that if in the known 5000 yrs if hinduism couldnt make a single Shudra as a Brahmin or a Shankaracharya is that teaching of any practical use?After all religious teachings are supposed for the progress of man, but hinduism with all its text have failed is what the figures suggest!

Related Articles by Categories