Q. Does Vedas recommend the caste system?
A. There is a common misconception in India and in the west about caste system. The current caste system in India evolved over a period of time due to selfish exploitative mentality of the bureaucratic set up. It has no basis in the Vedic scriptures as per taught by our authoritative sources.
Krishna clearly states
cātur-varṇyaḿ mayā sṛṣṭaḿ
guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ
tasya kartāram api māḿ
viddhy akartāram avyayam
BG 4.13
“According to the three modes of material nature and the work associated with them, the four divisions of human society are created by Me. And although I am the creator of this system, you should know that I am yet the nondoer, being unchangeable”
So depending on guna (quality) and karma (fruitive work) we fall in the mode of goodness or passion or ignorance. Since we have to work to maintain ourselves, we work depending on the type of mode we are situated in. Hence Krishna has created the four divisions (4 varnas and 4 ashramas) to facilitate for this disparity in guna and karma. It has nothing to do with the current day caste system where the four basic varnas has been extrapolated to hundreds of castes.
3 comments:
Brahmin by caste has basis in the Vedic scriptures as per taught by our authoritative sources.
Tell me how many refrences do you want from vedas and bhagwatam?
Advaita follows a disciplic succession from Narayana and follows varna by birth.
SriVaishnavism follows a disciplic succession from Narayana and follows varna by birth.
Tattavada follows a disciplic succession from Vishnu and follows varna by birth.
Gaudiya Sampradaya follows a disciple succession from Lord Krishna and follow varna by birth.
Iskcon claims to follow a disciplic succession (indirectly through Tattvavada) from Krishna and does not follow varna by birth.
I am giving few of them here.
Na naapiti brahmantam yaati sutradidhharraat (Kaushiki Sahinta)
In kaliyug, the one will only get Brahman-tatv by birth not by tap or worship
If Brahman gives you abuses, beats you; do namashkaar to him otherwise I will punish you.
(Lord Krsna to Yaduvanshis)
Gaytri, Omkaar Mantra, Yagyas are not good for women and Sudras. If they become stubborn to do these then they will go to hell. (Artha Ved)
Gods never accept puja from everyone. They only accept by Brahman, Shatriya and Vaishya. They are only allowed to do yagya. (Manu Smriti)
na sudra-rajye nivasenn-adharmikajanavrte
" Let him (a brahmana) not dwell in a land that is governed by sudras." (Manu 4.61)
Evidence from Srimad Bhagwatam.. it is birthright
First canto 7th chapter 43 shloka: The conversation between arjun and draupadi..
Hello Chandan
Thank you for visiting the blog.
Just merely quoting references from the scriptures will not reveal the true meaning of the scriptures. Vedic knowledge cannot be understood by merely studying literature academically, it has to be realized knowledge through a bonafide guru-parampara system. The true essence of the Vedic knowledge will be revealed from within one's heart only through submissive enquiry, humility and service to one's guru under a bonafide disciplic succession (BG 4.34).
I can also quote many references from the same scritpures exactly stating the opposite. I would rather study the scriptures through the eyes and ears of a self-realized soul. The links i have given are imports taken from the teachings of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Goswami maharaj and Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.
Please review the article carefully to answer your specific query. Please copy and paste the address to your web browser to view the links.
The first link specifically answers your query.
The second link talks about caste brahmana and gurship. Although little more than the scope of this discussion, still it talks about castism and its misconceptions.
Thank you.
http://india.krishna.org/Articles/2000/07/00057.html
http://www.gosai.com/krishna-talk/brahmana-guru.html
Hare Krishna
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