Caste system in India

When did the caste system begin?

Historically, however, it is believed that the caste system began with the arrival of the Aryans in India around 1500 BC (Daniel). Of the many cultures that flourished in India, the literary records of the Indo-Aryan culture are not the earliest.

This is what we see when we search "When did the caste system begin?" in google but is Aryan Invasion theory still valid ?

Let us go into the scientific evidence that provide that Aryan invasion theory was just part of British divide and rule policy. 

HYDERABAD: The great Indian divide along north-south lines now stands blurred. A pathbreaking study by Harvard and indigenous researchers on ancestral Indian populations says there is a genetic relationship between all Indians and more importantly, the hitherto believed ``fact'' that Aryans and Dravidians signify the ancestry of north and south Indians might after all, be a myth.

``This paper rewrites history... there is no north-south divide,'' Lalji Singh, former director of the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) and a co-author of the study, said at a press conference here on Thursday.

The study analysed 500,000 genetic markers across the genomes of 132 individuals from 25 diverse groups from 13 states. All the individuals were from six-language families and traditionally “upper” and “lower” castes and tribal groups. “The genetics proves that castes grew directly out of tribe-like organizations during the formation of the Indian society,” the study said. Thangarajan noted that it was impossible to distinguish between castes and tribes since their genetics proved they were not systematically different.

Its time to rewrite the Indian History books!  And this time, it should be based on scientifically established history and not fictionalized one.  Those stories were interesting… but no more.

Secondly let see some facts...

The British rulers were smart, cunning and unfortunately, significantly foresighted than the unsuspecting people they ruled and exploited in India or elsewhere. How do you think a country so small managed to rule a big portion of the planet for centuries?

Well, they did not just use force. From religion and science to propaganda, charity and industrial development, these colonials used every tactic imaginable to enslave one country after another.

Crafting’ history to suit their interests, for instance, was an important part of the strategy. Aryan Invasion Theory was one component of the master plan. Sadly, the evil intent of the European rulers of that time is still causing damage; majority of the Indians still believe in this false theory.

Let us see some important points now...

1. Ancient Indian records have absolutely no mention of such a theory

Strange as it may sound, none of the epics, puranas or scriptures mentions anything even remotely close to Aryan Invasion Theory (AIT). This theory, however, had stated that the Vedic literature goes back to the 2nd millennium BC.

2. Proponents of this theory were not even historians

They were not biologists, scientists or archaeologists. Max Muller was on East India Company’s payroll. He was more of a linguist and not a historian. The theory served the interests of the British Empire well.

Other two fellows, Lassen and Weber were hardcore German nationalists. They were pretty happy with the idea of including Germans among the so-called, superior Aryan Race.

3. If the so called invaders attacked Harappa (the so-called original place of residence of South Indians), why did they not inhabit this advanced (at that time) township?

The excavations carried out at the site indicate that the Harappan townships were just abandoned. And if Dravidians (the victims according to the theory) were pushed down to the Southern India, why is there no cultural hostility?

How come we don’t notice any Aryan-Dravidian divide in the traditions and literatures of the two areas in our country?

It’s because there isn’t any.

What exactly happened to Harappa, whether it was some ancient atomic bomb technology, violence, a climate change or some divine power, no one knows for sure! Why cook up theories!

The puranic records talks about devastating wars that took place in the ancient past using highly advanced weaponry. Traces of radioactivity also proves this scientifically. Instead of conducting more research this... Most of us still believe the fairy tales taught to us by the British.

4. The English were shaken by the discovery of Mohenjo-daro

They could not accept the fact that India happened to have the 1st educated, well-organized and cultured society in the world.

So, they tried their level best to fabricate new theories, one after the other in succession, to defame Indian history – known and unknown.

5. European historians were plain wrong to say that Harappa Culture was restricted to Indus River Valley only!

Dozens of sites have been found across the country.

"As of 2008, over 1000 Indus Valley Civilization sites have been discovered."

So, the argument that the Dravidians were once settled at one place and attacked by the Aryans falls flat.

6.Divide-and-Rule strategy was supplemented by Divide-and-Convert.

Why do you think European missionaries were able to achieve maximum conversions in South India?

There may be numerous reasons but cleverly manufactured Aryan-Dravidian divide did play a big role.

From last paragraphs we proved that Aryan invasion theory was a fake history made up by British and then when did caste system come into existence?

The caste system is a unique social hierarchy that shows where you stand in the society. There are four very different and unique social classes which are the Brahman (Priests, study and teach the Vedas), Kshatryia (The kings and warriors), Vaishya (The merchants and landowners), and finally Sudra (The commoners, servants, and peasants). There is another social class named Dalit or also known as the untouchables.

Caste system in Vedas

The Vedas say that the Brahmin, Kshtriya, Vashya and Shudra came from different parts of the cosmic male, Purusha ( Shiva ). In the sense that all varnas came from God himself. 

A man has all the four in himself. His intellectual activities makes him a Brahmin. His actions to protect and fight for his family and for himself makes Kshtriya. The action by which he do business and earn money makes him a Vashya and his services to his fellow human beings takes about the Shudra in him. 

In the sense all humans have the four varnas in himself and his karma makes him a Brahmin, Kshtriya, Vasya or Shudra. There are many examples which we will discuss soon. But the British concept of the same was some what different.

 The English men made modification and classified the Indian society into levels in pyramid as they were unable to understand the Hindu ideologies. They made up the FAKE Aryan Invasion theory and divided as Aryans and Dravidians which was part of divide and rule policy.  

Christian Class and caste system.... 99% Hindus are not even aware of this. The British who wasn't able to deeply understand the varna ideology...now started to find similarities in Indian system with their Christian caste system. As you can see the pyramid arrangement of caste system which was initially in Christian world was later applied to Indian society by the British.

This brought into many social evil along with it thus degrading our society and the same caused fight among the varnas. In this way, they brought about divide and rule policy in Indian spirituality too. 

The concept of caste is relatively new. Vedas contain no word that can be considered a synonym for ‘caste’. The two words commonly considered to mean ‘caste’ are Jaati and Varna. However the truth is that, all the three mean completely different things.

Jaati

Jaati means a classification based on source of origin. Nyaya Sutra states “Samaanaprasavaatmika Jaatih” or those having similar birth source form a Jaati.

An initial broad classification made by Rishis is 4-fold: Udbhija (coming out of ground like plants), Andaja (coming out of eggs like birds and reptiles), Pindaja (mammals) and Ushmaj (reproducing due to temperature and ambient conditions like virus, bacteria etc).

Similarly, various animals like elephant, lion, rabbits etc form different ‘Jaati’. In same manner, entire humanity forms one ‘Jaati’. A particular Jaati will have similar physical characteristics, cannot change from one Jaati to another and cannot cross-breed. Thus Jaati is creation of Ishwar or God.

Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vaishya and Shudra are no way different Jaati because there is no difference in source of birth or even physical characteristics to differentiate between them.

Later, word ‘Jaati’ started being used to imply any kind of classification. Thus in common usage, we call even different communities as different ‘Jaati’. However that is merely convenience of usage. In reality, all humans form one single Jaati.

Varna

The actual word used for Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vaishya and Shudra is ‘Varna’ and not Jaati. The word ‘Varna’ is used not only for these four, but also for Dasyu and Arya.

‘Varna’ means one that is adopted by choice. Thus, while Jaati is provided by God, ‘Varna’ is our own choice.

Those involved in intellectual activities have chosen ‘Brahmin Varna’. Those into defense and warfare are ‘Kshatriya Varna’. Those in economics and animal rearing are ‘Vaishya Varna’ and those involved in other support functions are “Shudra Varna”. They refer merely to various choices of professions and have nothing to do with any Jaati or birth.

In the beginning, there was only one varna in the ancient Indian society. “We were all brahmins or all sudras,” says Brhadaranyaka Upanisad (1.4, 11-5, 1.31) and also Mahabharata (12.188). A smrti text says that one is born a sudra, and through purification he becomes a brahmin. 

According to Bhagavada Gita, varna is conferred on the basis of the intrinsic nature of an individual, which is a combination of three gunas (qualities): sattva, rajas, and tamas. In the Mahabharata SantiParva, Yudhisthira defines a brahmin as one who is truthful, forgiving, and kind. He clearly points out that a brahmin is not a brahmin just because he is born in a brahmin family, nor is a sudra a sudra because his parents are sudras. The same concept is mentioned in Manu Smrti. 

Another scripture Apastamba Dharmasutra states that by birth every human being is a sudra. It is by education and upbringing that one becomes ‘twice born’, that is, a dvija.

Manu sums up the relative status and functions of the varnas in the following verse of Manu Smrti: “The brahmin acquires his status by his knowledge, the ksatriya by his martial vigor, the vaisya by wealth; and the sudra by birth alone.” In the Bhagavada Gita, 4.13, Krsna says: “The fourfold varna has been created by Me according to the differentiation of guna (qualities).”

In Bhagavada Gita 18.41, Krsna states: “The devotees of the Lord are not sudras; sudras are they who have no faith in the Lord whichever be their varna.” Mahabharata says that a wise man should not slight even an outcaste if he is devoted to the Lord; he who looks down on him will fall into hell. SantiParva, Mahabharata also says that there is no superior varna. The universe is the work of the Immense Being. The beings created by him were only divided into varnas according to their aptitude.

Bhagavada Gita also says, “Of brahmins, ksatriyas and vaisyas, as also the sudras, O Arjuna, and the duties are distributed according to the qualities born of their own nature.” 

According to the Hitopades, all mankind is one family. Manu Smrti (11.157) says, “Just as a wooden toy elephant cannot be a real elephant, and a stuffed deer cannot be a real deer, so, without studying scriptures and the Vedas and the development of intellect, a brahmin by birth cannot be considered a brahmin.”

SOME EXAMPLES 

Vyäsa, a brahmin sage and the most revered author of many Vedic scriptures including the Vedas, Mahabharata, Bhagavada Gita and Bhagavata Purana, was the son of Satyavati, a sudra woman. Vyäsa’s profound knowledge of the Vedic wisdom established him as a brahmin even though he was born of a sudra mother. Vyäsa’s father, Päräsara, was also a son of a candala woman and yet was considered a brahmin based on his Vedic wisdom. 

Another popular Vedic sage, Välmiki was initially a hunter. He came to be known as a brahmin sage on the basis of his profound knowledge of the scriptures and his authorship of the Rämäyana. 

Drona born as a Brahmin but took up the karma of a Kshatriya and fought in the side of Kauravas. 

 According to Rig Veda (IX.112.3), the poet refers to his diverse parentage: “I am a reciter of hymns, my father is a physician and my mother grinds corn with stones. We desire to obtain wealth in various actions.” 

Sage Aitareya, author of Aitareya Upanisad, was born of a sudra woman. 

Vasishtha, son of a prostitute, was established as a brahmin and Rig Veda book VII is attributed to him. 

In Chandogya Upanisad, the honesty of Satyakäma establishes his brahminhood, even though his ancestry is unknown as he is the son of a maidservant. 

Visvamitra, born in a ksatriya family becomes a sage, and hence a brahmin, based on his asceticism.Some Rig Veda hymns are attributed to him.

 The priest Vidathin Bhärdväja became a ksatriya as soon as he was adopted by King Bharata and his descendents were the well-known Bharata ksatriyas.

 Janaka, a ksatriya by birth, attained the rank of a brahmin by virtue of his ripe wisdom and saintly character and is considered a rajarishi (king-sage). 

Vidura, a brahmin visionary, who gave religious and moral instructions to King Dhrtarashtra, was born to a woman servant of the palace. His varna as a brahmin was determined on the basis of his wisdom and knowledge of scriptures. 

The Kauravas and Pandavas were the descendants of Satyavati, a fisher-woman, and Vyäsa, a brahmin. In spite of this mixed heredity, the Kauravas and Pandavas were known as ksatriyas on the basis of their occupation.

 Ajamidha and Puramidha were admitted to the status of the brahmin class, and even composed Vedic hymns. Yaska, in his Nirukta, tells us that of two brothers, Santanu and Devapi, one becomes a ksatriya king and the other a brahmin priest. 

Kavasa, the son of the slave girl Ilusa, becomes a brahmin priest. 

The Bhagavata Purana tells of the elevation of the ksatriya clan named Dhastru to brahminhood. 

In the later Vedic times, Chandragupta Maurya, originally from the Muria tribe, goes on to become the famous Mauryan emperor of Magadha.

 Similarly, his descendant, King Asoka, was the son of a maidservant. 

The Sanskrit poet and author, Kalidasa is also not known to be a brahmin by birth. His works are considered among the most important Sanskrit works. 

In the medieval period, saint Thiruvalluvar, author of ‘Thirukural’ was a weaver. 

Other saints such as Kabir, Sura Dasa, Ram Dasa and Tukaram came from the sudra class also. Many of the great visionaries in modern India were not brahmins by birth but can be regarded as brahmins by their life-styles and teachings.

TEMPLE ENTRY ISSUE : 

let me tell a story,

There was a sage named Veda. He used to pray to Shiva in a temple every day. The prayers lasted till the afternoon and after the prayers were over, Veda used to go the nearby villages to beg alms.

A hunter named Bhilla used to come to the forest every afternoon to hunt. After the hunt was over, he used to come to Shiva temple and offer to Shiva whatever it was that he had hunted. In the process of doing this, he often moved Veda’s offerings out of the way.

Bhilla and Veda never met. But Veda noticed that every day his offerings lay scattered and a little bit of meat lay by the side. Since this always happened when Veda had gone out to beg for alms, Veda did not know who was responsible. But one day, he decided to wait in hiding so as to catch the culprit red-handed.

While Veda waited, Bhilla arrived and offered what he had brought to Shiva. Veda was amazed to discover that Shiva himself appeared before Bhilla and asked, Why are you late today? I have been waiting for you. Did you get very tired?

Bhilla went away after making his offerings. But Veda came up to Shiva and said, What is all this? This is a cruel and evil hunter, and yet, you appear before him. I have been performing tapasya for so many years and you never appear before me. I am disgusted at this partially. I will break your linga with this stone.

Do it if you must, replied Shiva. But please wait till tomorrow.

Next day, when Veda came to present his offerings, he found traces of blood on top of the linga. He carefully washed away the traces of blood and completed his prayers.

After some time, Bhilla also came to present his offerings and discovered traces of blood on top of the linga. He thought that he was in some way responsible for this and blamed himself for some unknown transgression. He picked up a sharp arrow and began to pierce his body repeatedly with this arrow as punishment.

Shiva appeared before both of them and said, Now you see the difference betwen Veda and Bhilla. Veda has given me his offerings, but Bhilla has given me his whole soul. That is the difference between ritual and true devotion.

The place where Bhilla used to pray to Shiva is a famous tirtha known as bhillatirtha

-Brahma Purana

Hope the story is enough to prove the freedom people enjoyed in ancient India to worship God. In recent history we see problems like Shudras prohibited entry inside some temples and these social issues had been now cleared by our teachers Like Sri Narayana Guru, Vivekananada Swami, Chattambi swami and many others.

 More over  each families in those days had their own temples and rituals as per their own traditions. So many insisted in their believes and it was all about their freedom of doing things and there wasn't any prohibition anywhere. Still in Kerala and many parts of India we have privatized temples for  worship of Kudumba Paradevata, that is Family Deity.  This concept has great importance in yogic science. 

Varna system is one of the most debatable phenomena of India and is tarred with many controversies. However, on a deeper analysis one finds that the basic need for this system was simply to ensure a healthy and flexible society unlike the one which has been rigidified due to the colonial misinterpretation and mistreatment of varnas, resulting in the castes as we find them in the present day India . The original varna system was quite flexible in which one’s varna could be changed based on one’s skill and was not fixed as is often understood.

*Very Interesting Facts...!!!*

Christianity…. One Christ., One Bible., One Religion….

But.,

One classification 

The Latin Catholic will Not Enter Syrian Catholic Church...

These Two will Not Enter Marthoma Church...

These Three will Not Enter Pentecost Church...

Discrimination even in death 

These Four will Not Enter Salvation Army Church...

These Five will Not Enter Seventh Day Adventist Church...

These Six will Not Enter Orthodox Church...

These Seven will Not Enter Jacobite Church...

Like this., There are 146 Castes Alone for Christianity.....

Each will Never Share their Churches for Fellow Christians...!!!

How Shameful..! One Christ., One Bible., One Jehova...???

Now Muslims..!
One Allah., One Quran., One Nabi..!!
Great Unity..??

Among Muslims., Shias & Sunnies Hate and Kill Each Other in all Muslim Countries...

The Religious Riots in Most Muslim Countries is Always Between These Two Sections.

The Shias will Not Go to Sunni's Mosque...

These Two will Not Go to Ahamadiya's Mosque...

These Three will Not Go to Sufi's Mosque...

These Four will Not Go to Mujahiddin's Mosque...

Like this It Appears there are 13 Castes in Muslims...

Killing/bombing/conquering/ massacaring., Each Other..!!

American Attack on Iraq was Fully Supported by all Muslim Countries Surrounding Iraq..!!

One Allah., One Quran., One Nabi....???

Hindus ~

They have 1,280 Religious Books., 10,000 Commentaries., More than One Hundred Thousand Sub-Commentaries for These Foundation Books, Innumerable Presentations of One God., Variety of Aacharyas., Thousands of Rishies., Hundreds of Languages.

Still They All Go to All TEMPLES and They are Peaceful and Tolerant and Seek Unity with Others by Inviting Them to Worship with Them Whatever GOD They Wish to Pray for..!!!

Hindus Never Quarreled One Another for the Last Ten Thousand Years in the Name of Religion....