What about the caste system?

The caste system is often misinterpreted and misunderstood to be a sort of social hierarchy used by higher casts to put down or control minorities or people deemed to be lower in caste. This is one of the very common questions raised about Hinduism regarding its fairness and sense of equality. It should be noted that the caste system is not an integral part of the Hindu religion itself but more of a "cultural leftover" from the times of the Vedic civilization. A religion that has roots going as far back as 10 000 years is bound to have unnecessary cultural strings attached to it. This has happened quite frequently with Hinduism. One of these "cultural strings" is the caste system. The caste system was created by the Vedic people many thousands of years ago. It is said to have been created specifically by a sage named Manu who wrote this in one of his works titled the "Manu Smriti". The Manu Smriti belongs to a class of books that are geared towards ethics, morals, and social conduct - NOT religion. The content of these texts reflects the thinking of philosophers (like Manu) belonging to that age regarding issues pertaining to ethics, morals and social conduct.  In this non-religious text (the Manu Smriti), the sage Manu explains that society is like the human body, where all body parts are required to function optimally in order to ensure the optimal function of society as a whole. He divided this metaphoric body into 4 main constituent parts: Head, Arms, Torso, Legs. The head of a body is required for thinking, planning, and decision making. Thus the metaphoric head of society (the Brahmins) were also responsible for these things. The arms of a body are responsible for protection of the body. Thus the arms of society were the Kshatriyas who were responsible for protection of the society. The torso of the body is responsible for consumption, production, and to hold society together as a whole. Thus, the Vaishya class was likened to the torso and constituted of the peasants, farmers, merchants, etc. Finally, the legs of a body are what carry the entire body altogether without which the body can make no movement or progress. These legs are the hardest physically working part of the body. The Shudra class of laborers was likened to the legs and was responsible for most physical labor jobs.

In this way, the entire body of society was complete and functional. No part of the body (society) was intended to be superior to another, just as all parts of the human body are equally important for optimal function. There was no hierarchy intended. This societal superiority/inferiority interpretation was a product of our flawed human nature which is to belittle those whom we believe are doing more menial work than we are. It was the tendency to think "Well, I'm a Brahman, and you're just a Shudra so I'm better or higher than you are" that caused the belief that Brahmans are the highest and Shudras are the lowest. Again, an unintentional twisting of the original caste system which was nothing more than a system of equal division of social responsibilities amongst all citizens to begin with.

Furthermore, the caste a person belongs to was traditionally inherited. However, it should be noted that these castes were not permanent and inherited only. Study of the Gita and other ancient texts allows one to understand that an individual's "caste" is largely determined by his character and nature. This is reflected in the Gita when Krishna explains to Arjun that the moment he ceases to perform the duties of a Kshatriya, he will no longer remain one. Also, in his book, "The Holy Science" (less commonly known as "Kaivalya Darshanam"), Swami Sri Yukteshwar Giri explains that an individual's caste is largely determined by the nature of one's Chitta (the deepest, purest conscious state of the unliberated soul). The nature of one's Chitta (and essentially any desire other than that for unity with God) is expressed in the desires and tendencies of man. Therefore, one ignorant of spirituality and able to comprehend only the physical world would be in a dark state of mind prevalent in the Kali Yuga that would correspond with the Shudra caste. As one's spiritual awareness grows lifetime upon lifetime, his natural caste (as opposed to the caste assigned by default from birth) climbs "upward" (spiritually, not socially or materialistically - and no, this does not imply that Brahman's are superior to anyone, just as a saint does not consider himself to be superior to anyone else, simply because he's in the later stages of spiritual evolution)

The caste system as it is known (as a hierarchy of social tiers - as opposed to a model of the progression of one's soul) is not an integral part of the Hindu religion (as it is written in the Manu Smriti which is a non-holy book) . It is social-cultural tradition that once served a purpose that is now obsolete. This was never a means to put any person down. It is the unfortunate human tendency that caused this. Also, one should note that any references to the caste system in the Gita is not meant to endorse or encourage (nor discourage) the caste system, but is only used in conversation when the topic of social duties is spoken of. The Gita does not encourage the caste system, but talks about every man/woman  having his/her own individual duty AS an individual, but also as a son, daughter, mother, father, employee, friend, and in the case of 5000 years ago - a certain caste-member as well. The take home message there wasn't to necessarily recognize what "Manu-dictated" caste you belong to and act accordingly. It was to know your duty, and perform that duty irrespective of the outcome.

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