In the previous episode, we discussed the Varna system that was prevalent in India. It is this Varna system that later gave rise to the often-criticized caste system.
When we look at the way the Varna system was defined, there is no implicit hierarchy among the different Varnas. They are what they are, based on the nature of an individual and the profession that he followed. In a society, everybody has a role to play and all are equally important, in a way.
But when we look at the rules governing these Varnas, one tends to look at some Varnas as superior to some other. For example, a Brahmin is supposed to live a simple life, has to be very honest, dedicated to acquisition of knowledge, a storehouse of knowledge, righteous at all times, a model to the entire society, and so on. Why will not anyone respect such a person?
The ancient law maker Manu says that a Brahmin has to be respected for his knowledge, a Kshatriya for his valor, a Vaishya for his wealth and a Shudra for his age.
So, though not intended that way, there is a hierarchy among the four Varnas with Brahmin at the top, Kshatriya next, followed by Vaishya and with Shudra at the bottom of the ladder. This hierarchy was never based on their birth but strictly based on their qualities as we will discuss later.
When I discussed about the origins of Jaati or caste as a result of mixing of people of two Varnas, I said this mixing was perfectly permissible but for some restrictions. The restriction was that a man should not marry a woman who is higher in the Varna than himself. Why was that?
We should remember that like many ancient societies all over the world, India also was a patriarchal society. A child is normally brought up in the environment setup by the head of the family who is male.
If a man happens to belong to a lower Varna than the woman, then the progeny born to them would not get the same environment which would have otherwise got by the child if the mother had married someone of her own Varna. That means it is a loss of opportunity for the woman to bring up her child according to her higher Varna.
That could be the reason why such inter Varna marriages were discouraged. The law maker Manu even warns of debarring such progeny from the Varna system altogether by terming them as outcastes or Chaandaalas.
A Chaandaala is a socially boycotted person from whom the rest of the society keeps away. Such boycotts are often used as a way of punishment whenever someone indulges in socially unacceptable practices. For example, Manu says if someone sells essential food grains, or essential things like salt, oil etc. such a person is debarred as Chaandaala. This is just to prevent someone depriving these essential things from the poor people in the society.
This kind of social boycott used as a punishment, may be the root of untouchability in India, though it had no religious sanction in the scriptures. They are more of social practices evolved out of necessity. They become unacceptable when such boycotts continue endlessly over generations with no respite, even when the erred person corrects himself or when his progeny is in no way responsible for the mistakes committed by their ancestors.
There are many stories in the ancient Indian scriptures when even kings were punished as Chaandaalas for their transgression. There were also cases when such punishments were revoked. But unfortunately, many a times, they were misused by narrow minded and selfish people who ended up giving rise to a large community of socially outcast people.
Now coming to the origins of Jaati or caste. When someone marries a woman of a different Varna than his own, the progeny normally belongs to neither father’s Varna nor the Mother’s Varna.
Children born to such inter Varna marriages belong to mixed Varna called a Jaati or caste. Since the profession followed by a person is tied to his Varna, the person of this mixed Varna or Jaati follows a profession different from that of his father. Those professions could be – sculptors, architects, weavers, charioteers, boatmen, and so on.
And when these mixed Varna people once again inter mingle, they give rise to further Jaatis because of mixing. That is the origin of proliferation of Jaatis in the Indian society.
But there were always exceptions to this. There are several cases when intermixing did not necessarily give rise to a new Jaati.
For example, even though the great Indian sage Vyasa, the author of Mahabharata and so many of Indian scriptures, was born to a Brahmin father and a fisherwoman mother, Vyasa was still considered to be a Brahmin. At the same time, when the same Vyasa became the father of Dhritarastra and Pandu, these two sons did not become Brahmins like their father nor were they relegated to a new caste, but they were considered to be Kshatriyas or warriors, just like their mother.
When King Yayaati married Devayaani who was a Brahmin girl, Yayaati was not outcast. He remained a Kshatriya. At first Yayaati was reluctant to marry Devayaani fearing the rule, but Devayaani forced him to accept her against the law. I will not go into the details of each case and why these were exceptions.
I am only giving these examples to show that caste system was not as rigid as it turned out to be over a period of time. Unfortunately, over a period of time caste came to be decided solely based on the birth of an individual. That was when the problems started.
Buddha, though born in a Kshatriya Varna always discouraged people from being too rigid on caste differences. Buddha gave more importance to what a person is rather than his birth. So, Buddhism does not recognize caste system.
Later reformers like Nanak, Maharshi Dayananda, Basavanna, also rejected caste-based stratification of the society.
What makes the caste system really unacceptable? Is it really a draconian system as often projected? Is there anything good in the caste system? Let us discuss all that in the next episode.
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