Dear All,
This
glorious journey of this vahini is coming to an end, as we are starting the
last chapter of the vahini today.
Chapter XXIV
The Divine Body
Fourfold division of mankind
The sociological basis of Indian (Bharathiya) culture has to be
clearly understood. Mankind falls into four groups, when innate nature and
inclinations are considered. They are named brahmin, warrior (kshatriya),
trader (vaisya), and labourer (sudra).
This
demarcation is not a selfish, crooked conspiracy designed to make the
“superior” trample upon the “inferior”. Nor is it the consequence of an envious
plot to obstruct human progress. It is best to judge it as a plan to promote
the expansion of human achievement by fostering the trends and traits of each
person.
It is the royal road for the attainment of human progress. It
works only for the promotion and regulation of human activity in such a manner
that harmony and social well-being are ensured.
As readers already know, the teacher of the Gita, Lord Krishna,
declared, I created the four castes (varnas), the brahmin, the warrior
(kshatriya), the merchant (vaisya), and the laborer (sudra), on the bases of
natural disposition and vocation of each. Know Me to be author of these, as
also the non-author, the Unchangeable.
Chaathurvarnyam
mayaa srishtam, guna karma Vibhaagasah, tasya karthaaramapi maam Viddhi
akarthaaram avyayam. The system of caste is thus founded on attributes and
activities.
The world was in the very beginning predominantly pure (sathwic)
in nature and, as a consequence, all were only brahmins.
Later,
through the adoption of various vocations and the development of various
inclinations and preferences, types of people got demarcated as castes.
The one and
only brahmin class of sages (rishis) had later to be sectionalized, in the
interest of social justice and harmony, when qualities of character varied.
In the
Santhi Parva (Mahabharatha), Sage Bhrigu elaborately answered a question raised
about this development by Sage Bharadwaja.
It runs as follows:
“Brahmins who are fond of worldly pleasures, affected by
egotism, and subject to anger, lust, and other passions have passionate
qualities (rajoguna) mixed with their innate pure (sathwic) nature, so they
were classified as warriors (kshatriyas).
In fact, all brahmins cannot be predominantly pure (sathwic) in
nature, nor can all of them be devoted to pure ritual activity.
Those who do not adhere to the pure (sathwic) ideal of truth and
who evince the qualities of dullness (thamoguna) mixed with passionate
(rajasic) traits, those who are mostly both dull (thamasic) and passionate
(rajasic), were classed as merchants (vaisyas).
The rest, who spend their lives in occupations involving violence,
who don’t practice cleanliness, and who are bogged down in passive
(thamasic) means of livelihood were classed as laborours (sudras).
Thus, the brahmins denoted various castes and ensured the safety
and security of human society. This is the assertion of the revealed scriptures
(sruthis).”
Those endowed with pure (sathwic) characteristics are
brahmins.
Those with passionate (rajasic) qualities and, as a result,
equipped with courage and heroism, are warriors (kshatriyas), who can protect
mankind from harm.
Those who have neither valor nor heroism but who are
proficient in persuasive talent and the tactics of commerce and eager to use
these skills in proper methods are traders (vaisyas).
In this class, the passionate and passive qualities (rajoguna and
thamoguna) are blended.
The others, who have no inclination for undergoing asceticism or
acquiring scholarship, who do not practice spiritual discipline (sadhana),
who have no physical stamina and mental courage necessary for battle, who do
not possess the special skill needed for trade and commerce, are passive
(thamasic) in nature and so engage themselves in thamasic professions. These
are laborer (sudras).
They fulfil themselves by their labor, through which they
contribute to world prosperity and peace.
Continued...
Love.
