Published in “The Harmonist”
Editor in Chief, Sri Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur
JANUARY 20, 1936
The pride of race is the basic principle in the caste system of India. Caste is the equivalent of ‘jati’ which means ‘birth’. Birth is the underlying principle of the racial conception.
It is, of course, easy enough by the exercise of a cheap vagueness of thought to dismiss the hereditary principle without a hearing in formulating the ideal of the future society. The European attitude towards the institution of Indian caste used to be one of contempt until quite recently when Germany has chosen to make ‘Aryan’ origin the test of eligibility for German citizenship.
The white races did not always look down upon the brown, yellow, dark and red races. It is only from about the time of the French Revolution and probably due to the material prosperity of the Western peoples in consequence of the industrial revolution of the eighteenth century that the white races came to regard themselves as superior to all the other races of the world. By the methods of colonisation the nations of Europe succeeded in establishing their political and economic supremacy over the ‘coloured’ races of the world in course of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries of the Christian Era. It is in the eighteenth century European literature that the hatred of the coloured races begins to be most poignantly expressed.
The superiority of the Greeks and Romans to the ‘barbarian’ races of ancient times in culture and political power did not produce anything like the modern European contempt for the coloured races. The existence of the idea has been wrongly read into those former times by modern European historians who are as a rule extremely biased against the coloured races.
In India ‘the white race’ latterly displayed the same kind of contempt for the ‘brown’ inhabitants as we find among the Germans of today. The varnashrama social organisation was transformed by the racial pride of the ‘white’ Aryans into the caste system of historical India.
In India this unwarrantable transformation has also always claimed the sanction of religion. The caste system is the only religion of present-day orthodox Hindus. I do not think that the principle of heredity has been altogether ignored by Sri Krishna-Chaitanya in the sphere of religion. The varnashrama social system was mentioned by Rai Ramananda as a necessary condition for the proper practice of religion. Discussing the different stages of spiritual evolution, the Supreme Lord Sri Krishna-Chaitanya passed it by, merely remarking that it was not the principle thing itself, but possessed extraneous value. * NOTE 1
Nevertheless the very mention of the varnashrama organisation by Rai Ramananda as a help to pure worship shows that Sri Krishna-Chaitanya admitted some kind of connection between the varnashrama arrangement and religion.
Now the varnashrama organisation is certainly not strictly a hereditary system. The test of disposition is held to be the real test for settling the ‘varna’ of its individual members. But if the varnashrama organisation is to possess any real spiritual value then the household of a person of superior varna needs must be admitted as more helpful for producing the spiritual disposition in the children of such household than would be the caae with children born in the household of a person of inferior rank, or outside the pale of the varnik society. * NOTE 2
Exceptions that are mentioned in the shastras prove that the recognition of the higher disposition if it was manifested in the children of persons belonging to an inferior social grade was also admitted. Similarly if a child born in a brahmana household was found to possess the disposition of a vaishya he would be classed as a vaishya by the strict application of the principle.
The ashrama regulations were slightly different in the case of the higher varnas. The sudras (labourers) served the higher varnas. So we find that the hereditary principle was given the greatest practical consideration in settling the varna of an individual. But should we, therefore, call the system of classification of individuals by the test of varna or disposition as an exclusively Aryan practice ? * NOTE 3
Varna afterwards came to acquire the significant meaning of ‘colour.’ As the white Aryans found themselves in the midst of an increasing proportion of the coloured peoples they became more and more unwilling to recognise the eligibility of the latter for ranking as members of the higher varnas. This theory is by no means improbable and may even be the correct view.
Sree Madhvacharyya was an Aryan immigrant into South India. He was a Brahman by caste. The Madhva Vaishnaba community founded by Sri Madhvacharyya now-a-days admits only caste-Brahmans into its social privileges. It would be hardly consistent with history to characterise the Madhva community as Dravidian (South Indian) either by culture or by descent.
The Sree Sampradaya community which was founded in South India by Sri Ramanujacharya, also an eminent member of the Brahmana caste, is altogether liberal in the matter of admission of non-Brahmins. But the regulation for the enforcement of purity and uniformity of social conduct are far more strict and elaborate in the community of the Sri Vaishnavas founded by Sri Ramanujacharya.
The social policy of the community that follows Sri Krishna-Chaitanya is different from those of the Madhva as well as the Sree Sampradaya communities. Sri Chaitanya does not appreciate the exclusive preference for caste Brahmans that is found in the Madhva community. But neither does the Supreme Lord follow the dead rigidity of the present social practice of the Sree Sampradaya. Sri Chaitanya subordinates the principles of both heredity which prevails in the Madhvas, as well as open initiation of all persons, by the method of the Pancharatrika Diksha which prevails in the Sree Sampradaya, to the actual appearance of the pure spiritual aptitude which seems to be governed by no earthly conditions.
Nevertheless Sri Chaitanya prefers the varnashrama organisation to any other form of social arrangement in as much as the latter is less amenable to be utilised for the spiritual purposes after the spiritual disposition actually manifests itself. The varnashrama system appears to be most in consonance with the social habits of the Aryan race, but it is not identical with them. The chief difference lies in the fact that the Aryan race considers its social system to be an end in itself. This breeds the pride of doubts that are being fostered by their present unchecked materialistic speculations. The message of Sri Krishna Chaitanya may be universally welcomed at some future day, as it is calculated to provide a more extended outlook of the responsibilities of man that is provided by any of materialistic speculation.
The strength of Christianity lies in its dogmatic acceptance of the teachings of contemporary ethics. Sree Krishna Chaitanya does not teach us to be guided solely by the precepts of ethical science. This makes a radical difference between the system of Sree Krishna Chaitanya and the militant religions of Christianity, Islam and Buddhism, etc. But it also establishes a certain contact between Religion and modern Science, which is not supplied by any other existing creed.
- NOTE 1
Sri Chaitanya said, “This is superficial, exoteric. Please proceed and speak further on this matter.”
- Chaitanya Charitamrita 2.8.61)
- NOTE 2
Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur:
The essential advice of the Bhagavad Gita is that however lowly the present habits of a person may be, he should start his upwards journey from that very platform of his existence. By the practice of relevant withdrawal from a lifetime of materialism the seeker should do his endeavour according to his natural course of development. Disregarding his own natural habits, if someone follows another path they will become either impassioned or vicious; that unnatural renunciation will not be fruitful. We must study the advice of Lord Krishna to Uddhava in the 11th Canto of Srimad Bhagavatam. Both Uddava and Arjuna were born of the Kshatriya caste, furthermore both of them heard the same teachings spoken to them directly by Sri Krishna, but the two acted individually after hearing Krishna’s advice.
After hearing the Gita, Arjuna uttered the following verse then engaged in warfare; Arjuna made a decision to engage in the actions of a warrior:
नष्टो मोह: स्मृतिर्लब्धा त्वत्प्रसादान्मयाच्युत ।
स्थितोऽस्मि गतसन्देह: करिष्ये वचनं तव ॥ ७३ ॥ (Bhagavad Git 18.73)
Whereas, Uddhava uttered the following verse in prayer to the Lord and renounced the world:
नमोऽस्तु ते महायोगिन् प्रपन्नमनुशाधि माम् ।
यथा त्वच्चरणाम्भोजे रति: स्यादनपायिनी ॥ ४० ॥ (Srimad Bhagavatam 11.29.40)
Here it is understood that because of his Brahmin character Uddhava was merited to take recourse to the path of renunciation. This is so, irrespective of his birth in the Kshatriya caste.
All living beings should engage in the appropriate activities relevant to their own merits. Had Uddhava engaged in warrior activities it would have been averse to his own nature. Similarly the acceptance of Brahmin-hood by Arjuna would have been quite absurd.
The esoteric study of this subject reveals that if a person born of a Brahmin family is not endowed with the Brahminic qualities of tranquility, endurance etc. then it is quite improper for him to engage in the activities of a Brahmin. Indeed, those who regard such an unqualified person as a Brahmin and guide will also meet with downfall. On the other hand, if any person born in the lower classes who are not endowed with tranquility etc. unduly accepts the practices and rites of renunciation, he will also be debarred from attaining his spiritual well-being. By following the external characteristics of such a cheat, if anybody honours him as a person of superior qualities and status, they are also rightfully accused of engaging in cheating and deemed to be guilty.
Those who show contempt towards this science of working according to individual nature (svadharma) and argue about the same cannot be called Vaishnavas.
A person who is not aware of his own characteristic status can not be trusted by anybody because he may engage himself in all types of irregular activities. Then if anybody is unable to decide his own status the Lord has advised them with the following verse in the Gita:
तद्विद्धि प्रणिपातेन परिप्रश्नेन सेवया ।
उपदेक्ष्यन्ति ते ज्ञानं ज्ञानिनस्तत्त्वदर्शिनः ॥ ३४ ॥ (4.34)
“Try to learn the truth by approaching a genuine Guru. Inquire from him submissively and render service to him. Self-realized souls can impart knowledge to you because they know the truth.”
— Commentary to Sri Tattva Sutram verse 46)
- NOTE 3
Children of labourers generally become labourers themselves in all nations. This is not a practice exclusive to India.