Does the Castes System affects your life?

Answer 1

Says the Mahabharata, in the famous dialogue between Yudhishthira and the Yaksha:

“A man does not become a Brahman by the mere fact of his birth, not even by the acquisition of Vedic scholarship; it is good character alone that can make one a Brahman. He will be worse than a Shudra if his conduct is not in conformity with the rules of good behavior.”

Manu sums up their relative status and functions in society in the following verse:

“The Brahman acquires his status by his knowledge, the Kshatriya by his martial vigor; the Vaishya by wealth; and the Shudra by birth alone.”

janmana jayate shudrah samskarairdvija uchyate - All are born Shudras, it is only through certain rites or inner training that one becomes a Brahmin or twice-born.

Guy Sorman :

"Westerners tend to be perplexed and scandalized by the caste system but they forget that the aristocracy which ruled over Europe for a thousand years was a caste of sorts. The guilds of the Ancient Regime resembled Indian castes as they had existed initially, each caste corresponding to a particular trade." When it comes to marriage, in Europe as in India, one looks for a partner from among one's immediate social circle.

Desvaulx (1745 - 1825) wrote in his book:

"Indians are as attached to their caste as our gentlemen to theirs."

The very fact that the institution of caste has survived about 3,000 years is a clear proof of the services which it must have rendered to the Hindu society in different periods of history. It is the caste system that has been largely responsible for the preservation of Hindu religion and culture. The caste brotherhoods, on account of their policy of exclusiveness, did not mix with the foreigners. So the Greeks, Huns or Muslims could not conquer Hindu culture. On the contrary, most of these foreigners were themselves absorbed into the Hindu fold."

(source: No Full Stops in India - By Mark Tully).

Michael Pym wrote : "Caste is the secret of that amazing stability which is characteristic of the Indian social structure. It is the strength of Hinduism. Naturally, it can be abused. The moment a Brahmin treats a sweeper cruelly because he is a sweeper, he departs from his Brahminhood. He becomes a usurper and a social danger. And in due course, he will have to pay for this mistake. Because men are imperfect, and because power is a deadly intoxicant, such abuses may and do occur, but they are not inherent in the institution – they are contrary to its principles, though they may be inherent in the make up of the individual.

Caste in itself is also a protection for the individual, because it permits group action. The reason why a Hindu dreads being outcaste is analogous to the reason why, in England say, a worker would dread being thrown out of his trade union.

(source: The Power of India - By Michael Pym p. 152- 153).

"The caste system provides for relatively greater stability and dignity to the individuals than they would have as atomized individuals. This is part explains why the Indian poor retain a strong sense of self-respect. It is that self-respect which the thought-less insistence on egalitarianism destroys."

(source: No Full Stops in India - By Mark Tully

Under the pretext of equality, Western lawmakers do not let the various groups cooperate among themselves while keeping their different habits, ethics, and social life. Jews, Mormons, Muslims, Celts, Basques, Albigensians, Pygmies, blacks, or Inuits are accorded a relative equality on on condition that they conform to our customs, losing most of their social, national, and religious characteristics and in fact abandoning their own personality................In order to cope with all the problems posed by a multiracial society, the Hindu lawgivers sought to establish rules making coexistence possible, resulting in the caste system ..

- By Alain Danielou

Off course power currupts and the system was abused in later days.

I am not defending its drawbacks and the fact that the system was distorted. And lost its utility.

But Castes or social circle is a reality, which always was and will alwyas be. Its form and name changes.

Now a days we have professors, politicians, buissness houses, soldiers, computer professionals, doctors , engineers........and its subcastes like civil engineers , electrical engineers.... different labour unions....Sportsmen........ many of us feel pressure to follow our parents footsteps and follow the same profession like in a caste .

All these are the new castes.

So caste system affects everybody's life, in one way or other.

Answer 2

.Any injustice to anyone anywhere affects my life. And the caste system is unjust.

Am I the only Indian unafraid to answer this? The answers seem to be coming from Americans.

Answer 3

The caste system doesn't exists here but we all have things similar to just out in differnt ways. People will always look at me like a pariah because I am liberal and tell people what I think of them which pisses them off even when they know its true.

Answer 4

No, I believe that the caste system was a huge problem in India but we do have levels of social stratification in America. The difference is that in America, you can break free from social restraints whereas in countries like India, there is no breaking free. How u are born is how u will most likely die.

Answer 5

Shouldn't all people were created equal.
We should all have the same opportunities and challenges.
I have seen girls from homes of priviledge and money. Turn out to be dope addites and prostitutes and never amount to anything and poor girls with no one who cares about them get a good education and a good job and they have bought homes on their own and cars and have a good life and hate drugs and alchol.
It isn't who you are or what you have. It is what you want to become and how hard you are willing to work for it.

Answer 6

I am sure it must be so in India. In the USA we have different "systems" which affect our life, like one responder who thinks Christians are above everything. Good luck to you.

Answer 7

I'm certain it does, in ways that I'm not aware of. As eastern and western cultures continue to progress together in business and education, I suspect these types of things will play greater roles in all our lives.

Answer 8

This system like a curse is for only in India. And it is made to effect the lives.

Answer 9

From USA: Why can't India get over this? Why does it persist? If you all just quit doing it, it would be over.

Answer 10

only if you are a hindu.

luckily, i am a wonderful christian. we are above that petty discrimination.

God bless.