What is the Hindu cast system & how does it work?

Question

I have read several artince about the Hindu cast sytem but what excatly is it? None of the articals I read never explanined they system. Except to say how the Dallts the untouchables are being treated unfairly.

someone wrote that the caste system isn't follwed. I posted this question after read a artical on the net. Thats said 5,000
Dalts became Buddist. In order change
the way they are treated.

Answer 1

The four scientific divisions of social and spiritual orders in Vedic system of Varnasrama Dhrama, varnas (brahmana, ksatriya, vaisya, sudra) and asramas (brahmacary, grihastha, vanaprasta, sannyasi) is based not on one's birth but one one's guna (quality) and karma (activity) as mentioned in the Bhagavad gita 4.13 and 18. 40 - 44.

According to the three modes of material nature and the work associated with them, the four divisions of human society are created by Me. And although I am the creator of this system, you should know that I am yet the nondoer, being unchangeable.

Purport

The Lord is the creator of everything. Everything is born of Him, everything is sustained by Him, and everything, after annihilation, rests in Him. He is therefore the creator of the four divisions of the social order, beginning with the intelligent class of men, technically called brahmanas due to their being situated in the mode of goodness. Next is the administrative class, technically called the kshatriyas due to their being situated in the mode of passion. The mercantile men, called the vaisyas, are situated in the mixed modes of passion and ignorance, and the sudras, or laborer class, are situated in the ignorant mode of material nature. In spite of His creating the four divisions of human society, Lord Krishna does not belong to any of these divisions, because He is not one of the conditioned souls, a section of whom form human society. Human society is similar to any other animal society, but to elevate men from the animal status, the above-mentioned divisions are created by the Lord for the systematic development of Krishna consciousness. The tendency of a particular man toward work is determined by the modes of material nature which he has acquired. Such symptoms of life, according to the different modes of material nature, are described in the Eighteenth Chapter of this book. A person in Krishna consciousness, however, is above even the brahmanas. Although brahmanas by quality are supposed to know about Brahman, the Supreme Absolute Truth, most of them approach only the impersonal Brahman manifestation of Lord Krishna. But a man who transcends the limited knowledge of a brahmana and reaches the knowledge of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Sri Krishna, becomes a person in Krishna consciousness -- or, in other words, a Vaishnava. Krishna consciousness includes knowledge of all different plenary expansions of Krishna, namely Rama, Nrisimha, Varaha, etc. And as Krishna is transcendental to this system of the four divisions of human society, a person in Krishna consciousness is also transcendental to all divisions of human society, whether we consider the divisions of community, nation or species.
http://vedabase.net/bg/4/13/en1

BG 18.41: Brahmanas, kshatriyas, vaisyas and sudras are distinguished by the qualities born of their own natures in accordance with the material modes, O chastiser of the enemy.

Brahmanas
BG 18.42: Peacefulness, self-control, austerity, purity, tolerance, honesty, knowledge, wisdom and religiousness -- these are the natural qualities by which the brahmanas work.

Ksatriyas
BG 18.43: Heroism, power, determination, resourcefulness, courage in battle, generosity and leadership are the natural qualities of work for the kshatriyas.

Vaishyas
BG 18.44: Farming, cow protection and business are the natural work for the vaisyas, and for the sudras there is labor and service to others.

Sudras
BG 18.45: By following his qualities of work, every man can become perfect. Now please hear from Me how this can be done.
http://vedabase.net/bg/18/en1

The Vedic system of religion we have been describing—the varnasrama system created by Krishna—is not to be confused with the present-day caste system—determination of social divisions by birth. But as to eradication of all social divisions, it cannot be done. This is still more foolishness, because Krishna Himself says, catur-varnyam maya sristam guna-karma-vibhagasah: [Bg. 4.13] "This system of four social divisions, according to quality and work, is ordained by Me." But the difficulty is that this so-called caste system has come in, on account of the false notion that in order to be a brahmana, one must be the son of a brahmana. That is the caste system. But Krishna does not say that. He says "according to quality and work." He never says "according to birth." So this so-called caste system in India is a false notion of catur-varnyam, the system of four social divisions. The real system of catur-varnyam means guna-karma-vibhagasah, determination of the four social divisions according to quality and work. One must be qualified.

And how does one become qualified? That is also described. For instance, in Bhagavad-gita Krishna describes the qualities of a brahmana as follows: samo damas tapah saucam ksantir arjavam eva ca jnanam vijnanam astikyam [Bg. 18.42]. "Peacefulness, self-control, austerity, purity, tolerance, honesty, knowledge, wisdom, and religiousness." So people who want to become brahmanas must be educated to acquire these qualities. It is not enough simply to abolish the caste system, which is contaminated by the false conception of qualification by birthright. Certainly, this wrong caste system should be abolished. Also, educational centers should be opened for teaching people how to become genuine brahmanas and ksatriyas. Guna-karma-vibhagasah: [Bg. 4.13] according to their qualities and work, people naturally belong to different social groupings. So you cannot avoid it, but because you have created a false caste system, that should be abolished, and the system recommended by Krishna—that should be adopted.

In any event, you cannot avoid the natural occurrence of various social divisions. Nature's caste system will remain. Take, for example, the brahminical quality of truthfulness. All over the world, wherever you go, you'll find at least one person who is truthful. Does anyone say, "Oh, his father was truthful—therefore, he is truthful"? This is nonsense. Krishna never says anything like this. The father may be Hiranyakasipu, a big demon, but his son can still be Prahlada, a great devotee of the Lord. It is not that one will inevitably become exactly like one's father. Of course, it may be; there is every possibility. But still it is not a fact that the son unavoidably becomes like the father.

Our point is, wherever you go, you'll find a first-class man who is truthful. Now, wherever you find a truthful man, you can classify him as a brahmana and train him to serve the social body in that capacity, as a spiritual teacher and advisor. That is wanted. Why assume, "Here is the son of a truthful man; therefore he is truthful, a brahmana"? That is a misconception. You have to find the truthful men all over the world and train them as brahmanas. That we are doing. "If you follow these principles—no illicit sex, no intoxication, no gambling, no meat-eating—you are a brahmana. Come on and receive further training." The fellow's father may be a meat-eater or a gambler or a drunkard, but if he himself is truthful and agreeable to the brahminical life, then tell him, "All right, come on—you are welcome." Then everything will be all right.

You could not abolish the truthful class of men even if you wanted to. You'll find truthful men everywhere. You simply have to train them. So Krishna says, catur-varnyam maya sristam guna-karma-vibhagasah: [Bg. 4.13] according to their qualities and work, you take some men and put them in the brahminical class, others in the ksatriya class, still others in the vaisya class, and the rest in the sudra class. But you cannot abolish that system. That is a false attempt.

"Civilization and Transcendence" by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, the founder of ISKCON.

Answer 2

The Indian caste system is the traditional system of social division in the Indian Subcontinent, in which social classes are defined by a number of endogamous groups often termed as jātis. The castes are hereditary, endogamous system, social classes or subclasses. Within a caste there exist exogamous groups known as gotras.

The caste system is different from the system of varnas sanctioned in Hindu scriptures including the Manusmriti. These scriptures split society into four broad groups but did not indicate that the groups were hereditary. Instead stating that one could earn the rank of a Brahmin (priest) even if they were born to Shudra (labourer) parents. Like in all societies, children occupied the occupations of their parents and through this process the hereditary and corrupted caste system was born.

The caste system is also followed by some groups of Muslims, Sikhs and Christians in the subcontinent. The Indian Constitution has formally outlawed caste-based discrimination. The caste system is gradually declining, especially in urban areas and in the public sphere. However, it is still a major part of Indian societal structure in the private sphere, and caste practices are strongly adhered to in the rural areas.

Varna and jati
Main articles: Varna in Hinduism and Jāti
A varna is a division of the society that consists of many sub-castes or Jātis. Manusmriti and some other shastras mention four varnas: The Brahmins (teachers, scholars and priests), the Kshatriyas (kings and warriors), the Vaishyas (traders and some artisan groups such as pottery making and wood work etc.), and Shudras (agriculturists, service providers, and some artisan groups). Another group of untouchables excluded from the main society was called Parjanya or Antyaja. This group of former "untouchables" (Dalit) was considered either the lower section of Shudras or outside the caste system altogether.

Mixed in with the varna caste system was the jati sub-caste system. The jati was effectively a system similar to guilds, and was associated with occupation. Unlike the varnas, jati could originally be changed with occupation within a varna. According to the Manusmriti, every caste belongs to one of the four varnas. However, there have been many disputes about the varna of many castes, such as castes being considered Kshatriya by some scholars, while described as Shudra by others. While texts such as the Manusmriti attempted to rationalize ambiguous castes by placing them in varna-sankaras (i.e. mixed varna), a more complex system of subcastes and jātis is evident.

In the past individuals were excommunicated out of the caste (thus becoming an "outcaste") if they committed some unpardonable offences. They were denied the privilege of mingling socially with the rest of their former caste. This is an example of the previously plasticity of varnas. One could change from a Brahmin to an outcaste through their actions...

Answer 3

As a consequence of Karma, Hindus tend to be fatalistic. They believe that one’s present status and condition is the result of a previous existence and is therefore deserved, whether good or bad. The Hindu can try to establish a better record so that the next existence might be more bearable. Thus, he more readily accepts his lot in life than does a Westerner. The Hindu sees it all as the outworking of the law of cause and effect in relation to his prior existence. It is the principle of reaping what you have sown in a supposed former existence.Yet, according to the Bible, this despising and disdaining of the material life is diametrically opposed to God’s original purpose for mankind. When he created the first human pair, he assigned them to a happy, joyful earthly existence. Genesis 1:27-31 Their god is certainly not one of love.

Answer 4

Nobody follows the caste system in India now.Every one is considered equal.Caste system was removed from Hinduism long ago by great, educated n spiritual leaders.It is not even followed in d villages.If u talk about caste system in urban areas , u will b laughed upon.
Many of the so called ' dalits' r very rich n r living in urban cities n in other countries.Government n religious support is present to them.

Answer 5

First of all, the word Hindu was manufactured by the Islamic people who lived north of the Sindhu River, and was the term they used to refer to the people south of that river.

Secondly, in every society, you are going to have people who are naturally inclined to be either one of these four professions : teachers, administrators, mercantile and laborers. You belong to a caste or varna, according to your level of consciousness, which determines your occupation.

Brahmans are not brahmans by birth, but rather by their attraction to the virtuous quality of goodness. They love to study, teach, are not motivated by a paycheck, but the lolve of knoweldge, receive charity, take only as much as they require, and redistribute the rest to the public. Every society has such people, and it is only by ones guna, or quality, and karma, or activities that determines ones caste or varna, not birth.
Even Socrates discusses in Platos Republic about a man of gold, silver and iron. DIfferent people have different propensities, depending on their level of consciousness...

The original and authoratative book that elaborates on what you are calling the caste system, originally called varnasrama dharma, is calledthe Bhagavad Gita As It Is, and the most authoratative and accurate translation and explanation is given by AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. Please read this link for further elaboration , below...

Answer 6

People are divided into groups based upon the group that their parents were in. The bottom caste is called the undesirables. This is the group that is despised by all the other groups. This is the group that Mother Teresa ministered to.

Answer 7

It's kinda like how the rich in America will get more than the poor, whether they earned/deserved it, or not.
It is separatism.