Varnas and the Caste System

Hindu society has traditionally been categorized into four classes, called Varnas (Sanskrit: " colour, form, appearance");
the Brahmins: teachers and priests;
the Kshatriyas: warriors, nobles, and kings;
the Vaishyas: farmers, merchants, and businessmen; and
the Shudras: servants and labourers.

Hindus and scholars debate whether the caste system is an integral part of Hinduism sanctioned by the scriptures or an outdated social custom.   Although the scriptures, since the Rigveda (10.90), contain passages that clearly sanction the Varna system, they contain indications that the caste system is not an essential part of the religion . Both sides in the debate can find scriptural support for their views . The oldest scriptures, the Vedas, strongly sustain the division of society into four classes ( varna) but place little emphasis on the caste system, showing that each individual should find his strengths through different ways such as his astrological signs, actions, personality, and appearance, and do his job for the good of that individual as well as society . Being casted into a class because of what parents he was born from was a political problem and not from the actual science of the religion . A verse from the Rig Veda indicates that a person's occupation was not necessarily determined by that of his family:

"I am a bard, my father is a physician, my mother's job is to grind the corn. " (Rig Veda 9.112.3)"

In the Vedic Era, there was no prohibition against the Shudras listening to the Vedas or participating in any religious rite, as was the case in the later times.   Some mobility and flexibility within the varnas challenge allegations of social discrimination in the caste system, as has been pointed out by several sociologists.

Many social reformers, including Mahatma Gandhi and B. R. Ambedkar, criticized caste discrimination.   The religious teacher Sri Ramakrishna (1836-1886) taught that

"Lovers of God do not belong to any caste . . . .
      A brahmin without this love is no longer a brahmin . And a pariah with the love of God is no longer a pariah . Through bhakti (devotion to God) an untouchable becomes pure and elevated."

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