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In this thread, I will argue that Varna वर्ण should not be based on birth, and that birth as a broad marker for Varna has long been depleted of its usefulness.
At the same time, I will defend Varna as an essential means for enabling the pursuit of Purushārthas for everyone.
At the same time, I will defend Varna as an essential means for enabling the pursuit of Purushārthas for everyone.
I discussed Varna वर्ण in an earlier thread, and argued that it *cannot* be interpreted as a hierarchy. I give this thread as a basis for the points I discuss below.
https://twitter.com/vakibs/status/855787879884312576?s=21 https://twitter.com/vakibs/status/855787879884312576
https://twitter.com/vakibs/status/855787879884312576?s=21 https://twitter.com/vakibs/status/855787879884312576
However, there is no denying that there is an “order” while discussing Varna: Brāhmana, Kshatriya, Vaiśya and Śūdra are always mentioned in that order. Many Hindu scriptures describe the order: Mahābhārata, Manusmriti, Purānas and so on. What is this if not a hierarchy?
From my understanding, the order is not a hierarchy as a social organization, but a temporal order in how the Varnas are supposed to have arisen, one after the other. It is a causal and temporal order. In the beginning, everyone was Brāhmana. Then came Kshatriya and so on.
I wanted to discuss my perspective here because I found a very good argument by @GhorAngirasa quoting the Anuśāsana Parva of Mahābhārata, with the dialogue of Shiva and Pārvati. Here is the English translation:
https://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m13/m13b108.htm
https://twitter.com/GhorAngirasa/status/1180174211899252736?s=20 https://twitter.com/vakibs/status/855787879884312576
https://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m13/m13b108.htm
https://twitter.com/GhorAngirasa/status/1180174211899252736?s=20 https://twitter.com/vakibs/status/855787879884312576
Firstly, in this text, the word used for the order of Brāhmana in the Varna is Jyēshta, which has a meaning as “older” or “earlier” and not necessarily “better” or “supreme”.
I disagree with the hierarchical interpretation here.
I disagree with the hierarchical interpretation here.
The order of germination for the Varnas has a philosophical basis, and that is reflected in the Varnas amongst the Dēvas too. This is related to how the “Purusha” effects the transformations of “Prakrti” as His gaze spreads further and further outwards.
https://twitter.com/vakibs/status/1064981954578300929?s=21 https://twitter.com/vakibs/status/1064981954578300929
https://twitter.com/vakibs/status/1064981954578300929?s=21 https://twitter.com/vakibs/status/1064981954578300929
The order of the Varnas need to be seen strictly like this, and not attributed with social or any other type of superiority. All that is essentially wrong, whether argued by the opponents or by the proponents of Hinduism. I see that as ignorance of the fundamental Purushārthas.
There are four Purushārthas, and the four Varnas are defined by which Purushārtha is the most defining aspect for the life of a person:
Brāhmana: Moksha
Kshatriya: Dharma
Vaishya: Artha
Shudra: Kāma
None of these Purushārthas (means to seek the Purusha) are bad or wrong.
Brāhmana: Moksha
Kshatriya: Dharma
Vaishya: Artha
Shudra: Kāma
None of these Purushārthas (means to seek the Purusha) are bad or wrong.
Any good thing in life will be achieved only with a lot of practice, and by dedicating time and attention to it. Time is the only constraint, so that has to be allocated as to how one achieves satisfaction and fulfillment. Hence, the Purushārthas are conflicting with one another.
The Bhagavad Gita is one of the most essential scriptures of Hinduism ("essential" that it stands alone as a means for knowledge, without too many other texts for commentary). It says unambiguously that Varna has to be based on Svabhāva (personal character) and not on birth.
The birth or social circumstances of a person can definitely have an amplifying effect in the pursuit of life's goals. So in an ideal society, a person with a certain Svabhāva will be born in a specific family in the right set of circumstances. But we are not in an ideal society.
In fact, we are living in a society where nothing is optimal. Even the most necessary aspect for achieving any type of Purushārtha: dedication of time and personal attention, is not done by most people in the world. Everybody is distracted and addicted to random vices.
No fulfillment is within reach, whether in knowledge, ethics, possessions or sensual desires. Most people are just frustrated and angry. How do we consider such a degraded society as ideal? No way. It is very logical that birth is not correlated with Guna (virtues) of a person.
In this terrible situation, I think it beats all commonsense to insist that birth is the defining marker of Varna. There is very feeble correlation here. In fact, such ridiculuous topsy-turvy worlds are discussed in ancient Indian scriptures too, when talking of foreign lands.
In the Bhīṣmaparva of the Mahābhārata, there is an interesting discussion of the Śākadvīpa, this is narrated in @subhashkak1's essay on the northern neighboring regions of ancient India. https://medium.com/@subhashkak1/ancient-indias-northern-lands-bae903c19cb8
"In Śākadvīpa are four countries: Maga, Maśaka, Mānasa and Mandaga. Maga is mainly inhabited by Brahmins who love their tasks; in Maśaka there are virtuous Kṣatriyas who are generous;"
"In Mānasa the Vaiśyas are brave, devoted to the wishes of all, bent on dharma and artha; and the Śūdras in Mandaga, for their part, are constantly pious.”
In fact, when we see how the virtues are assigned to the different Varnas, we see they are topsy-turvy.
In fact, when we see how the virtues are assigned to the different Varnas, we see they are topsy-turvy.
In a rightful world, the Brāhmanas would be pious, the Kshatriyas would be brave, the Vaiśyas would be generous, the Śūdras would be devoted to the tasks. These are the virtues that will promote the pursuit of the Purushārthas that are the defining characteristic of each Varna.
The Aitareya Brahmana describes a very similar set of virtues for each of the Varnas, qualifying that they are obtained when the king performs the Rajasuya Yajña.
Pratishta can be translated as stability, concentration and the devotion to specific tasks.
Pratishta can be translated as stability, concentration and the devotion to specific tasks.
We need a world where every person, irrespective of the personality, would be able to lead a life of fulfillment. This fulfillment can be in anything: knowledge, ethics, or the achievement of possessions or sensual desires. Naturally, that will be based on one's Guna (virtues).
Unfortunately, we live in a world where money is the only barometer for the worth of a person. This is obviously false. This is not a Varna-based world. If the society were ideal, most of the people will even be born into a family that is ideally suited for their pursuits.
I don't think we are in an ideal society. It will be ridiculous to pretend that we are in an ideal society. In fact, we cannot even plan to build an ideal society.
We need to build a commonsense society. That means, we have to identify the Varna based on the virtues of a person.
We need to build a commonsense society. That means, we have to identify the Varna based on the virtues of a person.
I will end this thread here. I hope I didn't hurt anybody's feelings or strongly held prejudices.
Sarve jana sukhino bhavantu.
Sarve jana sukhino bhavantu.
Naturally, my claim that Varna today cannot be based on birth will be controversial. In the following, I will try to answer a few questions to the best of my understanding.
This question asks if a person’s character changes over lifetime. Good question.
https://twitter.com/sushilhmail/status/1215336638630379521?s=21 https://twitter.com/sushilhmail/status/1215336638630379521
This question asks if a person’s character changes over lifetime. Good question.
https://twitter.com/sushilhmail/status/1215336638630379521?s=21 https://twitter.com/sushilhmail/status/1215336638630379521
The answer is that yes, the Guna composition of a person will evolve over lifetime. Varna is not held in isolation, but always paired with the Āśrama (age-related preoccupations) of a person. Both of them together determine the expected Gunas (virtues) that should be cultivated.
This coupled effect on the Gunas is similar in nature to how the bodily composition in Āyurvēda (the Tridōsha division) is connected to how the Dōshas can be vitiated along various seasons. People of a certain body-type have more proclivity to catch certain seasonal illnesses.
There is a difference between the Gunas (virtues) and Dōshas (body-types). Everybody has a Dōsha by the virtue of just having a body. But there is actually no guarantee that a person will have Gunas. The virtues need to be polished, through a lot of practice and daily habit.
If they are not practiced, virtues would just get muddled and lie dormant. Such confusion in mind is its most natural state. Virtuous character is a low-entropy state, that requires a lot of effort and which needs to be guarded constantly. This is why time becomes a constraint.
This brings me to the next objection raised on my claim: how can I ignore the effect of genetic inheritance. I don’t ignore it at all. But genetic inheritance again is about bodily proclivities. Virtues cannot be simply inherited, they need to be polished.
https://twitter.com/194109009s/status/1215337081083514886?s=21 https://t.co/4E6kBMRU9s
https://twitter.com/194109009s/status/1215337081083514886?s=21 https://t.co/4E6kBMRU9s
This discourse from Mahābhārata between Shiva and Pārvati gives a very good idea on what type of virtues are the hardest to come by.
They are in this order increasingly difficult to cultivate: Stability, Generosity, Courage and Sincerity to Truth.
https://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m13/m13b108.htm
They are in this order increasingly difficult to cultivate: Stability, Generosity, Courage and Sincerity to Truth.
https://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m13/m13b108.htm
These are correspondingly the defining virtues of 4 Varnas: Śūdra (Pratishta), Vaiśya (Prajāti), Kshatriya (Vīryata) and Brāhmana (Tējas). One needs to have the preceding virtue to cultivate the next, but while cultivating the next, one needs to renounce the earlier achievements.
Unless one has a stable mind and a stable ecosystem, one cannot beget children and be generous to the others. But one needs to be prepared to sacrifice one’s own stability if one is generous. This cycle of achievement and renunciation progress to the other virtues in that order.
Unless one is generous towards others, one will not have the courage to defend the weak against the strong. But at the same time, in order to defend justice, one cannot be flippant in one’s generosity. One needs to pair it with Dharma (what sustains everyone in the long run).
The hardest virtue is the sincerity to truth, because when one is utterly sincere, one has to sacrifice all forms of attachment. One might have to overturn all the lies that kept the society ticking. But one cannot do any of that without having the virtue of courage.
If we want to build a virtuous society, we need to enable the blossoming of virtues in all people, whichever virtue they are able to perfect based on their personal character and circumstances in life. We cannot rely on genetics to do the trick, that will be really silly.
Here is another very natural question on marriage: on whether Vivāha (marriage) needs to be between people of the same Varna. The answer is actually yes ! But this Varna should again be based on Gunas (virtues).
https://twitter.com/sushilhmail/status/1215445219627294720?s=21 https://twitter.com/sushilhmail/status/1215445219627294720
https://twitter.com/sushilhmail/status/1215445219627294720?s=21 https://twitter.com/sushilhmail/status/1215445219627294720
Vivāha (marriage) is defined as “Saha Dharmacharana”: the performance of the duties together by husband and wife. By together acting upon Dharma, both the husband and the wife cultivate the same type of virtues. So a Vivāha between people of the same Varna should be promoted.
The simple question I have is “how many people actually have these virtues ?” If they don’t have any virtues or even seek any virtues by doing the obligatory tasks, what is the point of any restrictions on marriage and birth!?
I find this as putting the cart before the ox.
I find this as putting the cart before the ox.
In Kali Yuga, most people don’t have any virtue whatsoever. If we find a virtuous person interested in performing the required duties and cultivating the virtues further, it is like finding a diamond in a coal mine. That needs to be polished and cherished! Birth is immaterial.
What requires explanation is not only the body one is born with, but also the space and time that one is born into. Sanchita Karma is about decisions taken in the past, but the Karmic past is unique to each individual. The universe has no single history.
https://twitter.com/nivrittijnandev/status/1215519031689609216?s=21 https://twitter.com/nivrittijnandev/status/1215519031689609216
https://twitter.com/nivrittijnandev/status/1215519031689609216?s=21 https://twitter.com/nivrittijnandev/status/1215519031689609216
According to Karma, by virtue of being born into Kali Yuga, we all have proof that we committed a major amount of Pāpa (sin) in past lives. If we led virtuous lives, we wouldn’t have been born into this universe but a different one. The Varnas in Kali Yuga are all muddled up.
What is worse: being unable to recognize true virtue and getting confounded by trappings like birth, we will be committing even more sin in Kali Yuga. That will be stupidity of a very high order.
Someone who is reading the Upanishads without such basic grounding is bound to err.
Someone who is reading the Upanishads without such basic grounding is bound to err.
Sorry, “Prārabda karma” is the accumulated Karma from decisions in the past.
Correctly understanding Karma is fundamental to Dharma. The association of Varna with birth is actually a very horrid corruption of the idea of Karma, that takes away all elements of creativity from the Jeevas. Such a fatalistic universe is actually the opposite of Karma.
Probably this confusion arises because people combine the western (Christian) notion of a universe with a single linear history (the secularized version calls it Big Bang, 14 billion years that followed etc.) with Karma. Actually, Karma posits a separate universe for each Jeeva.
Both space and time are molded by Karma, not just across lifetimes, but also within each lifetime. This is why the social circumstances of birth etc cannot be the measuring rod for virtue in this age (Kali Yuga). We see clearly how messed up the people’s characters are today.
