Although many people in India subscribe to the belief that one is born into a certain caste this belief is not supported by our scriptures. The caste system in India has degenerated into a system falsely recognizing men born in Brahmin families as Brahmins.....
......or Kshatriya families as Kshatriya or Vaisya families as Vaisya or Sudra families as Sudra, even though they don’t exhibit the qualities of Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaisyas or Sudras respectively. This has caused so many problems.
Lord Krishna clearly says in Bhagavat Gita 4.13 that the four varna & four ashrams have been made by Him according to one’s Guna (qualities) & Karma (work).
But unfortunately, today the caste system has become based on Janma (Birth). But this is against Hindu scriptures.
The verse goes:-

catur varnam mayam sristam guna-karma vibhagasah

tasya kartaram api mam viddhy akartaram avyayam (B.G 4.13)
"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 non-doer, being unchangeable."
So Lord Krishna and all the Hindu scriptures are very clear on that the Four varnas are based on Guna (quality & nature of a person) and it's absolutely not based on the Janma (birth) in a particular family or the varna of the father.
So if a person is born in a Brahmin family or Kshatriya family, but has the qualities of a sudra, he is to be considered as a sudra. Merely becoming a son of a Brahmin or Kshatriya or Vaisya or Sudra will not make you a Brahmin or Kshatriya or Vaisya or Sudra
So the Vedas recognize different people have different skills and qualifications, but it is no by birth, it is by guna [qualification] and karma [work].
So if someone born of a sudra [worker] father becomes qualified [guna] and works as [karma] a brahmana he should be accepted as a brahmana… In the same way, if the son of a brahmana doesn’t have the qualifications of a brahmana or work as a brahmana then he is not a brahmana.
You have the same system in America. You have intellectuals [brahmanas], you have administrators and military men [ksatriyas], you have businessmen and farmers [vaisyas] and you have workers. The Vedic system just recognizes these groups, that’s all. It’s quite natural.
What you know as the “caste system” is case-by-birth. But what Krishna describes as the caste system is caste by guna and karma. Guna means qualities and karma means work.
So a person’s caste has nothing at all to do with the family he is born in. Although it may happen that someone born in a particular family will have the opportunity to develop the qualities of his father and also work in the same way as his father.
So in this case the son may have the same caste as the father. But it is not because he is the son of a father of a particular caste, but it is because his father has trained him and the son now has the qualities and is working as a particular caste.
For example, an engineer's son or a doctor's son will not automatically become an engineer or doctor. He has to work hard and earn his own degree. In the same way, a brahmana son will not automatically become a Brahman, he has to learn and should have the qualities.
Also, there is a story mentioned in Jabala Upanishad about a young boy who approached Gautama Muni and begged to become his student. It was customary that only respectable Brahmanas would be accepted for such spiritual training.
Gautama, therefore, asked, "Who is your father?" "That I do not know," the boy replied. "So, please ask your mother." The boy went to his mother and asked his mother and the mother subsequently admitted, "My dear son, I have known many men. I do not know who is your father."
The boy returned to Gautama Muni and relayed the embarrassing message, "Sir, my mother also does not know who my father is. My mother says that she has sex with many people" Gautama Muni concluded, "Yes, you are a brahmana. I accept you because you are thoroughly honest."
You can follow @RadharamnDas.
Tip: mention @twtextapp on a Twitter thread with the keyword “unroll” to get a link to it.

Latest Threads Unrolled:

By continuing to use the site, you are consenting to the use of cookies as explained in our Cookie Policy to improve your experience.