Talk:Varna (Hinduism)/Archive 1

Challenge?

Do you think the varna system should be challenged?--86.128.47.107 (talk) 20:08, 21 April 2008(UTC) I firmly agree with you. This is what actully we all believe in and what make felt unpreviledge to socalled lowercastes. Socalled uppercaste still living in 15th century. Wonder how worst would be the situations if east india company had not ruled over India.!!

The same hate systems in hindus in which they even don't touch to socalled hindu lowercaste and other injusticeful hindu social laws would be still running in full strength.

Only socalled hindu uppercaste people who are disagreed with facts and want to continue the injusticeful caste system by supporting will having objections for positive ideas by liberal and moderate people here.... Each of us have a dream. We want to see India as an Economic Super-power. We want to see India as a corruption-free nation. We want to see India as a socially, economically and politically proseperous nation. Are we really moving forward in this direction ? Or it is just a day-dream and nothing else.

We are still a nation, who has been following caste system, a social evil, for thousand of years. Either we do not have any idea about how this caste system existed in India or knowing everything about this, we are forced to follow this.

Today, If we leave some exceptional cases everyone from our society have no courage to come forward in taking initiative to abolish this social evil. Our politicians are busy in making strategy to strengthen their vote bank at any cost. Our so-called saints, swamis, social reformers and social organizations are preaching idealistic things. Our public faces have no time from their commercial activities. Corporates have nothing to take from this. And there is no need to say much about our media. News paper have enough spaces for commercial advertisements and TV Channels have "enough things" to show to increase their TRP. And we common man are busy in solving our daily life problem like how to get degrees, jobs, loan, promotion, increment, suitable life partner, house, car etc. And that is all our duty. We think our duty completes here.

If we think so, we are still a narrow minded person. No matter how much we are well educated, having good financial conditions and have everything that are needed to have a luxorious life, we are still floating in our self made deep well.

India lives in village. Our 80% populations lives in village. And people are very much caste-centric there. Everyone is treated and behaved according to their caste. Everyone is known by their caste and everyone is divided on the basis of caste.

It is very shameful for us if we are boasting India as a developing nation. We are still very very backward socially. How we can differentiate people on the basis of their caste. Nature has made no differentiation and developed everyone unbiasedly. Why we make biased thinking taking caste into consideration.

Many social reformers have done a lot to eliminate this social evil from time to time in India. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, Kabeer, Tulsidas, Raja Ram Mohan Roy, Swami Dayananda Saraswati, Ram Krishna Paramhans, Swami Vivekananda, Mahatma Gandhi, Dr. Bhim Rao Ambedakar and many others came forward and tried their best to make our society Caste-free.

We shouls also be aware of these things and must come out of our narrow well of thoughts to dive into great ocean. It becomes our duty to do our best in spreading awareness in people to make India a caste-free nation.

Historical and Lingual Accuracy

slight dePOVing, removed references to both indo european origin speculations and the harappan culture. "Varna" is certainly not attested from Harappa (there are no texts. Varna is Sanskrit). Dbachmann 11:27, 8 Aug 2004 (UTC)

A better perspective

The title 'famous opponents of the varna system' is a mis-representation. Yudhishtra of the Pandavas in the Mahabharata did say that what defines a Brahman is his conduct. Conduct in the context of the period was linked to his dharma as well as his duties and obligatons, which is well aligned witht he understanding of varna then. Likewise, all people who devote their lives solely in the pursuit of God, renouncing all worldly ties and obligations, do not fall under the classification of the 4 varnas. Thus a rishi/sadhu/saint/devotee like the Adi Sankara or Mirabai are renunciates having snapped all ties with kith and kin and worldly possessions and obligations and do not fall under any varna. When you renounce your worldly obligations you cannot be a Brahmin/Kshatriya/etc. In fact Hindu philosophy encourages everybody to be a renunciate and embrace the path devoted to the discovery of God as the sole focus, after one discharges one's worldly duties as enjoined and part of the varna, having snapped all ties with kith and kin. This basically implies, that everybody when they do this, become casteless. We thus see that there's nothing iron-clad about being part of the varnas from birth to death. Viswamitra was a Rishi. Yet he was a kshatriya by birth. He along with other Rishis were casteless and did not fall under any of the varnas.