tigerz 0 Report post Posted June 5, 2000 Everything seems nice and sweet, wise and clairvoyant... all hunky dory. But then theres not a single person explaining the caste system which is probably the worst of its kind any where in the world. If this system is so great, then why have castes? Anyone care to throw some light ? ~Tigerzuchini Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mahak 0 Report post Posted June 5, 2000 Hey, haribol. Caste system is perverted reflection of reality, based on biology and genetics, family lines, etc. Varna asrama dharma is quite natural, not based on birth, rather qualifications. As such, it cannot be avoided, regardless of the attempts at societal homogenization.. Some are here for the labor, some have economic savvy, some are inclined for administration, some are in tune with higher sciences (philosophers. This is your four orders (varnas), sudra, vaisya, ksatriya, brahmana, qualifications, and acquired, not by birth, rather attitude and adjustment. The other four asramas are also natural, student, married having children, married too old for children, and renounced(widowhood, either by death or avadhuta). All these things are reality, no artificial selection committee to appoint where each fits in, we fit in naturally. But, alas, in the age of Kali, everything is contrived, artificial, bogus, so your disgust with the "caste" system is understood and appreciated, thus Krsna Consciousness gives opportunity to get out of all artificial and temporary systems. Later, mahak Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tigerz 0 Report post Posted June 6, 2000 Nope... dont understand. And I didnt get the Sanskrit part... sounds Greek very unfortunately. D'ya mind explaining that in lucid terms... with plain English ? My knowledge of such matters happens to be ridiculously poor. Sorry! thanks tho' Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mahak 0 Report post Posted June 7, 2000 Sorry, try to simplify. The caste system is a perversion of varnasrama dharma, which lists the four classes of society and the four statuses of life. Where ideas of caste system artificially discriminate between the orders, real dharma acknowledges the natural orders and sees them as parts of the complete body. The Brahmana is the head, and inclkudes teachers, physicians, scientists, etc. The Ksatriya is the administrative arms of the body, providing order and protection of society, world leaders, policemen, soldiers, etc. The Vaisyas are the bankers and business folk that are the stomach. The Sudras are the labor and are the legs. In order to work properlky, these do not fight or discriminate between each other, to do so is to destroy the body. The caste system is where the legs are kept crippled, the belly is not properly fed, the arms are swinging out of control, and the head is cut off. can ya grasp this much??? Mo latah, haribol, ys, mahaksadasa Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tigerz 0 Report post Posted June 7, 2000 Gotcha !!! :-))))))))) Which sob twisted such a fine concept into what we see today ? I wish I was educated on this simple and beautiful fact much before...Thank you Mahak. I hail thee. Ok... another question that I had for years... that nobody gave a straight answer for. Why are some Hindus vegetarians and some others not ? Shouldnt it be consistent among all Hindus ? Or am I missing something obvious ? Yo ! thanks a mil dude. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
janardana prabhu 0 Report post Posted June 8, 2000 this is from the rig veda.----------------The religion that sprang forth from the Vedas helped shape Indian society. For example, the Rig Veda and Vedic literature were used in the development of the caste system. The Rig Veda describes how the god Purusha sacrificed himself to himself. Each of the pieces of his body developed into a different portion of society. His mouth became the Brahmin or priests; his arms became the Kshatriyas or warriors; his thighs became the Vaisya or merchants, farmers, herders and artisans; and the feet became the Sudra or slaves and servants. Thus, while each part of society had its own role, it was still and single body. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jahnava Nitai Das 2 Report post Posted June 8, 2000 I think a more correct translation for sudra would be laborer, it certainly shouldn't be slave. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
melvin 1 Report post Posted June 9, 2000 I`m not well-attuned to the caste system of India. As far as I know it is called the Varnasrama Dharma system created by the Lord Himself, Sri Krishna. It`s a method of grouping individuals according to one`s nature of being after having a mind of its own. If one`s nature is that of a healer or preacher then he can be classified as a brahmana, a soldier or kastriya, a businessman or vaisya, so on and so forth. Sri Krishna, the Supreme Lord, made it this way in order to restore the chaos wrought by the Kali-yuga where almost everyone are trying to outwit each other giving rise to trivial arguments that have no value at all which in the end may result to violence to injuries to death. This is not what Lord Chaitanya wants from us. What He wants from us is to go back home, back to His loving arms. He wants us to render devotional service to Him by propagating His sankirtana-yajna movement of inundating the world with love of Krishna consciousness. Just carry out Sri Nimai Pandita`s mission and this chaotic caste system will just fall into its rightful place. P.S. The word "sudra" may also mean the word "servant." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
janardana prabhu 0 Report post Posted June 11, 2000 Dear JNdas, Your right, this artical is misstaken,and shows how poor a fund of knowledge even a professor has in this day and age. In the actual varna-asrama system all parts are happily serving the whole. and a vaisnava can take up any roll even sudra. I have been trying to back track to the site where I got that from ,so I can email the author Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest guest Report post Posted July 27, 2004 all joys to swami prabhupada and jai sri krishna hare krishna Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest guest Report post Posted July 28, 2004 Casteism came about as a result of a mixed race society. The only way to prevent the decline of that society due to a mixture of races conflicting with eachother was to govern it using racial laws. Hence the caste system. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
maadhav 0 Report post Posted July 28, 2004 it was a malprcticed varnasrama dharma. it is fading now. because every one is different from others in many ways, there will always be (and are) divisions in any society, but to treat the lower ones badly, thinking one is at a higher level, is sin. if the social levels are made or assumed artificially without any real base, then that is wrong too. in a healthy society every one treats others with due respect and dignity. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites