Hindu Mythology

Lesson 2: Introduction II

The Caste System

The Caste System is perceived as the greatest stigma on Hindu Society. The essence of this system is as follows.

The society was divided into four castes. One was the ‘brahmins’ or priestly class who were learned in the scriptures and religious rituals and therefore controlled access to God. Next was the ‘kshatriyas’ or warrior class. These included royalty, nobles and soldiers and controlled political power. Then there was the ‘vyshas’ or merchants who were concerned with creation of wealth. Finally were the ‘sudras’ or workers who were the barbers, weavers, cobblers, masons etc. There were also a ‘casteless’ group who performed the most menial of duties like attending to the waste and the dead.

The widespread and professional system of education that we have today did not exist in ancient societies. In Hindu society knowledge was passed down from father to son. A priest brought up his son to be a priest and so on. It would not be possible for the son of a merchant to become a priest simply because there was no one to teach him. This was not evil in itself. In many societies today, even when professional education is available, the hereditariness of professions is common.

Initially there was no negative connotation to any of the castes. In the Bhagwad Geeta Krishna tells Arjuna that it is not important what you do but how well you do what you do. However over time the caste system became a tool of exploitation. The creation myth narrated above was used to create a hierarchy among the castes. The brahmins were born from the mouth and hence were the best. Similarly next came the kshatriyas, vyshas and sudras in that order. The out-castes were bereft of the right to pray.

There was considerable give and take between the brahmins and the kings (who were the best of the kshatriyas). The brahmins proclaimed that the kings had descended from the Gods and in turn the kings accorded the brahmins protection and utmost respect. The merchants realized that they could not match the brahmins and the kshatriyas and would always be third in the hierarchy. However they had the ability to create wealth, which was desired by both the brahmins and the kings. They in turn needed salvation and protection. Hence they were able to create their own equation. However the life of the sudras and out-castes was worse than hell. They were exploited socially and economically. The caste system reveals that there is a difference between religion and the practice of religion.

Hindu mythology reflected this social order. The tale of Eklavya is very popular. Drona was in charge of educating the Pandava and Kaurava princes in the use of weapons. Arjuna the Pandava was his favourite and it was his ambition to make Arjuna the best archer in the world. One day a tribal lad approached Drona for lessons in archery. Drona turned him down stating that only the warrior caste could be instructed in this discipline. Some months later the princes went hunting. Their dogs scented some prey and barking loudly they gave chase into the forest. Eklavya lived there. When he saw the dogs approaching he let loose a flurry of arrows and with each arrow pierced a dog’s mouth to prevent him from barking. The princes and Drona were watched this feat with amazement. Drona went up to Eklavya and asked how he had managed to become an expert in archery. Eklavya replied that he considered Drona his teacher. He had erected a mud statue of Drona and had practiced in front of the statue. Drona realized that Eklavya was a better archer than Arjuna. He told Eklavya that since he was the teacher Eklavya owed him ‘gurudakshina’ or fees. Eklavya agreed. As his gurudakshina Drona asked for Eklavya’s right thumb. In front of the princes and without hesitating for a second Eklavya cut of his right thumb and gave it to Drona. Without his right thumb Eklavya would not be able to grasp the bowstring and hence would not be a competitor to Arjuna.

Optional Exercises

4a. Most societies practice some form of discrimination. List some societies in which a particular group has been exploited. How was the Hindu society different than these societies?

4b. A person born in one of the higher castes had to demonstrate that he had the qualities of that caste before being accorded the privileges. This is very clearly brought out in the question-answer session Yaksha had with Yudhishthir in the Mahabharata. Read about this episode on page 291 of ‘The Indian Epics Retold’.

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