Chaturvarna, Caste System and Untouchability And a Way Forward
- Shrikant Soman
- Oct 3
- 6 min read
Chaturvarna, Caste System and Untouchability And a Way Forward
A lot of people automatically dismiss our old traditions as useless. On the flip side, just as many people follow these old traditions and customs with blind faith.
The real issue is that it's hard to tell which parts of our traditions come from ancient religion and which parts are just cultural habits or things we started doing for convenience.
Also, when both the so-called secular groups and religious groups use religion for politics, the problem gets complicated and misleading. Finally, policies that reserve jobs or benefits based on a person's birth caste or tribe have made people's attitudes about this whole subject even more fixed.
It's fine to get rid of any old tradition that we disagree with or that doesn't fit with modern thinking and cultural progress. However, it's wrong to judge these old customs, traditions, or religious rules without first trying to understand the main idea or philosophy behind them.
Even when we reject a tradition as unacceptable for today, we should think about whether it was appropriate or logical when it first started.
The current trend—or "fad"—of immediately calling our old customs "barbaric" or "inhuman" is harmful. If we do that, we lose the valuable insights into human nature that our ancestors gained from their own studies and systems. We see this when people dramatically burn books like the Manusmriti (an ancient book of social rules) because it contains offensive or cruel customs. As Sri Aurobindo warned, extreme solutions—like stopping all tradition or trying to go back to a "natural" state—only lead to more confusion, stagnation, and the breakdown of society.
I'll say it again: it's okay to discard the old if it doesn't work for us. But before we make final judgments on our ancestors' way of life, we need to ask ourselves: Are we truly sure we know more than they did? Has anyone actually done a deep study of our old culture and traditions before declaring their definitive judgment on it?
The tradition of dividing society by caste is one custom that so-called modern thinkers quickly and strongly condemn.
I am not defending the caste system here. My purpose is simply to explore the spiritual dimension and philosophy that formed its basis.
We shouldn't feel forced to follow this system. If we choose to reject it, we should do so knowingly and with complete understanding.
First, we must understand that the modern "caste system" is NOT the same as "Chaturvarna"Â (the original four-fold division).
The system of Chaturvarna started long ago, in our ancient Vedic age. People in that age thought in a more symbolic way.
As Sri Aurobindo explained, the entire Rig Veda (the oldest Vedic text) is actually a hidden set of spiritual and secret teachings. These teachings were intentionally kept behind a "veil," but it's not a thick one. If we simply look closely, the veil disappears, and the core truth and wisdom are clearly revealed.
"Chaturvarna" means "four types of soul evolution."Â This four-part system is described in the Veda's "Purushasukta."
Understanding Varna
It’s crucial to know that Varna does NOT mean skin color. Instead, it refers to the spiritual "type" or "color" of a person's inner being.
The idea is that the whole universe is an image of the Creator (the original Source). The four types of people were believed to come from four parts of the Creator's body: Head, Arms, Thigh, and Feet. This division is just a symbol to make the concept easier for regular people to grasp.
The four spiritual types are:
Brahmins: Men of knowledge (the Head).
Kshatriyas: Men of power and rulers (the Arms).
Vaishyas: Men who are producers and traders (the Thighs).
Shudras: Men who are service providers (the Feet).
This system was based on a deep truth of divine reality. As Sri Aurobindo noted, ancient thinkers saw human society as an attempt to express the same hidden reality that created the universe.
How the System Worked in the Beginning
This system was held up by four social pillars: birth, economic job, religious practice, and family custom.
Crucially, it was not a rigid system at first. People had the freedom to move between these four types. A person's skills and natural ability were the most important factors in deciding their "Varna."
Later, to keep the social order stable, education and family tradition became more important, which caused the system to become somewhat hereditary. This meant the importance of birth slowly grew, but it still wasn't the only factor. For example, the son of a Brahmin usually became a Brahmin, but not always.
In these early stages, a person's birth and profession together determined their place. This actually helped stabilize the four-part order and was faithful to its original character, unlike the rigid, degenerated form it became much later on.
The Degeneration of the System
The decline of the original system started when its ethical foundation slowly wore away. People stopped truly honoring the spirit of their profession. Like a law of nature, the standards of right conduct became less important or were completely pushed aside.
Eventually, the economic structure also began to fall apart. According to Sri Aurobindo, the only things left holding the system together were:
Birth and family custom.
Meaningless or false religious rituals and symbols—a mere 'scarecrow' of the deep spiritual ideas that once existed.
The System During its "Economic" Phase
During this middle stage, when the system was mostly about a person's job:
The true Brahmin (man of knowledge) was replaced by the priest and pundit.
The true Kshatriya (ruler) was replaced by the aristocrat and feudal lord.
The true Vaishya (producer/trader) was replaced by the merchant and moneylender.
The true Shudra (service provider) was represented by the laborer class.
Even though it had lost its original spiritual soul, the system still provided some value to society during this time.
The Final Collapse
The final phase of degeneration happened when the economic basis also completely collapsed. Sri Aurobindo states that when this happens, the old system becomes a "diseased shell"—nothing more than a name and a sham. At this point, it must either be dissolved entirely or it will fatally damage the society that insists on keeping it.
What we have today is the 'caste' system, which is only a sick, broken remnant of the ancient Chaturvarna system.
Historical Context and Spiritual Aim
It's interesting to note that in India, slavery was largely absent, and women had a more respected and liberal position compared to women in ancient Greece and Rome.
Before we try to fix the current situation, we must first understand the spiritual purpose behind human development.
Sri Aurobindo argues that a truly spiritual society should see man not just as a mind, life, and body, but as a soul that has taken human form for a divine purpose on Earth—not just in the heavens.
Therefore, such a society would treat all parts of human life as sacred (physical, emotional, ethical, intellectual, etc.). It would view all these aspects as tools for growth toward a more divine and fulfilling way of living.
A Way Forward
The True Aim of Society
The major flaw in all our current social systems is that they have failed to develop the one thing society has ignored the most: the spiritual part of man—his soul, which is his true self.
Redefining Man
A truly spiritual society would see a person not just as a mind, a life, and a body, but as a soul that has come to Earth to achieve a divine goal. If the soul's only goal were to be in heaven, it would never have needed to come to this world of physical, mental, and active life.
Because of this view, a spiritual society would value all parts of a person's life—physical strength, emotional depth, artistic sense, ethical rules, intellect, and spiritual development. All these things would be seen as tools for growing toward a more divine way of living.
The Path to Spiritual Progress
Humanity will only be on the right path to spiritual greatness when people boldly admit that everything they have developed so far—including the intellect, which they are so proud of—is no longer enough.
From that point on, humanity's main focus must be to reveal, discover, and free the greater light (the soul) within. When this happens, our philosophy, art, science, ethics, and work will stop being just mental exercises done for their own sake. Instead, they will become tools to find a greater Truth that lies behind the mind and life, and to bring the power of that Truth into our human world.
A Spiritual Age vs. External Control
A spiritual age will not try to make people perfect by force or by limiting their freedom. It won't present a person's "higher self" through a policeman, government official, or a controlling bureaucracy (like a socialist state or a labor council).
Instead, its goal will be to reduce the need for external rules and compulsion as much as possible by awakening the inner, divine motivation of the Spirit inside every person.
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