Kanchan Banerjee in the sixth part of this series demystifies the varnashram system and what is its greatness and utility in this day and age
There are several interpretations of the idea and the meaning of the word varna. Some scholars associated varna with colour. However, if we look at it etymologically, the colour theory does not hold good. Varna is a Sanskrit term derived from the root vṛ, meaning “to cover, to envelop”. Derived meanings include “kind, sort, character, quality”. One can find the usage of these meanings of the word in the oldest text in the world – the Rig Veda. Varna could be referred to colours in the sense of symbolic colors given to gunas, like white as sattwa, red and yellow as rajas, and black as tamas as described by some ancient texts. They have nothing to do with the colour of skin, but refer to symbolism and metaphor. There is no equivalent word for guna in English but scholars define it as attributes, qualities, tendencies and guiding force or principles of an entity or individual.
The idea of a varna-based classification originates in the ancient texts which are deeply connected to the cosmology and creation concepts of ancient India. The world is created by Brahma and pancha bhutas (five basic elements) – kshiti, ap, tej, marut and byom —- and three gunas – sattwa, rajas and tamas are applied in this process. Each entity in existence is built by the bhutas and influenced by these gunas. In modern science there is no equivalent of these to concepts as yet.
The guna that is responsible for creation, action, move etc and which pushes to achieve pursuits and infuses drive, passion and excitement, is called rajas or ‘active’ principle. This drives a person for career or any other goals to be achieved, energetic but outward, generating strong prana (vital energy) impacting the senses and motor organs.
Tamas is the ‘static’ principle symbolized by darkness, ignorance and delusion, which is responsible for slow down, laziness, de-motivation, sleepiness, stationary, undeveloped or unrefined nature, uneducated and disheveled.
Sattwa is the illuminating principle that makes one neither active nor inactive, creats a balanced or harmonious state, peaceful, calm and yet high-level of extra-intellectual activities, refined or cultivated nature, vision, knowledge, understanding and discipline. In sattwic state, there is an absence of forces of opposition, resistance and violence and that’s the attribute of sat or the real nature of things, equilibrium. sattwa guna relates to mind and allows for clarity of perception, which is necessary for any higher evolution of consciousness whereas the other two takes care of both survival and sustenance.
Different types of food and fruits have guna influences — each can increase certain gunas and qualities in each person. Based on these, three doshas (qualities) of life were described in the Ayurveda namely kapha, vata and pitta. Similar principles are applied to identify individuals and their quality and thus individuals were associated with a particular group of four varnas. If one knows their predominant guna-prakriti or nature and tendencies, then s/he can chose their way of life, profession and follow their pursuits and activities to bring more harmony in body-mind-spirit, be most productive to the society and realize full potential. So, the varna system is to actually assist people to move on from lower state
of existence to a higher one and finally find ultimate realization, or moksha, the complete freedom from emotions, bondages and cycle of karma – and that is the goal of life, according to Indian ideals.
Though each individual is potentially equal to others, reality presents a different scenario. Modern science has accepted that the DNA pretty much determines what a person is going to become — at least physically and temperamentally. Indian thinkers went one step beyond. They say the karma and past living experiences shape the destiny of this life, actually this life was chosen to evolve from the past state to the next state in the evolutionary path. Though a bundle of karma is going to lead the completion of this life, current karma, in the form of samskaras (impressions of the environment and resultant actions) will also have a great impact in this and next. Modern scientists already agree that apart from DNA, the formation of neurons and circuits in the brain responsible for our worldview as well as behavior is heavily influenced by living environment and activities that one pursues.
One’s character is a combination of code in DNA and the activities of early life. Both affect future, in a way destiny, in this life and next. Even if one doubts the existence of an after-life, though there are plenty of evidence that prove the concept of re-incarnation, the collective actions of a generation of people definitely impact the generation of tomorrow – the culture, economy and health of a family, society and country.
So, it is obvious that if somehow the traits of a person are known in advance, their profession and activities in life can be guided better. The society can be more productive, reducing conflicts in socio-economic system and skill-job mismatch and losses in terms of economics and social benefits of a society or nation. Many thinkers have suggested that the role of a teacher is not just providing information, but allow the students to be the best they could. And if there was a way to predict what a child is going to become, the teacher’s job is more of a guru than an instructor. And then, one can ask, how to bring one up from a lower mental, emotional and intellectual level to a higher plane? The answer will come only if we can evaluate the person’s current state or level in the evolutionary track.
What do the ancient texts say about the varnas?
There are three key references provided here about varna. One is the Purusha Sukta where it is said that from different parts of the Virat Purusha (the primordial cause of all creation) – the mouth, arms, thighs, feet the four varnas – Brahman, kshatriya, vaishya and shudra are born respectively.… (Rigvedic Purusha Sukta 10.90.11–12).
Second one is the Bhgavad Geeta: “The fourfold varnashram system has been created by Me according to the differentiation of guna and karma (abilities, skills, profession and actions)” (Bhagavad Geeta Ch. 18, V.41).
Third one is the Manusmriti. While there is are many references to Manusmrti being a discriminatory text, later we will review that there are major contradictions in it due to later-day interpolations. In any case it says: ‘Let the three twice-born castes (varna), discharging their (prescribed) duties, study (the Veda); but among them the Brahmana (alone) shall teach it, not the other two; that is an established rule….. Brahmana, the Kshatriya, and the Vaisya varnas are the twice-born ones, but the fourth, the Sudra, has one birth only; there is no fifth’ (Manusmriti Chapter Nine, Verses 1-5).
Apart from four basic varnas, in the ancient texts, there is a mention of a fifth one, which is beyond the influence of all gunas. Lord Shiva is said to be trigunatit, that means influence of these natural principles do not affect him – and goal for each life according to the shastras should be to go 
beyond the play of these three gunas to ascend to the state or varna is called Hansa. After evolving through each of the main four varnas, one in a way destroys the binds of those four varnas – or rather the four varnas becomes ladder to the highest achievement – the hansa state. Hansa is the title is given to most evolved sages, who are called ‘Paramhansa’.
The four or five varnas are part of the Virat Purusa, the mundane yet conscious universe. All texts, including Manu Smriti, has stated that all classes will eventually reach the highest stage of life, but only through the play of sattwa guna and sadhana or austerity and practice to reach higher realms via any of the following paths – jnana (knowledge), bhakti (devotion), karma (work) or a combination – where secular and sacred are no different, but one continuous state where religious dogmas are out and only Dharma is in play through direct experience.
Swami Vivekananda explains it as: “..the dictates of our Vedantic religion, by our attaining spirituality and by our becoming ideal Brahmana. …. everyone in this country has to try and become the ideal Brahmana. This Vedantic idea is applicable not only here but over the whole world. The Brahmana-hood is the ideal of humanity in India as wonderfully put forward by Shankaracharya at the beginning of his commentary on the Gita, where he speaks about the reason for Krishna’s coming as a preacher for the preservation of Brahmana- hood, of Brahmana-ness. That was the great end. This Brahmana, the man of God, he who has known Brahman, the ideal man, the perfect man, must remain, he must not go.”
Due to lack of depth of understanding of Indian ideas by the West, the invader and the colonists, during the periods of long subjugation, the meaning of certain ideas in India was super-imposed by foreign concepts so much so that even the natives also started to imbibe their ideas and culture through them. India was truly a slave nation during the period of subjugation, and the mental slavery is still present among the minds of the intellectual class.
For example, Dharma has been equated to religion, Varna to Caste, Iswara to God, Adhyatma to spirituality etc. Just like other cultures, such as China, certain concepts and ideas are very difficult to translate, because the concepts have long history which has created a paradigm, unique character to that society not comparable to others. Spirituality in Indian sense has nothing to do with a dogma, theory or rituals or a ‘belief system’ or a place of worship, rather it is defined as an experience of oneness and the knowledge of ‘self’, alignment with an universal interconnected conscious whole-self and the entire existence. So, in a way, a yogi, a physicist, a painter and a social-worker, all can experience this oneness with their subjects or objects.
In the next part of this series we will explore how the concept of varna is intrinsically connected with the idea of the yugas, the cosmic cycles found in ancient Hindu cosmology which is supported by modern science. We will also discuss how the ancients described relations between the increase and decrease of proportion of people with various gunas and thus various varnas as various yugas namely Satya, Treta, Dwapar and Kali cyclically evolves.
