What People Believe About Hinduism and Caste
Many believe that the Hinduism religion, or more precisely Sanatana Dharma, promotes a strict caste hierarchy dividing society into four main classes: Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas, and Shudras—with the Dalits (“untouchables”) often considered outside this system altogether.
This version of the caste system, embedded in the social fabric of India for centuries, appears deeply discriminatory. In popular belief, Brahmins were the priestly intellectuals (from Brahma’s head), Kshatriyas the rulers (arms), Vaishyas the merchants (thighs), and Shudras the laborers (feet). Later, Dalits were pushed into doing the so-called “impure” jobs like tanning leather or cleaning waste.
👉 BBC: The Caste System
These divisions are mentioned in ancient scriptures such as the Rigveda, Manusmriti, Mahabharata, and Dharmashastra. Yet, what most people think they know about Hinduism is actually far from its foundational truth.
Learning Hinduism Beyond the Labels
It is fascinating (and a little tragic) that when you give people a sorted system, they don’t question it—they just build ladders out of it.
The Social Dominance Theory by Sidanius and Pratto (1999) explains how societies naturally form hierarchies. People either defend, exploit, or try to escape them. And over time, these hierarchies become “normal.”
👉 Read: Social Dominance Theory (PDF)
The Real Caste Message in Sanatana Dharma
When I began learning Hinduism, especially its original texts, one question stayed with me: Would a faith as deep and liberating as the Hindu faith really endorse social inequality?
In the Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 4, Verse 13, Lord Krishna provides clarity:
चातुर्वर्ण्यं मया सृष्टं गुणकर्मविभागशः।
तस्य कर्तारमपि मां विद्ध्यकर्तारमव्ययम्।। 4.13।।
“I have created the fourfold caste system based on guna (qualities) and karma (actions). Though I made it, I remain the non-doer.”
This doesn’t sound like a command to oppress anyone. It sounds more like a spiritual classification system—more personality profiling, less social prison. According to this, the history of Hinduism reveals a flexible, purpose-driven framework—corrupted only later.
Where We Took a Wrong Turn
Between 200 BCE and 200 CE, the Manusmriti—a later text not on the top shelf of the encyclopaedia of Hinduism—introduced hierarchy and rigidity. Manu stated that duties and privileges should be determined strictly by caste, creating barriers to social mobility. That’s where discrimination crept in and decided to stay far too long.
👉 Casteist Verses in Manusmriti
Returning to True Hindu Values
Today, thankfully, many Hindus defy caste boundaries through marriage, profession, and community. The future lies not in erasing Hinduism, but in truly understanding it. To move forward, we must return to the core essence of Sanatana Dharma, which recognizes people for their qualities and actions—not birth.
We don’t need to reinvent the Hindu wheel. We just need to study the true meaning of Hinduism religion and separate divine philosophy from man-made prejudice.
If this post gave you a new way to think about caste and the Hindu faith, do like and comment below. Your feedback inspires me to write more thought-provoking content on the roots and realities of Hinduism.
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