Charu VermaA curious little girl named Maya watched her mother prepare a fish for dinner one evening. As she observed, she noticed her mother meticulously cut off the head and tail before placing the fish in a baking pan. Intrigued, Maya asked, "Mom, why do you always cut off the head and tail of the fish?" Her mother paused, pondering the question, and then replied, "I've always done it this way because that's how your grandma did it." Unsatisfied with this answer, Maya's curiosity led her to visit her grandma the next day. "Grandma," she asked, "why do you cut off the head and tail of the fish before baking it?" Her grandma thought for a moment and said, "I really don't know, dear. I did it because that's how my mother taught me." Determined to get to the bottom of the mystery, Maya and her grandma decided to visit her great-grandma. The elderly woman listened to the question, then laughed heartily and said, "Oh, my dear, I cut off the head and tail because my baking pan was too small to fit the whole fish!" Maya giggled when she realized that what started as a simple necessity out of scarcity had become a family tradition passed down for generations, even though it had outlived its practicality.” - Ack M Hamanova
Only a few like Maya questions such seemingly useful yet irrational acts of survival. Speaking of survival, “Survival of the fittest” has been used to justify class stratification, racism, and the caste system by suggesting that social and economic inequalities are the result of natural differences in ability and worth. Let's find out by navigating the blinding complexities of the caste system, which insidiously pulls everyone into it whether one likes it or not. Some are in it, some are trying to avoid it while being in it, all tangled in its “matrix of ego”.
"Ego and caste” is like trees in a forest, where height determines sunlight and status."
Imagine a world with no variety, no differences, no choices. It'd be like an ocean with only one kind of fish—boring as watching paint dry! Diversity spices things up. Castes are like the referees of social order, keeping us all in line. Differences make life a colorful adventure — or so says our “noisy ego”.
Caste is a subtle yet profound manifestation of the ego's inclination to divide for the sake of pleasure, pain, power, purpose, and pursuit. Ego drives the pursuit of power, which seeks pleasure, often causing pain, while imagination fuels purpose all driven by external influences.
As I reflect on Acharya Ji's teachings - The nature of "Ego" is to choose out of pain and pleasure by avoiding anything in between, wherein, “Caste” is its wild imagination resulting from the pain of division and the pleasure derived from it. The caste system, much like the ego, forms a false identity built on external divisions and exclusion of others. Ever wondered why Hindus seem so quick to abandon their religion? When you label your own people as low and downtrodden, why would they stay? Why wouldn’t they seek refuge in another faith? Because We have become addicted to divisions, including gender, money, skin color, ethnicity, race, creed - you name it. These divisions lead to competition. This competition causes further division. Eventually, there is no way out of this massive maze of mirrors full of externally imposed identities, as individuals try to discern which one truly belongs to them.
"This beautiful shloka from the Bhagavad Gita on castes strikes a chord of inner silence, gently rippling through the ego to reveal undivided perception."
चातुर्वर्ण्यं मया सृष्टं गुणकर्मविभागशः।
तस्य कर्तारमपि मां विद्ध्यकर्तारमव्ययम्॥
Translation: "The four categories of occupations were created by Me according to people’s qualities and activities. Although I am the creator of this system, know Me to be the non-doer and eternal."
In this shloka, Lord Krishna explains that the caste system (varnashrama) was created based on the inherent qualities (guna) and actions (karma) of individuals, rather than by birth. He emphasizes that He, as the creator, is beyond the system and remains unaffected by it.
The caste system, shaping Indian society for over 3,000 years, established a rigid hierarchy. Originating in ancient South Asia, it defined roles based on status and identity. Ambedkar (1891–1956) stated that untouchability entered Indian society around 400 CE during the struggle between Buddhism and Brahmanism. Hindu priests allied with untouchables were demoted, embedding caste as a tradition. The system extends beyond tradition, representing exploitation and a distorted labor division, deeply impacting social roles and relationships, including marriage, driven by beliefs in superiority and hierarchy.
Acharya Ji's insight asserts - Why should your job be pre-decided at birth? No guarantee a blacksmith's kid will forge a career in metallurgy or a priest's child will preach wisdom. The caste system's usefulness had already expired like a discount coupon. It's just the untamed ego's subtle 'Divide and Conquer' game in the lost wilderness of social life.
The person who believes in caste also buys into a thousand other absurdities—they're all part of the same eccentric club. It’s tough to be casteist without being ritualistic. It’s a misery to be a casteist without being superstitious, and finding a non-violent casteist is like finding a unicorn. Let go of caste, and all these other peculiar habits vanish. The solution? Release the core that binds them—ego. Once that's shed, these misguided notions scatter like last year's fallen leaves.
The nature of the human ego is like trying to sever water or divide infinity. Which implies it operates unknowingly and with no awareness of its actions.
As quoted by Acharaya Ji - To see yourself or another through the lens of caste is to reduce a human being to a label. It is to ignore the vast, boundless potential and beauty that each individual inherently possesses.
युद्धस्व
Persistent observation within.