When Eastern Wisdom Degenerated into An Obdurate Hinduism, It Birthed Casteism

By Sumit Paul, New Age Islam 18 September 2023 "Many Sanatanis face this “Euthyphro Dilemma” on the question of the caste system because of its divine origin tracing back to Lord Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita, who informed Arjuna that the Varnas were created by him." Isn't it a very intelligent, nay cunning, way to suggest that the reprehensible caste system in Hinduism is god-ordained? And when something, even morally wrong, is sanctioned by some god, humans have no right to question its validity and veracity. Hinduism or Santan Dharma will never be able to cast away this obnoxious caste system. To get rid of the caste system is tantamount to denying the very basis, axis and existence of Hinduism. Not just Hinduism but all faiths are based on certain fundamental tenets. Hinduism is based on caste. Since caste is 'divinely-stamped' -derogatorily termed by Dr Bimal Krishna Matilal- it becomes necessary to think what one means by caste, especially as adumbrated in the Gita because it is considered one of the holy books in Hinduism, being part of the Prasthana Traya, the other two texts being Upanishads and Brahma Sutras. Caste, as Krishna points out in Verse 13 of Chapter 4, is not based on birth: “The fourfold caste has been created by Me according to the differentiation of Guna and Karma…” Guna means one’s qualities and Karma means the “kind” of work one does. And, it is clear from the discussion about epigenetics that Guna and Karma are not fixed by birth. Hence, caste should not be assigned based on heredity. Simple stratification of humans as per their works and professions in ancient Hinduism degenerated into a caste system. Now it's not work-based but birth-based. Despite Dr B R Ambedkar’s achievements and accomplishments, he still remains a Mahar (an untouchable community in Maharashtra) to the upper caste Hindus, not just to Brahmins. The problem arises when a mere idea swells into a (religious) tenet and becomes the leitmotif of the whole system. This happened to labour stratification of ancient India. It fell into the pit of caste in Hinduism. Mind you, the pristine Eastern consciousness and Upanishadic wisdom of the East never talked about caste and social hierarchy. Once the Eastern thought process took the shape of today's Sanatan Dharm or Hinduism, the caste system crept into it. This also underlines the fact that the idea of Sanatan (ever-evolving and without a beginning) is an interpolated one just like certain Muslim 'scholars' still trying to assert that Islam is a perennial faith. Spalding Professor of Eastern Religions and Ethics at Oxford R C Zaehner (1952-1974), who succeeded Dr Radhkrishnan (1936-1952) and preceded Dr Bimal Krishna Matilal (1976-1991) opined long ago that the Eastern Consciousness/wisdom (Prachya Chetna/Pragya) took the form of Sanatan or Hinduism with an inventory of gods and deities. He too opined that when the Eastern Wisdom degenerated into an obdurate Hinduism or Sanatan, it engendered a host of religio-social ills. Casteism is the offspring of a fixed and rigid religious system called Hinduism. ------- A regular columnist for New Age Islam, Sumit Paul is a researcher in comparative religions, with special reference to Islam. He has contributed articles to the world's premier publications in several languages including Persian. URL: https://newageislam.com/spiritual-meditations/eastern-wisdom-obdurate-hinduism-casteism/d/130698 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism