Understanding the Jati and Caste System in Hinduism

Today’s discussion focuses on the famous—or perhaps infamous—jaati vyavastha (caste system) in the Hindu faith. The caste system refers to a hereditary class, identified by varying degrees of its purity, pollution, and a social status.

A frequently asked question is whether the Bhagavad Gita supports the concept and practice of jaati (hereditary classes). Others, without asking, allege that it does, based on the verse 43 of Chapter 1 of the Bhagavad Gita, where Arjuna says:

दोषैरेतै: कुलघ्नानां वर्णसङ्करकारकै: |
उत्साद्यन्ते जातिधर्मा: कुलधर्माश्च शाश्वता: || 1:43 ||

doṣhair etaiḥ kula-ghnānāṁ varṇa-saṅkara-kārakaiḥ
utsādyante jāti-dharmāḥ kula-dharmāśh cha śhāśhvatāḥ

It means that because of the taint of hybrid classes being produced as a result of the war decimating most of the people of the clan, and the women going to people of other clans and producing hybrid progeny. That is called varna sankara. Because of this, the people responsible for such war, their jaati dharma or caste purity or caste duties, caste’s pious traditions are lost.

This verse mentions the term jati dharma (caste purity or duties), raising questions about whether the Bhagavad Gita endorses hereditary caste systems. However, to understand this better, we must examine a few critical points.

Arjuna's Words Are Not God's Words

• Not Spoken by Lord Krishna

  One must remember that this verse is spoken by Arjuna, not by God incarnate Lord Krishna. Krishna’s words are considered the words of God, not everybody else’s in the Bhagavad Gita.

• Verses in the Bhagavad Gita

  The Bhagavad Gita contains 700 verses, but only 569 verses have been spoken by God incarnate Lord Krishna in this book. The rest of the verses have been spoken by others, and they are not the words of God.

• Context of the First Chapter

  The first chapter is essentially a linkage between the Bhagavad Gita and the story of the Mahabharata. For example:

  • The first verse comes from Dhritarashtra, against whom the war is being fought by the Pandavas.

  • Nine other verses are spoken by the chief villain of the epic Mahabharata: Duryodhana.

  Shall we take what Duryodhana says in the first chapter as the word of the Bhagavad Gita or the word of God? Surely not. Similarly, Arjuna’s words are not supposed to be taken as the words of the Bhagavad Gita.

• The Source of Arjuna’s Views

  Furthermore, what Arjuna says about Jati Dharma is not his own view. In the very next verse, Arjuna clarifies that these views about Jati Dharma, Kul Dharma, and Varna Shankara are gathered from other common folk:
  “This is what we have been hearing.”

The Two Kinds of Jatis in India

• Original Four Jatis (Varnas)

  Jati means, by birth, a social or family status inherited by birth. There were originally four jatis in the Hindu faith, also referred to as varnas:

  • Brahmin (Varna)

  • Kshatriya (Varna)

  • Vaishya (Varna)

  • Shudra (Varna)

These were social classes assigned different functions. Only people born into these classes, through parents of that particular class, could enter these classes. Arjuna is probably mentioning this Jati Dharma in the first chapter.

• Occupational Jatis Over Time

  Apart from these four social classes, thousands of jatis or castes sprung up over the millennia due to different occupations adopted in different regions of India. For example:

  • Fisherman’s class

  • Weaver’s class

Surveys conducted in various states of India have found not just hundreds but thousands of such castes existing in different parts of the country.

Lord Krishna’s Views on Jati and Varna

• No Mention of Jatis

  If Arjuna was referring to these occupational castes, it must be noted that such jatis find no mention in Lord Krishna’s teachings in the Bhagavad Gita.

• Focus on Four Varnas
  The only jati mentioned by Lord Krishna—although not called jati but varna—are the four original varnas:

  • Brahman

  • Kshatriya

  • Vaishya

  • Shudra

• Egalitarian Teachings

  The entire Bhagavad Gita is fundamentally egalitarian. It talks in several verses about treating everyone equally. For instance, in one verse Krishna says:

विद्याविनयसम्पन्ने ब्राह्मणे गवि हस्तिनि |
शुनि चैव श्वपाके च पण्डिता: समदर्शिन: || 5:18 ||

vidyā-vinaya-sampanne brāhmaṇe gavi hastini
śhuni chaiva śhva-pāke cha paṇḍitāḥ sama-darśhinaḥ

If a Brahmin (the highest in the traditional Hindu social order) and a Shvapak (the lowest in the social order) are looked upon equally by someone, then only he should be considered an enlightened gentleman.

Conclusion

While jati or hereditary classes are mentioned in the first chapter of the Bhagavad Gita, they are Arjuna’s words and not the teachings of Lord Krishna. The Bhagavad Gita, as a divine discourse, is egalitarian in essence, promoting equality and spiritual qualities over social or hereditary divisions.

In the next discussion, the varna system in the Bhagavad Gita will be explored further, addressing whether it is based on heredity or qualities and characteristics.

Hari Sharanam