Varna – The Color and the Veil

Gita Chapter 18 Verse 41:

Gita C18V41  Lord Krishna states:

The Brahmanas, Ksatriyas, Vaisyas and Sudras, O Parantapa, are  separated by the gunas – Sattva, Rajas, Tamas – born of their own nature.
 Facts and a little parody  If you see some apparent irreverence, it makes it all the more enjoyable. Information was gathered from several sources.
Ramanuja, Kanchipurna, Ambedkar, Narayana, Andal, Perialvar, Panalvar, Vivekananda. what is  their  Varna?  Is it  by birth or by attributes?  Which is it? Now it is becoming increasingly apparent that it is the attributes that make a Brahmin, as originally intended and advocated by Lord Krishna. 

    Vivekananda the disciple of Ramakrishna Paramahamsa came to Chennai (formerly Madras) and talked about Atman, Brahman, Reality, inane caste system and untouchability. The pernicious, calcified, ossified and petrified orthodox Brahmins of Madras of yore threw verbal barbs without touching him, because they called him a Sudra. They asked him in a pointblank in-your-face verbal assault (physicality is out of question) how a Sudra like him could become a Sannyasi. A Sudra can be householder but not a Sannyasi according to the Brahmanical canons (cannons) of Varnasrama Dharma. Vivekananda tried his best to convince the irate Brahmins that Sannyasa is open to anyone with proper qualification. They saw no reason. Vivekananda loaded his gun with enough powder and pellets and fired it on the pack of Brahmins by saying, "You the Brahmins of Madras, you are the pariahs of the pariahs!"

    This was the same man who came to the west later and addressed  The World's Parliament of Religions Chicago, 11th September 1893, "Sisters and Brothers of America." The recalcitrant Brahmins of Madras of yore saw their stupidity and ineptitude and had a change of heart, after the intelligentsia of world first and later India recognized his greatness.

Siva in answer to a question from Parvati tells her: Veda is not Veda, the eternal Brahma  is Veda. Whosoever knows the Brahma Vidya is a Brahmin, skilled in the Vedas (Verse 50).  After knowing Brahma Jnana, one is free from all distinctions of caste (57). Jnana Sankalini Tantra.

The Sudras, the Sutras, the gotras and the Y chromosome

  The Brahma Sutra devotes a whole section 1.3.34 to 38 on the topic of disqualification of Sudras for Brahma-knowledge.  Janasruti, a previously documented Ksatriya but now mistaken for a Sudra was grief-stricken to hear words of disrespect. Of all birds, a flamingo derided Janasruti for lack of Brahma-knowledge and  he ran to Raikva in grief.  When Raikva saw grief written all over the face of Janasruti, Raikva called him a Sudra for the word Sudra also means "grief".  That makes every Sudra feel good, for a Sudra it is a little better to grieve than to heave in pain.  The Sudras are prohibited from offering  sacrifices, but not acquiring Brahma-knowledge.  A well-known Sudra of Mahabharata is Vidura, born of  Vyasadeva and a palace maid and is known to have mastered Brahma-knowledge.  

The Gotra game.

Gotra means "Cow-pen or Cow-shed" and is of two kinds - Vaidika and Laukika.  Vaidika is according to the Vedic prescription and the Laukika is "mundane, worldly, common". In ancient times the extended family members shared one cowshed and therefore that name stuck.   Gotra is a family tree whose root can be traced to a common ancestor. Since  it is exogamous and patrilineal, it is  based on the Y chromosome.  The females claim the gotra of  father, and of  husband after marriage. A man can not marry a woman of the same gotra.  But the males can marry women of the same gotra at least seven degrees removed from his father.  The Vaidika Gotra members trace their lineage from high priests and renowned  Rishis, namely  Bharadvaja, Gautama, Jamadagni, Visvamitra, Kasyapa, Atri, Vasistha (SaptaRishis)and more (Atharvan, Angiras, Bhrgu).  Strictly speaking only Brahmanas can claim a  gotra.  The Ksatriyas and others can not claim any such medallion or pendant, simply because they are not cognate to the original  Brahmana Rishis and for that reason they are categorized in the mundane variety. There were exceptions   Visvamitra and Vasistha  both Ksatriyas by birth performed tapas ( austerity) and were accepted as Brahmanas. Mundane gotra members  are defined as non-cognate followers of  a succession of disciples of the original Priests and  Rishis.  There is no genetic or Y chromosome connection here between the mundane gotra members and the original Progenitors listed above.  Y chromosome is  transferred intact from father to son. The only way to resolve the dispute is to perform DNA analysis of Y Chromosome in males,  and Mitochondrial DNA of all people and find out the common denominator or tree structure in Vaidika and Laukika Brahmins. Additional benefit  would be finding any strays among other castes who belong to Brahmana caste and strays who are Non-Brahmins among Brahmana caste by the strength of DNA analysis. It is a known finding that Brahmins by and large belong to Eurasian genetic pool and are closer to Europeans than to ancient people of India. Ramanuja took in his fold a lot of Jains and non-Brahmins; genetically there is a mingling between the Brahmins of yore and the neo-Brahmins of post-Ramanuja period. The Brahmins are not as pure as they think they are. There are whites in USA who have sickle cell trait or even disease, though they have all the conventional features of white people. Does it all mean anything? Claim of superiority by race, color or caste is for the weak, who has no other flotation device in this sea of Samsara; he or she clutches on the straw of race, color or caste to claim superiority in a roiling sea, where intellect, prudence, patience, tolerance, compassion, sympathy, and empathy are the flotation devices. Bigotry, arrogance, false sense of superiority, and inhumanity are the dead weights that sink the soul, body, and mind into the abyss of darkness.

We are Africans, no matter what your color or caste is. No Escape Clause

Mitochondrial  DNA can trace mother backwards to the African Eve. The first man and the first woman are African; one cannot wash that off from your genes, body, mind and soul. If modern science and genealogy are any guide, where do Saptarishis fit in?

The SaptaRishis were the original Rishis, most favored by the gods and were saved at the time of the Great Deluge by Lord Vishnu by taking them on to a floatation device.  These seven Rishis are seven stars forming the Great Bear in the sky. It is said in Rig Veda that Rishis came from all castes.

My mom doesn't know my Gotra.

Jabala, the poor Brahmana boy goes  to Gautama for Brahma-knowledge.  Gautama, a man way ahead of his times, asks him what his gotra is.  The youngster born of a maid working in a travel lodge (eons ago) admits to his indeterminate status.  Gautama immediately puts his trust on his honesty and truth and takes him as a pupil.  The lesson here is that the content of his character rather than his  birth or gotra determines his caste.  The Sudra fortunately originated from a body part of the Lord, namely the feet, at which all the Alwars worshipped. At the feet of Lord Krishna, the Alwars, the Sudras, and the twice-born see eye to eye.  That is Lord's grace.

The power-grubbing lesser gods cause all the trouble.

Knowledge, power, wealth, service and justice are the cornerstones of a society.  Brahman  establishes order through varnasrama dharma.

Brhad-Aaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.10 - 17: In the very beginning there was Brahman, who "became all". Becoming all means that he is the Brahmana, Ksatriya, Vaishya and Sudra -the priestly class, the warriors, the traders and the nourishers.  The gods, seers and men who "knew" this became Brahman themselves.  Whoever thinks that he and Brahman are separate and worships a god, "knows not", and is like an animal to the gods.  The gods did not like this secret - the Truth - known to men, for the gods wanted to be worshipped by men and offered sacrifices.  Brahman was not pleased and created the Ksatra.  He did not flourish and Brahman created Vis -Vaishyas.  Just remember that the created classes - Brahmanas / Brahmins,  Ksatriyas and Vaishyas were gods originally.  The Vis did not thrive and so Sudras were created.   Sudra is compared to the earth and the nourisher.   He did not thrive and Brahman created justice.  This justice / Dharma / Truth / Law establishes order and is the common thread between the classes. There is nothing higher than this justice or Truth. Brahmana represents knowledge, the ksatra, the power, the Vaisya  wealth and the Sudra service to all. Knowledge, power, wealth, service and justice are the cornerstones of a society.  Sri Chanakya Niti-Shastra says: The strength of a Brahmana, a king, a Vaisya, or a Sudra comes from his learning, army, wealth, and aptitude to serve others respectively.  

How do I get to the top the list?

    The following is the hierarchical layers of a community from top down.

The King

The Chieftain

The Vedic Brahmin

The Temple priest

The farmer

The blacksmith

The carpenter

The cowherd

The merchant or grocer

The oil vendor

The toddy-tapper

The barber, physician, and surgeon

The washerman

The weaver

The potter

The fisherman

The hunter

The Pulayan (he who eats the inedible parts of butchered animal, aboriginal, low or mixed caste person.)

What started as craft gelled and became fossilized as caste; craft passed down generations as a birth privilege or curse.

What does a donkey know about sandalwood?

Sometimes gods traded insults by obliquely calling each other a Sudra.  Bhagavatham Canto 4 Text 13: When Daksa entered an assembly of gods, Shiva did not rise to pay Daksa respects. Daksa expected respect from Shiva, because Shiva was married to Daksa's daughter. Daksa excoriated Shiva by saying that giving his daughter to Shiva in marriage  was like teaching Vedas to a Sudra.   Chandogya Upanishad 6.1.1: The Veda chanter is compared to a donkey who knows the weight, but not the fragrance of the sandal wood.  When it comes to food, the tongue knows what the hand knows not.  Maitri Upanishad 7.8  exudes an aroma of prejudice against Sudras as follows: it is unworthy of being disciples of Sudras who are learned in scriptures.  A Brahmana cannot be a mere draft animal and  a Sudra cannot be a Vedic expert. A double whammy to Joseph Campbell's "Follow your bliss".

When Mular Speaks, everybody listens.

Tirumular (●Verses 230-233) states that thread and tuft do not make a Brahmana. True Brahmana wears Vedanta as his thread and his knowledge as tuft.  They, who are devoid of pure wisdom, lack control over senses, remain spiritually bankrupt and vacuous of devotion, and fail to grasp the Truth, are mad fools and not Brahmanas. True and pure Brahmanas follow the path of neither Chit nor Achit, reach the Supreme Guru’s (Siva) feet with guidance from earthly guru, give up all actions, rituals, rites, and ceremonies, and finally slip into Turiya state.  Those who chant the Vedas are the Pure Brahmanas. The Vedanta that flows out of the pure Brahmanas is pure and conducive to salvation. The true Brahmanas realize that Vedanta preached by others is deficient; it is mere ostentation.

●234: The Brahmanas, who adopt pure life and reflect on the Truths of the Vedanta, have fertile lands, their king flourishing, if they maintain the sandhi fires.

●235: When Jnana of Vedanta shines, the Brahmanas receive relief from karma, tread the path to the Light of Nadanta, and reach the Bodhanta Light of the Great Lord; Nadanta mukti and Siddhi come within their reach.

The Vedists, who practiced Vedic Truths, abandoned their desires. Thread and tuft declare not the state of Brahmin; thread is cotton, fine tuft is mere hair; (true) thread is Vedanta, fine (true) tuft is Jnana (knowledge); the (true) thread-Brahmins do see the virtues of a real Brahmin.

●241: When the (Brahmins) flaunt their tuft and thread out of rank stupidity, the land withers, and the high-life king drowns in sorrow. Therefore, after great deliberation, it is better the king cuts the thread and the tuft of the pretenders.

●242: The unwise don matted locks and sacred thread, and act like the wise. The ruler of men should employ the truly wise to test (the pretenders), and educate the unwise in ways of wisdom. That will bring goodness to the country.

Lakshmi: Don't pick my petals.

Here is a humorous episode as related by Chanaykya, a man of words and wisdom.  Lord Vishnu wondered aloud as to why His consort Lakshmi did not want to live in the house of a Brahmana. She said " O my Lord,  Rishi Agastya swilled my Father, the Ocean, Brigu Muni booted you on the chest where I reside, the Brahmanas are too haughty with their knowledge gained from Sarasvathi  my competitor, and last but not the least, they keep picking  the petals of  my Lotus seat. Therefore, my Lord, I stay as far away as possible from a Brahmana."  There is a reason why Lakshmi does not like the petals picked by any one. Lakshmi or Sri rose up with a lotus in her hand  from the ocean that was churned by Suras and Asuras.  Another version states that she was seated on the fully blossomed lotus flower  floating in the ocean at the time of creation of the universe. Sri knew that having the petals picked while seated and floating on the lotus flower is not the thing to do to a friend.   She did not care for Bhrgu Muni, who came to test the patience, fortitude of, and the ability under stress to offer salvation to the devotees by Lord Vishnu by kicking Him on the chest wherein Sri Lakshmi took up residence. 

Agni (Fire) consumes Manu, as Ambedkar rewrites Laws of Manu.

Manu wrote the Laws of Manu, codifying the castes. According to some scholars, the Laws of Manu may have been written by more than one person.  The modern-day Manu was Dr. Ambedkhar, who burnt a copy of the laws of Manu in  public to express his disgust at the codification of people by caste and other disagreeable laws listed in the Laws of Manu.  How about our erudite distinguished President Narayanan?  Both of them are not Brahmins by birth. But they rose to the highest of the offices in India by sheer Brahmin attributes. Varna generally means color, but literally means: veil, or screen. Since it means veil or screen, you can right away rule out that color is not the only aspect of varna. In the ancient Indian literature, colors have alluded to men and Gods. Puranas and Alvars describe God in different colors. In various yugas, God appears in colors such as gold, white, red, green, and blue black. The most common color for God according Alvars, is dark blue complexion of the clouds. As you know, the God of the Alvars is Narayana / Vishnu / Krishna.    Black was beautiful as far as Indira (the chief of gods) was concerned.  Krishna and Rama were of dark complexion.  

The Color Scheme.

Each caste was doled out a color. The Brahmin got the white, the Ksatriya  the red, the Vaisya  the yellow, and the Sudra the black. On second thought, the colors and  the associated castes reflect the gunas as told by Krishna in BG C18V41. The white goes with sattvic attributes of a person, the red goes with rajas, the yellow goes with a mixture of white and red, and mixture of Sattva and rajas, and  the black with tamas.  He (God) created man in his His own multiple colors. This separation of people by gunas or attributes or tendencies degenerated into a hereditary birth right and privilege. Religion and speech were also some of the distinguishing factors in this separation by varna. Sanskrit, as opposed to Prakrits, connotes that it is cultivated. It is said that the Aryans were faced with Dravidians and proto-Austroloids. It is claimed that color struck the Aryans. The brown Dravidians and the black proto-Austroloids were branded as dasyu-varna and the Aryans branded themselves as Arya-varna.  Religion, language, speech and Arya-varna congealed into separation of people into a four-fold division: Brahmin, Ksatriya, Vaisya, and Sudra. This was codified, and sanctified by Manu. 

Varna is discussed in Narada Purana (2.43.53b-89) in a question and answer fashion. Bharadvaja, a great sage asks Bhrgu Muni to list the criteria used for dividing people into different castes in the light of the fact that sweat, urine, feces, phlegm, bile and blood are of the same nature in all.

Brahmanas mutated into Kshatriyas, Vaisyas and Sudras.

Bhrgu Muni says in reply that at the time of creation by Brahma, there was no difference between people. All people created by him were Brahmanas, equal in all aspects. Their different karmas made them different people.  Some Brahmanas became lascivious, violence-prone, jealous, risk-taking, red-complexioned fighters full of Raja (passion and motion) guna. They became the Ksatriyas, warrior class. Some Brahmanas were fond of making a living by tending and rearing cattle, became yellow (mixture of Rajas and Tamas) Vaisyas. Some Brahmanas practiced violence, spoke untruth, worked at odd jobs, and became greedy and black (Sudras) full of Tamas. Here, the colors of Brahmanas (white), Ksatriyas (red), Vaisyas (yellow) and Sudras (black) indicate their character rather than the pigment of their skin.

Those people who practiced truthfulness, charity, benignity, kindness, compassion, sympathy, and asceticism are the Brahmanas. He should be learned in Vedas, have external and internal purity, practice religious duties, respect the elders and the learned, and observe Vratas (vows) and rites. A Ksatriya should study Vedas, collect taxes, make gifts and defend his subjects. A Vaisya engages in business, husbandry of nonviolent nature, make gifts, study Vedas, and respect the Ksatriyas and Brahmanas. When a person has fallen from the study of Vedas, performs odd jobs and no ordained duty, and eats any food, he becomes a Sudra. If a Sudra by birth shows Brahmanical qualities, he is no longer a Sudra. If a Brahmana by birth does not show Brahmanical qualities, he is no longer a Brahmana. 

The difference between a Brahmana and a Brahmin.

This Varnasrma dharma became the foundation of the Vedic society.  The Brahmanas claimed to be the representatives of gods on earth. They sought and got exemptions and privileges from the king. They were exempt from death penalty for capital offences.  They were entitled to receive gifts, freedom from oppression, and exclusive rights to consume sacrificial soma and Prasaada. Since they were gods on earth, no body  was  holy enough to eat prasaada.  His wife and his cow were declared sacred.  The priestly services to the king helped the Brahmana  advance his career to ministerial posts and other high offices of the state.  They became very learned in Vedas.   The Brahmanas were the forerunners of the present day Brahmins. There is a distinction between a Brahmana and a Brahmin.  The former was very much immersed in the study of all scriptures and Sanskrit.  They were the gurus, the teachers, the priests, and the high officials above the king.  A Brahmana was a truly sattvic person in all respects. The Brahmanas trace their lineage to seven Rishis.   In the passage of time not all Brahmanas were able to keep up with the stringent demands and requirements of being a Brahmana.  They took up other professions. Most of them were not proficient in their scholarly pursuits of scriptures or Sanskrit and deterioration took place. Brahmanas became Brahmins.  He, who is not a true Brahmana or a Ksastriya is called a Brahmana-Bandhu or a Ksatra-Bandhu.  It is an associate or an adjunct status. When Gayatri has not been sung for three generations in a Brahmana family, the family loses its privilege and caste status and ceases to be one of Brahmanas. They still retain the Brahmin status, which is one or several notches below the real entity. The family which has not performed sacrifices for three generations loses its status and is called degenerated Brahmanas, Durbrahmanas. A degenerate Brahmana can regain his status by performing Prayascittas, expiatory rites. Full restoration is not possible for those who gave up Gayatri for three generations. This Brahmin cannot be made whole again; he is simply a Brahmana-bandu. The neighborhoods where the Brahmana-bandus live lose their status, Agrahara.

Brahmana: Don't flaunt your Tuft and thread. Repeat-skip

Tirumular (V230-233) states that thread and tuft do not make a Brahmana. True Brahmana wears Vedanta as his thread and his knowledge as tuft.  They, who are devoid of pure wisdom, lack control over senses, remain spiritually bankrupt and vacuous of devotion, and fail to grasp the Truth, are mad fools and not Brahmanas. True and pure Brahmanas follow the path of neither Chit nor Achit, reach the Supreme Guru’s (Siva) feet with guidance from earthly guru, give up all actions, rituals, rites, and ceremonies, and finally slip into Turiya state.  Those who chant the Vedas are the Pure Brahmanas. The Vedanta that flows out of the pure Brahmanas is pure and conducive to salvation. The true Brahmanas realize that Vedanta preached by others is deficient; it is mere ostentation. V241-2: When the (Brahmins) flaunt their tuft and thread out of rank stupidity, the land withers, and the high-life king drowns in sorrow. Therefore, after great deliberation, it is better that the king cuts the thread and the tuft of the pretenders. The unwise don matted locks and sacred thread, and act like the wise. The ruler of men should employ the truly wise to test, and educate the unwise in ways of wisdom. That will bring goodness to the country.

Daksa flings insults on Mendicant Siva, the Yogin of Yogins.

Daksa, the progenitor and Prajapati, conducted a sacrifice to increase the material prosperity of the world. Siva, one of the attendees, was insulted by Daksa for not respecting Daksa. Siva’s follower Nandisvara blasted all the officiating Brahmanas for calling themselves twice-born spiritual leaders while they actually put matter over spirit in the performance of sacrifice. They, he said, were guilty of vidya-buddhi, avidyam, and karma-mayam (material knowledge, ignorance, and delusion of karma). Nandisvara cursed all the Dvija-kulayas (the twice-born Bahmanas) for their materialistic pursuits in the performance of the sacrifice, by saying that the Brahmanas of the genre – Vedas-for-sale, Vedas-for-livelihood—would be wandering beggars, glorifying wealth, creature comforts and satiation of senses.

With all the deterioration, as a caste they still enjoyed a privileged place in Indian society and their contribution to the arts and sciences is noteworthy.  There were many Brahmana Rishis, who contributed to the spiritual development.  There were many Sudras too who contributed to bhakti movement both in Siva and Vishnu sects.  All castes made significant contributions in the matters of religion, arts and sciences.

When a Brahmin is born, he is not a Brahmin until he undergoes the cord ceremony, at which time he becomes twice-born.  

Mix and Mash (the gene pool)

But as things go through their natural evolution, there was racial  / caste mixing and integration going on from the time of its inception. Lord Krishna Himself  was born of  a Ksatriya prince Vasudeva, and a non-Aryan princess Devaki.  Vyasa  was born of a Brahmana father and a non-Aryan mother.  The race became less of a factor as time went on. But the division did solidify into distinct entities not only for the beneficial interdependence of the whole society, but also for the preservation of  privileges and prestige attached to Varna by birth. Even the modern world is divided into a  four-fold division. There is no escaping that fact. The division exists whether we like it not in all societies. It is the mutual respect that is lacking, and most desirable. It is not the color or the jati  (caste) but the attributes that matter. But this Varna was given a boost by allusion -or is it illusion. It is claimed that the Brahmins originated from the mouth of the God, the Ksatriyas from the arms, the Vaisyas from the legs and the poor Sudras from the feet.  (But don't call them poor yet. You have no feet and you arn't a complete person. Thank God that the Brahmins originated from the fore end.   God puts His money where His mouth is.  While Brahma was creating animals from various parts of his body, he created goats from his mouth [Brahmanda Purana1.2.8.43]. That does not mean that Brahmins and goats are equal.) The Brahmins, by tradition occupied the higher echelon in all departments of noble endeavor. (Money talks and you know who walks. Yea yea, the Sudra walks.)  But over years, other castes played catch-up. There is no way this Organism can function satisfactorily without the full complement of the four Varnas -divisions. 

[According to text 15 of Brahmasamhita, Maha-Vishnu floating and resting in the causal ocean created Vishnu from His left limb and Brahma from His right limb and the effulgent halo of male principle from the space between the eyes.  If the Supreme God Himself emerged from a limb and not from the mouth or head of Maha-Vishnu, the Sudra should be pleased that he came out of the feet of God.  There were certain people and beings  who emanated from the buttocks and anus of Brahma. Consider Vishnu here . Even though He is derived from Maha-Vishnu, the adjunct or the delegate status does not diminish His  potency.  He is the personal God of the Vaishnavas.]

Cojugate embrace versus conjugal embrace

The pleasures of sweet vengeance

Siva and Parvati as Chandalas

    Matangi (Maatamgi) is one of the ten Mahavidyas who are various manifestations of goddess Parvati or Kali. Matangaka was the name of the chief of Chandalas. Chandalas are one of the lowest among the castes. In a game of impersonation, "fool me, fool me not," Siva impersonated as a traveling jewelry salesman, sold some ornaments to Parvati while she was visiting with her father, and suggested that she could pay him by sexual favors. Parvati without missing a beat said, "Yes, but not now." She had the intuitive divine vision that the traveling salesman was her husband in disguise. Siva went on his way and sat down on the banks of Manas Lake for meditation and worship. Parvati assumed the appearance of a nubile outcaste (Chandala) girl with a shapely body accentuated by a red dress, and  beautiful and beguiling eyes, and danced in front of Lord Siva jiggling her moon-like breasts. Siva's ravenous eyes imbibed Parvati's beauty in motion and gently asked her who she was. Parvati in the sweetness of youthful voice replied with the utmost bashfulness, "Swami, I am a Chandala girl. I came to do penance."  Siva is the Yogi of Yogins. Who else is more fit to teach penance? Siva gently took her lotus hand and pressed it tenderly against his lotus lips. Then he proceeded to make love to the captive but willing Parvati, whose identity was unknown to Siva. While they were in the conjugate embrace in Siva's mind and conjugal embrace in Parvati's mind, Parvati morphed Siva into a Chandala (in embrace with a Chandalini). Siva in a flash realized that Matangi (Chandala girl) was no other than his dear wife.

    Parvati reaped her sweet vengeance, laid open utter lowness of her action and sexual submission, and begged Siva to accept her in his heart as "Ucchista Chandalini." Ucchista = rejected (once used commodity), remnants of food in the mouth after eating, that are spit out of the mouth, food sticking in the mouth and hands after eating, therefore impure, remainder of sacrificial food, left over crumbs. Siva accepted to honor her supplication. She is thus called Matangi (a woman from a degraded mountain tribe or hunter-gatherers, who became Sudras from neglecting all prescribed rites, mlecchas.)

The egalitarian aspect of gods and goddesses did not leave an imprint on the recalcitrant few of the higher castes.

My burial mound is taller than yours. I am Spring and you are Winter.

To further concretize this division, the height of the burial mounds were raised or lowered according to the anatomical assignment of the four castes. The Brahmin's burial mound was the tallest from the ground up and rises to the mouth level and so on and so forth. This was not enough for the separation by varna. What metal each one is made of?  I thought people are judged by their mettle.  No pun is intended here. You guessed it right. Each one is assigned a metal that they can wear as jewelry. The Sudra is the iron man.  Guess what?  You got no iron; you got  iron-poor blood. The Vaisya is the brass man. The Ksatriya is gold and silver man of low quality. And the Brahmins wore gold and silver of highest quality. You thought this is the end of it. No way. Who do you think is the man for all seasons ?  Or should I say which is the fair-weather caste?  Just kidding.  Find out. Initiation - upnanayana - ceremonies: Spring for the Brahmin, summer for the Ksatriyas, and fall for the Vaisyas. Sudra, obviously left out in the cold, was not initiated. Could that be why the Sudra is hardy, enduring and catching up fast?  He could take the heat;  no no, I mean he could take the cold. 

Mantras, Sudras excluded.

The Brahmin is initiated at the eleventh year after conception and Ksatriya in the twelfth year. Just hold your  Asvas / horses. Gayatri - Vedic poetic meter of 24-syllables, triplet of eight syllables each - was assigned to the Brahmin, Tristubh - meter of 4 feet of 11 syllables each - to the Ksatriya (funeral verses are in Tristubh),  Jagati - meter of four feet with 12 syllables each -to the Vaisya. Jagati has the quality of spreading like waves of water, came out of the western mouth of Brahma and goes with consecration and sacrificial animals. Brhati meter of 36 syllables helped gods gain heaven. Viraj meter consists of 40 syllables (4X10 or 8X5).  Read on.  I love this one, the best of all. The Brahmin can take four wives- holy mackerel-, the Ksatriya, three wives and the Vaisya, two wives and the Sudra only one wife; all this happened at Vedic times.  Poor Sudra, he always gets short changed.  The primary wife is of the same varna. One can marry down but can't marry up the line. Shucks! Virginity is highly regarded.   Manu Chapter 3.21 to 26: Since a Brahmana is god on earth, a Brahmana  is allowed to marry Brahma, the gods, the Rishis,  Prajapati, the demons, and the Ghandharvas to fill the quota of secondary wives.   The king can have secondary wives, the primary wife being of the same caste, from among the Asuras,  the Ghandharvas,  the Raksasas and  the Pisakas.  Brahma is the creator, Rishis are the seers, Prajapati is the Lord of the creatures, Asuras are the demons /  anti-gods / a-suras, Gandharvas are the atmospheric godlings or akin to the Greek Centaurs ( half human  and half animal - Chimera), the Raksasas are the ogres,  the Pisakas are the carnivorous demons.  The female of Pisaca is Pisaci.  Pisacas are known to metamorphose to any form and render themselves invisible.  Just cover your mouth or snap your fingers in front of your mouth when you yawn. If not, don't be surprised that the feces-eating Pisacas enter the intestine via the mouth. (Sorry for being blunt and forthright, but it is true!)  I wonder why a king would want to have a Picasi as his secondary wife.

Adultery is discouraged, because it causes confusion of castes. The king can dispense punishment for adultery. 

Sudras left to their own devices.

Coming to the duties of the respective castes, the following is pertinent. Teaching is the essential duty of a Brahmin. No wonder it is that the anatomical origin of a Brahmin is the mouth of the God.   Bearing arms is the principle duty of Ksatriya.  Does that mean he is more brawn than brains?  No, I don't think so. Because there were very erudite kings.  Agriculture is for Vaisya. Service to the other three is expected of Sudra. Just like each caste can marry down, each caste also can do the work of a lower caste, when needed, say when the king is a drunk - you had your moonshine and we had our Soma Rasa - and the Brahmin minister had to take over the kingdom  - You call this a step-down, you must be kidding - or when a Brahmin has fallen off his station in life or when the Sudras went on strike! Holy moly.   Sudras can attain merit by imitating virtuous men with the exception of reciting sacred texts. What kind of deal is that?  Only Brahmins, Ksatriyas,  and Vaisyas were  allowed to perform Jnaana yoga, Karma yoga, and  Bhakti yoga.  Sudras were left to their own devices. 

Sudra Saint Nammalvar.

Nammalvar (798AD) was born a Sudra, but respected and loved the Vedas and the Brahmins. The most famous Sudra Saint Nammalvar deviced, practiced, propounded and taught Prapatti and Saranagatti.   Prapatti  and Saranagatti are resignation and  total self-surrender to God with six conditions for its fulfillment.  1: (God) Pleasing acts 2: Avoidance of  (God) displeasing  acts 3: Humility, helplessness, vulnerability because of ordained ineligibility to practice yogas 4: Absolute and irreconcilable faith in God 5:  Supplication to God  for Protection  6: Prayerful pleading of God to safe-keep one's self.  The sixth is the centerpiece.  Here is the Greatest Soul who didn't fight the system, but studied the system inside out  and devised ways to overcome the obstacles.  If you take evolution, you will see that an organism changes its own  devices in order to thrive in an adverse environment.  The organism effected an internal change rather than change in its milieu .   Now guess who adopted this prapatti and Saranagatti. It was Sri Ramanuja himself, the propounder of Visistadvaita.

A Brahmana takes a Sudra as Guru.

According to Bhagavata Dharma:  Lord Hari's true devotees are the ones who claim no superiority by birth, deed, or caste.
Ramanujacharya's genius -Qualified Non-dualism  -  is not only his philosophy, but his humanity. Ramanuja, a Brahmin by birth  (1017 A.D) and attributes, sat and learnt at the feet of Mahapurna, a Sudra, and received important lessons on bhakti and more. Ramanuja's wife, a practicing Brahmin lady - you call her a lady -, served meals to Mahapurana / Kanchîpûrna  on a plantain leaf, pushed out the leaf by a stick to prevent contaminating herself and took a ritual bath  after serving meals to Kanchîpûrna. She also scrubbed the house clean. Sri Ramanuja was very upset and said that he would have eaten  from out of the same leaf used by Kanchîpûrna. Ramanuja's wife and Kanchîpûrna's wife were quarrelling over drawing water from the same well. In those days and even now, it is not uncommon, esp in remote villages,  that the higher caste person won't share the same well  for water with a lower caste person for fear of contamination.  Kanchîpûrna saw the incident and left Ramanuja to prevent such incidents happening again. In another instance, Ramanuja's wife didn't serve a hungry man, telling him that she had no food in the house.  Ramanuja, to his disgust and consternation, found out that there was enough food to feed the hungry man and more. These three  incidents upset Ramanuja so much that he sent his wife back to her parents and became a sannyasi.  Eventually Ramanuja asked for forgiveness from Kanchîpûrna, who graciously wondered why Ramanuja was asking for forgiveness.

Holier than me

Once Ramanuja was circumambulating a holy shrine when he saw a Chandala woman ( a person of mixed caste) coming towards him.  R asked her to move away from him so that he could pass.  The woman did not budge one bit and retorted saying that there was purity all around her and which side could  her impurity  turn to.  R was struck speechless at the woman's retort and later  asked her  for forgiveness and declared that she was holier than him.  Later he visited all the holy places all over India, in an attempt to purify himself.

Shoulder to shoulder with a Sudra, an accidental devotee

Dhanurdasa was an athletic handsome charming young man in love with a beautiful lass by name Kanakamba.  K wanted to go to Srirangam to witness festivities.  D was so much in love with the girl, her eyes and her clear skin that he was holding a cover over her to protect her from the scorching sun, where ever  she went.  R accompanied by his disciples, was returning from River Cauvery and saw D making love to K, a private act in a public place.  He pointed this private act to his disciples and took up the challenge, saying that he would direct the love of  the handsome man  from girl to God.    R approached him and gently posed him the question as to how he could engage in an act of such nature so publicly.  D replied that he couldn't help but do it, considering her lotus-like eyes, her beauty and charm.  R told him that if it was alright with him, he could show him eyes more beautiful than those of his  girl friend.  D agreed to be shown such eyes and went along with R who took him to the temple, showed him the eyes of Lord Ranganatha and asked him to study the eyes of the Lord well.  D could not not take his eyes off the Lord's eyes and agreed that he never saw anything like them.  He thanked R profusely for having been kind to him and immediately became the devotee of Lord Ranganatha and the disciple of R.  K having heard this episode became a devotee of Ranganatha and a disciple of R.  R after morning customary ablutions in the River Cauvery walked  with his hands many times on the shoulders of D.  The Brahmin disciples did not like this one bit.  How could he do that?  Apacharam, Apakarman - offence, an offender.  Why so?  Because he was a Sudra.  R told his Brahmin disciple that they were all guilty of  setting themselves high because of  high birth, learning and wealth.  He added that D was completely free from three vices namely pride of high birth and caste, pride of learning and pride of wealth, and they are all contaminated with those vices.  R pointed out that the Cauvery river water could purify their or his body but his mind was purified by the TOUCH of a devotee like D.  The Brahmin devotees did neither raise the subject again , nor protested.

Andal was found as a baby by a flower  bed / garden by Perialvâr. Nammalvâr belonged to Vellala  Sudra family.  According to Upanishads, only Brahmins, ksatiyas and Vaisyas were allowed to practice  Bhakti yoga,  jnaana yoga, or karma yoga. He was in a fix, because he was  a Sudra. He was a man in a hurry to attain moksa / liberation in this life, not next life.  So his genius devised Prapatti and Saranagatti, resignation and total self-surrender to God.  See above for details.  

The low-born rides on the back of the High-born.

ThirupPananAlvar  (b 781 A.D)  was a low-caste devotee of  Lord Ranganatha.  He was not allowed to enter the temple. He composed  a poem with ten verses extolling the body, the body parts and the ornaments of Lord Ranganatha.  The ending line in his poem - paraphrase -, is:  My eyes having seen you can't see anything else. One day he was sitting by the banks of the  Kaveri River meditating on Lord Ranganatha.  He was deep in ecstasy. He wasn't aware of his surroundings.  A temple priest, by name lokasaranga muni,  uttered abusive words and threw a stone on this low-caste Panan because he was on his path to the river. Having been hurt and a victim, the low-caste Panan apologized to the high-born and said that he didn't hear him coming and repented.  This episode didn't go unnoticed by the Lord Himself.  The Lord is color-blind and caste-blind.  He loves His devotees and would never allow anything to happen to His devotees.  The Lord appeared in the dream of the muni and ordered the high-born to carry the low-born panan on his shoulders to the Sanctum Sanctorum.  And the high-born carried the low-born to the Sanctum.  The low-caste saint was named Munivahana, meaning that his vehicle was a muni himself or the one who rode on the muni.

Once Sankaracharya (Propounder of  Monism, b 788 A.D) was walking along Ganges River, a Chandala was walking by with his dogs. The disciples of Sankara yelled at the chandala and asked him to get out of the way of Sankara.  It is claimed that a Chandala was born of a Brahmin women and a Sudra man. Here is an instance of confusion of castes as mentioned earlier.  Those days this confusion of castes and its  prohibition were equated to the miscegenation laws of the west.   Here the varnasrma dharma was broken. Chandala was also a lowest person outside the Varna system. The chandala asked Sankara whether the propounder of Advaita philosophy should see the difference between man and man and how it was  consistent with his advaitism. Another expansive version of the same incident gives the following narrative. Sankara himself asked the Chandala to keep some distance from him. The Chandala spoke his mind: What is it that you want to keep away from, my Self or my body? Your and my body are made of food; if you desire, I could keep my body away from your body.  The Self, that is pure awareness, is shared by you and me.  How is it possible for the omnipresent Pure Awareness go away from itself?  Sankara fell at his feet like a stick with all his eight angas at prostration. (Eight Angas / Sashtanga Namaskaram: Prostration by touching with eight limbs: two hands, two knees, two shoulders, chest, and forehead.) Sankara thought that Lord Siva himself in the form of Chandala was there to teach him a lesson. He composed 5 slokas, named Manisha panchaka. Every sloka ended with a phrase that essentially said that anyone, be a chandala or Brahmin, who was learned enough to look at phenomena in the light of Advaita, was his guru.  The great Indian tradition doesn't exclude anybody from acquiring knowledge.  He can rise to any height according to his ability and depth of devotion. According to Chandogya Upanishad 5.24.4,  if any one offers the sacrificial remnant of his food to a chandala, it is offered to the Universal Self.  Here the caste, the race, and all other discriminatory pettiness are given the short shrift.

Saint Ramalingar  (b: Oct/05/1823) states that there is no such thing as higher or lower castes.  He adds that the Lord revealed to him that color of the skin is not an indication of a higher caste,  and  that these distinctions of caste and life styles are childish plays.