Bhagwat Geeta (BG) has often been blamed for promoting castism. However, quite frequently, I see people share content motivated by half-truths. Hence I decided to quote directly from BG and translate it first before discussing it further.
चातुर्वर्ण्यं मया सृष्टं गुणकर्मविभागश: |तस्य कर्तारमपि मां विद्ध्यकर्तारमव्ययम् || [4.13]
“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.”
The reference is to four different skills linked to the occupation known as Varnas. This hymn ultimately converts into the competency-based model and removes the classification of castes in any other form, for example, by Birth. Should this put Manusmriti’s current version and interpretation of the caste system to rest?
Let me remind you that Manusmriti, which exists today in its current form, was captured in 200 BCE by religious preachers of that era when Buddhism was at its peak. It contains an oral smriti (what was remembered) of preachings of Bhrigu and Manu, who preached it in 1200 BC. So something which Bhrigu and Manu taught a thousand years ago was scripted. There was no hardcoding of castes those days if we look back at the Vedic era. So under no stretch of the imagination, we can think Bhrigu and Manu will teach something that was not the prevailing practice and goes against the religion’s scriptures at that point. This fact strengthens the theory that the current caste system was manipulated by religious preachers, who wanted to protect their turf during the domination of Buddhism.
Manusmrtiti laws favor Brahmins, protect upper varnas, and do not treat women and Sudras nicely. It has so many contradictions that it is hard to believe that the bigotry and vested interests of some have not been reflected in the rulebook.
Here we need to understand why Manusmriti started dominating from 200 BC, wherein it was not the original rulebook. Why was it created in the first place when Dharmasutras were the original and more detailed rule book available. Was there a conspiracy to capture Hinduism by manufacturing something in the name of Manu and Bhrigu? I leave that to your imagination.
