Caste through a Hindu-based Lens

Caste can be found in every major institution and segment of India’s social sphere, especially its political arena. Just in 2024, there was a major divide between India’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) that is led by India’s prime minister, Narendra Modi, and the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) over caste discrimination. Mr. Modi promoted a campaign that championed economic growth and “development for all” whereas the INDIA Coalition led the pursuit of a national census for all castes and an expansion of quotas, criticizing upper-caste dominance throughout the campaign trail. They even argued that Mr. Modi’s alliance would discard quotas from the constitution – a series of affirmative action policies for historically marginalized and disadvantaged caste groups. This ultimately led to lower-caste voters turning away from BJP and Hindu-nationalist leaders as the BJP only won 33 of the 80 seats that India’s most populous state, Uttar Pradesh, maintains in the lower house. Evidently, caste still has the power to reshape crucial political lines, but many outside of India are unaware of its origins in a 3000-year old Hindu framework known as Varna.

While this framework is different from caste in foundational ways, it is also a seminal structure that caste is modeled from. The caste system is divided into the following four rungs from the highest to lowest status: Brahmins (priests or religious leaders and academics), Kshatriyas (rulers, administrators, and warriors), Vaishyas (artisans, tradesmen, farmers or merchants), and Shudras (manual laborers). Dalits are known to be excluded from this system as they are often referred to as untouchables, outcastes, or scheduled castes. Their subjugation is largely justified and sanctified by this religious hierarchy that is outlined in key ancient Hindu texts such as the RigVeda and Manusmriti. The term Varna literally translates to “color or light” in most passages of the RigVeda, but the word itself comes from the Sanskrit root “Vri,” which means carrying out one’s responsibilities and duties in line with one’s talents and virtues. Although it seems as though the Varna framework holds a high regard for non-hereditary elements that shape an individual’s life path such as temperament, quality, aptitude, and mental state, one’s varna or placement within the social hierarchy is essentially pre-determined.

The origins of Varna can be found in a hymn of the RigVeda, known as Purusha Sukta, which describes a mythical legend of a primeval giant called Purusha or “World Spirit.” A relevant passage from the hymn, describing his creation, is translated as: “What was his mouth? What arms (had he)? The Brahmana was his mouth: the Rajanya was made his arms; the being (called) the Vaisya, he was his thighs; the Sudra sprang from his feet.” This passage brings to light the hierarchical structure of Varna as the first three castes are identical with the mouth, arms, and thighs of the creator while the Sudra are relegated to the creator’s feet. The higher status of the first three castes is primarily due to the fact that their lineage can be connected to the Aryans who led the conquest of the indigenous inhabitants