Varna farmers in ancient India. Varnas and castes: their relationships in Ancient India

(type, genus, color) - name of four social communities, or ranks, into which the population of ancient India was divided. Taken together, V. represented a hierarchy of statuses that did not coincide with property, class, or politics. division of the company. The eldest was V. brahmans - scientists, priests and teachers, the white color was associated with her; second in rank - V. kshatriyas - warriors, rulers and nobility (red); third V. Vaishyas - farmers, cattle breeders and traders, common people(yellow); fourth V. sudra - dependent persons(black color). The boys of the three upper V. underwent the Upanayana ritual and were considered dvija (“twice-born”). Shudras were considered "one-born". They and even lower strata of the population were not allowed to study the Vedas and other sacred texts. books. The division of the society into V. genetically goes back to the Indo-Iranian or even Indo-European community, in which there were three social ranks (in Iran - pishtra). It is generally accepted that the V. Shudras were already formed in India from the local population included in the so-called. to the Aryan society. However, V. are not mentioned in the early Vedic literature, with the exception of one of the later hymns of the Rig Veda, which sets out the legend about the emergence of V. as a result of the sacrifice of the first man Purusha: brahmanas arose from the mouth, kshatriyas - from the hands, vaishyas - from the torso, sudra - from the feet. V. were not strictly endogamous. Tradition explains further development system of V. into the caste system through intervarnish marriages, the children of whom occupied different positions social status. Until now, most Indian castes trace their origins to one of the varnas.
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Definitions, meanings of words in other dictionaries:

(Sanskrit species, genus, color), the name of the four social communities, or ranks, into which the population of ancient India was divided. Taken together, the varnas represented a hierarchy of statuses that did not coincide with the property, class or political divisions of society. Varna was the eldest...

Big dictionary esoteric terms- editor: Doctor of Medical Sciences Stepanov A.M.

(from Portuguese casts - genus, species, breed), a group of people aware of their community, marrying only among themselves, having a circle traditional activities, as well as specific customs, rituals, mythology, limiting communication with other similar groups and included in...

About Indian castes, which still play a huge role in social structure modern India, everyone knows. But what is varna? Not everyone can answer this question.

But the fact is that the division of society into four main groups based on professional characteristics is varna. But the word “caste” came from Europe, from Portugal, and meant belonging to certain profession. Then there was some confusion in terminology, and the European term was transferred to India.

The origin of varnas

The word “varna” itself translated from Sanskrit means “color, category”. Originally there were four varnas: brahmanas, kshatriyas, vaishyas and sudras. It is believed that a giant once lived on earth - the progenitor of all people. He was sacrificed and from his body came the whole nation. But since people came from different parts body of a giant, then their functions and social status was different.

From the mouth and ears of the giant, brahmans emerged; they could talk with the gods and convey their will to people. In another way, they are also called “twice-born.” From the varna of brahmanas came priests, philosophers, teachers, and priests. These are the most respected people in society, they are revered as Gods who came to earth to perform a special mission.

Kshatriyas - originated from the shoulders and arms of a giant, these are warriors - defenders and guards. Rajas, kings, and military leaders belonged to this class. They needed to improve in the art of war and in government and lawmaking.

Vaishyas are cattle breeders, traders and artisans, they came from the thighs and legs of a giant. But this does not include farmers, since the art of growing grain was extremely valued in India, and it was suitable for a person of any class. Bread has always been the basis of life, and any Brahman could follow the plow without losing his dignity.

The Shudras came from the feet of God, which were always covered in dust and dirt, so their faces were always sweaty from dirty work. Their function was to serve representatives of all other classes.

Functions of color in varnas

Concept varna V ancient Indian society was closely related to initiation, i.e. transition of the child to adult life. At approximately the age of 11-12 years, a ritual was performed, the child’s belonging to Varna was determined, and his waist was tied with a cord of a certain color. Brahmins wore a black belt, Kshatriyas wore a red one, Vaishyas wore yellow or orange, and Shudras did not wear colored belts, but had to serve all people who had similar colored laces.

Let us turn to the second name of the Brahmins - twice-born. Why? Because their affiliation was determined at the age of 14, much later than that of representatives of other classes. This is explained by the fact that the role of brahmins in society is extremely complex and responsible. These must be truly wise and responsible people who can take responsibility for others and take the courage to solve problems that arise in society.

By the way, in ancient times, belonging to Varna was not inherited; only in the Middle Ages, when Varna was transformed into a caste, did the child begin to receive social status from his parents. Then the caste system changed for the worse, because it did not give young people the opportunity to change their social position to a higher one and become successful.

Probably everyone has heard about the theories of ancient Greek scientists about the change of civilizations: the golden age, silver Age, copper and iron, and about their characteristics.

Modern scientists, in accordance with this classification, have identified an interesting theory.

In the beginning, only brahmins ruled the world; they were not legal rulers, but they were respected and revered by the people, and this is the best form of power. They resolved disputes fairly and taught people to live in mercy. This was the golden age.

Then the kshatriyas came to power. Wise government ceased to satisfy the people, and strong hand, army, laws and punishment system. This is the Silver Age.

In the era of capitalism, Vaishyas came to power, because it was money (capital) that began to rule the world. Money began to rule the law; it was money that made it possible to rule the world. It was the Bronze or Copper Age.

And finally, in our days, the Shudras have come to power. This iron age, in which people with with iron hearts and without a soul. These are former slaves who have broken free, they rule the world and those they previously served without complaint.

Peculiarities of behavior of brahmins

Although Brahmins are the highest caste, they have many prohibitions. For example, they do not have the right to eat animal meat, and cannot accept food from the hands of a person not belonging to his caste. They have no right to engage in activities other than those intended for them by the Gods.

Brahmins can accept gifts from members of other castes, but they themselves cannot give in return. A white, red or yellow mark on a brahman's forehead indicates which god he worships: Shiva, Krishna or Vishnu.

Peculiarities of behavior of Kshatriyas

This class includes not only the ruling elite, but also all landowners - landowners. Neither men nor women of a given caste have the right to marry a person from a different class, of course, in the 21st century little attention is paid to this, but if a man can marry a woman of lower birth, such a union is called hypergamy, then such actions are impossible for a woman.

Kshatriyas have the right to accept food from the hands of brahmanas, and they are also allowed to eat meat, except the meat of sacred animals.

Features of Varna Vaishya

Typically, people of this class are required to strictly perform all ceremonies and rituals, adhere to special dietary restrictions, as well as in choosing a profession. Vaishyas today are not only businessmen, but also bankers, managers, and people belonging to the middle class.

Features of Sudra Varna

Of course, all castes without exception are divided into several strata within it, but the Shudras (the most numerous varna in India) are divided into two large parts: pure sudras and dirty sudras.

Residents are classified as pure Shudras. rural areas engaged in agriculture. It's a respectable occupation respectful. Shudras can include meat in their diet, perform religious ceremonies less strictly, and in addition, widows and divorced women are allowed to remarry, which is strictly prohibited for women from higher castes.

To dirty or lower sudras include artisans - potters, weavers, winemakers, barbers, etc. Their occupation is less respectable than growing bread, although, of course, it is also in demand in society. People of the same profession unite in a union, like guilds in Europe, and marry within their community.

The peculiarities of Varna are untouchable

In addition to the four well-known castes, there is also a class of untouchables, who, according to legend, originated from the dirt under the feet of God. Just touching the clothes of these people will stain a member of any other caste, and rituals of purification and sacrifice will have to be performed.

Varnas are a natural formation that is divided according to the levels of development of a person’s consciousness and determines his position in society.

There are 4 varnas, the transition into which is carried out in accordance with the development of human consciousness:

Smerdas (in Indian tradition - sudras)

The life tasks of a Shudra are only to survive and reproduce. Shudras are often born, reborn from an animal state into a human being, so their thinking often does not go beyond instinctive motivations.

The skills gained at this level are the ability to survive, work with physical world, produce viable offspring, serve and obey, be hardworking, overcome laziness, the ability to do work with discipline and purpose. The Shudra is characterized by repetitive actions, well known in his labor activity, V colloquial speech, in the manifestation of feelings, in the way of thinking. He feels calm only in an environment and work that is familiar to him. Conservatism in all its manifestations is very strongly expressed. While conservatism is highly developed in a person. The consciousness of lower Varna cannot come up with something new for society, so it adapts to the conditions that exist, and having adapted, it fights to ensure that they do not change, because if something changes, it will have to adapt to new conditions again. Therefore, a Shudra is by nature conservative and does not like change.

Shudra loves physical work, rough work at that. It is better and easier for him to swing a hammer than to repair a small object like wrist watch. A Shudra can be very proud of the fact that he worked as a turner for thirty years in one factory, and proudly say: “I am a working man,” because this is a great achievement for him.

He has no desire for education, for knowing and changing himself. He constantly needs self-affirmation. His actions predominantly contain instinctive tendencies, so he has no will as a regulator of his behavior. Sudra thinking is stimulated mainly when a problem situation arises.
Shudra is not capable of leading other people - he definitely needs a leader and owner to organize his work. He works for the owner, who tells him what to do, how to do it, when and why. A Shudra is a hired worker, regardless of profession or education. For example, a computer technician and a worker with a shovel are both sudras if they simply carry out the will of the owner, without any initiative or creativity. Shudra lives for himself, “Everything is ours, everything is mine.” It works quite limited, without any creativity: they said to dig - he digs (presses the keys), they said not to dig - he doesn’t dig (does not press). There is no interest in work, the main thing is that the money is paid later. Just a performer. However, if a person exhibits a high level of skill and creativity, he begins to move beyond the level of sudra. A master of his craft will no longer be a sudra. The work of a master is always a creative process.

A mature Shudra level is a person who stands firmly on his own two feet, is physically developed, hardy, loves physical work, has excellent health, both physical and mental, with a well-developed maternal or paternal instinct, a faithful employee and an indispensable assistant in many matters.

He loves nature, the earth, he has the most developed instinctive thinking, he is closer than all other people to the land, cultivates it, protects it, feeds other people with the fruits of his labors.

Vesi (in Indian tradition - Vaishya)

This is the next step in the development of human consciousness in society. A person who has learned to earn his own food, build a house, and now he wants to create some kind of comfort and coziness for himself, a craving for money, aesthetics, and a sense of beauty appears. Among Vaishyas one can observe an increased desire for comfort. This is an owner whose personal interest is higher than public interest. People of this varna participate in creating the material and technical base of society. They organize the trade turnover necessary for people’s lives, create jobs, and satisfy people’s needs for food, clothing, and housing.

Vaishyas also distribute goods and cash among people.

Having grown from a sudra in his development, a person begins to increase his production, hires people, organizes his small business. His trade turnover has increased so significantly that he is no longer able to cope with it alone, and the need for hired workers arises. Vaishyu is a small owner, he manages his money by working for the owner or has his own business. Piece workers or private traders are often Vaishyas, as are many individual craftsmen.

If a Shudra creates something durable, then a Vaishya already strives to create something beautiful and elegant out of it, that is, not a rough object, but a more subtle one.

A representative of this varna develops a sense of will and increases control over his impulses. It becomes characterized by more complex volitional acts. He has the ability to get down to business well and easily on his own initiative, without waiting for outside stimulation, and initial organizational abilities are formed. Vaishya can make a decision that concerns the scope of his activities. He perceives obligations at the contract level and knows how to negotiate with the people he needs on mutually beneficial terms.

The main motivation of Vaishyas is the passion for hoarding and obtaining pleasure in any way. Benefit is also considered only from the point of view of the resulting pleasure. Wherever a Vaishya is planted, he will find many ways to get pleasure, even through suffering. If a Vaishya is deprived of pleasure, he often loses the meaning of life, life is over for him.

The Shudra lives by instinctive feelings (cold, hunger, etc.), and therefore he strives to satisfy his senses, i.e. live guided by them. To do this, he creates his own home so as not to live in the cold, and earns money for food so that he can eat well. Vaishya already has a more subtle spectrum of feelings, and, in addition to hearty food, he loves beautiful and delicious food. The requirements for housing are higher than those of the Shudras, they love luxury, but at the same time the passion for hoarding is so strong that in a situation where a Vaishya can earn quite a large amount money, he forgets about any convenience and comfort, and even about food - he can starve for several weeks, just not to miss his jackpot. Shudra is not capable of this.

The Vaishya worldview is based on the fact that everything can be bought and everything can be sold - “money can do everything,” “money is power.” Unlike the Shudras, they strive for power not only for the purpose of survival, but also for the purpose of obtaining pleasure.

They exhibit the ability to be a “broad nature” to whom “nothing human is alien”; ability to work hard, creative restlessness. Sexuality is built on the same principle and is not entirely clear to them, although they satisfy it quite eagerly.

Knights (in Indian tradition - kshatriyas)

When a Vaishya masters the qualities inherent in his varna, he moves into the kshatriya varna (Sanskrit: “dominance, power, strength, power, warrior”). With changes in worldview, new motivations appear. A kshatriya is characterized by such qualities as honor, conscience, justice, leadership, nobility, honesty, etc.

A Kshatriya is a noble warrior. A true kshatriya is noble and honest, he knows the value of his word. If a person of varna sudra or vaishya does not disdain lies and does not consider it shameful to obtain any thing through deception, then a kshatriya considers this behavior below his own dignity. Vaishyas and Shudras, having given their word, easily break it, but a true Kshatriya is a man of his word in all respects, he will never betray his friend and enemy too, many examples of this can be seen in various novels, stories, etc.

Many cannot understand how this is so, a kshatriya does not deceive, because in war all methods are good. But it should be noted that in the battle between kshatriyas there is a military strategy, and not deception and betrayal.

A Kshatriya knows how to quickly bring himself into a state of readiness and internal mobilization of his forces. A person of this varna learns all the planes of material reality and the laws of their interaction through ways of controlling himself and people, which is why the structure of the army in most cases is built on such people.

A kshatriya has well-developed willpower and increases control over his desires, needs, and interests. It is characterized by volitional acts that include the stages of goal setting, discussion and struggle of motives, decision making and execution. At the stage of the struggle of motives, the highest values—ethical and moral norms—take over; what is socially significant is personally significant. A kshatriya is characterized by this form of behavior as an act.

His interests are based on intellectual activity. Cognitive process comes through service. The level of thinking increases - the distribution of attention increases, abstract theoretical thinking develops. A kshatriya's self-esteem is determined by his worldview, sense of duty, morality and ideology.

Each of the kshatriyas has his own motivation. A Kshatriya is a fighter, for him life is a struggle with his enemies inside and outside himself. But some go against the system, thereby forcing it to improve and move in the direction necessary for its development, while others, on the contrary, establish order within the already established system. But at the same time, you need to understand that a kshatriya is not a fighter with fists (sudra). He will not fight in order to stretch his bones or “show off.” All these are shortcomings at the sudra level. Aggression is also inherent in a sudra, not a warrior. A warrior is characterized by fortitude, composure, developed will and clear discipline. A kshatriya not only forces others to obey the law, but also always observes it himself. This is a man of the system, of the state.

At the kshatriya level, a person has conquered the most important fear - the fear of death. Shudra and Vaishya are not able to overcome this fear and many other fears. For a kshatriya, valor and honor are higher than death. Required quality for a kshatriya - heroism. There is such a thing famous expression- “We sing songs to the madness of the brave.” But there is no need to consider a kshatriya a fool, he will not do stupid things - his heroism is reasonable. He will not strive for heroism in order to show off to others.
After all, what looks like heroism from the outside can be done by representatives of the two lower varnas, for example, pulling out a box of jewelry and so on from a collapsing house and making a considerable profit from it.

A novice kshatriya strives for combat, for defense, and comprehends the art of combat to perfection. As he grows, the warrior begins to think about the structure of the world, and he has a desire to explore it in ways that are still unknown to him. Thus, a sorcerer (Brahman, magician, explorer of life, scientist) is born.

Magi, sorcerers, ascetics (in the Indian tradition - brahmans)

In Sanskrit the word Brahman (“reverence; world soul; God the Creator") can be neuter or masculine. In the first case, the emphasis is on the first “a”, in the second – on the second “a”. In the neuter gender, this word denotes the highest philosophical principle of Existence - Consciousness or Nirvana. IN masculine it represents prayers, holy Scripture and the bearers of Scripture - the Brahmins/Brahmins.

Brahmins are philosophers, scientists, researchers, priests, teachers, rulers, ideologists, intelligentsia (nobility inclusive).

Brahmins have always been high society, nobility, royal family, intelligentsia - “blue blood”.

Anyone who carries some kind of new idea, which is firmly established in the world, who generates the “new” - morality, ideas, theories, worldviews that determine the direction of evolution in a certain historical period. For example, new culture, method of versification, movement in art, etc.

A Brahman has much greater free will than people of the lower varnas: his mind exercises control over the formation of thoughts.

A person of this varna is the unity of a student and a Teacher, he becomes an Individuality. His distinctive feature is the service of evolution, constant desire to harmony, life wisdom. Brahman is always honest. First of all, this concerns honesty towards oneself, and from this follows honesty towards the World, towards everything that is in the World, towards every particle of it, towards every person that one meets on one’s Path. Morality is in the blood of a brahman. If a person of the lower varnas needs to be taught what is “moral” and “immoral”, based on the laws of the society in which he is located, then for a brahman there is no morality as such, because she is always in him and with him. It is also worth noting that this happens because the brahman has a developed internal culture, which he constantly improves.

According to the Laws of Manu, a person cannot be called a brahmana if he has qualities inherent in the lower varnas. This means that he has not mastered some of the lower varna skills. We will call such a person a brahmana who has shortcomings in the lower varnas, because he has every opportunity to improve these qualities; but only after this can he be called a true brahmana. As soon as a brahman manages to work out at least one lower varna completely, his energy cocoon (aura) is cleared, his energy increases, which allows him to work with greatly increased strength, because he stops wasting his energy.

IN in this case you need to understand that a brahmana can have shortcomings in the kshatriya varna, but a kshatriya can only have the achievements of a brahmana to a very small extent, because the worldview of the varna above is not understandable to the person of the varna below, and in order to cognize it, one must move to this varna.

Having gone through all the stages of knowledge of a kshatriya, a person becomes a fully brahmana. Brahman is closer to the Creator, the Creator; he himself is the creator in his part of the world, wherever he is. But in turn, he does not lose the skills he acquired in the varnas below. A bad brahmana is one who is unable to feed himself, provide the means he needs, or rule the world. He can do the work of a sudra, vaishya, kshatriya, but he will approach it creatively, inventing new methods, work techniques, etc.

Brahmins are always educated, although this does not always mean any technical or humanitarian education. Considering the sudra varna, we gave the example that (perhaps “when” is better) a person, having received higher education, still remains a sudra. Here it should be noted that not all Brahmins have a higher education, but they will always be literate by nature and at the same time their creativity is very highly developed, they create new ideologies, new trends in all spheres of society, scientific discoveries that develops society. Brahmins can also be called those artists, poets, writers, composers who create new things in their field - write poetry, music, books, etc. They are capable of bringing a new impetus to the development of humanity. But it must be taken into account that only a very small part of those working in such places are brahmins.

A Brahman is patient, he can wait for years if necessary, but at the same time, he knows the value of time and will not waste it. If you feel that a brahmana is wasting his time, perhaps you have not understood his activities. Let us remember how Buddha was considered lazy, while his work took place on completely different planes, inaccessible to others. He achieved purification of the spirit and holiness, and ordinary people thought that he simply did not want to work and was wasting his time aimlessly.

A Brahman is not bored. Even if he is locked alone in some room for a long time, he will always find something to do. If a person of the lower varnas cannot live without society, without the presence of other people, then a brahmana is freer in this.

P concept varna the level of evolutionary development of a person in society is determined, correlated with the level of his personal development. According to this criterion, the entire society was divided into four varnas. Such a system social structure was adopted in Vedic times, we are familiar with it in modern India.

At the bottom of the social rung there are people doing the simplest menial jobs, sometimes outcasts, rejected by society, called sudras or untouchables. The next category is the vaishu, artisans who earn their living by their labor. They were the most numerous. Next are the kshatriyas, or warriors, who skillfully wielded weapons and guarded the society in which they lived. They were responsible for ensuring that justice reigned in the world and that certain laws were observed. And the fourth category is brahmins - keepers of knowledge.

A tradition similar to the division into varnas existed in our territories. The parallelism is obvious. Those who are called sudras in India are called untouchables or smerds here. In India - Vaishyas, here - Vesis, in India - Kshatriyas, here - Knights, in India - Brahmins, here - Magi or Sorcerers. We see different names for the same phenomena.

A person’s varna depends, first of all, on the experience accumulated by the soul, on what part of the evolution has been passed through in previous incarnations. The word “varna” itself is translated as “color”, and originally denoted the color of the aura, or the energetic body of a person, by which it was possible to determine the main aspirations of the Soul that came into this world: "brahmana [seems to be a being] white, kshatriya - red, vaishya - yellow color, sudra - black in color" (Vajrasuchika Upanishad).

In Vedic society, varna was not initially determined by parents. The newborn was brought to the brahman, and he, having a subtle vision, looked at the color of the aura, and assessed the level of development of the soul, and, accordingly, made conclusions about what lessons he needs to learn here, within what varna this person needs to look for his place in life.

In the “Laws of Manu” the creation of varnas and the distribution among them is described as follows: “And for the sake of the prosperity of the worlds, he [Brahma] created from his mouth, hands, thighs and feet a brahmana, a kshatriya, a vaishya and a sudra<…>And for the preservation of this entire universe, he, the Most Holy One, established special activities for those born from lips, hands, hips and feet. Teaching, studying [the Vedas], sacrificing for oneself and sacrificing for others, giving and receiving [alms] he established for the brahmanas. He specified the protection of his subjects, distribution [of alms], sacrifice, study [of the Vedas] and non-adherence to worldly pleasures for the kshatriya. Pasture of livestock, and also distribution [of alms], sacrifice, study of [the Vedas], trade, usury and agriculture are for Vaishyas. But the lord indicated only one occupation for the sudras - serving these varnas with humility."(Laws of Manu). That is, the definition of varna correlates with gender social activities.

In Kali Yuga there is a mixture of varnas and it becomes more and more difficult to distinguish between them: “Brahmins, kshatriyas, vaishyas will mix with each other and (all) they will become like the sudras, neglecting truth and repentance. The lows will become medium and the mids will become low. This is how the world will be when the end of the south comes.”(Mahabharata). We live in a period when it is becoming more and more difficult for a person to understand his purpose - this is one of the biggest problems of modern society. A person who is essentially a sudra can now give lectures on spiritual topics, and spiritual practitioner for the sake of survival, sweep the streets. The type of social activity in our era does not coincide with the inner essence of a person, with his abilities and capabilities, in the end according to the Mahabharata: “The Shudras will expound the Dharma, and the Brahmins will listen to them with respect and faith.”(Mahabharata).

The ancient sages understood how important it is for a person to “remember” who he is. For adequate spiritual development It is important to perform exactly those social duties that correspond to the level of development of the soul:

Fulfill, albeit poorly, your duty personally,
More important than performing someone else's superbly

You can determine your varna by analyzing your motivations, values, and aspirations. Living beyond social norms Shudras often do not want to perform any social duties, or perform them “under pressure.” Shudras are people who seek only pleasure in life. Shudras are practically unable to control passions; one might say that they are slaves to passions. Ultimately, representatives of this varna, through pleasures, lead themselves to sorrows and suffering; while enjoying, they themselves destroy their lives: “Carnal pleasures are varied, they are sweet and captivating, now in one form or another they shake our spirit... These pleasures are my misfortune, in them is hidden the seed of loss, failure, bitter torment, danger.”().

We can identify the tasks that a Shudra needs to solve throughout his life: in general, they are associated with the elaboration of the material plane of existence. There is an opinion that souls who only come from the animal world receive such an incarnation; accordingly, their interests do not go beyond the simplest instincts and problems of the animal level. A representative of this varna must master the level of survival, then learn to leave viable offspring and take care of them. In general, everything vital interests and the motivations of the Shudras boil down to a few primitive needs: to eat, sleep, defend themselves, and copulate.

A soul that has just begun to master human world, in the first incarnations in a new capacity will be underdeveloped and capable only of physical labor. Sudras develop through work.

They are unable to adequately manage own energy and therefore they simply should not have it. Heavy physical labor spends energy at the level of muladhara (first chakra) - and there is simply no energy left for “svadhistan” nonsense (for example, sex), which already belongs to the second chakra. In this case, work acts as the most reliable cure for passions, which otherwise would simply destroy a person.

Instructions for the Shudras, while working, serve the representatives higher varnas, we find in many Vedic texts. In Vedic society, a clear system was developed that allowed representatives of all varnas to evolve: “The kshatriyas served the brahmanas, the vaishyas were devoted to the kshatriyas, and the sudras, being devoted to the brahmanas and kshatriyas, served the vaishyas.”(Mahabharata).

By serving those who have reached a higher level of spiritual development and receiving gratitude from them, a person changes his destiny in this incarnation and in the next. Vaishu will serve a warrior and gradually become a warrior; a warrior, serving a Brahmana, will gradually become a Brahmana. But learning to serve adequately is, first of all, the fundamental task of a person who belongs to the Shudras. He must overcome his laziness, develop discipline skills, and the ability to purposefully carry out the assigned work.

As soon as a Shudra manages to form the foundation of his life, as soon as he satisfies the most primitive needs, he has various desires. And this is not even the problem;, of course, representatives of other varnas also have desires. The trouble is that the desires of the Shudras are extremely unstable: “I want what is now before my eyes.” At the same time, the Shudra is not able to concentrate his attention on one object for a long time, or to hold some goal (“keep the goal within himself”). A Shudra cannot, for example, save money to buy an apartment or a car; he would rather spend it on momentary pleasures. Money is just one of the options for the manifestation of energy in our world. But the sudra treats any other energy in exactly the same way, spends it on entertainment, pleasing sexual feeling, sense of taste, etc.: “The tongue draws man in one direction, thirst in another; sexual urge pulls him somewhere else, while his skin, stomach and ears pull him in other directions; the nose pulls him in one direction, the capricious eyes in another, while the desire for activity pulls him somewhere else, and all this undermines the man, like many a householder’s wife.”(Udhava Gita). Representatives of this varna have not mastered that level of interaction with the world, which already allows them to collect energy and invest it in any business. Incarnation as a Shudra can be achieved by a soul that has past life assets (material, energy) and failed to manage them correctly. Now she is born with virtually nothing.

Shudras always need someone who will guide them towards some more or less long-term goal (for example, “if you don’t get drunk during the week, you will receive your salary on Monday,” says the foreman to the builder who loves to drink). Shudra is not capable of leading anyone or organizing any process. He himself can only work when he receives clear instructions from his boss. A representative of this varna will feel comfortable in the position of an employee. Moreover, the rougher and easier work The less thought it requires, the better. Shudras do not tend to show initiative or creativity in their work; they will consciously or subconsciously strive for situations that require stereotypical solutions.

In a sense, Shudras are very similar to small children; they cannot control their desires, navigate the world themselves, or choose a stable area of ​​their interests. In this regard, all other varnas, more “adult”, are responsible for the evolution of those who were born with experience corresponding to the level of a sudra.

A representative of any other varna can also “slide” to sudra. For example, if a vaishu or kshatriya begins to drink alcohol, or is too keen on sex, then in his next life he will be destined for the fate of a sudra, if, of course, he stays in the human world at all. And in this incarnation he will have many desires and needs, and no opportunities to satisfy them.

The next varna is vaishu. This includes businessmen, artisans, and peasants. Those who earn their living using certain tools, or some intellectual capabilities.

Vaishu are attached to the idea of ​​hoarding. Moreover, their wealth does not have to be expressed in monetary form, it can be the wealth of the family, i.e. tangible support from relatives, ancestors, a reliable future secured by descendants. They also view health as a kind of potential and a kind of wealth. Usually the following areas are priorities for vaishu: family, children (the formula “prolongation of the family” is often used here), health, work. This is what they mainly live for.

Vaishu have enough developed intellect. Both the “accountant by nature”, who neatly adds up numbers and the mathematician whose joy is calculating integrals, take advantage of the capabilities of the vaishu level.

For a Vaishu, the only thing of interest is what he can precede with the pronoun “my”. Representatives of this varna can take care, but only about “their” children, “their” employees, “their home.” It is in caring for “his own”, about what he is attached to, that a Vaishu-type person realizes himself. (Looking ahead, let's say that the kshatriya begins to think at least about the level of state interests, or more globally - about justice. He no longer thinks about the world from the level of attachments, and does not look at it through the prism of love, which is at the last level in his value system place).

Vaishu are less susceptible to passions than Shudras; they develop a sense of will, which allows them to manage themselves, control energy expenditure to some extent, and invest the saved resource in their chosen business. At this level, there is a desire and, most importantly, the opportunity to invest effort in achieving specific purpose, there is a desire for self-actualization, a need to do something independently. Accordingly, vaishu can organize, for example, their own business, make decisions within its framework, and manage hired employees.

The values ​​of people of this varna are always associated with the material plane of existence. The problem with vaishus is that they invest all their strength in the material world. It is difficult for people at this stage of development to understand that this world is not reduced only to material things; from their point of view, “money can buy everything.” Vaishu do not perceive what cannot be touched, and their worldview does not include such concepts as energy and karma, and without them, most of spiritual information remains incomplete.

Vaishu must understand that behind everything created in the material world there will be a certain karma. When creating material goods and leaving them behind in this world, a person must think about who will use them and for what purpose. A blacksmith can forge a beautiful sword, but if a scoundrel uses this weapon, part of the karma “goes” to the one who created the weapon.

The evolutionary development of a vaishu occurs when he has already learned to satisfy all the needs of the material level, he realized that he can easily earn a lot of money, he wealthy family and many children... but there remains some kind of emptiness inside. Then two development options open up: either he understands that everything material is perishable anyway and will be destroyed sooner or later, and then he chooses the brahmanical type of development. Or, while maintaining an interest in material things, he begins to be guided by the desire to transform this world, to make it fair, and moves away from serving “himself” to serving society.

The level of politics and management becomes interesting for him. In stereotypical ideas, a kshatriya is, first of all, a warrior. But it is not so. The interests of a kshatriya are rather in power, the ability to manipulate people. A kshatriya takes responsibility for society, and understands that its representatives need to be protected and protected, including from themselves. Neither Vaishu nor Shudra will be able to organize themselves; they need someone who, from above, establishes order and discipline. A person comes to the path of a kshatriya with the realization that it is he who must do this, moreover, relying on the central concept for a kshatriya - the concept of justice. The service of a kshatriya is in building “sociality”; he creates and controls the orders by which society should live: “The king, carefully guarding these (his subjects), ensures that all castes observe their laws.” ().

Military art– this is just a forceful method of maintaining power, protecting “subjects”, monitoring the implementation of established rules, and it is in this regard that mastering the skill of killing has value for them. “Where the king rules according to dharma, the subjects are busy with their own affairs, and those who deviate from their duty (the king) returns to him again. Subjects should always feel fear of kings: after all, rulers destroy those who deviate from their duty, just as a hunter (kills) an antelope with arrows.”(Mahabharata).

But, unfortunately, turning to the method of eradicating evil by violence has certain consequences. While fulfilling their duty, kshatriyas accumulate a lot of negative karma associated with killing, with causing pain to another living being. They will have to answer for murder and violence. This is the main problem for this varna.

The degree of responsibility for an action depends on what guna the person who committed it is in, and on how much he is able to understand where his actions lead. The fact is that kshatriyas, who defend justice and live according to dharma, are already sufficiently captured by the energy of goodness; accordingly, the consequences of their actions begin to come to them quickly, making it possible to realize the law of karma. A kshatriya already knows the basic principles of the world order and understands the laws of society. And accordingly, the punishment for mistakes for representatives of this varna will be quite harsh.

They must understand that the very principle of fighting evil using military methods is wrong. The ways in which kshatriyas try to solve problems have too many errors, their consequences are too severe, and their effectiveness is not high. Having accumulated considerable experience, the warrior begins to think that evil cannot be destroyed by killing. Some scoundrels are replaced by others. The warrior begins to understand that by cutting off a head, he does not help a person change for the better, that in the next incarnation he will again meet his victim, who simply received something different. physical body, but retaining all the energy problems and an absolutely “sick” consciousness.

Having realized that nothing can be essentially changed through the transformation of matter, the kshatriya turns to studying his inner world, to work with his own consciousness, and becomes a brahmana.

IN modern society Another option is also possible - having become disillusioned with the well-functioning mechanism of interaction with society, the kshatriya goes into the world of illusions, into the world of alcohol or computer games.

Kshatriyas stand at the top of the social pyramid. Representatives of the next varna, the brahmanas, are no longer interested in such “childish toys” as power, fame, honor, and prestige. Usually, people who come to the Brahmanical worldview have already gone through a lot of lessons in their previous incarnations and realized the low value of the interests that come to the fore among the Kshatriyas, Vaishus and Shudras. Brahman is not interested material values, he may well not be burdened by the possession of money or property, simply because he does not need it.

Brahmins are looking for something more stable and are attracted to knowledge because it has lasting value. This is a class of people who support knowledge and limit themselves as much as possible in everything for the sake of it. The more variety of pleasures a person has, the less his mental or spiritual potential. This is stated in the primary sources: “And he who strives for knowledge cannot have pleasures. Either the seeker of pleasure must give up science, or the seeker of science must give up pleasure."(Mahabharata). The more a Shudra, Vaishu or Kshatriya hunts, has fun, and enjoys, the more primitive he becomes towards the end of his life.

Brahman, on the one hand, understands that any pleasure has its direct consequence - and this consequence is suffering. On the other hand, that any pleasure is a waste of energy. He tries to “gather all his potential into a fist” as much as possible and realize it for the benefit of society.

In essence, the life of a brahmana is constant asceticism. In order to clearly see the world, a brahmin must use the energy of ajna, but at the level of this chakra, energy cannot accumulate. For the chakra to function adequately, the brahman must constantly transform energy, while understanding that first of all he needs to change himself, and then the world around him will change. And this is partly the essence of his service, as he helps those around him to develop.

If you have ever been in society strong personality, Teachers, with capital letters, you probably noticed that just being with him, you felt different in his energy. In his presence, motivation, strength and desire to change appeared. In some ways, this is what brahmins live for. They strive to maintain their energy sufficiently high level, so that people who are close to them can receive benefits. You can give a person as much as you want important information– but not backed up by energy, it will remain a “meaningless shock of air.” Brahman changes people through his energy.

The process of human degradation or development, including in terms of movement through varnas, is determined by the dynamics of one simple relation: How more people wants for himself, the lower he will end up staying. This is a very slow, step-by-step and not always obvious process. The more a person becomes attached to personal needs, pleasures, anything “for himself,” the worse it will be for him. A person begins to move upward only when first, through asceticism, he renounces his happiness now, for the sake of greater happiness later, and ultimately from his happiness for the sake of the development of others.

A Brahman, ideally, should have no personal interests at all. He tries to act outside his ego and outside his desires, essentially only fulfilling the will of the world, the will of the gods. He incarnates on this earth, not because he has, for example, a desire to live, but only because he is needed here, that people karmically connected with him need help.

Yogic practices aimed at the fastest possible evolution allow you to go through the state of different varnas in one life. In ancient times, varna was not a seal that determined a person’s life until death. By going through certain lessons and developing potential, a person could “outgrow” his varna and, accordingly, move to the next one, or, on the contrary, degrade - go lower. “He who is born among the Shudras, but has achieved high virtues, falls, O Brahmana, into the category of Vaisyas and even Kshatriyas, and by living righteously, he can also be born as a Brahmana.”(Mahabharata). In the Mahabharata we find an injunction to value people by their actions, and not by their birth: “If a brahmana is mired in low vices, if he is arrogant and constantly does evil, he becomes like a sudra. And I consider a sudra who tirelessly strives for humility, truth and piety to be a brahmana, since he acts like a twice-born.”(Mahabharata). A Shudra always has room to grow, and a Brahmana always has room to fall.

To understand who you really are, you need to separate the “true yourself” and what is presented by society. From childhood, interests are imposed on us that are alien to our souls - the desire for pleasure or wealth, in fact, the interests of sudras, or at best, vaishus. You need to see what is deeper, behind this alluvial layer, what your soul is really drawn to.

The article is compiled based on lectures by teachers of the club site.

Dear reader, you will not find so-called equality, more utopian than real, anywhere. Each person is no less important than the other, but everyone must mind their own business and lead an appropriate life, take their place in it. We can observe this even with early childhood, is the place, characteristics and circumstances of birth. And in the future, take a closer look at the life around you and you will see that social, financial, and physical conditions differ for everyone living in the same state. Thus, since ancient times, among all nations, a division of the people into classes has appeared, stretching to our times and not only in India. It’s just that in India it is part of their culture and religion and they talk about it honestly as it is, while in Christian and democratic Europe and America, everyone is supposedly equal and has the right to vote, etc. etc., which is far from the truth.

It is known that blasphemy and abuse against a person will return over time and with not such terrible consequences as abuse against a Hierarch, Teacher, or Saint. Why do we meet more people in life? influential people and less, and the influence is not status in society, but the recognition by the majority of people of the authority of the individual or vice versa.

From the above, it is not surprising that society, since ancient times, has constantly divided people into different types and there are many such systems. We are interested in caste division society, time-tested and considered quite accurate. All, more than seven billion people, can be divided into four castes and non-castes caste system“untouchables”, in any state, even among ants and bees.

All Schools of the Spirit, esoteric schools and orders of knights, masons and other secret societies have their own hierarchy and circles of initiation corresponding to the level of development. Like any serious worldly organization, any business from serious firms to corporations implies a hierarchy, a circle of initiation and permission.

Such a preface for all defenders of humanity and human rights around the world!

History of the origin of castes

It is believed that the Varnas, which later became castes, originate from Brahma himself, who created them from parts of his body. As shown in the figure above, what the mouth says is unquestioning and the hands are warriors to embody what the mouth says. Hips - movement, Vaishyas provide social conditions society and finally sudras are feet in contact, sometimes with impurities.

So, varna - class, literally means color. Each varna has its own color:

1. Brahmins – white;
2. Kshatriyas – red;
3. Vaishya – yellow;
4. Shudras are black.

Initially, the wise men and priests decided which varna to assign the newborn to as his spiritual development progressed. They saw all his past lives and inclinations in this one and then determined his spiritual status and, accordingly, his social status. Each varna had its own differences in education and training, according to its purpose. Over time, varna was determined by birth - inheritance.

This is what the Aryans brought to them, they first began to pass it on by inheritance, and then as they grew public relations Varnas began to be called castes depending on their specialization within the professional framework.

Below we will look at Varnas, of which there are four, rather than castes, especially modified in modern India.

The Untouchables

There is also such a caste, which is not included in the four castes of society, since people in this caste are considered outcasts of society, the name itself speaks for itself. They are eliminated from all social relations. They perform the dirtiest work: cleaning streets and toilets, disposing of dead animals.

Untouchables were prohibited from even setting foot on the shadows of members of higher castes. Only recently they were allowed to enter temples and approach others from the higher castes.

Shudras

When a person is born for the first time in human form, he does not have a powerful intellectual apparatus. No experience of living in human body and therefore, apart from his body, he has not yet developed anything. This most numerous caste contains irresponsible people who do not want to take responsibility and are not independent. They cannot stand up for themselves and choose an occupation in life, but are ready to carry out someone’s orders and be hired workers.

Their level of consciousness is at the level of the muladhara chakra, which represents survival; their life is associated with problems, tensions, and struggles. Shudras, in order to improve their lives, will think only about themselves and ignore the consequences or look at the world unrealistically.

The ultimate dream of a sudra is the acquisition of sensual pleasures - great fortune or a post with high income.

The inherent insatiability of the Shudras, reaching the point of greed, from which grows envy of everyone and everything. And in all likelihood he has no desire to change.

This is a caste of handymen and servants, they do hard and monotonous work, which does not require much mental strain, and most often live below the poverty line. They can marry divorced women. The Shudra caste is more capacious and broad concept, from a person engaged in the most difficult and dirty work, to a master, an artisan who has his own workshop.

Vaishya

Vaishi can notice the needs of the surrounding society and wants to satisfy them, with the obligatory benefit for themselves. This is typical for them and is very suitable for the market perception of life: “Demand creates supply.” They greet people by their clothes and see them off by the contents of their wallet. All relationships are built from a position of personal gain. Vaishas interact with the world at the level of consciousness of the svadhisthana chakra, which corresponds to comfort and prosperity.

This caste includes traders, shopkeepers, money lenders, farmers, and cattle breeders. Most of the population belonged to it. Although they were considered lower than brahmanas and kshatriyas socially, they were already considered twice-born*. By the beginning of the Middle Ages, the division of labor led to the formation of many subcastes among the Vaishas, ​​and therefore the castes of farmers and herders were perceived as Shudras. This later played a role in the fact that only merchants and bankers began to relate to Vaish.

Kshatriyas

Kshatriyas are warriors with consciousness at the level of the manipura chakra, which gives them the possession, in accordance with the awareness of this center, of character qualities: self-discipline, self-control, determination, this allows them to act effectively. A sense of duty is very developed in his life, and not in idle reasoning. Dignity and honor are more valuable to a kshatriya own life. Kshatriyas are warriors, kings, generals, managers of all forms.

A kshatriya is able to give up profit or gold for the sake of such high feelings as love, friendship, an objective outlook on life, impeccability and honor. What, let’s say, a vaishya is not given to understand.

Brahmins

Brahmins - upper caste, consciousness is at the level of the upper collective chakras: anahata, vishuddha, ajna and sahasrara. A brahmana has a task to achieve in this life complete liberation. They support the relationship between the subtle (Creator) and material worlds. Brahmins take responsibility for all humanity. All Great Teachers belonged to the Brahmin caste.

Now Brahmins are religious and public figures, poets, writers, scientists and people of other creative professions. According to the Vedas, a person socially goes through the path of development from a sudra to a brahman. This happens according to certain natural processes and such growth is inevitable.

Features of castes

The consciousness of a sudra strives for sensual pleasures that correspond to the vibrations of the svadhisthana chakra, only the level of consciousness of a sudra is in muladhara, which means it is preparing for a higher level.

Vaishya, in order to benefit, hones the skill of self-control, which also corresponds to the vibrations of a higher center - the manipura chakra.

A kshatriya, who has the level of consciousness of the manipura chakra, assimilates the vibrations of higher energy centers, according to the collective level of consciousness. His everyday sphere of activity is wider than individuality; objectivity is already necessary.

Caste Features:

• • Brahmins only accept gifts, but in no case give
  • Shudras can own more massive land than Vaishyas and be much more influential.
  • Shudras from the lower layer practically do not use money: they are paid for their work with food and household appliances and supplies