Qualities of Caste System
There were many merits and demerits in the Indian caste system. The following properties of caste-system can be mentioned-
(1.) Sense of coexistence: The caste-system taught the Indian subjects to live with the spirit of co-existence. Each caste was skilled in doing only one thing while it also needed the products being produced by the other castes. Thus all the castes became complementary to each other and developed a sense of co-existence.
(2.) Professional Proficiency: The caste-system was created on the basis of a particular occupation. Therefore each caste had a hereditary occupation. Therefore, in order to carry forward the hereditary tradition, one generation provided vocational education and skills to the other generation. In this way, professional skills were developed in the society from generation to generation and various crafts could not only be kept alive from generation to generation but their development was also possible.
(3.) Lack of competition: Within the caste system, the occupation and industry of each caste was different. Due to lack of professional competition, the evil qualities like conflict, jealousy, hatred and malice etc. Due to this there was peace in social life. The caste-system acted as the unit of political organization and strengthened the society in the period of decline of state power.
(4.) Purity of Blood, Lineage and Character: Each caste had fixed rules of eating habits, ethics, marital relations and contacts. Inter-caste marriages and mutual intercourse were prohibited due to the feelings of high and low among different castes. Marriages took place within their own caste. Those who violated these rules were excommunicated from the caste. Due to this fear, the society lived in the discipline of its caste-rules, so that the purity of blood, lineage and varna could be maintained and physical and mental qualities could be preserved and Aryans could be saved from adulteration of unwanted foreign blood.
(5.) Protecting Hindu Culture and Religion: The caste system created stereotypes, feelings of isolation and class pride among the people, which led to rigidity in caste rules, prohibitions and punishment. This rigidity acted as a fortification against the encroachment and interference of foreign cultures. It gave the Hindu society the strength to bear the political and religious blows of Islam.
When the country was passing through an era of political upheaval, caste conflict and anarchy, the caste system protected Hindu religion and culture. The strong fortification of customs and traditions associated with the caste system did not allow Islamic customs and traditions to enter the Hindu society. Despite being defeated by the invading Muslims, most of the Hindus saved their religion even by sacrificing their lives. The credit for this goes to the Indian religious ideal and the caste-system together.
(6) Other Properties: The caste system provided a way for Hinduism to expand its ranks and worked for the integration of foreign elements into the Hindu society. It was up to the will and interest of the foreigners to accept Hinduism and form their own new castes and retain the basic elements of their traditions and culture. Due to this practical view of the caste system, groups of foreign invaders gradually mixed in Hindu society.
The caste system increased fraternity and established unity and firmness among the members of a caste. In times of crisis and unemployment, the members of the caste helped the ethnic brethren. The caste system also encouraged the civic virtues of self-sacrifice, love and public service. Many prosperous people used to build hospitals, dharamshalas, temples, schools etc. for the people of their caste.
This provided the facility of living for the people of the caste with less expenditure. The caste system developed a sense of community responsibility. Thus the Indian caste system was successful as a useful community institution in many ways.
Defects of caste system
Along with many virtues, there were many defects in the caste-system-
(1.) Sense of narcissism: The caste system divided the Hindu society into hundreds of ancestral castes and sub-castes, which ignited the feeling of isolation and narrowed the thinking of the common man in the realm of caste. Due to this the unity, organization-strength and spirit of co-operation of the society was damaged. People thought about the progress of their caste but stopped thinking about the progress of the country and society.
(2.) Mutual Dispute: There was a tendency among different castes and sub-castes to consider each other inferior. Jealousy, hatred and conflict of different castes divided the society into rival communities and they could not fight unitedly against foreign invasions. This stopped the development of nationalism and threatened the political unity of Indians.
(3.) Responsibility of war on specific caste: Due to the caste system, the responsibility of fighting for the protection of the country and protecting the society from dacoits etc. fell on the Kshatriya caste. Other castes were deprived of weapon handling and warfare skills. Because of this, the Kshatriyas faced them alone at the time of foreign invasions and they were defeated.
Similarly, the Rajputs faced them alone during the invasion of Muslims. Among the ancient Kshatriyas and the Rajputs who came into existence after them, the pride of mutual superiority and superiority was at its peak. So they could not fight unitedly and were defeated one by one.
(4.) Lack of efficiency and efficiency: In the economic field, the caste-system constraints harm the efficiency of labor and business-skills. Because a person has to adopt the traditional occupation of his own caste even if he does not have interest and ability in a particular occupation. Due to this talent does not get the opportunity to choose the field of his interest. This stops economic and intellectual progress.
(5.) Distance from large industrial and commercial establishments: Due to the narrowness of the caste system, no major industrial and commercial establishment could be established before the establishment of the democratic system in the country because people were used to working in small groups and in the form of cottage industries.
(6.) Damage to individual liberty: Under the caste system, a person could not leave the occupation of his caste and adopt another occupation, nor could he leave his caste and take another caste. This leads to the loss of individual freedom and blunts the natural talent.
(7.) Extension of untouchability and intolerance: The tendency to consider each other inferior to the caste-system reached its peak. Due to this, the right to use only caste wells, caste ponds, caste dharamshalas remained. They did not develop an innate sense of community. People became intolerant towards each other and powerful communities started oppressing their weaker ones.
Views of scholars regarding caste system
The Indian caste system has been a subject of curiosity and study for scholars all over the world. Many western scholars have studied the Indian caste system from a sociological point of view and expressed their views regarding it.
A European sociologist named Sidney Low has written- 'There is no doubt that the Indian caste system has, for centuries, made a major contribution to the binding of Indian society to its basic stability and contentment, against political shocks and natural calamities. given.'
Sir Henry Cotton has written - Instead of being the cause of the difficulties and problems that can be traced in Hindu society, the caste system has done an important service in the past and in the present also it has maintained order and solidarity. is.'
Chandala Caste in Indian History
According to Manusmriti and Dharmasutras, the Chandala caste originated from a Shudra man and a Brahmin woman. In the Mahabharata, it is considered the child of a measured man and a Brahmin woman. It is placed under the highly inferior and Mahapataki caste. According to Gautam, they belonged to the category of dogs and crows. In the eyes of Apastamba, it was also a sin to touch, see and speak to the Chandala, for which atonement was made.
According to the Chandogya Upanishad, his condition was like that of a dog and a pig. It was believed that the Chandala vagina was obtained due to wrong doing in the previous birth. Even during the Buddhist period, the Chandalas had to live outside the city. From the Buddhist people, there is knowledge of the inferior and pathetic condition of the Chandalas. It is known from the Matang Jataka that when a Chandala was entering the city, the sight of a superior-duhita fell on him. The girl said oh! I had a bad vision. After this many people killed that Chandal a lot.
Manu has written- 'Chandala and Svapacha should reside outside the village and dogs and donkeys should be his property.
The shroud was his garment. He used to eat food in a broken vessel, his ornament was of iron and he always moved around. He was not allowed to enter the village and the city during the night. He could roam around the village during the day wearing a special sign of edict and could take the dead body without binding to the crematorium. Killed the person sentenced to death and took his clothes, bedding, and ornaments etc.
In the Puranas also he is kept in the category of dogs and birds. The gods and the ancestors used to give up their share due to his sight on the food of Shradh. He was inferior and wicked. The person who intentionally used to associate with a Chandala-woman, had food with her or accepted Pratigraha, he became of that category.
The Chinese traveler Fahiyan (5th century AD) has written that whenever the Chandala entered the market, he used to play the wood so that people would move away after hearing the sound of the wood and would not be impure by its touch. He could take up the business of fowler and fishing. The Chinese traveler Hiuen Tsang (7th century AD), who came to India during Harsha's period, has written that he used to kill animals and sell their meat. Used to work as a slaughterhouse, used to pick up feces etc. and lived outside the city.
Special signs were made at his house. Baan (7th century AD) in his book Kadambari has called it touch-barred. And by playing a bamboo stick, he has been designated to inform about his arrival. Alberuni (tenth-eleventh century AD) wrote that his main task was to clean the village.
Many Arab writers have written that he used to earn his living by doing sports and spectacles from place to place. His class was that of Khiladi and Kalavant. The Jain Acharya Hemachandra (12th century AD) has written that the Chandalas used to walk with the sound of wood so that people of higher varna would avoid touching it. Kalhana (twelfth century AD) has also described the inferior position of the Chandalas.
Kayastha Caste in Indian History
The mention of Kayastha caste is not found in the Indo-Aryan varna system. They developed as a separate class and caste. Different things are found about the condition of Kayasthas in ancient India. The Kayasthas are first mentioned by Yajnavalakya. Maharishi Yajnavalkya has described the Kayasthas as more dangerous than thieves and bandits and ordered the king to protect his subjects from the Kayasthas.
Maharishi Ushanas and Maharishi Vyasa have mentioned Kayasthas as Shudra caste in their Smritis. According to Oceanus Smriti 'Kyastha' Formation of the Word 'Kaal' , 'Yam' and 'Sthapati' Combining the initial letters of . In relation to the Kayastha caste, inscriptional evidence of the Gupta period is also found. In Gupta inscriptions, he is called 'First Kayastha' And 'Jyestha Kayastha' Said.
The word Kayastha is mentioned in the Gahadwal inscription of Sahet-Mahet 'author' Whereas in the inscriptions like Chandel, Chedi, Chahaman etc. they have been called Kayastha caste and Kayastha dynasty.
Therefore, it is estimated that the Kayasthas were living as a class apart from the four varnas in Indian society till the Gupta period and by the ninth century they turned into a caste. His main work was to do writing work. They were also the officers of accounting, calculation, income-expenditure and land-tax. Harishena (10th century AD) has used both the words author and Kayastha for him.
Sri Harsha traces his origin to Chitragupta, the clerk of Yama. The Kayastha dynasty is considered to be very old in an inscription of the eleventh century and their origin is Kush and his father Kashyap Vivrit. In an inscription, their relationship has been told with the Kshatriyas, according to which when Parashurama expelled these fearless Kshatriyas from the society, they became 'Kyastha' Said.
Kayasthas adopt their surname 'Pancholi' Also write which sign is 'fifth character' appears to be towards. 'Kayastha' and 'Pancholi' Both the words refer to these people in the form of society 'being situated in the physique' And the society's 'Fifth Chola' में स्थित होने की ओर भी संकेत करते हैं।
निष्कर्ष
उपरोक्त विवेचन के आधार पर कहा जा सकता है कि जाति-प्रथा का उद्भव प्राचीन वर्ण-व्यवस्था का ही विस्तार था जिसका प्रमुख आधार व्यावसायिक वंश-परम्परा था। कुछ विदेशी आक्रांता, अनार्य वर्ग, वर्णसंकर वर्ग आदि समुदाय, आर्यों के चार-वर्णों से बाहर थे किंतु वे जाति व्यवस्था में अलग-अलग जातियों के रूप में स्थान पा गए।
जाति-व्यवस्था के कारण भारतीय समाज को कुछ बड़े लाभ हुए तो कुछ बड़ी हानियाँ भी झेलनी पड़ीं। एक ओर तो जाति-प्रथा ने भारतीय समाज को व्यावसायिक कौशल बढ़ाने में सहायता दी, विदेशी जातियों को अलग जाति के रूप में भारतीय समाज में समाहित होने का अवसर दिया तथा इस्लाम के विरुद्ध अपने धर्म की रक्षा के लिए दृढ़ता प्रदान की किंतु दूसरी ओर जाति-व्यवस्था ने भारतीय समाज को एक ही देश के भीतर छोटे-छोटे देशों में विभक्त कर दिया जिनमें सहजीवन की भावना कम और प्रतिद्वंद्विता की भावना अधिक थी।
यदि देश पर चढ़कर आए शत्रुओं के विरुद्ध समस्त भारतीय समाज संगठित होकर लड़ता तो देश को दीर्घकाल तक पराधीनता नहीं झेलनी पड़ती।