CASTE SYSTEM IN HINDUISM

Most misunderstood concept is Caste System.

The Caste System is not about who is born into what Caste, but it is all about the different roles a person assumes in his/her entire life. 

There are four roles a person assumes in his/her life, sometimes on a daily basis as shown below:

SUDRA:

Everyone is born as a Sudra meaning innocent and pious. A Sudra is the beginning of a human life where a person is pure with good heart and devoid of any differences. 

VYSYA:

While growing up, a person has to trade lot of things like his/her own strength or moneys as payments to Gurus to learn or gain something. This role is that of a trader. 

KSHATRIYA:

When a person gets wealth or knowledge, it is the role of the person to protect these two in falling into wrong hands, and stops this from destruction as well. This role is to protect one's family or nation and protection of dharma (justice) across the world. 

BRAHMIN:

This role is assumed by a person when they have attained enough knowledge and are in a position to part this knowledge to others as Gurus. They also assume a role in the knowledge of Bhakti to guide others to get back to reality of worshipping the Goddess and her forms for a better life or a better end of life. 

A person can assume any of the above roles on any given day. 

For example: You may be innocent of a knowledge as Sudra, trade your time or money to learn how to get a degree as Vysya, protect your family from thieves or bad people as Kshatriya, or teach your kids or siblings as a Brahmin. 

Question you may have is:

How come in India people say they are Brahmin or Vysya even today?

That is because in olden days their ancestors were assigned a specific duty based on the above, and people started believing that they are born into that caste system since then. 

However, if you take the Rishis who taught the world as Brahmins came from different castes. They all assume the role of a  brahmin and taught. 

HOW THE BRITISH SHAPED INDIA's CASTE SYSTEM:

The Caste System was an experiment of the British in India to divide and conquer. Later Governments that ruled India used it as vote banks and further divided the hindus. They even created Reservation System for some classes of the system and further divided a strong hindu nation. 

The caste system, the phenomenon constructed by the West, is an experiential entity only to the West and not to Indians. In this sense, the caste system has no existence outside of the Western experience of India. The West, because of their specific cultural experience, tied together a series of discreet elements and transformed them into one distinct and unified phenomenon. In fact, the dominant descriptions we have today are results of originally Christian themes and questions; they reflect European historical experiences and European thinking about society much more than the real state of society and its domestic understanding in India. ~ Dr. Gopal Pingali quoting Bal Gangadhar Tilak.