Caste System Truth
Corruption by Birthright, and the Real Path of Human Civilization

"It is this divine varṇāśrama-dharma that Kṛṣṇa recommends, not the caste system as it is understood today. This modern caste system is now condemned in India also, and it should be condemned, for the classification of different types of men according to birth is not the Vedic or divine caste system."

"According to the three modes of material nature and the work ascribed to them, the four divisions of human society were created by Me." (Bhagavad-gita 4.13)"

"Where does the Bhagavad-gītā mention the caste system? Kṛṣṇa says, cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ: 'I created four divisions of men according to their quality and work.' For instance, you can understand that there are engineers as well as medical practitioners in society. Do you say they belong to different castes — that one is in the engineer caste and the other is in the medical caste? No. If a man has qualified himself in medical school, you accept him as a doctor; and if another man has a degree in engineering, you accept him as an engineer. Similarly, the Bhagavad-gītā defines four classes of men in society: a class of highly intelligent men, a class of administrators, a class of productive men, and ordinary workers."

"It is not that this system refers to the perverted caste system in India. Śrī Kṛṣṇa specifically states: guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ: men are classified according to the guṇa or the mode under which they are operating, and this applies to men all over the universe. When Kṛṣṇa speaks, we must understand that whatever He says is not limited but is universally true."

"The whole system of society was so well planned that all the members of society in their different positions as brāhmaṇas, kṣatriyas, vaiśyas, and śūdras had no difficulty in earning their livelihood. There was no competition among the divisions of society. The original conception of the caste system was so planned that one group of men engaged in a particular type of occupation would not compete with another group of men engaged in a different occupation."

"As it is stated in the scriptures, kalau śūdra-sambhava: 'In this age of Kali, everyone is a śūdra.' This is because there is no performance of the purificatory processes known as saṁskāras, which begin from the time of the mother's pregnancy and continue up to the point of the individual's death. No one can be classified as a member of a particular caste, especially of a higher caste — brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya or vaiśya — simply by birthright."

"The Pakistan is also due to this hereditary brahmanism. You see? They hated so much the Muhammadans and the śūdras. First of all they hated the śūdras, and then, when the śūdras they became Muhammadans, they hated the Muhammadans... And gradually it developed that the so-called śūdras and Muhammadans, politically the Britishers took advantage, agitated them. They cut up India into Pakistan and Hindustan. So there are many histories."

"By birth, everyone is born a śūdra, a fourth-class man. It is to be accepted, and actually so. Just like a child, innocent child, what does he know? He has to be trained. Either you train him as a brāhmaṇa or train him as a kṣatriya or train him as a vaiśya. Or otherwise, he is śūdra already, born śūdra. So everyone is born śūdra. That is accepted. Now, if you train him, never mind in which family he is born, you have to train him."

"śūdraṁ vā bhagavad-bhaktaṁ niṣādaṁ śva-pacaṁ tathā / vīkṣate jāti-sāmānyāt sa yāti narakaṁ dhruvam. 'One who considers a devotee of the Supreme Personality of Godhead who was born in a family of śūdras, niṣādas or caṇḍālas to belong to that particular caste certainly goes to hell.'" (Padma Purāṇa)"

"If the qualities of one group are found in the men of another, those men should be recognized by their qualities, by their symptoms, not by the caste of the family in which they were born. Birth is not at all important; it is one's qualities that are stressed in all Vedic literature." (SB 7.11.35)"

"This is a statement by Nārada Muni to Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, wherein Nārada says that the symptoms of a brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya and vaiśya are all described in śāstra. Therefore, if one is found exhibiting the symptoms and qualities of a brāhmaṇa and serving in a brahminical occupation, even if he is not born a brāhmaṇa or kṣatriya, he should be considered according to his qualifications and occupation."

"yathā kāñcanatāṁ yāti kāṁsyaṁ rasa-vidhānataḥ / tathā dīkṣā-vidhānena dvijatvaṁ jāyate nṛṇām. 'As bell metal is turned to gold when mixed with mercury in an alchemical process, so one who is properly trained and initiated by a bona fide spiritual master becomes a brāhmaṇa immediately.'"

"In the Hari-bhakti-vilāsa, Śrī Sanātana Gosvāmī states that one who is initiated by a bona fide spiritual master immediately becomes a brāhmaṇa. A pseudo spiritual master cannot transform a person into a brāhmaṇa, but an authorized spiritual master can do so. This is the verdict of śāstra, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and all the Gosvāmīs."

"This verse is very important to the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. One should not think that because Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was born a brāhmaṇa and was situated in the topmost spiritual order as a sannyāsī, it was improper for Him to receive instructions from Śrīla Rāmānanda Rāya, who belonged to the śūdra caste. To clarify this matter, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu informed Rāmānanda Rāya that knowledge of Kṛṣṇa consciousness is more important than caste."

"Govinda came from a śūdra family, but because he was initiated by Īśvara Purī, he was certainly a brāhmaṇa... When Govinda was initiated, he became a brāhmaṇa and was accepted as Īśvara Purī's personal servant."

"Jhaḍu Ṭhākura presents himself as being born in a low-caste family and not having the qualifications of a bona fide devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa. He accepts the statements declaring a lowborn person highly exalted if he is a Vaiṣṇava. However, he feels that these descriptions from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam appropriately describe others, but not himself. Jhaḍu Ṭhākura's attitude is quite befitting a real Vaiṣṇava, for a Vaiṣṇava never considers himself exalted, even if he factually is."

"In the Middle Ages, after the disappearance of Lord Caitanya's great associate Lord Nityānanda, a class of priestly persons claimed to be the descendants of Nityānanda, calling themselves the gosvāmī caste... In this way, they exercised their artificial power for some time, until Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura, the powerful ācārya of the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava sampradāya, completely smashed their idea. There was a great hard struggle for some time, but it has turned out successfully, and it is now correctly and practically established that devotional service is not restricted to a particular class of men."

"Sometimes I am very much criticized that I am making foreigners a brāhmaṇa. The caste brāhmaṇas in India, they are very much against me. But this is not fact. When Caitanya Mahāprabhu said that all over the world His message will be broadcast, does it mean that it will be simply a cinema show? No. He wanted that everyone should become perfect Vaiṣṇava. That is His purpose."

"We are not introducing the caste system, in which any rascal born in a brāhmaṇa family is automatically a brāhmaṇa. He may have the habits of a fifth-class man, but he is accepted as first class because of his birth in a brāhmaṇa family. We don't accept that. We recognize a man as first class who is trained as a brāhmaṇa. It doesn't matter whether he is Indian, European, or American; lowborn or highborn — it doesn't matter. Any intelligent man can be trained to adopt first-class habits."

"In India, which was one day the land of religion and Brahminical culture, things have deteriorated to such an extent that a man in a higher caste is recognized simply by putting a piece of thread on the body as a sign of sanctity. The so-called Swamis are cheating the public because the public also want to be cheated by cheap method of self-realization."

"The Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is not based upon bodily designations. It is a transcendental movement on the platform of spiritual understanding... These boys are not Americans or Europeans. Once they take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness they are no longer under those designations."

"Mahatma Gandhi started the hari-jana movement to purify the untouchables, but he was a failure because he thought that one could become a hari-jana, a personal associate of the Lord, through some kind of material adjustment. That is not possible. Unless one fully realizes that he is not the body but a spiritual soul, there is no question of his becoming a hari-jana."

"Gandhi wanted to establish a greater human society. His idea of a casteless society could only be given a shape under the guidance of the principles of Bhagavad-gītā... These natural modes work everywhere in the world and different propensities develop by the psychological modes of nature. The caste system is nothing but a classification of men according to such modes of nature. It is not therefore bound up within the walls of India but this is current all over the world may be under different names."

"Without going the pāñcarātrikī-vidhī, they remain the same unclean drunkard and the all nonsense habits. And simply by stamping rubber-stamping, Harijana? No. Here what we are doing, it is not rubberstamping. It is actually training according to the pāñcarātrikī-vidhī. We are training our boys to become brāhmaṇas, to refrain from four kinds of sinful activities."

"Caste system should not be abolished, but it must be properly established. That is wanted. If you have got any defect in the eye, not that the eye should be plucked out. But it should be treated and brought into the normal condition. That is wanted."

"Nationalistic division of human races is artificial but scientific division of the caste system as envisaged in the Bhagavad-gītā is natural... Destruction of the caste system as contemplated by some exponents, is therefore out of question. By the modes of nature different persons are imbued with different qualities and the scientific way of division of human society, from the qualitative aspect, by the caste system is quite natural."

"Just always chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. Never mind whether you are in a factory or in a hell, in a shack or in a skyscraper — it doesn't matter. Just go on chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. There is no expense, there is no impediment, there is no caste, there is no creed, there is no color — anyone can do it. Just chant and hear."

"Because at the present moment there is a scarcity of brāhmaṇas, spiritual guides, and kṣatriyas, administrative men, and because the entire world is being ruled by śūdras, or men of the manual laborer class, there are many discrepancies in society. It is to mitigate all these discrepancies that we have taken to this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. If the brāhmaṇa class is actually reestablished, the other orders of social well-being will automatically follow, just as when the brain is perfectly in order, the other parts of the body, such as the arms, the belly, and the legs, all act very nicely."

"The four divisions of human society — brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya and śūdra — are to be ascertained according to qualities and activities." (SB 7.11.35 Purport)"

"This modern caste system is now condemned in India also, and it should be condemned, for the classification of different types of men according to birth is not the Vedic or divine caste system." (Science of Self-Realization, Ch. 3)"

"Janmanā jāyate śūdraḥ — by birth everyone is a śūdra. Then saṁskārād bhaved dvijaḥ — by reformation and training, one becomes twice-born."

"Kalau śūdra-sambhavaḥ — in this age of Kali, everyone should be accepted as born-śūdra. Because the garbhādhāna-saṁskāra is not observed, the claim of brahminism by birthright is a false display." (Letter to Acyutānanda, 1970)"

"One who considers a devotee... to belong to that particular caste certainly goes to hell." (Padma Purāṇa, quoted in CC Antya 16.29)"

"As bell metal is turned to gold when mixed with mercury... so one who is properly trained and initiated by a bona fide spiritual master becomes a brāhmaṇa immediately." (CC Antya 16.29)"

"Kibā vipra, kibā nyāsī, śūdra kene naya / yei kṛṣṇa-tattva-vettā, sei 'guru' haya." (CC Madhya 8.127)"

"The caste system should not be abolished, but it must be properly established. Without training, simply by rubber-stamping 'harijan', nothing changes." (Conversation, Bombay, April 10, 1977)"

"People misunderstand that Indians have created a caste system. No. That caste system is everywhere... Even here also [in America], you have got that caste system." (Lecture, New York, October 2, 1966)"

"The highest perfection one can achieve by discharging his prescribed duties according to caste divisions and orders of life is to please the Lord Hari." (SB 1.2.13)"

"In this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement a chance is given to everyone without discrimination of caste, creed or color. Everyone is invited to join this movement, sit with us, take prasāda and hear about Kṛṣṇa." (Nectar of Instruction 5 Purport)"

"From early histories it appears that the entire earth was under one culture, Vedic culture, but gradually, due to religious and cultural divisions, the rule fragmented into many subdivisions. Now the earth is divided into many countries, religions and political parties. Despite these political and religious divisions, we advocate that everyone should unite again under one culture — Kṛṣṇa consciousness. People should accept one God, Kṛṣṇa; one scripture, Bhagavad-gītā; and one activity, devotional service to the Lord. Thus people may live happily upon this earth and combine to produce sufficient food. In such a society, there would be no question of scarcity, famine, or cultural or religious degradation."