Q. How does the question of Birth come into this division of labour which is set according to one's action and tendency?
A. In order for a man to specialise in one particular type of profession it is better to cultivate it from his very childhood, and this will be more convenient when he follows the profession of his father. Law of caste, therefore, is the Law of heredity.
Q. What about the different trades in Hindu society?
A. "The trade guilds and caste act as mutual assurance society, and under normal conditions allow none of their members to starve", says Sir. W. Hunter.
Q. Is there any other advantage in following the profession of one's father?
A. By following the ancestral profession one can save one's energy which can be spent in spiritual pursuits. To concentrate one's energy in other professions, is to “sell away one's powers of Self-Realization or sell one's soul for a mass of pottage”. And also, this system prevents the open competition between man and man which makes the rich richer and the poor poorer - the curse of modern civilization. The Law of Caste or Varna is, therefore, not a human invention but a Law of Nature, which is ever present and at work like Newton's Law of Gravitation. It was left for the Hindus to discover the Law of Varna. "By their discovery and application of certain Laws of Nature, the peoples of the West have easily increased their material possessions. Similarly, Hindus by their discovery of this irresistible social tendency (Varna Dharma) have been able to achieve in the spiritual field what no other nation in the World has achieved", says Gandhi.
Q. But how can one progress if there is no competition?
A. Progress in what way? In material pursuits? Indulging in covetousness? And at the cost of others? That is where caste system puts an obstacle and curbs worldly ambitions. "The present seems to be an agitation of highway robbery. There cannot be millions of millionaires", remarks Gandhi.
Q. Does not competition help to bring out better production?
A. You can compete with those who are in the same trade with you, but not with other tradesmen. If you are allowed to encroach on any trade you like, you will kill the humble ones and monopolise the market.
Courtesy: Hindutvam Vol.1. Published by: Fiji Sevashram Sangha, Suva, Fiji.
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