Annihilation Of Caste

by B.R. Ambedkar

Education everyone must have. Means of defence everyone must have. These are the paramount requirements of every man for his self-preservation.

The three classes, Brahmins, Kshatriyas and Vaishyas although not very happy in their mutual relationship managed to work by compromise. The Brahmin flattered the Kshatriya and both let the Vaishya live in order to be able to live upon him. But the three agreed to beat down the Shudra. He was not allowed to acquire wealth lest he should be independent of the three Varnas. He was prohibited from acquiring knowledge lest he should keep a steady vigil regarding his interests. He was prohibited from bearing arms lest he should have the means to rebel against their authority.

Why have there not been social revolutions in India, is a question which has incessantly troubled me. There is only one answer, which I can give and it is that the lower classes of Hindus have been completely disabled for direct action on account of this wretched system of Chaturvarnya.

They could not bear arms and without arms they could not rebel.

On account of the Chaturvarnya, they could receive no education. They could not think out or know the way to their salvation.

It is true that even in Europe the strong has not shrunk from the exploitation, nay the spoliation of the weak. But in Europe, the strong have never contrived to make the weak helpless against exploitation so shamelessly as was the case in India among the Hindus.

All these weapons were, however, denied to the masses in India by Chaturvarnya. There cannot be a more degrading system of social organization than the Chaturvarnya.

There is only one period in Indian history which is a period of freedom, greatness and glory. That is the period of the Mourya Empire.

the Mourya period was a period when Chaturvarnya was completely annihilated, when the Shudras, who constituted the mass of the people, came into their own and became the rulers of the country.

The Mahabharata and the Puranas are full of incidents of the strife between the Brahmins and the Kshatriyas.

seems that the Kshatriyas had become tyrannical and the masses, disarmed as they were under the system of Chaturvarnya, were praying Almighty God for relief from their tyranny.

Bhagwat tells us very definitely that Krishna had taken Avtar for one sacred purpose and that was to annihilate the Kshatriyas.

Among the Non-Hindus, caste is only a practice, not a sacred institution. They, did not originate it.

Such Hindus seek comfort in the view that the Hindus have survived and take this as a proof of their fitness to survive.

There are different modes of survival. But all are not equally honourable.

What he must consider is what is the quality of their survival. If he does that, I am sure he will cease to take pride in the mere fact of survival.

The real remedy for breaking Caste is inter-marriage. Nothing else will serve as the solvent of Caste.

Caste is a notion, it is a state of the mind.

Hindus observe Caste not because they are inhuman or wrong headed. They observe Caste because they are deeply religious. People are not wrong in observing Caste. In my view, what is wrong is their religion, which has inculcated this notion of Caste.

the enemy, you must grapple with, is not the people who observe Caste, but the Shastras which teach them this religion of Caste.

Make every man and woman free from the thraldom of the Shastras, cleanse their minds of the pernicious notions founded on the Shastras, and he or she will inter-dine and intermarry, without your telling him or her to do so.

You must take the stand that Buddha took. You must take the stand which Guru Nanak took. You must not only discard the Shastras, you must deny their authority, as did Buddha and Nanak.

you must destroy the authority of the Shastras and the Vedas.

People sometimes ask the idle question, why the Pope does not introduce this or that reform ? The true answer is that a revolutionist is not the kind of man who becomes a Pope and that a man who becomes a Pope has no wish to be a revolutionist.”

a man who is born a Brahmin has much less desire to become a revolutionary.

in every country the intellectual class is the most influential class, if not the governing class.

entire destiny of a country depends upon its intellectual class.

Brahmin caste, which has regarded itself the custodian of the interest of that caste, rather than of the interests of the country.

Here there is no place for reason to play its part. A Hindu must follow either Veda, Smriti or Sadachar. He cannot follow anything else.

According to this rule, rationalism as a canon of interpreting the Vedas and Smritis, is absolutely condemned. It is regarded to be as wicked as atheism

Thus, where a matter is covered by the Veda or the Smriti, a Hindu cannot resort to rational thinking.

The Caste and Varna are matters, which are dealt with by the Vedas and the Smritis and consequently, appeal to reason can have no effect on a Hindu.

He breaks Caste at one step and proceeds to observe it at the next without raising any question. The reason for this astonishing conduct is to be found in the rule of the Shastras, which directs him to maintain Caste as far as possible and to undergo prayaschitta when he cannot. By this theory of prayaschitta, the Shastras by following a spirit of compromise have given caste a perpetual lease of life and have smothered reflective thought which would have otherwise led to the destruction of the notion of Caste.

Reason and morality are the two most powerful weapons in the armoury of a Reformer. To deprive him of the use of these weapons is to disable him for action. How are you going to break up Caste, if people are not free to consider whether it accords with reason

You must destroy the Religion of the Shrutis and the Smritis.

Rules seek to tell an agent just what course of action to pursue. Principles do not prescribe a specific course of action.

A religious act may not be a correct act but must at least be a responsible act. To permit of this responsibility, Religion must mainly be a matter of principles only.

Now the Hindu Religion, as contained in the Vedas and the Smritis, is nothing but a mass of sacrificial, social, political and sanitary rules and regulations, all mixed up. What is called Religion by the Hindus is nothing but a multitude of commands and prohibitions.

Hindus call Religion is really Law or at best legalized class-ethics. Frankly, I refuse to call this code of ordinances, as Religion.

you clear the minds of the people of this misconception and enable them to realize that what they are told as Religion is not Religion but that it is really Law, you will be in a position to urge for its amendment or abolition. So long as people look upon it as Religion they will not be ready for a change, because the idea of Religion is generally speaking not associated with the idea of change.

when I urge that these ancient rules of life be annulled, I am anxious that its place shall be taken by a Religion of Principles, which alone can lay claim to being a true Religion.

The following in my opinion should be the cardinal items in this reform

priest’s is the only profession where proficiency is not required.

It will certainly help to kill the Brahminism and will also help to kill Caste, which is nothing but Brahminism incarnate.

Brahminism is the poison which has spoiled Hinduism.

This means a complete change in the fundamental notions of life. It means a complete change in the values of life. It means a complete change in outlook and in attitude towards men and things. It means conversion ;

Secondly, the Hindus must consider whether they should conserve the whole of their social heritage or select what is helpful and transmit to future generations only that much and no more.

if there must be standards to measure the acts of men there must also be a readiness to revise those standards.

Nothing can be accepted as the word of God which cannot be tested by reason or be capable of being spiritually experienced.

To seek the help of the Shastras for the removal of untouchability and caste is simply to wash mud with mud.”