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the three words:
aft-Yana, anyaya
and
abhava.
Thus, every
educated person is encouraged to pick up a profession at the
successful end of his/her studies that attempts to help eliminate
one of the three aforesaid societal enemies. Those who become
teachers or researchers to eradicate
a:it-Yana
were called
brahmana.
Those who were against injustice became to be
known as
ksatriya
and worked in police and armed forces.
Those who went for farming and manufacturing of commodities
and their distribution by way of trade and commerce were
known as
vai.c.ya.
Others who could not and did not educate
themselves even with all available resources were encouraged
to serve the people engaged in the above three segments, and
they were called
:sadra.
This classification is based on the
profession, which is based purely on merit and has nothing to
do with birth. This
varnavyavastha
has nothing to do with the
so-called caste. Vedas do not speak of caste. Human society
can not be divided into caste by birth. By birth, all are equal.
The very word
varna
is derived from the root
vrii,
meaning to
select. It was always the prerogative of an individual to select
his/her profession with appropriate merits gathered. Indeed it
is seen today and so was the case that an individual switched
over the profession at his/her will. For example, a medical
student joins the army
(ksatriya)
after the studies. A few years
later, he becomes a teacher in a medical college
(brahmana).
After some years of teaching profession, he decides to open a
nursing home
(vatiya).
When an individual is free to switch
over his/her profession in a matter of few years during the
course of the life then how can it be said that the professions
can not change from one generation to another? The caste
system has no basis in the Vedas and came into existence in
the medieval period. Its current existence is due to two major
factors: 1) Lack of education and open-mindedness among
different sections of the people, and 2) Narrow motives that
are gained by some interested people in foreign countries and
those engaged in politics and other professions in the country.
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