We often hear people defend the caste system by saying, “There was no caste in ancient India—it was only varna. Varna was never about birth, but about karma. You became Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vaishya, or Shudra based on your deeds, not your birth.”
At first, this argument sounds convincing. After all, history does record some examples where someone from a so-called “lower” varna rose to a higher one—or where a Brahmin became a Kshatriya. But is that the whole story? Or is it just one side of a much bigger reality?
Caste Embedded in Daily Habits: The “Sorry” Ritual
Before diving into history, let’s notice something simple: our everyday habits.
In India, when someone accidentally touches another person—or even an object—with their foot, they instinctively say sorry or touch the object and then their forehead in a ritual of apology. Society even tags this as a sign of being a “good” or “cultured” person.
But where does this reflex come from? At first, it feels harmless and respectful. Yet if you look deeper, it reflects caste-based notions of purity and pollution. Feet have long been considered “lower” or impure in Hindu traditions. Accidentally touching someone or their belongings with your feet symbolically contaminates them. So you apologize—not because of genuine harm, but because of this idea of impurity.
In other words, we have been taught to divide our own body into higher vs. lower parts, echoing the caste divisions in scripture.
Some may say, “You are overthinking—this is just a cultural habit.” But look beyond India. In countries or religions without caste hierarchies, you will not find this ritual. People may say sorry if they step on your foot because it hurt you, not because of impurity.
Our sanskar (cultural values) are not floating in the air—they are reflections of religion and social structures. Even this tiny, daily ritual reveals how caste has been internalized so deeply that we carry it in our subconscious behavior.
Varna or Caste? Understanding the Reality Beyond Ancient Myths
Now let’s come back to the big argument: “There was no caste, only varna.”
Many people speak in black and white. If they want to glorify the past, they highlight stories of Shudras who became Brahmins. If they want to criticize the past, they highlight the story of Karna, denied education because of his birth.
But the truth is rarely that simple. Both kinds of stories exist. Just like in the north, Ganesh is seen as the younger son, while in the south he is considered the elder—different traditions coexisted. In the same way, some places may have practiced varna more flexibly, while in others it hardened into birth-based caste.
So which one is true—varna or caste?
I’d say it doesn’t matter. What matters is which system survived and shaped society for centuries.
Even if varna once existed in theory, what became dominant in practice was birth-based caste. That is the reality we live with today.
Religion, like food, may have started fresh—with flavors, interpretations, possibilities. But just as food eventually spoils, religion too can rot when misused by power. And once food has spoiled, you cannot reverse it back into freshness. In the same way, we cannot simply erase the centuries of harm caste has caused by pointing back to an idealized “varna system.”
👉 So this part of the series shifts the focus: from caste pride in daily life (Part 1) to caste myths and their deeper roots in ritual, scripture, and social imagination (Part 2).
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