Who are the Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas, Shudras?

    Brahmin or Kshatriya or Vaishya or Shudra?

No one can ever be a Brahmin Kshatriya Vaishya and Shudra by birth because Varna System or Caste (European Term) is Work-Based. 

Varna Ashram

At first, I will give the definition of Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vaishya and Shudra very simply-

 1. Brahmins - Those who are engaged in teaching & spreading tranquility, restraint, austerity, purity, patience, integrity, knowledge, wisdom & belief in a hereafter. In other word those who use their brain for livelihood. 

 2. Kshatriyas - Those who are engaged in governing and defending the society/country in any way.

 3. Vaishya - Those engaged in independent profession of serving the society and running economy. 

 4. Shudras - Those whose natural duty is serving through hard work or labor. 

 Now in the verses of Chapter-18 of Bhagwad Gita, Supreme Lord Shri Krishna said:

📖 śhamo damas tapaḥ śhauchaṁ kṣhāntir ārjavam eva cha

jñānaṁ vijñānam āstikyaṁ brahma-karma svabhāva-jam ||42||

 -- śhamaḥ—tranquility; damas—restraint; tapaḥ—austerity; śhaucham—purity; kṣhāntiḥ—patience; ārjavam—integrity; eva—certainly; cha—and; jñānam—knowledge; vijñānam—wisdom; āstikyam—belief in a hereafter; brahma—of the priestly class; karma—work; svabhāva-jam—born of one’s intrinsic qualities

Translation:  Tranquility, restraint, austerity, purity, patience, integrity, knowledge, wisdom, and belief in a hereafter—these are the intrinsic qualities of work for Brahmins.

At present, the professions that comes under Brahmanical profession are teachers, gurus, doctors, scientists, lawyers or such professions. Among these are gurus, lawyers, scientists and doctors who are not in government service, are actual Brahmin; Because, they can work independently. But scientists, doctors working in government sector are not perfect Brahmins, as they are doing job as employee (नौकरी) which is the work of a servant (नौकर) aka Shudra.

📖 śhauryaṁ tejo dhṛitir dākṣhyaṁ yuddhe chāpy apalāyanam

dānam īśhvara-bhāvaśh cha kṣhātraṁ karma svabhāva-jam ||43||

 -- śhauryam—valor; tejaḥ—strength; dhṛitiḥ—fortitude; dākṣhyam yuddhe—skill in weaponry; cha—and; api—also; apalāyanam—not fleeing; dānam—large-heartedness; īśhvara—leadership; bhāvaḥ—qualities; cha—and; kṣhātram—of the warrior and administrative class; karma—work; svabhāva-jam—born of one’s intrinsic qualities

Translation:  Valor, strength, fortitude, skill in weaponry, resolve never to retreat from battle, large-heartedness in charity, and leadership abilities, these are the natural qualities of work for Kshatriyas.

According to this source, the occupations of Kshatriyas at present are Police, Army, Navy, Air Force, Politicians and Government Bureaucrats, Administrator. In the era of kings and emperors, the members of the royal family were pure Kshatriyas, while the rest of the soldiers were employees of the royal family, so they were of KSHATRIYA+shudra characters which is also same nowadays. 

But at present, in a democratic country, no one is a pure Kshatriya, as everyone, including the President and the Prime Minister, works for the state.

📖 kṛiṣhi-gau-rakṣhya-vāṇijyaṁ vaiśhya-karma svabhāva-jam

paricharyātmakaṁ karma śhūdrasyāpi svabhāva-jam ||44||

 

 -- kṛiṣhi—agriculture; gau-rakṣhya—dairy farming; vāṇijyam—commerce; vaiśhya—of the mercantile and farming class; karma—work; svabhāva-jam—born of one’s intrinsic qualities; paricharyā—serving through work; ātmakam—natural; karma—duty; śhūdrasya—of the worker class; api—and; svabhāva-jam—born of one’s intrinsic qualities

Translation:  Agriculture, dairy farming, and commerce are the natural works for those with the qualities of Vaishyas.  Serving through work is the natural duty for those with the qualities of Shudras.

 Although many people do not make a mistake in recognizing Brahmins and Kshatriyas, but make a mistake in recognizing Vaishyas and Shudras, which is why many Vaishyas consider themselves Shudras, and those who are actually Shudras do not know themselves that they are Shudras.

Those who engaged in Agriculture, Dairy Cattle Farming, Commerce, Moneylenders, Accountant, Shopkeeper etc etc are Vaishyas & those who engaged in serving through hard work or labor are Shudras.

 In my simple definition, I have said that those who are engaged in independent profession for running economy are Vaishyas.  At present, any type of trader, a shopkeeper, a supermarketier, a moneylender, a banker, an accountant or a farmer, all comes into the category of Vaishyas because they are not obliged to obey anyone, they will work if they want to, they will not work if they do not want to. But there are some exception like bankers, accountant.

Those who are engaged in working hard or labour for social service are Shudras. At present, shoe maker, carpenter, water carriers, boatman, fisherman, blacksmith skinner, Barber, mason, construction workers, sweeper, yarn makers, ship workers etc etc. 

 Not many, almost everyone, thinks in social reality that caste is the source of birth, but it's wrong; in chapter 18 of Bhagwad Gita, Supreme Lord Shri Krishna said:

brāhmaṇa-kṣhatriya-viśhāṁ śhūdrāṇāṁ cha parantapa

karmāṇi pravibhaktāni svabhāva-prabhavair guṇaiḥ ||41||

 -- brāhmaṇa—of the priestly class; kṣhatriya—the warrior and administrative class; viśhām—the mercantile and farming class; śhūdrāṇām—of the worker class; cha—and; parantapa—Arjun, subduer of the enemies; karmāṇi—duties; pravibhaktāni—distributed; svabhāva-prabhavaiḥ-guṇaiḥ—work based on one’s nature and guṇas

Translation: The duties of the Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas, and Shudras—are distributed according to their qualities, in accordance with their guṇas (and not by birth).

 The duties of the Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas and Shudras—are distributed according to their qualities, in accordance with their guṇas (qualities) not by birth.

Those who discriminate against caste are not really traditional, they are human demons.

 Supreme Lord Shri Krishna said in chapter 18 of Bhagwad Gita:

📖 pṛithaktvena tu yaj jñānaṁ nānā-bhāvān pṛithag-vidhān

vetti sarveṣhu bhūteṣhu taj jñānaṁ viddhi rājasam ||21||

 -- pṛithaktvena—unconnected; tu—however; yat—which; jñānam—knowledge; nānā-bhāvān—manifold entities; pṛithak-vidhān—of diversity; vetti—consider; sarveṣhu—in all; bhūteṣhu—living entities; tat—that; jñānam—knowledge; viddhi—know; rājasam—in the mode of passion

Translation: That knowledge is to be considered in the mode of passion by which one sees the manifold living entities in diverse bodies as individual and unconnected.

In other words, The knowledge by which different types of souls are seen to exist in different animals. That knowledge will be known as rājasam (Rajasik/demon). Who have this kind of knowledge is Rajas (demon) lord. The main purpose of these demonic human demons is to destroy the unity among the Sanatanis by distinguishing the soul from birth and to lead the common people astray from the path of truth.

📖 yayā dharmam adharmaṁ cha kāryaṁ chākāryam eva cha

ayathāvat prajānāti buddhiḥ sā pārtha rājasī ||31||

 -- yayā—by which; dharmam—righteousness; adharmam—unrighteousness; cha—and; kāryam—right conduct; cha—and; akāryam—wrong conduct; eva—certainly; cha—and; ayathā-vat—confused; prajānāti—distinguish; buddhiḥ—intellect; sā—that; pārtha—Arjun, the son of Pritha; rājasī—in the mode of passion

Translation: The intellect is considered in the mode of passion (Rajasi/Demon) when it is confused between righteousness and unrighteousness, and cannot distinguish between right and wrong conduct.

Supreme Lord Shri Krishna further said in Chapter 18: 

📖 sarva-bhūteṣhu yenaikaṁ bhāvam avyayam īkṣhate

avibhaktaṁ vibhakteṣhu taj jñānaṁ viddhi sāttvikam ||20||

 -- sarva-bhūteṣhu—within all living beings; yena—by which; ekam—one; bhāvam—nature; avyayam—imperishable; īkṣhate—one sees; avibhaktam—undivided; vibhakteṣhu—in diversity; tat—that; jñānam—knowledge; viddhi—understand; sāttvikam—in the mode of goodness

Translation:  Understand that knowledge to be in the mode of goodness (Sattvik) by which a person sees one undivided imperishable reality within all diverse living beings.

Bhagwad Gita, Chapter 5

📖 vidyā-vinaya-sampanne brāhmaṇe gavi hastini

śhuni chaiva śhva-pāke cha paṇḍitāḥ sama-darśhinaḥ ||18||

 -- vidyā—divine knowledge; vinaya—humbleness; sampanne—equipped with; brāhmaṇe—a Brahmin; gavi—a cow; hastini—an elephant; śhuni—a dog; cha—and; eva—certainly; śhva-pāke—a dog-eater; cha—and; paṇḍitāḥ—the learned; sama-darśhinaḥ—see with equal vision

Translation:  The truly learned, with the eyes of divine knowledge, see with equal vision a Brahmin, a cow, an elephant, a dog, and a dog-eater.

📖 ihaiva tair jitaḥ sargo yeṣhāṁ sāmye sthitaṁ manaḥ

nirdoṣhaṁ hi samaṁ brahma tasmād brahmaṇi te sthitāḥ ||19||

 -- iha eva—in this very life; taiḥ—by them; jitaḥ—conquer; sargaḥ—the creation; yeṣhām—whose; sāmye—in equanimity; sthitam—situated; manaḥ—mind; nirdoṣham—flawless; hi—certainly; samam—in equality; brahma—God; tasmāt—therefore; brahmaṇi—in the Absolute Truth; te—they; sthitāḥ—are seated

Translation:  Those whose minds are established in equality of vision conquer the cycle of birth and death in this very life. They possess the flawless qualities of God, and are therefore seated in the Absolute Truth.

According to RigVeda 10/191/2, 10/191/3, 10/191/4:

📖 saṁ gacchadhvaṁ saṁ vadadhvaṁ saṁ vo manāṁsi jānatām| 

devā bhāgaṁ yathā pūrve saṁjānānā upāsate||

 --(Sam gachchadhvam) O human beings, you should become in harmony with each other, get together as a society, so that (sam vaddhvam) you may communicate, not dispute, so that (vah-manansi) your minds (sam jatanam) may become compatible. - to become one, because (sanjanana: purve devah) the scholars of the past with one mind (as) as (bhagam-upasate) the parts used to consume their rights or benefits, so you can also do. 

Translation:  There should not be separate parties among men, but all should be united in one thread, live together, so that they can communicate with each other, listen to each other's joys and sorrows and thoughts and communicate so that the mind is one of all. One goal should be made and one goal should be made so that just as the best scholars keep on attaining the true happiness of human beings with one mind, so do you too.

📖 samāno mantraḥ samitiḥ samānī samānam manaḥ saha cittam eṣām| 

samānam mantram abhi mantraye vaḥ samānena vo haviṣā juhomi||

-- (Mantrah samanah) your thoughts are the same (samitih samani), the attainment or attitude of action is the same (eshan-samanam manah) They have the same mantra (chittam sah) as well as the same mind (vah samanam mantram). I make (vah) you (samenen havisha) adopt (juhomi) by the same prayer worship.

Translation:  Human beings should have same thoughts, same attitude, same mind and mind and praise, prayer, worship should be same.

📖 samānī va ākūtiḥ samānā hṛdayāni vaḥ|  

samānam astu vo mano yathā vaḥ susahāsati||

 -- (Va) O men! May your (akutih) ego-consciousness (samani) be the same (vah-hridayani) your heart-conceptual circles (samana) be the same (vah-manah). Your (as) whatever (suha-asati) can be of good cooperation, so be it. 

 Translation:  The ego of human beings should be the same, the behavior determined in the heart should be the same, the mind should be the same, it is necessary in mutual cooperation, it is humanity to live in mutual cooperation of human beings, it should be known 

RigVeda 10/53/6:

📖 tantuṁ tanvan rajaso bhānum anv ihi jyotiṣmataḥ patho rakṣa dhiyā kṛtān | anulbaṇaṁ vayata joguvām apo manur bhava janayā daivyaṁ janam ||

 -- (Tantu Tanvan) O scholar born or mastered in the family of a householder or in a Gurukul! You are expanding or expanding the line of sage (rajaso-bhanum-anu ihi) by performing the rituals of knowledge known from the tradition of manoranjan or aadhyatmaranjan (dhiya kritan), done by action or by intellect (jyotishmaha pathah-raksha). By following very just paths (joguvam-anulbanam-apah-vayat) increase in life the faultless deeds of those who preach the best (manuh-bhava), be contemplative (daivyam janam janaya), by producing one who has transcendental qualities and preparing a disciple.

Translation:  Man should expand the best children and best disciples. While following the righteous paths in his life, be contemplative and try to make a son and disciple with good qualities.

 Jay Shri Ram, Jay Shri Krishna. 🕉🕉🕉