Caste Caste System Quotes

“The belief that caste has a "divine origin"—central to Brahminical ideology—can be effectively deconstructed using historical-critical methods that examine the textual origins, historical interpolations, and socio-political functions of canonical scriptures. The Purusha Sukta of the Rig Veda (10.90.12), often cited as the foundational text on caste, describes the cosmic being Purusha from whose body the four varnas emerge: “The Brahman was his mouth, of both his arms was the Rajanya made. His thighs became the Vaishya, from his feet the Shudra was produced” (Griffith, Rig Veda 10.90.12). However, historians like Romila Thapar assert that this hymn is a late addition, not found in the earlier layers of the Rig Veda. She notes, “The Purusha Sukta is not among the oldest hymns of the Rigveda and appears to have been composed when varna divisions were becoming more rigidly defined” (The Past Before Us, 2013, p. 52). This suggests that the so-called divine origin was retroactively constructed to legitimize social hierarchies already taking form.”
― Dr.Thanigaivelan Santhakumar