ravidas-and-bhakti-movement

Varna Was Never About Birth

In the Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna says:

चातुर् वर्ण्यं मया सृष्टं गुणकर्मविभागशः।
तस्य कर्तारमपि मां विद्ध्यकर्तारमव्ययम्॥
— भगवद्गीता ४.१३

“Chaturvarnyam maya srishtam guna-karma-vibhagashah”
(I created the fourfold varna system based on qualities and actions.) — BG 4.13

This single verse debunks the modern myth that one’s birth determines one’s role or worth. Varna, in its true Vedic sense, was a system designed to align individuals with their natural disposition (guna) and skillset (karma).

A person full of curiosity, discipline, and spiritual insight was a Brahmana — regardless of birth.
One with courage, leadership, and responsibility was a Kshatriya.
The trade-minded, wealth-creators were Vaishyas.
And those who specialized in support services and craftsmanship were Shudras.

This was not a hierarchy, but a division of responsibility for the harmonious functioning of society just as a body functions with head, arms, stomach, and legs, each with dignity.

Caste (Jati) Was a Later Distortion

Over centuries, the fluid varna system slowly hardened into birth-based jatis — thousands of local sub-castes. This was not divine; it was a social evolution influenced by politics, orthodoxy, and later, colonial bureaucracy.

The British census of 1901 classified Indians by rigid caste categories, freezing what was once dynamic. The colonial state weaponized caste to divide and control, labeling people in ways even the Vedas never did.

Sant Ravidas: The Soul That Rose Beyond Birth

You don’t need reservation or privilege to rise — Sant Ravidas proved that.

Born into a humble cobbler family considered “untouchable,” he became one of the greatest saints of the Bhakti movement. His verses are immortalized in the Guru Granth Sahib, and he became a spiritual guide even to royal figures like Mira Bai.

So where did his merit come from?

Not from a quota.
Not from a school.
But from inner awakening, sadhana, and divine insight.

Just like Ved Vyasa, the compiler of the Mahabharata, born to a fisherwoman.
Just like Valmiki, the hunter-turned-sage who wrote the Ramayana.

They did not rise because of their caste they rose because of their karma and tapasya.

Modern India: Merit Still Shines Without Quotas

Today, despite not having reservation:

Students from upper cast continue to top IIT-JEE, UPSC, NEET, and other elite exams.
Many from upper castes still perform with excellence in fields of science, technology, law, literature, and civil service.

How?

Because their power comes from:

Discipline
Respect for knowledge
Family traditions of learning
No entitlement—only effort

This proves one thing: real merit doesn’t need shortcuts.

This Is Not About Brahmin or upper cast Superiority

Let’s be clear. This is not a call for caste pride or supremacy.

Every community has heroes. Every community deserves dignity.

But today, when Brahmins or upper castes are blamed for every problem, or when ancient Hindu systems are wrongly labeled as inherently oppressive, it becomes important to defend the truth.

Dharma is not oppression.
Learning is not privilege.
Sanatan culture is not discrimination.

A Call for Civilizational Clarity

If we want to build Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat, we must:

Uphold the original spirit of varna — qualities and actions, not birth.
End caste-based hatred, from any side.
Respect merit and effort, regardless of category.
And most importantly, revive the dharma of unity — not the politics of blame.

Let every child in India rise not by caste or certificate, but by knowledge, character, and courage.
Let us rebuild a Bharat where Ravidas, Valmiki, and Vyasa still inspire us to see beyond birth — and live by truth.