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CH. X. rXmANUJA and KANCHt-PftRNA. 59
You shall not therefore externally profess to me bonds which
militates against the typical social system of Varna ' and
AsramaJ' Years is Bnikmana-hody and mine a Vaisya-hody,
and as lonji; as these last, we must respect temporary distinctions
for the sake of the safety of our social fabric, which we
cannot violate without injury.
" Varna=the four typical castes
of Brdhnuina, Kshatriija, Vaisyaand
Siidra. Asraina=the four typical
that men are not equally endowed
on the spiritual side. Then it has
to be remembered that the law of
Karina was one of the root conceptions
of the caste-system. Men
orders of life, viz., Bralunacharya
(Student), Grihastlia (householder),
Ydnaprastha (anchorite), and
were born into a particular caste
Saiinycisa
(monastic). A recent speech by their Karma of a previous life.
by Mr. N. N. Ghose at the Hare Men of lower castes could go up to
tlie
Anniversary Meeting (1904) is important
as bearing on the vexed
higher in another life if they
had made spiritual progress enough
question of caste in India, which in this life. No mere intellectual
qualifications
the Christian will not understand.
He said:—-'The division
or material conditions
would raise a man to a higher
caste.
into castes cannot be understood by
Each man was born into
any one who does not realise that
the caste for which he was destined
all Hindu institutions were inspired
by his own susceptibilities.
by one principle. It was not
There was room enough for advancement
and usefulness within
political
expediency, not social convenience,
not the happiness of the
the limits of his own caste. But
greatest number, not the development
of fighting capacity. Mate-
he was not to be perm.itted to spoil
his own breed by marrying in a
rial good was a subordinate end.
lower spiritual plane, or spoil the
breed of a liigher caste by marrying
The ruling principle was the spiritual
evolution of man, the perfection
of character, realisation of
on a higher plane. Modern life
may make it difficult or impossible
to carry out these ideas. But in
the self. For the porposes of
spiritual evolution, a segregation of them is to be found the interpretation
of an ancient system which
classes and occupations was considered
necessary. The Brahmans,
has puzzled and provoked men
whose ideals are different from
for instance, were to be devoted to
religious work and meditation and
those of our ancient ancestors.
the function of teaching, and so on
Not muscles and intellect, not
liappincss, not political ascendancy,
but spiritual perfection and
with other castes. It was no mere
division of labour that was thus
purity were the only end." The
accomplished. It was an institution
meant to prevent the spiritual
warning voice against promiscuous
intercourse
degradation of men by the mixing
and admixture of
castes is found in the Bhagavadup
of finer and courser spiritual
Grtta, I, 40 to 44 ; which may be
natures. The four leading castes
were marked off from each other
read by all the devotees of this
by characteristics that could not
Holy Bible, and laid to heart before
be misUken. The division was not
venturing to anathematize the
caste-institution of India,
arbitrary. All experience shows