Does Vedanta accept the Indian caste system or does it reject it as incompatible with religious ideals?
A – Caste, as described in the Gita, is concerned with the division of work according to a man’s temperament and capacity. In this sense, caste will always exist not only in India but everywhere in the world. There will always be spiritual leaders and teachers, politicians and soldiers, traders and artisans, and laborers. The Gita says that, regardless of caste, all mankind is born for perfection. Each shall attain it by following the duty of his own nature, if this duty is performed as worship of God. What is usually thought of as the caste system some castes regard others as inferior and discriminate against them is a degeneration of the original idea. As you know, since India gained independence, caste has been practically abolished. But traditionally, monks have been regarded as beyond caste; and they have often been instrumental in teaching harmony and understanding to the prejudiced and intolerant. This reminds me of an incident which I will tell you. It happened in our Ramakrish
