Is Varna determined by birth?

Yes, Varna is not by birth. But then a question may arise whether it is by choice. It is certainly not by choice either. It will be established later that birth and choice can influence Varna but they alone do not determine the Varna. Varna is determined by the characteristics or quality (modes of material nature) and the activity one performs (catur varnam maya srstam… BG 4.27). One cannot choose to perform an activity independently of his inherent modes of material nature that he has obtained at birth. This doesn’t, however, mean that the varna is determined by birth alone. One obtains a suitable body at birth based on his previous activities (good and bad) which in a way contributes to his inherent quality. But if one chooses to perform present and future activities in pure devotional service to the Lord Krishna by cultivating the knowledge – Krishna is the original cause of all causes, Supreme enjoyer, Supreme Controller, the best friend (BG 5.29), and that the individual soul is His eternal servant part and parcel of the Lord but suffering due to being separated from the Lord (BG 15.7) and by performing exclusive pure devotional service to Lord Krishna one can burn all past karma, its results both in near and distant future (SB 6th Canto… Kecit kevalaya..) and thus go back home back to Godhead – one can change his varna even irrespective of what was acquired at birth. The Sastra Pramana for this statement is as follows:

The Sastra says.

janmanā jāyate śūdraḥ

saṁskārād bhaved divjaḥ

veda-pāṭhād bhaved vipro

brahma jānātīti brāhmaṇaḥ.

By birth everyone is sudra, after proper Samskara or initiation (in Kali-yuga initiation into chanting of holy name of Lord Krishna is the only valid sacrifice and purification process) one gets second birth suitable for Vedic culture, by studying Vedic scriptures one becomes a learned (Bhagavad Gita 15.15 says the essence of studying Vedas is to know Krishna as the compiler, knower of all Vedas and Srimad Bhagavatam is the scripture for Kali-yuga- kalau nasta drsam esa puranarko dunordhitah), finally one who knows Brahman is a Brahmana.

Hence, Vedic scriptures provide everyone with a clear path of material and spiritual progression. But to change varna is not a choice of whims but is by a choice to surrender to Lord Krishna and His holy name.

Obviously, there are hierarchy of scriptures. What is stated in manu smrti is generic for all mankind of all times. But there are other scriptures that state what are all forbidden in Kali-yuga. For example all kinds of animal sacrifices including cow and horse sacrifices are forbidden in Kali-yuga. Similarly in Kali-yuga offering meat to pitrus is forbidden but some other sastra says that one must offer meat to pitrus during shraddha ceremony. How to reconcile the two contradicting instructions? Is there a way to execute both at the same time but not violate either while performing shraddha ceremony. Yes, the vaishnavas recommend to cook with black “urud dhal,” offer to Lord Viṣṇu first through Visvaksena Aradhana, and then offer that Visnu prasadam to the pitrus. So one should be well-versed in sastras to even understand this and what to speak of incorporating changes to the tradition.

Vyasadev talks about the hierarchy of scriptures in Srimad Bhagavatam that even though he divided the Sastras or scriptures into various categories so people with varying intellect and emotional quotients may actually benefit still he was not satisfied and was depressed. However, his guru Narada muni revealed to him that the real reason behind his depression was due to the fact that in all those scriptures he did not write explicitly glorify and reveal the true identity of the one Supreme Personality of Godhead to people, knowing which only and alone can satisfy the self (yeyatma suprasidati.. SB 1.2.5,6). So Srimad Bhagavatam is the scripture for all people of Kali-yuga to follow.

Dharmam to saksat Bhagavad Pranitam. Dharma is what the Bhagavan says (Bhagavad Gita is the Dharma since it was spoken by Lord Krishna). That is why Sri Sankaracarya stated Ekam sastram devaki putra gitam. Let there be only one Sastra.

Yes, Sankaracarya knew well that Krishna is that Supreme Personality of Godhead and His words is the real dharma but his followers again failed to understand him.

Some of the Vaishnava Sampradaya like the Sri Vaishnava Sampradaya and Madhva Sampradaya maintain strongly that Varna is determined only by one’s birth. They quote extensively their sampradaya preceptors and subsequent sampradaya acaryas’ statements in this regard. However, there are many exceptions to these rules that require careful analysis and consideration. For example, the Sri Vaishnavas’ consider all the four major works of Sri Nammalvar as Dravida Veda, the equivalent of the four Sanskrit Vedas. Their sampradaya acaryas and followers in their respective texts that defeats Mayavada and impersonalism, even present several verses from Divya Prabandam, especially Tiruvaimoli, as pramana to explain the inner and hidden meanings of their predecessor and founder-acarya, Sripada Ramanujacarya’s commentaries. Now, it is well known that Sri Nammalvar appeared in the fourth-order of Varna and how is it possible for Sri Nammalvar to know the Vedas to even compile poems that are equivalent of Vedas and how can his work be considered as a pramana? It is confirmed in Sastra that one should never see a person from a bodily platform.

The following two verses are of great significance and they provide us with the key points necessary to understand this topic:

As stated in the Bṛhaspati-saṁhitā:

ajñāta-bhagavad-dharmā
mantra-vijñāna-saṁvidaḥ
narās te go-khara jñeyā
api bhū-pāla-vanditāḥ

“Men who do not know the principles of devotional service to the Supreme Lord should be known as cows and asses, even if they are expert in technically analyzing Vedic mantras and are adored by world leaders.”

SB 10.84.13

yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke
sva-dhīḥ kalatrādiṣu bhauma ijya-dhīḥ
yat-tīrtha-buddhiḥ salile na karhicij
janeṣv abhijñeṣu sa eva go-kharaḥ

“One who identifies his self as the inert body composed of mucus, bile and air, who assumes his wife and family are permanently his own, who thinks an earthen image or the land of his birth is worshipable, or who sees a place of pilgrimage as merely the water there, but who never identifies himself with, feels kinship with, worships or even visits those who are wise in spiritual truth — such a person is no better than a cow or an ass.”

The same idea is conveyed in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam by Śrīmatī Devahūti in her statement to her son, Kapila:

aho bata śva-paco ’to garīyān
yaj-jihvāgre vartate nāma tubhyam
tepus tapas te juhuvuḥ sasnur āryā
brahmānūcur nāma gṛṇanti ye te

“Oh, how glorious are they whose tongues are chanting Your holy name! Even if born in the families of dog-eaters, such persons are worshipable. Persons who chant the holy name of Your Lordship must have executed all kinds of austerities and fire sacrifices and achieved all the good manners of the Āryans. To be chanting the holy name of Your Lordship, they must have bathed at holy places of pilgrimage, studied the Vedas and fulfilled everything required.” (Bhāg. 3.33.7)

So on the basis of the above verses, we can clearly see that Sri Nammalvar was the greatest devotee of Lord Vishnu and is revered by Sri Vaishnavas as the chief among the Alvars (Staunch devotees of Lord Vishnu). Hence, one should not see the birth as the only qualification for determining one’s varna but it is ultimately what qualities and activities the person performs determines his varna. The highest quality and topmost activity that one can attain is the attraction to hearing the glories and pastimes of the Lord and the chanting of His name respectively. The development of these qualities and activities alone can satisfy the person as stated by Suta Goswami in SB 1.2.5

munayaḥ sādhu pṛṣṭo ’haṁ
bhavadbhir loka-maṅgalam
yat kṛtaḥ kṛṣṇa-sampraśno
yenātmā suprasīdati

“O sages, I have been justly questioned by you. Your questions are worthy because they relate to Lord Kṛṣṇa and so are of relevance to the world’s welfare. Only questions of this sort are capable of completely satisfying the self.”

sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo
yato bhaktir adhokṣaje
ahaituky apratihatā
yayātmā suprasīdati

“The supreme occupation [dharma] for all humanity is that by which men can attain to loving devotional service unto the transcendent Lord. Such devotional service must be unmotivated and uninterrupted to completely satisfy the self.”

FAQ:

1.) SB 10.86.53 — By his very birth, a brāhmaṇa is the best of all living beings in this world, and he becomes even more exalted when he is endowed with austerity, learning, and self-satisfaction, what to speak of devotion to Me.

Does this SB verse clearly imply VARNA IS BY BIRTH?

From a letter to G.L. Nanda, dated: June 14, 1975 (https://vedabase.io/en/library/letters/letter-to-gl-nanda-4/?query=brahmana+by+birth#bb146543)

Srila Prabhupada writes:

“In the Srimad-Bhagavatam, it is explained by Narada to Yudhisthira Maharaja that according to symptoms of Brahmana, Ksatriya, Vaisya, Sudra, one should be accepted as such-not by birth. A person born in the Brahmana family, if he is well-qualified with the brahminical qualities, it is very very good, welcome. And if those qualities are found in other places, it means if a person who is not born in a Brahmana family, but he is qualified, he should be accepted also as a Brahmana. Srila Sridhara Swami has commented in this connection that birth in a particular family is not all, but one must be fully qualified.”

2.)

Is varna by birth or laksana?

These were based on the teachings of Bhakti Siddanta Saraswati Takur in his book Brahmana versus Vaishnava (title may be a bit different).

Two things are important. In the example of bad apple, the point to understand is that even though the apple is bad, its seed when sowed can give another new apple tree. In that way varna by birth makes perfect sense. But the important statement from sastra is that the verse from Srimad Bhagavatam 7.11.35

yasya yal lakṣaṇaṁ proktaṁ

puṁso varṇābhivyañjakam

yad anyatrāpi dṛśyeta

tat tenaiva vinirdiśet

SYNONYMS

yasya—of whom; yat—which; lakṣaṇam—symptom; proktam—described (above); puṁsaḥ—of a person; varṇa-abhivyañjakam—indicating the classification (brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra, etc.); yat—if; anyatra—elsewhere; api—also; dṛśyeta—is seen; tat—that; tena—by that symptom; eva—certainly; vinirdiśet—one should designate.
TRANSLATION

If one shows the symptoms of being a brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya or śūdra, as described above, even if he has appeared in a different class, he should be accepted according to those symptoms of classification.

Continuing….

Although it is desired and best to develop the varna by birth.. There appears times like Kali-yuga wherein the whole seed is different. Samskaret bhava dvija…

Only by proper samskara starting with garbhadana samskara a seedbis invited to be planted in the to be parents performing the samskara.

Who is doing these samskaras which start at the time of before conception.. Meaning one should perform Garbhadana samskar then on only one of the recommended days before the 16th day of the woman’s menstural cycle one should unite for progeny. Actually if you see the only day to get a male child is 16th day and 15th day for female child.

That is why our acharya said a Grihastha should unite only once a month.

The sastra says that janmana jayate iti sudrah. One is a sudra by birth. Only samskaret bhava dvija.. Only through proper purificatory processes one gets second birth. But if no samskaras are performed then they remain sudras… Who is doing Garbhadana samskar at the right time…? Not that to be mixed with poochootal and seemantham.. They are much later for the welfare of garbha.. First is garbhadana the most important sacrifice. This is the way to invite a proper seed and this was a parampara too… Seminial lineage.. Remember why brahmanas are very particular about gotra and caste… A Vaishnava would not want to take a bride beyond his sub-sect and certainly not from a smarta family not to mention any concept of inter-caste marriage.

But all these are list and forgotten centuries back but the populace increased… So the seed is not necessarily an apple seed growing in an apple tree.

The apple tree is long taken over by parasites… There is no issue with the example that rotten apple in a basket of apple is apple and not mango.. But the tree is long contaminated and the seed is not apple now since the parampara of garbadana is broken long back in this kali yuga.

So that’s why Srila Narada Muni gives this remedy or upaya to again recreate the lost seed.. Which is by lakasanam.. Yasya yallaksanam.. So through this method, a new appropriate varna seed will be cultivated and over some generations, the varna by birth parampara will be revived…

About Author:
Śrīdhara Śrīnivāsa Dāsa was born in a traditional Śrī Vaiṣṇava lineage and was brought up in a traditional Tamil Nadu Iyeṅgār family. He is now an initiated devotee of ISKCON and has been practicing Krishna Consciousness for over 20 years.

He is the author of the book, A Divine Prophecy, book on predictions about Lord Caitanya mentioned through 5000 years old scriptures such as the Bhagavata Purana and also from Tamil scriptures such as Tiruvāimoḻi by Sri Nammalvar.

To order your copy of the book A Divine Prophecy please visit:

A Divine Prophecy (Amazon India)

A Divine Prophecy (Amazon)

Contact: sridhara.srinivasa.das.bvks@gmail.com