Volume-XI, Issue-IV, July 2025 |
দর্শনের দর্পণে বর্ণপ্রথা: প্রাচীন ভারতের দার্শনিক দ্বৈততা বিনন্দ সরেন, সহকারী অধ্যাপক, দর্শন বিভাগ, নগর কলেজ, মুর্শিদাবাদ, পশ্চিমবঙ্গ, ভারত |
Received: 20.07.2025 | Accepted: 23.07.2025 | Published Online: 31.07.2025 | Page No: | ||||
DOI: 10.29032/ijhsss.vol.11.issue.04W.096 | |||||||
Caste System in the Mirror of Philosophy: The Philosophical Duality of Ancient India Binanda Saren, Assistant Professor of Philosophy, Nagar College, Murshidabad, West Bengal, India | ||
ABSTRACT | ||
The caste system has long been a significant yet contentious social structure in ancient Indian society, and both its justification and opposition are deeply embedded within philosophical thought. This research paper explores the perspectives of Indian philosophy on the caste system from both supportive and critical standpoints. It examines scriptural and orthodox philosophies such as the Rigvedic Purusha Sukta, Dharmashastra, Mimamsa, and Vedanta, which advocate for a divinely ordained and birth-based hierarchical order. Conversely, it analyzes the responses of Buddhist, Jain, Lokayata (materialist), and Bhakti-oriented philosophical traditions, which challenge the caste system on ethical, spiritual, and egalitarian grounds. The study reveals that Indian philosophical thought has at times upheld caste as an immutable and birth-determined structure, while at other times it has emphasized karma, spiritual merit, and inner realization as the basis of true distinction, thereby rejecting rigid social stratification. This duality reflects an inherent tension and evolution within Indian social thought. Through textual and comparative philosophical analysis, the research seeks to uncover the diversity, contradictions, and continuing relevance of philosophical views on caste. In doing so, this inquiry also contributes to contemporary debates on caste-based discrimination and justice, offering a philosophical foundation for the discourse on human rights and social equity. Keywords: Caste System, Indian Philosophy, Vedanta, Buddhism, Ancient India |