caste

Does Caste system originate in Rig Veda

Caste system in Rig Veda

It is a common misconception that Caste system has its origin in Rig Veda
This is due misreading a verse in Xth chapter of Rig Veda  called Purusha sukta

brAhmaNo asya mukhamAseet | bAhoo rAjanya: krta: |
ooru tadasya yad vaishya | padbhyAm shoodro ajAyata || 12 ||

meaning,

From his mouth came forth
The men of learning(Brahman)
And of his arms
Were warriors made(Kshatriya)
From his thighs came
The trading people(Vaisya)
And his feet gave
Birth to servants..(Shudra)

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Is Manu the author of Manusmriti

Tradition holds that manu is the author manusmriti. There is no proof for the same. In fact there is every reason to believe it is handiwork of someone with hidden agenda. The said smriti is sanctified in the name of manu and indirectly discredits manu by name association.

The first chapter first 2 verses of the smriti is given below,

1. The great sages approached Manu, who was seated with a collected mind, and, having duly worshipped him, spoke as follows:
2.  'Deign, divine one, to declare to us precisely and in due order the sacred laws of each of the (four chief) castes (varna) and of the intermediate ones

The narrative is certainly in third person.

Similarly the chapter V verse,

1. The sages, having heard the duties of a Snataka thus declared, spoke to great souled Bhrigu, who sprang from fire:

Again third person but this verse is attributed to Bhrigu.

What is the motive of attributing the work to Manu?

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Caste of Vashista - the saptarishi

The Saptarishi (from saptarṣi, a Sanskrit dvigu meaning "seven sages") are the seven rishis who are extolled at many places in the Vedas and Hindu literature. The Vedic Samhitas never actually enumerate these rishis by name, though later Vedic texts such as the Brahmanas and Upanisads do so.

The list varies among the various brahmanas and upanishads as given below

1. The Shatapatha Brahmana and Brihadaranyaka Upanishad (2.2.4) acknowledge the names of seven rishis (or Saptarshis) as: Atri, Bharadvaja, Gautama, Jamadagni, Kashyapa, Vashista, Vishvamitra
2. Krishna Yajurveda in the Sandhya-Vandana Mantras has it as: Angiras, Atri, Bhrigu,  Gautama, Kashyapa, Kutsa, Vashista
3. Mahabharata gives the Seven Rishis’ names: Marichi, Atri, Pulaha, Pulastya, Kratu, Vashista,  Kashyapa
4. Brihat Samhita gives the Seven Rishis’ names as: Marichi, Vashista, Angiras, Atri, Pulastya, Pulaha, Kratu

 Now few of these rishis are mind born sons of brahma. Brahma's mind born sons are the seers Marici, Atri, Angiras, Pulastya, Pulaha, Kratuj, Pracetas, Vashishta, Bhrgu and Narada. From Brahma's body came his nine sons Daksa, Dharma, Kama, Anger, Greed, Delusion (Maya), Lust, Joy, Death and Bharata and one daughter called Angaja.

The interesting thing to note is Vasistha figures in all these list is so by traditions of brahmanas and upanishads vashista one of the sapatrshi is mind born son of brahma.

Rig Veda, Tenth chapter, purusha sukta clearly says that brahmana is born from brahma's mouth, kshatriya from arms, vaishya from body and sudra from feet.

So Vashista is not a brahmana or kshatriya or vaisya or sudra.

So any descendants of Vashista will not fall into any of these four varnas, that includes Vyasa and his descendants pandavas and kauravas