Are śūdras really so low?

We count ourselves among the brāhmanas and think that śūdras are very low, but the reality is that śūdras used to do much better than most of us do in terms of personal qualities.

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It is described that for brāhmanas, there are four āśramas. They are supposed to be educated as brahmacārīs for the first quarter of their lives, then become exemplary householders, go to renounced life, and finally take sannyāsa. For kṣatriyas, on the other hand, there are just three āśramas, since they usually stop at the vānaprastha stage. For vaiśyas, there are just two āśramas, since they are usually not qualified enough to enter renounced life and remain in family life until the end, and for śūdras, there is just one āśrama since they just spend all their lives in family life, without being trained as brahmacārīs nor entering renounced life.

Of course, when we listen to this description, we count ourselves among the brāhmanas and think that śūdras are very low, but actually, śūdras used to do much better than most of us do in this regard. At least they were able to live their whole lives peacefully with the same spouse, maintain their families, and raise their children without divorce or scandals. How many of us can do the same? Śūdras also have other qualities, like working hard, following instructions of superiors, being humble, clean, and truthful, and so on, qualities that we often lack.

In the 11th canto (11.17.21), Kṛṣṇa lists qualities that are common to all the four āśramas. These are the basic qualifications for the śūdras:

Nonviolence, truthfulness, honesty, desire for the happiness and welfare of all others, and freedom from lust, anger, and greed.

On top of these foundational qualities, there is a second list:

Service without duplicity to the brāhmaṇas, cows, demigods, and other worshipable personalities, and complete satisfaction with whatever income is obtained in such service.

Again, these are qualities for the śūdras. If we claim to be brāhmanas, we have to also develop peacefulness, self-control, austerity, cleanliness, satisfaction, tolerance, simple straightforwardness, devotion to the Lord, mercy, and truthfulness to the maximum degree (SB 11.17.16).

When we consider these points, we can see that śūdras are actually quite high by modern standards. We usually fall very short of meeting these baseline virtues expected of a śūdra, so we should remain humble, grateful, and serious in our spiritual practice, understanding that this is the way to progress.

The reason many passages describe śūdras in a negative light is that they are often compared with the other three classes, which have much higher standards, and are on the path of self-realization.

When it comes to personal qualities, however, if I could develop all the qualities of a śūdra, this would already be a great success. This would certainly be a good platform for developing further.

For most of us, the problem is not that we fail to develop the qualities of a brāhmanas, but that we fail to develop even the baseline qualities of a śūdra. By the Vedic standard, we are actually outcasts, outside of the varnāśrama system. That’s why it’s so difficult for us to organize spiritual communities or even to have a peaceful family life. Often, we just fight like cats and dogs.

Let’s examine the description given by the Lord for those who are outside of the varṇāśrama system, or in other words, those who are less than śūdras:

“Dirtiness, dishonesty, thievery, faithlessness, useless quarrel, lust, anger and hankering constitute the nature of those in the lowest position outside the varṇāśrama system.” (SB 11.17.20)

We can see that these negative qualities are very prominent nowadays, and that’s the source of our problems.

Back to the positive qualities, the question is that developing all these qualities separately can be very difficult, especially when one is already an adult. Even for a child, it’s difficult, because even inside our movement, there are not many proper schools where one can be properly trained.

What is the solution then? Śrila Prabhupāda had great faith that the holy names could transform people. The Vedas explain that even a caṇḍāla or a mleccha can acquire the qualifications of a brāhmana by becoming a devotee of Kṛṣṇa and sincerely chanting His holy names. This process is not automatic: the results depend on one’s sincerity, but the possibility is there. Whatever our current level is, there is always the possibility of ascending to a higher qualification through spiritual practice. Although not everyone will be able to do it, the possibility is there.

We can see that Prabhupāda put more emphasis on the devotional aspects and spiritual practices than on social rules and other regulations, seeing the pure chanting of the holy names as the only real possibility for us. When a disciple asked Śrila Prabhupāda about translating and studying the Manu-samhitā, for example, he directly answered:

“We do not want all these rituals. Chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa is our only business. According to the Manu-samhitā, you are all mlecchas and yavanas. You cannot touch the Manu-samhitā, what to speak of translating it. So if you try to follow the Manu-samhitā then you will become a mleccha and yavana and your career is finished.”(Letter, May 19, 1977)

Śrila Bhaktivinoda Thākura mentions that most of us didn’t receive training in any of the four classes; therefore, we should at first try to develop the qualities of a śūdra, and from there see if we have the natural inclination for developing the higher qualifications of any of the other three classes.

Some of us may be able to come to the position of a qualified brāhmana in this life, and some may go even higher, reaching the level of a pure Vaiṣnava. Similarly, some of us may go through all four āśramas in this life, some may go through three or two. However, for most of us, to be able to successfully practice just one āśramas, family life, is already a great success. To do that, however, we need to be serious in our spiritual practice, understanding that the quality of our relationships with spouse and children, as well as with other Vaiṣnavas and the world at large, is directly connected with the quality of our japa and other devotional activities.

Through this sincere chanting and sincere service, we can gradually become free from the lower modes and attain the necessary qualifications to continue practicing without impediments and to peacefully cooperate with others.

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