What is the basis for caste system in India?

[Monika asked: Respected Dattaji, Please elaborate on the caste system in India based on the Varnashram dharma- brahmin, kshtriya, vaishya and shudra. What is this classification based on? birth or work? is it true that Once a brahmin is always a brahmin irrespective whether he/she has the qualities of Brahmin? does the work of a Brahmin or not? Is it wrong that someone from one class marry into another class? eg. Brahmin marrying a kshatriya or kshatriya marrying a shudra etc? I feel this caste system is dividing India and Indians further along with torture at all levels. looking forward to your response. - best regards Monika]

Swami Replied: The caste system is based on the division of human beings as per their qualities and deeds as said in the Gita. The gene theory of science says that a Brahmin is born to another Brahmin only because the hereditary qualities are transferred without change. This concept is further supported by the possibility that a child always is initiated in to the qualities and deeds of his parents and is likely to continue in such qualities and deeds only in the future life. The low and high levels in the caste system are related to good and bad qualities only and not to birth. Good is always higher than bad. Therefore, the distinction should be based on qualities and deeds only and not on birth. But, as we said above, the birth and subsequent childhood have their own contributions in this concept. In spite of all these aspects, the qualities are in the form of good or bad knowledge. The bad knowledge can be changed by the good knowledge. If such real transformation has taken place, you should say that the caste system is not fixed but changes according to the qualities. Such transformed soul can be called as Brahmin. But, you must be sure of the transformation. If the transformation is incomplete, the bad qualities come up and represent themselves in the form of certain habits and deeds. There will be clash between good and bad habits leading to failure or clashes in the inter-caste married life. The unity imagined by you cannot come with such clashes and failures. It is more towards the division of India. But, if there is complete transformation, the caste must be changed in the case of such exceptional individual and marriages between such human beings are appreciable to bring the unity in India. You should be sure of the real and complete transformation and the transformed soul should not be condemned by the birth. Merit should be always recognised and respected irrelevant of the birth. At the same time, if we criticise the defect of a person belonging to a particular caste, you should not side track our criticism towards his caste and say that we are criticising him based on the caste by birth. You are advised to see My message given on August 9, 2014 (3rd Message).

The caste system is fundamentally based on qualities and deeds only as said in the Gita. But, the gene theory and parental effect in the childhood generally promote the qualities and deeds of the parents in their children. The qualities are the generators of subsequent deeds. The qualities form the knowledge and hence, can be changed by the right knowledge received from the right preacher. When the qualities change, the deeds also change. This is complete transformation of the soul and such exceptional soul, which surpassed the Gene theory and the effect of childhood automatically belongs to the caste based on such qualities. The birth should not be considered here in such case.