Annihilation of Caste

Content Warning: This text contains intense criticisms of religious beliefs, specifically those in Hinduism. It also references social discrimination and systemic oppression.

In Hindu religion and society, one’s caste is the social group to which one belongs by birth and circumstance. The ordering of the various castes is largely hereditary, and the castes function across a wide range of social structures and institutions. The various castes divide up Hindu society and serve to segregate the various groups from one another, especially in regard to keeping the lower castes from fraternizing with caste members of higher status.

In the context of Annihilation of Caste, the term “Dalit” holds profound significance. Ambedkar, a Dalit himself, used this term to describe communities historically marginalized and oppressed within the caste system. Dalits, often referred to as Scheduled Castes, faced severe discrimination and untouchability. Ambedkar's advocacy for Dalit rights and his call for the annihilation of caste were central themes in his work. “Dalit” in this context encapsulates a political and social identity, symbolizing the struggle for empowerment, dignity, and the dismantling of deeply entrenched caste-based inequalities.

Shudhi (or Shuddhi, as it is sometimes otherwise spelled in English)—from the Sanskrit word for purification—is a Hindu religious reform movement that seeks to prevent Hindus from leaving for other religions and that seeks to gain new adherents to Hinduism. A movement that originated in the Arya Samaj caste reform movement, the basic foundation of Shudhi is to bring new converts to the religion and allow them to enter higher ranked castes, effectively attempting to abolish the untouchable caste altogether.

Sanghatan is a Hindu concept of developing bonds between members of the various castes. The movement was at least partially inspired by the rapid conversion of many Hindus to Islam and was designed to create a sense of solidarity. Hindu society is rife with isolationism and the tendency to circle the wagons in the face of adversity, defending only one’s own caste in the face of distress. Sanghatan, however, was a movement that aimed to create a strong sense of national and social identity that could move Hindus of various castes and backgrounds to defend one another, and stand up for one another, in the face of hardship or even persecution.

The concept of Chaturvarnya is that of eliminating the system of thousands of castes that currently exist in Hindu society and of replacing it with the overarching system of four distinct classes of people: Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vaishya, and Shudra. These four classes, though distinctly Hindu in aspect, generally correspond to the roles of priests, nobles, commoners, and servants (or enslaved people). The problem (as Ambedkar points out), is that even this very simple division still results in inescapable societal roles and the continuing subjugation of a whole class of people: the Shudras. Chaturvarnya is the name given to the system that would keep this fourfold segregation in place, adjuring each of the four classes to retain and fulfill the obligations attendant to their particular varna, or class.

The Shastras are precepts, or a set of precepts, that govern the behavior of Hindu believers. The most ancient Shastras are found in the early Vedic literature, the ancient religious literature of India, and so are often associated with the various writings that concern Indian religious practices and the manner in which Hinduism is to be lived and practiced up to, and including, contemporary times.