The Hindu caste system, or social order, consists of four categories: Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vaishya, and Shudra. The outcaste, or untouchables, exist outside of (and below) the caste system.
Caste System Quotes in The Bhagavad Gita
The The Bhagavad Gita quotes below are all either spoken by Caste System or refer to Caste System. For each quote, you can also see the other terms and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Discourse 1
Quotes
The dharma of caste,
and the eternal dharma
of family,
are uprooted
by these wrongful acts
of family-destroyers,
since they create
a blending of caste.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire The Bhagavad Gita LitChart as a printable PDF.
Caste System Term Timeline in The Bhagavad Gita
The timeline below shows where the term Caste System appears in The Bhagavad Gita. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Discourse 1
...battle, which would destroy his family and its dharma forever, defiling their women, corrupting the caste system, and leading their ancestors to fall into hell. Lamenting the family’s eagerness to kill...
(full context)
Discourse 4
...his efforts to those who first dedicate themselves to him through sacrifice. He created the castes, meting out the gunas through his act of creation, although he is nevertheless “the Imperishable...
(full context)
Discourse 18
No being is free from the three gunas, regardless of caste, which reflects people’s inner nature—brahmins act from an inner purity, discipline, wisdom, and restraint; kshatriyas...
(full context)
