The word for caste in sanskrit is Varna, which literally means 'Colour', it is a colour based racial system. Otherwise I dont see what purpose does it serve other than classifying people like a canines.
It's to help society be more organized so that we can collectively work together better.
> The original caste system had these four divisions. The divisions were all based on the ability of the individual to manage his body, his mind and his emotions properly. If he stopped fulfilling the dharma of his caste, society would recognize that he had moved from one caste and was now in another. The original caste system was based on self-discipline through education and through personal sadhana. The original caste system was based on the unfoldment of the consciousness within each individual through the fourteen chakras.
> People everywhere naturally divide themselves up into castes. We have the workers. You go to work, you work under somebody else--that happens all over the world--that's the shudra caste. We have the merchants, who are self-motivated. That's the vaishya caste. We have the politicians and the lawmakers and the law-enforcement people. That's the kshatriya caste. And then you have the priests, the ministers, the missionaries. That's the brahmin caste. Every society has these four castes working within it in one way or another. In today's world, if one is not fulfilling the dharma of his born caste, then he changes castes. For instance, if a brahmin husband and wife are working eight to fifteen hours a day in a hospital under others, they are no longer of the brahmin caste, because they are not performing the duties of the dharma of that caste. They are workers, in the shudra caste.
I guess it was working very efficiently at dividing the society which made it very easy for outside forces to conquer India multiple times. India has seen so many waves of invasion where Indians are fighting other Indians.
I think that's an oversimplification. The varna dharma system was no in place universally, as all over the world, humans are still human and subject to corruption.
Classification is segregation if people are free to take any job there is no classification required. It was a short sighted system, a modern economy works by people participating in it by exchange of skill/work for money. There is no scientists caste , no computer programmer caste all that exists is peoples skills, ability to up skill and take a job as they qualify. Todays Programmer could be tomorrows priest, CEO or politician. Also economy and society as a result is much wider than 4 Groups of the Hindu caste system. It is a terrible system no matter how you look at it. My understanding is it was a reservation for Jobs for certain class of people from them to their sons and daughters which was codified in religious texts or law giving books of the time. Not only something like that vicious but out right unethical.
> The original caste system had these four divisions. The divisions were all based on the ability of the individual to manage his body, his mind and his emotions properly. If he stopped fulfilling the dharma of his caste, society would recognize that he had moved from one caste and was now in another. The original caste system was based on self-discipline through education and through personal sadhana. The original caste system was based on the unfoldment of the consciousness within each individual through the fourteen chakras.
> People everywhere naturally divide themselves up into castes. We have the workers. You go to work, you work under somebody else--that happens all over the world--that's the shudra caste. We have the merchants, who are self-motivated. That's the vaishya caste. We have the politicians and the lawmakers and the law-enforcement people. That's the kshatriya caste. And then you have the priests, the ministers, the missionaries. That's the brahmin caste. Every society has these four castes working within it in one way or another. In today's world, if one is not fulfilling the dharma of his born caste, then he changes castes. For instance, if a brahmin husband and wife are working eight to fifteen hours a day in a hospital under others, they are no longer of the brahmin caste, because they are not performing the duties of the dharma of that caste. They are workers, in the shudra caste.
From "Living with Siva"