note on Caste system

The Brahminical "chaturvarna Hindu caste" system is a categorization of Indian Hindu society into four broader categories. However, within these categories, there are numerous sub-castes, each with its own identity, practices, and power structures. The cultural identities of these sub-castes are so distinct that even inter-community marriages or interactions are prohibited or restricted within the four divisions of chaturvarna. Despite the Brahminical hegemony over the other three divisions, each one of them has hundreds of thousands of sub-castes that discriminate against each other or even marginalize many such sub-castes within their chaturvarna caste category.

However, these discriminatory practices did not originate solely from the Brahminical chaturvarna system. Instead, the chaturvarna system was a later formulation that assimilated pre-existing communities with discriminatory practices and a social hierarchy already in place within the society. Therefore, the discriminatory social practices of the Hindu society are much deeper and more complicated than the mere chaturvarna system of Brahminical hegemony.

 Ambedkar and Gandhi had a showdown on the Poona pact regarding constituency reservation. However, later on, Ambedkar encountered ruptures and discrimination within the oppressed communities that made him realize that challenging the Brahminical hegemony-led chaturvarna system alone was not enough for the upliftment of the downtrodden. Instead, the entire social structure of the Hindu society had to be abandoned for a new egalitarian social system.

 Ambedkar found possibilities for this in Buddhism, which already had wider traction in the country in terms of its existence and democratic religious structure. By discarding the entire Hindu community structure in favor of Buddhism, Ambedkar believed that caste hierarchy among the oppressed class might not be a possibility. It is worth noting that his interpretation of Buddhism was not the Buddhism of the period.

 In conclusion, the Brahminical chaturvarna system is just a broader categorization of Indian Hindu society. The sub-castes within the four divisions of chaturvarna discriminate against each other and even marginalize some sub-castes. Discriminatory practices did not originate solely from the chaturvarna system but were pre-existing within the society. Ambedkar abandoned the entire Hindu community structure in favor of Buddhism, believing that it might offer an egalitarian social system. However, his interpretation of Buddhism was not the Buddhism of the period.