"Color is not a human or a personal reality; it is a political reality."
— JAMES BALDWIN, THE FIRE NEXT TIME (1963)
How Ancient South Asian Texts Show Skin Tone as Diverse and Non-Hierarchical
EXHIBIT 1 — COMPLETE TEXTUAL EVIDENCE
Skin tone celebrated, not hierarchical
"In all islands, O son of Kuru's race, men may be found that are fair, and those that are dark, and those also that are produced by a union of the fair and the dark races."
SANJAYA · THE MAHABHARATA, BOOK 6: BHUMI PARVA
"Those two foremost heroes of Yadu's race, the one dark in complexion and the other fair, looked exceedingly beautiful at that moment, like the Sun and the Moon, O king, on the evening sky!"
THE MAHABHARATA, BOOK 9: SHALYA PARVA
COMMENTARY: Skin tone diversity is natural and widespread. The texts celebrate both dark and fair complexions as equally beautiful—no hierarchy, no inferior/superior categorization.
Merit and conduct determine status
From the Manusmriti (10.4-5):
"The Brāhmaṇa, the Kşatriya and the Vaiśya are the three twice-born varṇas; the fourth is the once born, Śūdra; there is no fifth."
Manusmriti 10.4
Why this matters: The Manusmriti refutes the existence of a fifth untouchable caste entirely—there is NO "Dalit" category in the original framework. Varna was meant to be four fluid categories, not a rigid hierarchy.
Brahmin Can Become Shudra (Through Conduct):
"When the 'Brahman' resident in his body has been once deluged by wine, the 'Brāhmaṇahood' disappears and the man becomes a Śūdra."
Manusmriti 11:97
"A brāhmaṇa who is performing unbefitting actions, such as arrogance, who often does evil deeds, he becomes same as a śūdra. By contrast, a śūdra who has qualities like dama, śama, satya, dharma, etc, I consider him a brāhmaṇa only, for one becomes a brāhmaṇa by qualities alone."
Mahābhārata 3:215
Progressive Varna Change Through Conduct:
"That brāhmaṇa who, due to greed or delusion, having attained the rare status of brāhmaṇahood, does the task of a vaiśya, that fool attains Vaiśyahood. Similarly a vaiśya attains to śūdrahood or a brāhmaṇa who falls from his dharma may attain even to śūdrahood."
Mahābhārata 13:131
COMMENTARY: Varna change is not only possible—it is described as continuous based on conduct. A brahmin who drinks wine loses brahminhood. A shudra with virtue becomes a brahmin. This is radical: varna is performance-based, not hereditary.
Birth, ritual, lineage do not determine identity
"Not the initiatory Ritual, not birth, not memorisation of Vedas: none of these are cause of Brāhmaṇahood. This 'brāhmaṇa' is governed entirely by the qualities (śama etc), even a śūdra situated in those qualities attains brāhmaṇahood."
ŚIVA · MAHABHARAT, VANA PARVA/BOOK 3, CH. 188 & 189
"If the varna of someone amongst the four varṇas is determined as per the (jāti) varṇa (it is not so, because) the admixture of Varṇa is seen amongst all the varṇas. Also, lust, anger, fear, greed, grief, worry and other such negative traits are seen amongst the (jāti) brāhmaṇas. How then can varṇa be properly known?"
BHARADVĀJA · MAHABHARAT, VANA PARVA, CH. 180
"There is no credible determination of jati amongst humans."
COMMENTARY ON MAHABHARAT
COMMENTARY: Ritual, birth, and lineage cannot determine varna. The texts explicitly state that bad qualities appear in brahmins and good qualities in shudras—proving birth is not destiny.
The characteristics that define each varna
Bhrgu's Definition of Each Varna:
BRAHMIN:
"The one endowed with all the samskara rituals, who is pure, endowed with study of the Vedas, who performs the 6 karmas, who is engaged in pure deeds, who adores his guru, keeps his vows, is truthful, charitable, does not cheat, forgives and does not hate, in whom there is austerity, he is called a brāhmaṇa."
KSHATRIYA:
"He who serves the brāhmaṇa by his protection, who is endowed meditation on the deities, who is delighted in charity, he alone is called a kśatriya."
VAISHYA:
"He who is engaged in the industries such as farming or animal husbandry, that pure one, engaged in study of vedas also, is said to be a vaiśya."
SHUDRA:
"He who is ritually impure, who does any work for his survival, who has given up Vedic study, he is called a śūdra."
BHRGU RESPONSE · VANA PARVA, CHAPTER 180
Earlier Cosmology: All Started as Brahmin
"Earlier, there was no distinction amongst the varnas. All the world was brāhmaṇas. The brāhmaṇas created in the beginning attained to (other) varnas due to their karma. Those amongst them that were indulgent in sensual pleasures, who were quick to anger and loved bravery, of a red colouring (Rajas) they gave up their dharma and attained kşatriyahood. Those who performed farming and animal husbandry, were of a yellow colouring (rajas+tamas) and made that their dharma attained to Vaiśyahood. Those who did any work for their livelihood, were black (tamas) and did not maintain ritual purity attained to śūdrahood."
MAHABHARAT · VANA PARVA
COMMENTARY: Varna is exclusively defined by conduct, values, and profession—never by birth. The original cosmos had everyone as brahmin; varna emerged through choices. A shudra with brahminical qualities IS brahmin.
The debate on varna's true nature
THE SERPENT ASKS:
"O king! How does one become a brāhmana, and what is worthy of being known?"
YUDHIŞTHIRA ANSWERS:
"Truthfulness, charity, forgiveness, humility, self control, etc, wherever all these characteristics are seen, o king of serpents, he is said to be a brāhmaṇa."
THE SERPENT CHALLENGES:
"The basis of Varna that you have stated, viz, truthfulness, knowledge of brahman, charity, non-anger, non-violence, etc, all these may be present even in a śūdra!"
YUDHIŞTHIRA'S FINAL JUDGMENT:
"If there is a 'śūdra' in whom these qualities are present, or a brāhmaṇa in which they are absent, then indeed, that 'Śūdra' is not a śūdra and that brāhmaṇa is not a brāhmaṇa!"
MAHABHARAT, VANA PARVA, CHAPTER 180
The Proof: All Men Are Equal
"When all men produce offspring with all the women (regardless of Varna) then the speech, sex, birth and death is equal amongst all men also. Therefore, good conduct is known to be the prime factor (for determining varṇa) by those who understand fully."
YUDHIŞTHIRA · MAHABHARAT, VANA PARVA, CH. 180
COMMENTARY: This debate is the textual centerpiece: Yudhişthira—a king and warrior—definitively rejects hereditary varna. He argues that biological humanity is universal (all men, all women), so varna must be merit-based. Birth is irrelevant; conduct is everything.
What This Means: The hierarchical, birth-based caste system we see today is not an ancient or religious inevitability. It is a social construction reinforced by modern institutions—media, advertising, policy, and law. Understanding this distinction is crucial: we cannot blame "tradition" or "culture" for colorism. We must dismantle the modern systems that continue to reinforce it.
What This Means: The hierarchical, birth-based caste system we see today is not an ancient or religious inevitability. It is a social construction reinforced by modern institutions—media, advertising, policy, and law. The ancient texts explicitly reject it. We cannot blame "tradition" for colorism. We must dismantle the modern systems that continue to reinforce it.
"We hated our hair, we hated our nose, the shape of our nose, and the shape of our lips, the color of our skin... We had been completely brainwashed."
— MALCOLM X (1965)