The original concept of varna (often mistranslated as caste) was based on individual qualities and actions (guna and karma), not birth. The Bhagavad Gita [4.13] clearly states that the four categories were created based on qualities and actions, not heredity.
The current hereditary caste system is a social distortion that developed over centuries and is not supported by core Hindu texts. The Upanishads contain numerous examples of knowledge being transmitted across social boundaries, such as the story of Satyakama Jabala, whose lineage was unknown but was accepted as a student based on his truthfulness.
Modern Hindu scholars and reformers consistently emphasize returning to the original merit-based understanding of social organization while rejecting birth-based discrimination as contrary to Vedantic teachings of universal consciousness.
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