religious one. It was the outcome of the natural evolution of our society. The caste-system had originally been devised to bind the Hindus into a systematic unity. The real purpose of caste was to protect the weaker sections from the ruthless competition of the strong and to vindicate the supremacy of spiritual knowledge over the power of military weapons, wealth, and organised labour.
However, later the very caste system became a social evil when it was used as a weapon by the higher castes like Brahmins and Kshatriyas to exploit the lower castes like Shudras and Dalits, thus paving the way for social discrimination. This exploitation included heavy taxes, prohibition of entry into temple premises and prohibiting the study of the Vedas. Verse 80 mentions that, ‘If it is possible to form a state in which the knowledge of the priest, the culture of the military, the distributive spirit of the commercial and the ideal of equality of the labourer can be kept intact, minus their evils, it will be an ideal state.'

Karma Yoga

The eight chapter explores the concept of duty. What is duty

according to Swami Vivekananda? Any action that makes us go towards God is duty. Karma Yoga is a way of achieving freedom through selflessness and good deeds. Karma Yoga is the attaining through unselfish work of that freedom which is the goal of all human nature. Duty is sweet only through love, and love shines in freedom alone. Every duty is holy and devotion to duty is the highest form of worship of the divine. Our supreme duty is to advance towards freedom — physical, mental, and spiritual — and help others to do so.
The ninth chapter deals with freedom, bondage and self-effort. For Swami Vivekananda, freedom is both an ontological as well as moral ideal. He points out, ‘The greatest goodness is the highest freedom. Our aim should be to allow the individual to move towards this freedom.’
Freedom from the clutches of the senses, from the vagaries of the mind, from the dualities of life like pleasure and pain, good and evil, from death and from the life itself that begets death. Freedom is attained by the threefold means of work, worship, and knowledge. Swami Vivekananda helps us to tread the real path towards

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