“Each man devoted to his own duty, attains perfection.” –Bhagavad-Gita, Ch 18, v 45.

To Kevin Naidoo, Hinduism is more than a series of rituals performed in temple.

“When I was seven years old, there was a stage in our lives when my Dad was unemployed for nine months,” said Naidoo. “He had to sweep floors to put food on our table.” But, because of his father’s devotion to God, there was never a day the family went hungry, he said. “My dad’s faith carried our family through all those times.”

Naidoo, now 30, works as an accounts manager for a California based company, traveling the world and living life as a successful yuppie. Because of his father’s devotion and dedication, religion is of special importance to Naidoo.

“That’s why I prefer to marry someone within my faith. There’s nothing more blissful in a marriage than a husband and wife praying together.” he said. “Being the only son, my father wants me continue his legacy and uphold what we inherited.”

And in Hinduism, that which is inherited is caste.

The caste system in India has a reputation for being highly discriminatory and bigoted. While that may not be entirely far from the truth, the origins of the caste system are often misunderstood.

Gadadhara Pundit Dasa, a Hindu priest and scholar of the Bhagavad-Gita explains that according to scripture, Krishna, one of the most prominent Hindu deities, created the four main castes: Brahmin, kshatriya, vaishya, and sudra, with each caste possessing certain attributes. Brahmins are intended to have the attribute of goodness, kshatriya the attribute of passion, vaishya a mixture of both goodness and passion and the lowest caste, sudra, the attribute of ignorance.

But, what happens next is dependent on how Hindus choose to interpret their supposed fate and the system that deals it out.

“The Caste system naturally exists, but the point is for us to go beyond it,” said Pandit Dasa. In the not so distant past, India has seen a time when even interacting with people outside of their caste was considered taboo. But, as waves of Indians migrated to the United States, many “left the caste thing behind,” according to Pundit Dasa.

In America, people of all races and religions, and of course castes, come together on a daily basis with no contention.

But at the same time, “Caste is about identity and people want to hold onto identity,” said Naidoo. At work or school, caste lines are blurred. The only way to uphold one’s caste legacy is through marriage that preserves the label. But the question remains if doing so is even important to young Hindu-Americans.

“Knowing the traditions of a caste would create harmony in a marriage. With similar standards, life is more peaceful,” said Pundit Dasa. But, is this a compelling enough reason to seek a partner who is of the same caste? “

Pundit Dasa, who is also a spiritual counselor for college students in the New York City area, has found that “caste is not really on young people’s minds.” “They’re more focused on themselves, their academics and moving on with their lives,” he said.

Often pegged as the “model minority,” education is certainly of utmost importance for Indian-Americans. “Hindus are high achievers,” said Le Moyne College sociology professor Farha Ternikar, who studies South Asian immigrant communities. Caste is in no way stopping people from achieving educations or making strides in their fields.

And in places of higher learning, students are blind to caste. Nidhi Desai, president of the NYU chapter of the Hindu Student Council, agrees with this sentiment. “The club is mainly so we can stay close to our roots and traditions, but caste never comes up and it’s not a big deal,” she said. “Things are changing.”

For some Hindu-Americans, the caste system is just too anachronistic to adhere to. “I think it’s retarded,” said Vani Dusi, 21, a senior at Binghamton University. “The values of my caste tell me not to eat meat or drink alcohol. I haven’t really been following through with that.”

Especially in America, caste-ly values do not jive with the times. So, why bother trying to uphold a legacy that is not even rightfully maintained?

“Caste is superficial if you can’t uphold the lifestyle,” said Pundit Dasa. If people are not carrying out their duties, why should they be told to maintain a legacy, said Pundit Dasa. “How in good conscience can we enforce this?”

“Ultimately, we should be looking for the strength of the love, financial stability and education of the other person over their caste or religion or race,” said Arjun Kalyan, 23, a software engineer from Boston. “And I would like to believe that people now a days are tending towards this.”