[Advaita-l] Advaita and Caste System

[Suresh]

Namaste,

I understand that caste system was an integral part of Indian society, but isn't it strange that advaitins did nothing to abolish it? I can understand dvaitins and the rest maintaining caste system - they believe in distinctions, not only between souls and God but also between the souls themselves. But advaita preaches a lofty ideal, namely oneness. 

How could such people preach the divisive (not to mention racist) caste system on the one hand and the noble idea of nondualism on the other? It is so contradictory and baffling.

I hope someone can shed some light on this. I also hope no one takes my post the wrong way. At least to me, advaita and caste system are like light and night - they seem to have nothing in common. So it seems to me that the advaitins, from Sankara to Vivekananda to the latest guru, all had a good chance to reform Hindu society - and failed to do so.

Suresh