Vivekananda’s sociocultural justification of inequality encapsulates the idea that the superior Hindu culture and its harmonizing influence survived because of the caste hierarchy. Vivekananda equated culture with prestige and superior philosophical and spiritual perspectives. The lower castes had their languages and customs, but they did not possess culture without internalizing Brahminical values. Vivekananda held that when noble humanitarian ideas are disseminated to the masses, they can have a degrading effect on society. Only the Brahmins possessed the keen intellect needed to preserve culture. For Vivekananda, the Brahmins represented the ideal of humanity in India. They produced the most individuals possessing Brahminness, characterized by abundant wisdom and an absence of worldliness. The final step in Vivekananda’s sociocultural justification of inequality is his claim that the caste barriers enabled the Brahmins to preserve the Hindu culture. Without the caste system, the Hindu culture and philosophy would have fallen into the hands of the masses, leading to disastrous social consequences. Also, without the caste hierarchy, the Muslims would have destroyed the Hindu culture.