Anandaswarup, yes, it's now safe to say that the foundational ideas, practices and social class elements that later gave rise to the full-fledged varna system / Brahminism can be traced to the cultural substrate of the Aryans who migrated in from central Asia.
I hesitate to use the word ’stability’ to characterize India’s caste society, because that word has positive connotations. I personally prefer ‘continuity’. I think this oppressive system has continued for so long because unlike other systems where the oppressors and oppressed are more identifiable, caste is graded inequality. As Ambedkar wrote, ‘there is no such class as a completely unprivileged class except the one which is at the base of the social pyramid. The privileges of the rest are graded ... each class being privileged, every class is interested in maintaining the system.’ Of course, those near the top of this pyramid of privilege and resources gain the most from preserving the status quo but their job is made easier by the 'graded inequality' in the system that militates against people coming together in common cause. Indeed, it's too pervasive to imagine its demise anytime soon though aspects of it have certainly been defanged over recent decades.
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