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The Caste System in India

An Introduction ...

The Basics

Brahmin

  • the priests
  • dedicated to fulfilling the spiritual and intellectual needs of the community
  • the middle men between gods and men. They act as temple priests and invoke gods on behalf of others
  • they are expected to show exemplary behaviour and spend their lives in the pursuit of divine knowledge and preservation of the traditions
  • in our society, they would correspond to the philosophers, religious leaders, and teachers.

Kshatriyas

  • the warriors, landowners and rulers who are responsible for protecting and ruling society
  • In our society, they would represent the politicians, police, and the military.

Vaishyas

  • the producers, craftsmen and merchants
  • responsible for commerce and agriculture

Sudras

  • the artisans and servants
  • the labouring class
  • responsible for performing manual labour

The Untouchables, or "Dalit"

  • situated outside of the system
  • considered to be the drags of society and are treated worse than animals
  • are believed to be spiritually polluted and tainted, they are called the chandals or impure ones
  • live mostly on the fringes of society
  • they work in graveyards and cremation grounds, or as hunters, butchers and professional cleaners of human waste

The RULES

(in no particular order)

Shudras are not allowed to study the vedas or even hear the sacred chants

they are also not allowed to eat food in the company of higher castes or marry their women

The Untouchables were not allowed to enter a village or city during day time or walk in the same street where men of other castes walked, in Ancient times

even their shadow was considered impure and their very sight was considered a bad omen

for Brahmin, the study of the Vedas and the practicing of rituals, and leading a pure and austere life are essential

otherwise, the Brahmin was considered to be equal to a Shudra in the eyes of fellow caste members

The caste system prohibits marriages outside of one's caste to avoid intermixture of castes, which was considered to be sign of a decline of dharma and the very reason the caste system was devised

The Creation of the Caste System

The Theories

Religious Theory

  • Rig Veda says - Purush (primal man) destroyed himself to create human society
  • the Brahmins came from Purush's head (specifically, his mouth), Kshatriyas from his arms (hands), Vaishyas from his thighs, and the Sudras from his feet
  • also thought that the Varnas (castes) were created from the organs of Brahma, the Creator
  • explains the four Varnas

  • doesn't explain the Jats or Untouchables

Biological Theory

  • 3 qualities in the world (Sattva, Rajas, Tamas) - all living things have them in different proportions

Sattva = wisdom, honesty, other positives

Brahmins inherit these

Rajas = passion, pride, valour and other passionate qualities

Kshatriyas and Vaishyas inherit these

Tamas = dullness, stupidity, other negatives

Sudras inherit these

Food also inherits these qualities

ie.:

Most meat has Tamasic qualities (ie. NOT GOOD)

Brahmins and Vaishyas have a Sattvic diet (fruits, honey, milk, roots, vegetables)

BUT

  • many Sudras eat meat
  • Kshatriyas eat deer meat (which has Rajastic qualities)
  • fault to theory - same foods in different areas of India are said to have different qualities, and some Brahmins eat meat

Social History Theory

  • explains the creation of the Varnas, Jats, and Untouchables
  • began with the arrival of the Aryans (from Southern Europe and Northern Asia) in India in 1500 BCE
  • different groups in India - Negrito (similar to Africans), Mongoloid (Chinese features), Austroloid (similar to Aborigines) and Dravidian (Meditteranean)
  • Aryans' main contact was with the Dravidians and Austroloids
  • Aryans conquered regions in Northern India and pushed locals south with no regard for their culture
  • Kshatriyas and Brahmins fought for control
  • the Brahmins won
  • Vaishyas - farmers, craftsmen - became servants of the Aryans
  • Aryans made the rules - they were the only ones to be priests, warriors, merchants
  • skin colour an important factor of the caste system
  • many religious stories of wars between dark skinned "demons" and good Aryans - believed "demons" were original inhabitants of area
  • son inherits father's profession
  • families grew into communities - language groups (Jats)
  • later invading groups absorbed into Kshatriyas, original communities were not
  • became Sudra Varna - or, outcast, depending on profession
  • non-polluting jobs were for Sudras
  • Brahmins are very strict about cleanliness

Why?

The Law of Karma

actions related to cause and effect

(show clip)

The basics: every good deed produces a positive reaction, and every bad deed produces a negative reaction

Karma binds individual souls to the world

3 Aspects of Karma

1. choice of parents and physical conditions of new born are sum total of acts performed in previous life, not changed by time or death

2. karma determines characteristics and aptitudes (which explains why children of the same parents are different). This is a changeable aspect of karma.

3. the present life can be molded - good deeds = good fortune

Hindus say that life is both predetermined and subject to free will

Reincarnation

Samsara vs. Moksha

Samsara: the cycle of birth, death and re-birth (Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva)

Maya: the physical world

  • temporary, ever changing, and artificial
  • life within it is considered meaningless

Moksha: liberation from Samsara, attained through the spiritual freedom of non-attachment and spiritual knowledge (perform good deeds without seeking selfish gains and being devoted to God)

Paths to liberation:

1. jhana yoga (path of wisdom: spiritual knowledge);

2. karma yoga (path of action: good works or right actions);

3. bhakti yoga (path of devotion: devotion and love directed towards a chosen deity);

4. raja yoga (path of meditation: knowledge of Truth, becoming one with Brahman)

So, what does it mean?

Women in Hindu Society and the Caste System

A caste system in Canada?

(show the graph here, pretty please)

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