Hinduism Impact On Indian Society

In India, during the late Vedic Period which lasted from 1000 to 500 B.C, an ancient form of Hinduism flourished. As it possessed no official superior work of literature, such as the Bible or the Koran, Hinduism became one of the most tolerant religions due to its lack of binding documentation. A life committed to Hinduism was spent constantly maintaining the socio-economic order in an attempt to achieve universal stability, which was something highly valued in this tolerant religion. “Thus Indian society has always been concerned with stability rather than with progress...” (Early India).Hinduism’s central requirement was to fulfill the duties of a person’s caste, or class, which largely affected the daily life of anyone living in ancient India. At the top of the social pyramid

The second highest caste was the Kshatriyas. These were the warriors, rulers, and those concerned with the defense and administration of the village or state. Third came the Vaishyas, who were traders, merchants, and people involved in agricultural production. The lowest caste was the Shudras -- the laborers and servants for the other castes. Each caste included many sub castes divided by occupation. Below even the Shudras were the Untouchables. These people had no caste at all. They performed the most menial of jobs, such as dealing with dead bodies and cleaning toilets. Higher-caste people believed that if they touched one of the caste-less, they would be contaminated and would need to go through cleansing rituals. the caste system is not explicitly religious, although the Hindu religion has played a large part in maintaining its structure. Hinduism preaches a cycle of birth and reincarnation, in which a person's soul is reborn into a new form after death. Your actions in this life determine your fate when you are born again. If you are faithful and dutiful in this life, next time, you'll get a better lot. The caste system fits well with this belief. Lower-caste people believed that if they lived a good life, they could be reborn in a higher caste in the next. Buddhism is a path of practice and spiritual development leading to Insight into the true nature of life. Buddhist practices such as meditation

Hinduism is one of the main religions in South Asia that focuses on one’s soul and eternity of themselves. This religion has shaped into a patriarchal society in India with a caste system that affected gender. In addition, Hinduism has impacted some of the aspects in United States politics. As the Aryans brought this religion to India around 1500 BC, its system and practices spread and evolved around the world into a primary belief. Hinduism has impacted the world socially, politically and even economically.

Hinduism is almost like a lifestyle in India. Hinduism has had a great societal impact on Indian culture. One of the more interesting impacts Hinduism had on society was the position of women. They ultimately were given a slightly higher position in society than they previously had. Hinduism has also impacted India through the caste system. The caste system was originally created to form a society where all people took on important roles based on their abilities. However, in later years they became assigned based on status. Buddhism made a unique impact on India because it practiced complete equality and rejected the caste system.

People are born into the caste of their parents and are not allowed to cross into another one. They are also expected to marry in the same caste. The unequal distribution of money, influence, pain and suffering are seen as a natural consequence for ones previous actions, both in this life and in previous lives. Hindus can be reborn at a higher level through pure acts, good thoughts and devotion. They can also be reborn at a lower level through bad deeds. It is even possible to be reborn as an animal. Arizona State University (2004) lists the five social castes. They are: Brahmins (priests and academics); Kshatriyas (military); Vaishyas (farmers and merchants); Sudras (peasants and servants); and Harijan (outcasts or untouchables).

The caste system refers to Indian social order which is based on ancestry. The main social classes, “varna”, had priests at the top and peasants at the bottom. It developed due to increasing social complexity from intermingling with Dravidians.

When introducing about Hinduism in the book “Invitation to World Religions”, Jeffrey Brodd mentions about the caste system of this religion. The introduction does not go with details and situations that reflect deeply the inequality of Hinduism social organization. Occasionally, reading the article “Why this family’s conversion from Hinduism to Buddhism matters” of Max Bearak. I understand the dark side of the Indian dominant religion.

Hinduism is a religion that is difficult to define. No one can say who the founder is, or connect it to a certain place or time. So in order to understand Hinduism, we follow a coherent set of assumptions upon which people base their lives; otherwise defined as the Indian Worldview.

Allison, I don’t agree with your statement that “I think it is interesting because, in America, we too have different classes of people, as well as in the world.”. As you are comparing Hinduisms caste system to American capitalism. In America, we have a lower, middle, and upper class. However, a person is not confined to any specific class in the United States. It is possible for someone from the lower class to be a part of the upper class through education or entrepreneurship. Whereas in the Hinduism caste system, the people are restricted to their class. A person that is born a Shudra could be a genius, but cannot become a doctor because of their class. The only exception of an individual leaving their caste system would be a woman.

2. In what ways do the sacred texts of Hinduism continue to inform Hindu ritual and practice? How does Hinduism shape daily lives in a large population centers where it is practiced today? Think in terms of policy, education, commercial institutions, and security.

What are the four major castes? What implications does the caste system have for everyday life? How does the caste system relate to Hindu ideas of spiritual life? “The four major castes of Hindu society are; seers ( brahmins ), administrators ( kshatriyas ), artisans or farmers ( vaishyas ), and followers or servants ( shudras)”( Smith 56). Smith writes, religious leaders, teachers, artists, and philosophers are members of the first caste, brahmins, khatriyas, the second caste, first known as warriors are now managers. The tillers of the land, the makers of bricks, and the builders are part of the third caste, vaishyas. The fourth caste is made up of servants, those who will take care of the other castes’ needs (56)”. While I was working in India, summer of 2001 and there at the invitation of the richest family in India and staying at one of their compounds, some of my co-workers and I were playing snooker. A young boy walked into the room where we were playing. He stopped and talked to us for a few minutes before continuing to bed. Accompanied by a man of about twenty years old, the boy’s shudra, who had been the boy’s personal servant for ten or more years. The shudra’s purpose was to protect and serve his charge’s every need. Although there is inequality between castes, Smith denotes.“ within each caste, there is equality, opportunity, and social insurance ( 57)”. Although the text

The effects of Hinduism that effect society are very clear to Indians. One good example of this is that many Hindus go hungry everyday but yet the let cows roam. This seems awkward to me because I am and outsider but to Indians this is and unchangeable law that must never be broken. There are other more subtle things that

The caste system is a form of differentiation wherein constituent units of a system justify endogamy based on assumed biological differences which are semaphored by ritualization of multiple social practices. The idea of purity and pollution has had a very serious impact in the Indian society and the fates of people have been decided on this very notion almost forever now. B.R Ambedkar, the father of our constitution, in his book The Annihilation of Caste has made several strong points on why India as a country should abolish the caste system. When one comes to think of it, each and everything he has mention in that book needs to be given a very serious thought, for a country like India to develop and move forward.

According to Indianchild.com the India caste system is a hierarchical society. In the Indian caste system, no matter where you live or what religion you are

Social Dimension: In this paragraph, we will shed a light on the social effect of Buddhism in India. Buddhism can be referred as “a new outlook” in ancient Indians’ life: it changed Vanna system, which determined the society according to various grades (Banerjee, 2007, p. 5). During the revival of Buddhism, the Indian society was divided into four groups, which were Khatiyya, Brahmana, Vessa and Sudda. Brahmans enjoyed superiority on