Hinduism: The Caste System In Hinduism

The caste system has been extremely stable in India for over two thousand years. It is only since the more modern, independent state of India was formed that the system has come under any scrutiny at all. It is presently outlawed, but many of the practices, attitudes and traditions remain ingrained in Hindu society (University of Wyoming, 1997).

As in China, another dominant developing classical civilization, India, (300 B.C.-A.D. 500) focused greatly on philosophy and religious progress. Implanted within Indian divine belief systems, social status dictated all. The caste system, provided order and stability in India. Based out of Hinduism, the caste system clearly determined social status between five different divisions. The top of the caste were Brahmins (priests), followed by the Kshatriyas (warriors), Vaisyas (merchants), underneath merchants were Shudras (peasants and laborers), and the lowest rank were Pariahs (untouchables). Hinduism and Buddhism, the two dominating religions in India share many of the same concepts, as well as some distinct differences. These two religions

Firstly, the caste system reflects the inequality of Indian society. Although religion in India is characterized by a diversity of religious beliefs and practices, majority of Indian population follow Hinduism. Therefore, the dominance of Hinduism beliefs is common in India. There is a belief in caste system, as Brood said, “a system of hierarchical social organization”1. Hindu society is divided into four main classes; the priestly class, the warrior and administrator class, the producer class who is farmers and merchants and the servant class. The remaining group of people who is “outcastes” is called “untouchables” or dalit. Brodd recognizes “dalits continue to suffer terrible oppression, especially in rural communities in India”. I still could not imagine how terrible this bottom class suffers until reading Max Bearak article. All sufferings of Rohith Vemula, from the hardships of growing up poor, interactions with society in caste to scholarship revoke and suicide, happened tragically because he was born in a dalit family. This is the

The intense hierarchical system in India has been immensely fascinating for thousands of years. A probable theory to the beginning of the caste system is the movement of Aryan population into India from the north. The Aryan peoples conquered much of India and its ' natives causing a separation between the two populations, possibly explaining the separation between the higher castes and the “untouchables.” Additionally, the Aryan 's imposed their preexisting hierarchy on the natives thus creating the caste system. However, “According to Hindu tradition the caste system owes its origins to the four Varna.”(149. Hutton) The Varna are based on different parts of Brahma, or God, each part representing a seperate caste. Much of Hindu belief, practices, and text further the structure of the caste system, such as the idea of Dharma, and text in the Bhagavad Gita, a Hindu scripture. Though the creation of the caste system, similar to Hinduism itself, is not traceable, the caste system and its continuation can largely be contributed to the Hindu faith. From creation the Hindu faith helped perpetuate, enforce, and build the caste system through stories, texts, laws, and practices.

groups. It is a system inspired by Hindu scriptures in what the leaders wanted to create a society where jobs and functions were assigned to specific classes. These classes include the highest class, Brahmin made of those who are priests and educated individuals, Kshatriyas otherwise known as the warrior caste, Vaishya this was the trade and commerce class, Shudras, unskilled laborers; the agricultural or manual labor class. This class also includes all others who do not fit into any of the other classes but not to include the “untouchables”. The untouchables are not a caste class they are the rock-bottom of social order. The untouchables or Dalit, are those who are assigned and are forced into occupations that are unclean, defiling or are not members of the caste system, the lowest of the low. It is a handicap to be an untouchable in the eyes of

Commonly referred to as the “oldest religion” in the world, Hinduism is believed to be created by the Aryans between 500 BCE and 300 CE. With over one billion followers internationally, it is the third largest religion. As a way to justify the caste system that had been put in place in India, many followed Hinduism due to reincarnation being apart of the religion. Many believed that individuals were in their current caste system due to what they did in the previous life. While Hinduism continued to prosper throughout India, Buddhism, a religion created by Siddhartha Gautama, was created and many started to turn this faith as a way to ensure the serenity of their afterlife. Due to Buddha creating a faith and basing a majority of it off of Hinduism’s

The caste system is a system that puts people into place on what their role is in life. This is a set system at birth and cannot be changed meaning if a person is born to a low caste, they are that for life. Reincarnation, karma, and dharma all play key roles in the caste system as Hindus believe that it is due to those reasons and how one was in their past lives that put them into that specific caste. For example, a Brahmin is the highest caste and to be that is to be the middleman between humans and gods. To be in this caste by Hindu terms is to become the best of the best. It is to have good dharma in your past lives. Now, this is the best but the worst is the Chandalas which are the untouchables. They do the dirtiest works and in ancient times were not even allowed to have their shadow touch someone of a higher caste. Hindus believe that the reason they are this caste is because they have done wrong in their past lives and have bad dharma. The caste system although illegal in India is still a major part of Indian culture and life. Therefore the caste system is greatly influenced by the Hindu’s belief in reincarnation, karma, and

India’s caste system originated when the Aryans arrived. The Aryans had a social system where the warriors and priests where the ones with power. When these people encountered the farming society of India, the Aryans assumed power over the darker skinned Indians. The Indian people were then oppressed and forced to do the lower, less desirable jobs. This created the basis of the caste system. The idea of different jobs based on economic functions created an upper and lower caste. Throughout history, the caste system has stayed in place and impacted citizens of India today despite the eradication of law that enabled the caste system. Hinduism has played a large factor in the strengthening of the caste and is one of the reasons of the

The Caste System was a structure that separated the poor and the rich. Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas, Shudras, and the Untouchable are the five level of the structure. The Caste System determined where you belong by his/her birth. The reason Caste system began was a theory called the Indo-Aryan. Separating people

Caste systems are a fundamental part of Hinduism. The main caste system in place is known as the varna system, which is composed of five different castes. Our textbook says that, “The word varna refers to a system of hierarchical social organization,” which helps to explain the fundamental function of castes. The original four parts of the varna system are outlined in the poem Purusha Sukta, which describes the, “primordial sacrifice of the cosmic man.” The highest class, composed of priests, came from his mouth; the next class were the warriors and kings, which came from his arms; next came the commoner, which came from his thighs; finally, the final and lowest class, the servants, came from his feet. These castes serve as very rigid social groups in which people are generally bound to for the rest of their life (although people hope to be reincarnated into a higher caste in their next life) in which each one has specific duties. The highest caste is charged with conducting the most sacred of matters, including religious rituals and learning about the sacred text of Hinduism. The second highest caste is made up of the kings and warriors who were given the task of ruling and protecting the masses. The second-lowest caste is composed of common, everyday people that includes a plethora of roles, such as students, teachers, doctors, lawyers, etc. The lowest class is made up of all the people who have been charged with forever performing the filthiest, disgusting, and menial

It's impossible to prove exactly where or how the caste system came about, but it is hypothesized that the system originated in South Asia, when the Aryans from the north invaded the territory and introduced this way of order as a means of controlling the local community. The Aryans assigned certain groups of people a certain name and role depending upon their stature. Since then, the caste system has been around for several millennia, and up until the early 20th century, very little had changed.

In the Book of Manu, the caste system is broken down into 5 levels. The first level or top level is the Brahmins, the priest and scholars of the Hindu faith. The second level is the Kshatiyas, the warriors and rulers of the Hindu people. Vaishyas is the third level of people, these are the merchants and landowners. These top three levels in the caste system are people that are twice born. The term twice born means they are permitted to participant in the Hindu life, and all that it entitles. Members of this group can be recognized by the cord that is looped around their shoulder. The Shudra is the fourth level of the castle system; they make up the workers on behalf of the top three levels. Finally, the fifth group are the Dalits, these are the untouchables of the caste system. These people are intrinsically unclean and if the can find work, it is the the jobs that are thought to defiling. The caste system was set up as a way to ensure that people could focus on one job and not have to worry about other activities, such as if a person was a banker he would have to worry about making horse shoes for his horse. With all things that was intended for good, the caste system has turned out bad, by keep the two low levels from ever being able to improve their status. In the article “Untouchability and Social Exclusion in Arundhati Roy's The God of Small Things” by

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 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.

There were three main points that explained the significance of the caste society: religious worship, meals, and marriage. Marriage across caste lines was not allowed, so most people just married within their own jati, which was just a Hindu caste or specific social group. When it was meal time, any of the people could take food from the Brahmins, but if a Brahmin took food from a lower class than them, than they would be considered contaminated, especially if taken from an untouchable (also, if an untouchable drew water from a well, then it was considered polluted and unusable by anyone else). Brahmins, being considered the religious priests of the society,