Review Of ' The Jati '

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).

Make an analysis of how the caste system might function in the life of a particular Hindu individual.

The caste system was often used to maintain order and provided guidance for the citizen’s role in society. It also adapted to the newly arrived migrants like Turks, and Muslim merchants and established codes for behavioral to others and those in the same class. However, as merchants and manufacturers became influential in the economic state, powerful guilds grouped themselves by working within the caste system, and established themselves as jatis (“sub-castes”), specializing themselves in different types of commerce like silk, cotton, spice trade production. Although, Hinduism was embraced in southeastern area of Asia, ruling elites in Southeast Asia showed no interest in the social class of

Caste system: A social system where your occupation and position in society is based on your ancestry.

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.

The caste system itself is a system of social stratification, based on two concepts, varna and jati. Varna

The caste system also plays a critical role on Indian society as it dictates a person’s social position. I believe this to be true in more rural areas and smaller communities of Indian society. The dharma in each caste system is not always the same and the caste systems dharma can vary. This is to say that dharma is not necessarily universal

5. Briefly explain the caste system (if you need more information, double click on the word “caste” anywhere in the reading.):

“The caste system historically

After the Aryans (a very patriarchal and militaristic group of pastoral nomads) invaded and destroyed the Indus River Valley civilization, they took charge. The Aryans already were superior -- they had demolished an entire settlement. This left the original settled people scared, and being scared, easily controllable. The Aryans then wrote the Lawbook of Manu, which is the origin of a caste system known as the Varna system that is still in practice today. The Varna system, which placed people into a social category, was a way to categorize and create, in the writers of the Lawbook of Manu’s eyes, a well-run society. In the Lawbook of Manu it states: “For the sake of the prosperity of the worlds, he created the Brahman, the Kshatriya, the Vaishya, and the Shudra to proceed from his mouth, his arms, his thighs and his feet…"2The four different groups of people were initiated to create a society in which everyone knew their place. the Brahman (the voices of society) were the religious leaders, the Kshatriya (the arms of society) were the warriors, the Vaishya (the thighs of society) the workers, and the Shudra (the feet of society), who “served meekly to the three other castes” and were generally the former Indus River Valley people. The last caste, the Shudra, didn’t have a religious

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 internal divisions and complexes hierarchy of the Indian society served an important social function.  The system provided each individual with a clear identity and role and offered the benefits of group solidarity and support.  Certain interactions and behaviors were appropriate only between those of equal status. The system assured that the religious, political, and financial powers were all separated into four different social classes (Bulliet, et. 2011).

Each caste had their own dharma (meaning a principle of order) and also, specific laws and restrictions. To pursue their dharma, they are required to marry within their caste. The Indian society is patriarchal and the villages are ran by males that are head of the household. The males have possession over women and children in their family. The practice by the Hindus is called purdah, this involved the women being confined to her house. Women were unable to leave the house unless they wore a thick veil in public and they could only show their faces to their family. Another example of subordination was sati, this meant that if a wife’s husband died, she would have to be cremated alive with him1.These are just a few examples of the Indian social structure.

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

A few disadvantages of India’s social system are that Religion, caste, and language are major determinants of social organizations. According to the US Department of State-Background Notes website, even though the government has declared the caste system as illegal, it still has a presence in occupational and societal hierarchies (The Office of Electronic Information, Bureau of Public Affairs, 2010).