Hinduism: Unpacking the Indian Caste System

1613 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Religion in the indian political system

Religion and Caste System in India
The Religion and caste system in India is a system of social stratification which historically separated communities into thousands of endogamous hereditary groups called jatis, usually translated into English as "castes". The jatis are thought of as being grouped into four varnas: Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas and Shudras. In Hinduism there exist four castes arranged in a hierarchy. Anyone who does not belong to one of these castes is an outcast. The religious word for caste is 'Varna'. Each Varna has certain duties and rights. Each Varna members have to work in certain occupation which only those Varna members are allowed. Each Varna has certain type of diet. The highest Varna is of the Brahman. Members …show more content…

The jatis are thought of as being grouped into four varnas: Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas and Shudras.
According to the 2011 census, 79.8% of the population of India practices Hinduism and 14.2% adheres to Islam, while the remaining 6% adheres to other religions Christianity, Sikhism, Buddhism, Jainism and various indigenous ethnically-bound faiths. Christianity is the 3rd largest religion in India. Hinduism: Caste System, Reincarnation, and Karma.The Caste System groups assigned by birth not personality. The Hindu conception of the social order is that people are different, and different people will fit well into different aspects of society. Untouchable, also called Dalit, officially Scheduled Caste, formerly Harijan, in traditional Indian society, the former name for any member of a wide range of low-caste Hindu groups and any person outside the caste system.
The Development of Religious and Caste …show more content…

In 1989, quotas were extended to include a grouping called the Other Backward Classes, which fall between the traditional upper castes and the lowest.
In recent decades, with the spread of secular education and growing urbanisation, the influence of caste has somewhat declined, especially in cities where different castes live side-by-side and inter-caste marriages are becoming more common. In certain southern states and in the northern state of Bihar, many people began using just one name after social reform movements. Despite the changes though, caste identities remain strong, and last names are almost always indications of what caste a person belongs

Show More
Related

  • Indian Caste System Dbq Essay

    403 Words  | 1 Pages

    Daily life was influenced in both Ancient India as well as in Ancient China by religion and philosophies. Their caste system, their beliefs, and their well being affected the religion and philosophies.

    Read More

  • Indian Caste System Dbq

    895 Words  | 2 Pages

    Thousands of years ago, Indian society developed into a complex system based on different classes. This system is known as the Caste System. It separated Indians into different castes based on what class they were born into. As thousands of years went by, this system grew larger and became further complex (Wadley 189). This system caused frustration for the Indian citizens because they were receiving inequality.

    Read More

  • Hinduism in Hermann Hesse’s Siddhartha

    663 Words  | 2 Pages

    Hinduism is a religion with no known founder, with its understandings and actions developing over thousands of years. This religion has roots from the Aryan people’s religion, when they invaded India at 1500 BCE. The Aryans created a caste system when they invaded India so their kin would remain in power. Hinduism has absorbed and accepted this caste system as a large part of their religion. They believe in reincarnation, which is being reborn after you die, and Samsara, the endless cycle of birth, death, and rebirth. If the person completes their dharma, the rules of their caste, and live a good moral life then they advance to the next caste, but if they do bad in their life then they remain at their caste level or they are downgraded. The most respected caste group is the Brahmins, they are high priests, making them very religious, and they are the closest in the caste system to reaching moksha, release from samsara or entering paradise. Another way of viewing moksha is that their Atman, the soul, gets reunited with the Brahman, the universal spirit. They then infer that everything that does not exist forever, unlike their Atman, are not real, which they call a veil, also known as Maya, because it is not permanent. Along with reincarnation there exists karma, similar to the idea what comes around goes around, so if you live an immoral life, your future lives will be a punishment. Guidance for priests and rituals are written in the most ancient Hindu scriptures called Vedas. The Rig Veda is the most important scripture out of the Vedas. The Upanishads, however, explain the Vedas through a teacher student dialogue, this helps anyone learn the Vedas much easier. Finally, the rituals described in these scriptures incl...

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast India And Caste System

    1085 Words  | 3 Pages

    “This system in found in the traditional Hindu population of India” (Haviland 256). Although it is found in other parts of the world, In North America, it is not indicated as a caste system, but is classified as a social class or class system. In Sociology: The Essentials, social class or class is described as the social structural position groups hold relative to the economic, social, political, and cultural resources of society. With this characterization in mind, a persons “class determines the access different people have to these resources and puts groups in different positions of privilege and disadvantage” (Sociology 172). With this perception of class in mind, it shows that people do not have the same amount of resources or privileges as others.

    Read More

  • Understanding Life: Perspectives from Socrates to Bhagavad Gita

    837 Words  | 2 Pages

    To elaborate, the caste system was created to maintain order and separate different kinds of people. For example, it is similar to the food pyramid, but it is separated into four different groups of social classes. For example, the charioteer says, “The duties of priests, of warriors, of laborers, and of servants are apportioned according to the gunas that arsie from their inborn nature.”(190). Although Bhagavad Gita is faithful to the idea of the caste system, it also explains the three gunas. The gunas are sattva, rajas, and tamas and throughout the book it describes more than several ways individuals live their life. For example, someone who is considered sattva is free from sorrow and someone who is tamas is ignorance-born or

    Read More

  • Is America Still "The Land of Opportunity"?

    1162 Words  | 3 Pages

    Dictionary.com defines a caste system as “a system of rigid social stratification characterized by hereditary status, endogamy, and social barriers sanctioned by custom, law, or religion” This means someone born into a low caste cannot move up to a higher caste because of this system. Although a caste system is not a set of laws, it is almost never broken because the caste system has been in place for so long.

    Read More

  • Krishna/Hinduism Worldview

    1311 Words  | 3 Pages

    There are four main castes and one in which they consider to be the outcastes. The four main castes are the Brahmin, the next is the Kshatriya, the third is the Vaishya, and the fourth is the Shudra. The outcastes are in the group called Dalits. Each caste has a purpose in life, the Brahmin are considered to be the priestly caste in which they are teach the Veda, and are to “sacrifice for others and receive alms” (Institutes of Vishnu 5-10, pg. 44). The Kshatriya is considered the warriors or the ruler caste, they have constant practice in battles, and they are to protect the world from harm. The Vaishya are to be the merchants and the farmers, they tend to the cattle, they, “engage in farming, keeps cows, trades, lends money at interest, and grows seeds” (Institutes of Vishnu 5-10, pg. 44). The Shudra are the manual laborers who according to the Institutes of Vishnu under the Four Castes, are to serve the twice born men who are to sacrifice and to study the Veda, the Shudra also engage in all the different duties of craftsmanship (5-10, pg.44). In case of a crisis, each caste is allowed to follow the occupation of the caste that is below them in rank. The duties in which all four of these castes, whatever gender or stage of life, are to follow and hav...

    Read More

  • History Of Social Stratification

    6470 Words  | 13 Pages

    The Indian concept of social stratification is peculiar. It is based on what is called Vanna (Varna). Before and during the Buddha?s time, the people were classified according to Vanna. In the Vedic period, the stratification was based on the religious faith. The Rg-veda, the earliest source of the Br?hmnical theory, described the origin of human beings: ?the Br?hman was his (purusha?s) mouth; the R?jahya was made arms; the being (called) Vaisya, he was his thighs; the Sudra sprang from his feet?.[footnoteRef:2] [2: Purusa Sukta, Rgveda, X, p. 618.]

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast Hinduism And Buddhism

    697 Words  | 2 Pages

    Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva are all part of the triumvirate which is the upkeep of the world. Brahma is the first triumvirate, Vishnu being the second and Shiva being the

    Read More

  • Social Class Paper

    798 Words  | 2 Pages

    Social classes are divisions of individuals based on the amount of money one has. These classes are defined by one’s wealth and economic success. Social classes can determine what kind of life one may have and some of the obstacles they may have to deal with. The social classes are like ideas of levels, the higher the level one may be on, the more opportunities they come upon. Within the United States, there are three social classes; these are lower class, middle class, and upper class.

    Read More

  • Caste System in India

    1481 Words  | 3 Pages

    In each society, there are different types of rules and ideologies that are used in order to help govern its people. Within these communities, these rules create a social hierarchy developed through a ranked system based on either economic value or religious beliefs. A type of ranked system that most people are familiar with is the Caste System in India, which is a system of classification in a society based on birth. This complex social structure is most prevalent in India, where social hierarchy is in affiliation with Hinduism. It recognizes two concepts known as Varna and Jati. Varna is a word in Sanskrit meaning color and includes four main groups: the Brahmans, Kshtriyas, Vaishyas, and Shudras. The fifth group, the most segregated caste in the system, is the Untouchables. Within each Varna contains an array of sub-caste called Jatis, which are also based on birth. The rules of the cases are governed through religious ideas of purity and pollution. These two socially constructed ideologies determine whether or not you were respected in the community. Caste assignments in India are predestined at birth rather than a personal choice. Individuals act and dress like those of their own caste in public, due to strict caste laws. Pressures of these rules tend to brainwash people into conforming into what society considers pure, as we’ll see in Kakar & Kakar’s reading. As human nature takes precedent, caste rules become less relevant. Indulging in one’s own desires or needs, especially during times of hardship, outweighs any types of rules that we’ll see in Freeman’s reading and the movie Distant Thunder. Though the caste system is such an intrinsic part of life, when faced with needs to survive, it becomes nothing more than just a...

    Read More

  • Hinduism

    781 Words  | 2 Pages

    Now that we have covered the social classes what are the main point of the belief system, well they have several principals that almost all Hindus believe in The three-in-one god known as "Brahman," which is composed of: Brahma (the creator), Vishnu (the Preserver), and Shiva (the Destroyer). The Caste System. Karma. The law that good begets good, and bad begets bad. Every action, thought, or decision one makes has consequences – good or bad – that will return to each person in the present life, or in one yet to come. Reincarnation. ls also known as "transmigration of souls," or "samsara." This is a journey on the "circle of life," where each person experiences as series of physical births, deaths, and rebirths. With good karma, a person can be reborn into a higher caste, or even to godhood. Bad karma can relegate one to a lower caste, or even to life as an animal in their next life. Nirvana. This is the goal of the Hindu. Nirvana is the release of the soul from the seemingly endless cycle of rebirths (Beliefs). These five central beliefs are what makes up the Hindu religion.

    Read More

  • The Dividing Force of Religion

    675 Words  | 2 Pages

    Divided into four major social categories, the caste system categorizes Hindus, who act accordingly to their caste, into Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vaishya, and Sudra. Another class, the “untouchables,” is considered outside of the system. These five different classes of society define each person greatly. Castes are unchangeable and rarely intermarry. This social division is yet another example of how religion disbands organizations of people.

    Read More

  • Suicide In Nepal Essay

    922 Words  | 2 Pages

    Another reason for a lack of good access to public health care for the Nepalese women is caused by religion. The major religions in Nepal are hinduism (82.62%), buddhism (10.74%), islam (4.20%), kirant (3.60%), and christianity (0.45%). Previously the economic and political power was centralized interlinking it with the Hindu caste system since the majority of the Nepalese population are Hindus. The hindu caste system consisted of the Brahmins(priests) at the top of the pyramid, Kshatriya (warriors and Kings) just beneath, followed by Vaishya (Merchants) and the Sudra (peasants and labourers), and at the bottom of the pyramid were the “untouchables” (butchers, carcass and waste cleaners). Although Nepal was declared a secular country in 2006 and the caste system abolished, the hierarchy in the caste system still lingers on.

    Read More

  • Impact Of British Colonialism on the Indian Caste System

    2707 Words  | 6 Pages

    The caste system in India is elaborately structured to have an Indian touch to it, clearly distinguishing it from social structures worldwide. Caste is a word often used to describe a cluster of people who have a specific rank in the society. Each caste system is elaborately crafted to suit the needs of the society and they vary from group to group; each has its own rules and customs. Different chaste systems are planned in a hierarchical manner to become part of any of the four basic colors; varnas (a Sanskrit word for color). These include; the varna of Brahmans, identified with the learned class and priests; varna of Kshatriyas, which is encompasses warriors, rulers and property owners, the varna of Vaishyas, which attracts traders ; and lastly the varna of Shudras, who are servile laborers (Bayly, 1999).

    Read More

More about Hinduism: Unpacking the Indian Caste System

Open Document