The Indian Varna/Caste System

Aryan invaders Around 1500 B.C.E., the Indus culture were conquered by the Aryans.

Interesting Fact A new marriage tradition introduced by the Aryans. The red dot on an Indian woman’s forehead goes back to the Aryan tradition of having a groom apply a spot of his blood on his bride’s forehead, as a sign of marriage.

Aryans vs Dasas Oral tradition talks of war between the Aryans (light skinned) and Dasas (dark skinned) people. Aryans pushed the Dasas into central and southern India. This marked the beginnings of varna

Overview The Varnas divide society Hindus are born into their Varna & Caste The Varnas divide society Members did not socialize between castes Did not intermarry Did not eat with each other

What is it and when did it start? India’s caste system is perhaps the world’s longest surviving social hierarchy Hierarchy- a system of ranking (ex. Upper class, middle class, lower class) It is supposedly more than 2000 years old. The caste system is part of the Hindu religion. Does our culture believe in social mobility (movement)?

The Classes Hindu society divided into four classes Overview Castes Purity Dalit Current Business The Classes Hindu society divided into four classes Brahmins – Priests and Spiritual Teachers Ksatriya – Warriors and Rulers Vaisya – Farmers, Merchants, Artisans Sudra – Laborers, Servants Dalit – Untouchables Source: http://www.friesian.com/caste.htm

Jati Each varna is subdivided into many jatis or castes (sub-classes) Overview Castes Purity Dalit Current Business Jati Each varna is subdivided into many jatis or castes (sub-classes) Your Jati is based on a particular occupational specialization within your Varna

Brahmins – Priests and Teachers of Religion Overview Castes Purity Dalit Current Business Brahmins Brahmins – Priests and Teachers of Religion Highest order caste Provide religious education and spiritual guidance to society Usually vegetarian (but some ate meat)

Ksatriya – Warriors and Rulers Overview Castes Purity Dalit Current Business Ksatriya Ksatriya – Warriors and Rulers Second order caste Member of the military, kings, warriors, soldiers Provide order, security & safety to society

Vaisya – Farmers, Merchants, Artisans Overview Castes Purity Dalit Current Business Vaisya Vaisya – Farmers, Merchants, Artisans Third order caste Comprises of merchants, farmers, landowners, and artisans Provide materials, food and resources to society

Sudra – Laborers, Servants Overview Castes Purity Dalit Current Business Sudra Sudra – Laborers, Servants Lowest order caste – still considered “clean” Provide labor for society

Dalit – The “Untouchables” Overview Castes Purity Dalit Current Business Dalit – The “Untouchables” Outcast – they fall outside of the four castes according to the Laws of Manu Considered spiritually “Unclean” Live in poverty, little education, “forgotten” Persecution is based on the belief that a Dalit’s soul committed a great sin in a previous lifetime Born into Dalit class as a punishment of karma

Purity vs. Pollution? High caste status is associated with purity (hence white garments for Brahmins) If a Dalit comes into physical contact with another, a Brahmin can perform a cleanliness ritual which involves bathing in flowing water and changing clothes Dalit perform unclean jobs like burying corpses, killing animals – must live outside villages on “reservations” to prevent the “pollution” of the rest of the people

Reincarnation the philosophical basis of this belief is the consideration that if individual souls (jivas) are eternal, where did they come from? The spirit is independent of the body and the situation the spirit is in. Passage from the Gita: "Worn out garments are shed by the body; worn out bodies are shed by the dweller.". 1. At the subhuman level the passage is almost automatic up the chain of being.. 2. At the human level comes consciousness which implies freedom, responsibility, and effort.. 3. The consequences of your past decisions have determined your present state.

Reincarnation As per Hinduism, the life on earth is not a discrete one time event. It is just one episode in the play. There would be multiple appearances (births) before the soul finally takes leave from the cycle. The birth is not just limited to being born as human, it includes the births as the animals, plants, even as the divines who rule the parts of nature ! The appearance of the soul in any of such forms is called reincarnation. After so many births when the soul is freed of any more reincarnation, it is in the state of mukti or liberation. This is the ultimate state.

Karma As the soul moves from one body to another, it carries forward something along with it, which is nothing but what it has accumulated performing various deeds. This can be thought of as a global account that each soul is associated with, irrespective of the place it is in currently. This account would have both the logs of good and bad deeds it performed similar to the credit and liabilities. This account is what is called karma.

Law of Karma – The moral law of action and reaction The present condition of your soul (confusion or serenity) is a product of your past decisions. You have made yourself what you are. Your present thoughts, decisions, and actions determine your future states. ("Unsettled state" = "bad karma.")  Karma can be altered through natural and moral decision and action. Every person gets what that person deserves--even though decisions are freely arrived at, there is no chance in the universe. Karma is the middle way between determinism and indeterminism. The assumption is that we will not change the world in any significant way--the world is the training ground for Atman-Brahman. There is no randomness or accident in the universe. "There are no lost traces."  Karma is not fate or strict causality.