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VARNA DHARMA
Varna Dharma
• Varna Dharma is the dharma of
social planning
• The principle of planning as
conceived within Hinduism
makes movement from
vocation to vocation,
profession to profession,
impossible
• It is the obligations & rules
necessary for a well-organized
society
Varna Dharma
• As a Dharma it deals with duties, not rights,
with social utility & self realization rather
than class identity & individual privileges
• Varna Dharma may not have been designed
to distinguish the high & the low, the good &
the bad, the fact that is it has acquired value
distinctions
Varna Dharma
• The Brahmin is the one
who has moved further
along in development
towards the Perfection of
Man than has the other
classes
• He is better, although since
Hinduism has no theory of
the inevitable progress of
the individual, he may slip
from the status he has
attained
VARNA DHARMA
Origin of the Caste System
• Origin of the caste system
cannot be established
• Many theories on the origin
of castes
• Castes appear to have
originated in northwestern
India among the invading
Aryans as a technique to
avoid assimilation with the
dark skinned aboriginals.
Origin of the Caste System
• Before coming into India
the Aryans distinguished
between nobility (Ksatra)
& the common people
(vis) of their own tribes
• Perhaps they has also
participated in an ancient
Iranian division into
priests, warriors,
agriculturalists & artisans
Origin of the Caste System
• After settling in the Indus valley
they were confronted with the
problem of maintaining their own
identity
• They began to distinguish
themselves as Aryans (Nobles)
from the conquered peoples,
whom they called Dasas (black
ones) or Asuras (non-shinning
ones).
Origin of the Caste System
• The former term came
to mean slaves, the
latter came to mean
demons
Origin of the Caste System
• In the Rig Veda these peoples are described as
black in color, speechless (probably meaning
that they did not speak the Aryan tongue),
without rites, without any purpose in life, &
without the gods (Adevas).
• Those Aryans who married Dasas fell in the
social scale of the conquerors
Origin of the Caste
System
• As a religious rite became
more complicated, those who
were in charge of the
sacrificial lore were shown
special deference, & they
rose in social ranks.
• By the close of Vedic period a
fourfold division of society
had been accepted & had
been given religious sanction
VARNA DHARMA
• The religious sanction for
the caste system can be
found in the Rig Veda in the
myth of the Purusa, the
primeval man who existed
before the foundation of
the universe
• Purusa is the primordial
sacrifice slain before the
foundation of the world is
laid
• The gods
immolated
him making
the firmament
from his navel,
heaven from
his head, earth
from his feet,
space from his
ear…
Man also came from him: “His mouth
became the Brahmin, his arms became the
Ksatriya, his thighs became the Vaisya &
the Sudras was born from his feet
• These classes of men
were not called Varna’s
in the Rig Veda but later
the term Varna was used
to signify the priestly
scholars, the warriors &
ruler, the merchants &
the serfs or laborers
• The fact that Varna
mean color has
caused some to
make the facile
assumption that the
classification was a
color distinction
• However, Varna also
mean species, kind,
character, nature &
form
Varna among the gods
• In the Brahmanas, the
Varna system is found
among the gods
• Agni & Brhaspati are
Brahmins
• Indra, Varuna, Soma &
Yama are Ksatriya
• Vasus, Rudra & the Maruts
are Vaisya
• Pusan is a Sudras
• Maitrayani Samskara 1.10.13; Satapatha
Brahmana 14.4.2 23-25
VARNA DHARMA
HINDU MYTHOLOGY
• In the Hindu mythology we
find men of lower castes
ascending to positions of
eminence and authority
• Some important characters
in the epics Ramayana and
Mahabharata belonged to
lower castes Ramayana
HINDU MYTHOLOGY
• Lord Rama was assisted
by mostly men of
humble origins, who
lived in the forests and
were ignorant of the
Vedic scriptures.
• Lord Krishna himself
was brought up by a
family of cowherds.
HINDU MYTHOLOGY
• So was Balarama, his
step brother, who is
sometimes included in
the list of Vishnu's ten
incarnations.
• Only three or four of
the ten incarnations of
Lord Vishnu came from
higher castes
HINDU MYTHOLOGY
• Of the ten only one, the incarnation of
Vamana, belongs to the Brahmin caste.
• Rama, Parashurama and the Buddha
belong to the Ksatriya caste while other
incarnations such as the incarnation of
fish, turtle, boar and the half man and
half lion are actually animal
incarnations, which in other words
means once born, just like the forest
dwellers that assisted Lord Rama in his
battle against the demon king Ravana.
Many ancient sages and rishis also
came from humble backgrounds
• Sage Parashar, the famous law
giver, was the son of an outcaste
(Candala).
• Rishi Vashishta was born to a
prostitute
• Sage Vyasa, the original author of
the Mahabharata, was born to a
fisherwoman.
• Rishi Valmiki the original composer
of Ramayana came from a tribal
family of traditional hunters
VARNA DHARMA
Portuguese & Casta
• When the Portuguese came to
India in the 16th century, they
used the word Casta for Varna
• Casta means an unmixed race,
a tribe, or a clan, is a poor
translation.
• It denotes groups that rise &
fall in a social scale, but the 4
Varna’s are fixed
VARNA DHARMA
Maurya
period (300
BC)
• While the Varna remained
four, the castes became many.
• Inter caste marriages, practice
of polygamy, assimilation of
foreigners, creation of vast
administrative machinery that
resulted in new classes of
people and new positions of
authority, and geographical
expansion of the empires to
the south which exposed new
groups and communities to
the Vedic religion contributed
to this new development and
added diversity and
complexity to the social fabric
of ancient India.
VARNA DHARMA
Gandhi reflect a late point of view
• The class distinction may
have been originally based on
the Gunas: Rajas (active
individual), Sattva
(intellectual types), & Tamas
(sluggish people)
• The Bhagavad Gita 4.13 can
be used as a proof text for
such a claim : “The 4 fold
order was created by Me
according to the divisions of
quality (Gunas) & work
(Karma)
VARNA DHARMA
MANU - BRAHMIN
• The Brahmins are to study &
teach Vedic lore, to conduct
sacrifices, to give & receive
gifts
• They are the middle men
between gods & men
• They acts as temple priests &
invoke gods on behalf of others
MANU - BRAHMIN
• They are expected to show
exemplary behavior & spend
their lives in the pursuit of
divine knowledge &
preservation of the traditions
• According to Manu, the law
maker, a Brahmin was an
incarnation of Dharma
(sacred Tradition), born to
serve & protect the Dharma
MANU - BRAHMIN
• He belonged to the excellent
of the human race, endowed
with intelligence & knowledge
to attain Brahman
• He was the highest on earth,
the lord of all created beings.
• Whatever that existed in the
world was the property of a
Brahmana & he was entitled
to all
MANU - KSATRIYA
• The Ksatriya are to protect
the people, to give gifts, to
study the Vedas, & to
abstain from sensual
pleasure
• It was a king’s duty to
protect his kingdom & his
people
• He had something in
himself of the gods such
Indra, Vayu, Yama…
MANU - KSATRIYA
• A king should not be
despised even if he was an
infant
• His authority should not be
questioned except when he
ignored his duties in
supporting & protecting
Brahmins
MANU - KSATRIYA
• The king has the right to
punish, but he must be fair
in his punishment
• It was king’s responsibility
to protect the caste system
& the social order & lavish
the priests with generous
gifts at every opportunity
MANU - VAISYA
• The Vaisya are to tend
cattle, to give alms, to
sacrifice, to study the
Vedas, to lend money, to
cultivate the land
• They had the right to
perform & participate in
certain Vedic rituals but
they were not allowed to
marry woman of higher
caste
MANU - SUDRAS
• Sudras to serve meekly the
other castes.
• The line of distinction is
between the 3 upper Varna’s &
the Sudras, not between
Brahmins & non Brahmins
• Brahmins, Ksatriya & Vaisya
are to study the Vedas, but this
is not mentioned as a Sudras
duty
• Sudras are forbidden to study
the Vedas
MANU - CANDALA
• The lowest of the Sudras
were called Candala or
the impure ones
• They were treated as
untouchables because of
their gory religious
practices, penchant for
sacrifices, magical rites &
unclean habits
MANU - CANDALA
• In ancient times they
were not allowed to enter
a village or a city during
the day time or walk in
the same street where
men of other castes
walked.
• Even their shadow were
considered impure & their
very sight as a bad omen
MANU - CANDALA
• So they lived mostly on
the fringes of society,
unknown & uncared for,
following some esoteric
religion of their own &
working mostly in the
grave yards & cremation
grounds or as hunters,
butcher & professional
cleaners of human waste
VARNA DHARMA
• Sankara quotes with approval the
following passage from the Veda
• The ears of him (Sudras) who
hears the Veda are to be filled
with molten lead …
• For a Sudras is like a cemetery,
therefore the Vedas is not to be
read in the vicinity of a Sudras
• The tongue of a Sudras is
to be slit if he
pronounces the Vedas, &
his body to be cut if he
preserves the Veda.
• Only the members of the
3 upper Varna are to
study the Veda, to
participate in Vedic
sacrifices, & to bestow
gift in Vedic fashion
• Sankara recognize that this
general rule may at times be
alter
• If a Sudras despite the rule
somehow acquire Vedic
knowledge, he will be
liberated, “since knowledge
in all cases bring it fruit.”
• Sankara acknowledge that
the Ithihasas & the Puranas
may be taught to the Sudras
• He quotes the Mahabharata to
support his view: “He is to teach
the 4 castes.”
• But to make sure his principal
point is not lost, Sankara adds as
a concluding remarks: “It
remains, however, a settled
point that they (Sudras) do not
possess any such qualification to
the Vedas
VARNA DHARMA
• Brahmins, Ksatriya & Vaisya are
twice born, that is the male
members of these Varna
undergo at puberty a sacrament
marking their spiritual birth.
• Sudras, once born that is they
do not have a spiritual birth
• The supreme Varna Dharma for
the twice born is to engage in
self perfecting.
• The chief obligation of the
once born is to serve the
twice born, knowing that
their status as Sudras is the
result of Karmic forces & that
the twice born state is a
possibility for them in later
reincarnation
• There is no necessity that
each individual to go through
the 4 Varna’s, that is the
Vaisya & Ksatriya do not
need to anticipate becoming
Brahmins as part of their
Sadhana
VARNA DHARMA
• Brahmin are given
extremely high status in
Hindu law book
• The gods are invisible
deities, but Brahmins are
visible deities
• A Brahmin whether learned
or not, is a great deity
• Their duties are chiefly
concern with the
conservation of the Vedic
lore
Brahmin Privileges listed
in the Dharma Sastras
Privileges
• They must serve as
guru to all the Varna
• They must expound
the proper duties &
conduct to all classes
• They may eat sacrificial
food
• They cannot be given
corporal punishment
Privileges
• They are free from
taxation Example
there is lighter
punishment for
adultery committed
by a Brahmin than
for adultery
committed by a
Sudras.
• They may keep all
found treasure
• They do not sin by
dying without an heir
Privileges
• They are favor on the
roadways
• Killing a Brahmin is
the greatest sin
• Threatening or
striking a Brahmin is
severely condemned
• They received lighter
punishment for some
offences
Privileges
• They cannot be called
as litigant by a
member of a lower
Varna
• They may be guests at
Sraddhas (Oblations
to the dead)
• They are the only one
who can perform
certain sacrifices
VARNA DHARMA
• They cannot study the Veda
nor perform Vedic rites
• Nor engage in most of the
sacraments
• They cannot gain merit by
giving gifts to the Brahmins
• They cannot cook for the
Brahmin, nor eat with them,
nor touch them.
• They are to spend their whole
life in the householder stage
VARNA DHARMA
How the Caste
System was
Enforced
• HEREDITY
• CASTE RULE
• MARRIAGES
• PREFERENTIAL
TREATMENT
• ROYAL SUPPORT
How the Caste System
was Enforced
• The caste system was
enforced with the help of
law books such
as Manusmriti and the
support of kings who
considered themselves as
upholders of dharma.
• The force of tradition,
superstition, religious
beliefs, fear of punishment
also played an important
role in its success
Heredity
• The caste system was
based on birth.
• People inherited caste
from their parents and
passed it on to their
children.
• Individuals had no
right to change their
caste as long as they
practiced the Vedic
religion.
Heredity
• But they could be
excommunicated from the
caste by the kings or the
local administrators or
village heads in case of
serious transgression.
• In case of inter caste
marriages which were rare,
children inherited the castes
of their fathers.
Caste Rules
• The caste rules were
enforced strictly through
the fear of political and
religious authority.
• The success of the
system depended upon
the performance of
duties prescribed for
each caste.
• The rules varied from
caste to caste
Caste Rules
• People of higher castes
enjoyed privileges but were
also expected to be good
role models.
• For a Brahmin study of the
Vedas, practice of rituals
and leading a pure and
austere life were a must.
• Otherwise he was
considered to be equal to a
Sudra in the eyes of his
fellow caste members
Caste Rules
• Women were
expected to assist
their husbands in
observing the caste
rules.
• Purification
ceremonies, fines and
minor punishments
were prescribed to
annul the negative
effect of violating
caste rules.
Marriage
• The caste system
prohibited marriages
outside one's caste to
avoid inter mixture of the
castes (Varna samkaram),
which was considered to
be a sign of decline of
dharma and the very
reason why the caste
system was devised.
Marriage
• The law books
allowed certain types of
inter-caste marriages as an
exception rather than rule.
• Marriages between a
higher caste men and lower
caste women were less
objectionable than
Marriages between Sudra
males and higher caste
females and marriages
between men of upper
castes and Sudra women
Preferential
treatment
• The three upper castes
enjoyed distinct
advantages in society
compared to the Sudras
whose job was to serve
the three upper castes
and live like fourth class
citizens.
Preferential treatment
• People born in the three
upper castes were given
initiation into the study of
the Vedas and treated as
twice born, while Sudras
were not allowed to study
or even hear the Vedas.
• They were treated on par
with animals and
considered once borne
Preferential treatment
• The laws were
discriminatory in matters
of rewards and
punishments.
• They prescribed lighter
punishments for higher
castes than the lower
castes who had
technically little recourse
against the former in
criminal cases
Preferential treatment
• For the same offence
committed, a lower caste
person might attract physical
torture, slavery or death
penalty while a higher caste
person might get away with a
simple fine or chastisement or
purification ceremony.
• The lower caste persons were
also not allowed to act as
witnesses or sit in judgment
against higher castes
Royal Support
• The caste system was
preserved and enforced
mostly through royal
support.
• The relationship between
the priestly class and the
warrior class was one of
convenience
Royal Support
• The kings took upon
themselves the tasks of
protecting the caste
system and preventing
caste intermixture while
the priests performed
sacrificial ceremonies and
purifications ceremonies
seeking the welfare of the
king and a place for him in
heavens
Royal Support
• The scriptures
proclaimed the king as a
god in human form and
protector and preserver
of castes and caste order
• The very notion of
punishment was a
created by God and given
to the kings upon earth
to help them destroy evil
and keep men on the
path of dharma
Royal Support
• The scriptures suggested
that a king should start
his day by worshipping
three Brahmins on
waking up and follow
their advice with
humility and modesty.
• He should also appoint a
Brahman to the position
of a chief minister with
and deliberate with him
on the most important
affairs concerning royal
policy
VEDAS
KARMAS
GUNAS
RELIGIOUS LAW
Justification in the Vedas
• No Vedic tradition is valid unless it is found in
the Vedas.
• The caste system would not have found
approval among the Vedic people unless
there was some reference to it in the Vedas.
Justification in the Vedas
• The Purusha Sukta in the 10th Mandala of the
Rig-Veda describes how the castes came into
existence, from different parts of Purusha, the
Cosmic Soul, at the time of a grand sacrifice
performed by the gods.
Justification in the Vedas
• The Brahmins came out of
his mouth, the Ksatriya
from his arms, the Vaisya
from his thighs and the
Sudras from his feet.
• Many scholars believe that
concepts and the imagery
of Purusha Sukta belong to
later Vedic period rather
than the Rig-Veda period
and so it was probably a
later day interpolation
Karma Justification
• The concept of karma
perfectly justifies the
caste system based on
birth.
• It favors the argument
that people of lower
castes have to blame
themselves for their
plight because of their
bad karma in their past
lives.
Karma Justification
• Their pitiable plight is a stern
warning to the rest of the
humanity that the wheel of
dharma operates inexorably,
sparing none and favoring none.
• This line of argument is found in
many scriptures, including the
Bhagavad-Gita, according to
which people of good merit and
those who had developed
detachment or dispassion were
born in pious families Bhagavad
Gita echoes the same theme
Karma Justification
• In the fourth chapter of the
book, Lord Krishna declared
that the fourfold Varna system
was created by him based on
the triple Gunas and
mechanism of karma
• By combining the belief in
karma with the caste system,
the ancient law makers
prescribed different vocational
and occupational duties for
each caste and expected
people to follow them
sincerely as an integral part of
their religious duty
Karma Justification
• Observing these duties without
questioning them was an act of merit,
which entitled them to progress on the
path of dharma and obtain a better life in
the next birth
GUNAS JUSTIFICATION
• According to many schools
of Hindu philosophy, all
beings and objects in the
world contain the triple
Gunas or qualities of
Prakriti.
• Their dominance or
suppression cause people
to act and behave
differently and make them
fit for certain types of
occupations
GUNAS JUSTIFICATION
• These three qualities are
Sattva, Rajas and Tamas.
• Sattva is characterized by
purity and spirituality and
manifests in men in the
form of knowledge,
intelligence, faith, sincerity,
devotion, piousness and so
on.
• Sattva is believed to be the
predominant quality
among the men of
knowledge, in other
worlds, Brahmins
GUNAS JUSTIFICATION
• Rajas is characterized by
egoism and materialism and
manifests in men as ambition,
pride, desire for wealth and
personal power, lust,
hypocrisy, attachment and so
on.
• Rajas are believed to be the
predominant quality in case of
men of action, in other words,
in Ksatriya and Vaisya
GUNAS JUSTIFICATION
• Tamas is characterized by
lethargy and manifests in men
in the form of ignorance, lack
of ambition, extreme
austerities, demonical resolve,
uncleanliness, negative
attitude, unhealthy habits and
other forms of undesirable
behavior.
• Tamas is believed to be the
predominant quality in men
who are unclean and ignorant,
in other words, Sudras
RELIGIOUS JUSTIFICATION
• The caste system was justified
by most of the Smrti
literature, Manusmriti being
the most notorious among
them and by such religious
scriptures as the Puranas, the
Sutra literature and scriptures
such as the Bhagavad-Gita
and some later day
Upanishads.
• The law books not only
justified rigid caste system but
prescribed severe
punishments in case of
violation.
RELIGIOUS
JUSTIFICATION
• The very purpose for which
the law books were composed
and the manner in which the
information was organized in
them on caste lines suggest
that in ancient and medieval
India they were meant to
perpetuate and justify the
caste system and provide clear
guidelines to the
administrative machinery to
enforce the laws concerning
social divisions with little
confusion
Caste in other
religion
• Despite the obvious
defects, problems &
injustices of the castes,
the systems pervades the
lives of many in India who
are not Hindus
• The caste system has
entered Islam with
divisions into Sayed,
Mughal, Sheikh, & Pathan
Caste in other
religion
• Zoroastrianism in
India had developed
similar divisions:
Atharvas,
Rathaesthas,
Vastrtafshuyans &
Huiti
• Christians in India
have also formed
groups analogous to
castes
VARNA DHARMA
• It direct the people
attention of people to
ceremonies & magical
practices rather than to
moral issues
• Deaden human sympathies
towards the less fortunate
people of society
• Fragment & narrow the
human compass of
humanitarian concerns, &
places a higher values on
birth then on character &
attainment
• They did not attempt to
abolish the caste system
as they saw in it a great
opportunity to maintain
their hold by keeping the
society divided.
• The Christian
missionaries found in it a
convenient means to
convert people to
Christianity and keep the
Hindu society defensive
• Ambedkar, an untouchable
who earned a doctorate at
Columbia University,
suffered all his life at the
hands of people inferior to
him in education yet
superior to him by reason of
Varna
• Office helpers in the
government buildings at
New Delhi used to slam
inter office communications
on his desk as an expression
of their attitude towards his
untouchability
In conversation with Gandhi on
August 14, 1931
• “Gandhiji, I have no
homeland; &this
religion my own
wherein we are
treated worse than
cats & dogs, wherein
we cannot get water
to drink? No self
respecting
Untouchable worth
the name would be
proud of this land
Ambedkar
Conversion
• On October 14, 1956 — and a
mere two months before his
death — Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, the
scholar and political leader who
was principally responsible for
the drafting of India’s
Constitution, converted to
Buddhism in a public ceremony
in Nagpur.
• Somewhere between 100,000
and 500,000 of his Dalit
followers — the accounts vary
— embraced Buddhism in the
immediate wake of his
conversion
VARNA DHARMA
• After independence,
Indian constitution
guaranteed equal status
and fundamental rights to
all classes of people.
• Practice of untouchability
was officially declared as
a serious crime,
punishable with severe
penalties.
• Provisions were made to
identify and protect the
lower castes from
exploitation and ill
treatment.
• Reservation policy created
a level playing field and
protected them from unfair
competition from higher
castes in matters of
employment and
education.
• Today the lower castes
occupy positions of
authority and leadership
and are engaged in every
profession.
• While a lot of improvement
in their overall status is still
required, through
constitutional guarantees
the Indian government
established many
safeguards for the lower
castes and improved their
status in society
considerably so much so
that often the high castes
complain of being
discriminated and at a
disadvantage
• By granting constitutional
guarantees to the lower
castes and protecting them
from unfair competition, the
Indian government averted a
major disaster for the newly
independent country such as
a civil war or civil strife or
mass conversions to other
religions
VARNA DHARMA

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VARNA DHARMA

  • 2. Varna Dharma • Varna Dharma is the dharma of social planning • The principle of planning as conceived within Hinduism makes movement from vocation to vocation, profession to profession, impossible • It is the obligations & rules necessary for a well-organized society
  • 3. Varna Dharma • As a Dharma it deals with duties, not rights, with social utility & self realization rather than class identity & individual privileges • Varna Dharma may not have been designed to distinguish the high & the low, the good & the bad, the fact that is it has acquired value distinctions
  • 4. Varna Dharma • The Brahmin is the one who has moved further along in development towards the Perfection of Man than has the other classes • He is better, although since Hinduism has no theory of the inevitable progress of the individual, he may slip from the status he has attained
  • 6. Origin of the Caste System • Origin of the caste system cannot be established • Many theories on the origin of castes • Castes appear to have originated in northwestern India among the invading Aryans as a technique to avoid assimilation with the dark skinned aboriginals.
  • 7. Origin of the Caste System • Before coming into India the Aryans distinguished between nobility (Ksatra) & the common people (vis) of their own tribes • Perhaps they has also participated in an ancient Iranian division into priests, warriors, agriculturalists & artisans
  • 8. Origin of the Caste System • After settling in the Indus valley they were confronted with the problem of maintaining their own identity • They began to distinguish themselves as Aryans (Nobles) from the conquered peoples, whom they called Dasas (black ones) or Asuras (non-shinning ones).
  • 9. Origin of the Caste System • The former term came to mean slaves, the latter came to mean demons
  • 10. Origin of the Caste System • In the Rig Veda these peoples are described as black in color, speechless (probably meaning that they did not speak the Aryan tongue), without rites, without any purpose in life, & without the gods (Adevas). • Those Aryans who married Dasas fell in the social scale of the conquerors
  • 11. Origin of the Caste System • As a religious rite became more complicated, those who were in charge of the sacrificial lore were shown special deference, & they rose in social ranks. • By the close of Vedic period a fourfold division of society had been accepted & had been given religious sanction
  • 13. • The religious sanction for the caste system can be found in the Rig Veda in the myth of the Purusa, the primeval man who existed before the foundation of the universe • Purusa is the primordial sacrifice slain before the foundation of the world is laid
  • 14. • The gods immolated him making the firmament from his navel, heaven from his head, earth from his feet, space from his ear… Man also came from him: “His mouth became the Brahmin, his arms became the Ksatriya, his thighs became the Vaisya & the Sudras was born from his feet
  • 15. • These classes of men were not called Varna’s in the Rig Veda but later the term Varna was used to signify the priestly scholars, the warriors & ruler, the merchants & the serfs or laborers
  • 16. • The fact that Varna mean color has caused some to make the facile assumption that the classification was a color distinction • However, Varna also mean species, kind, character, nature & form
  • 17. Varna among the gods • In the Brahmanas, the Varna system is found among the gods • Agni & Brhaspati are Brahmins • Indra, Varuna, Soma & Yama are Ksatriya • Vasus, Rudra & the Maruts are Vaisya • Pusan is a Sudras • Maitrayani Samskara 1.10.13; Satapatha Brahmana 14.4.2 23-25
  • 19. HINDU MYTHOLOGY • In the Hindu mythology we find men of lower castes ascending to positions of eminence and authority • Some important characters in the epics Ramayana and Mahabharata belonged to lower castes Ramayana
  • 20. HINDU MYTHOLOGY • Lord Rama was assisted by mostly men of humble origins, who lived in the forests and were ignorant of the Vedic scriptures. • Lord Krishna himself was brought up by a family of cowherds.
  • 21. HINDU MYTHOLOGY • So was Balarama, his step brother, who is sometimes included in the list of Vishnu's ten incarnations. • Only three or four of the ten incarnations of Lord Vishnu came from higher castes
  • 22. HINDU MYTHOLOGY • Of the ten only one, the incarnation of Vamana, belongs to the Brahmin caste. • Rama, Parashurama and the Buddha belong to the Ksatriya caste while other incarnations such as the incarnation of fish, turtle, boar and the half man and half lion are actually animal incarnations, which in other words means once born, just like the forest dwellers that assisted Lord Rama in his battle against the demon king Ravana.
  • 23. Many ancient sages and rishis also came from humble backgrounds • Sage Parashar, the famous law giver, was the son of an outcaste (Candala). • Rishi Vashishta was born to a prostitute • Sage Vyasa, the original author of the Mahabharata, was born to a fisherwoman. • Rishi Valmiki the original composer of Ramayana came from a tribal family of traditional hunters
  • 25. Portuguese & Casta • When the Portuguese came to India in the 16th century, they used the word Casta for Varna • Casta means an unmixed race, a tribe, or a clan, is a poor translation. • It denotes groups that rise & fall in a social scale, but the 4 Varna’s are fixed
  • 27. Maurya period (300 BC) • While the Varna remained four, the castes became many. • Inter caste marriages, practice of polygamy, assimilation of foreigners, creation of vast administrative machinery that resulted in new classes of people and new positions of authority, and geographical expansion of the empires to the south which exposed new groups and communities to the Vedic religion contributed to this new development and added diversity and complexity to the social fabric of ancient India.
  • 29. Gandhi reflect a late point of view • The class distinction may have been originally based on the Gunas: Rajas (active individual), Sattva (intellectual types), & Tamas (sluggish people) • The Bhagavad Gita 4.13 can be used as a proof text for such a claim : “The 4 fold order was created by Me according to the divisions of quality (Gunas) & work (Karma)
  • 31. MANU - BRAHMIN • The Brahmins are to study & teach Vedic lore, to conduct sacrifices, to give & receive gifts • They are the middle men between gods & men • They acts as temple priests & invoke gods on behalf of others
  • 32. MANU - BRAHMIN • They are expected to show exemplary behavior & spend their lives in the pursuit of divine knowledge & preservation of the traditions • According to Manu, the law maker, a Brahmin was an incarnation of Dharma (sacred Tradition), born to serve & protect the Dharma
  • 33. MANU - BRAHMIN • He belonged to the excellent of the human race, endowed with intelligence & knowledge to attain Brahman • He was the highest on earth, the lord of all created beings. • Whatever that existed in the world was the property of a Brahmana & he was entitled to all
  • 34. MANU - KSATRIYA • The Ksatriya are to protect the people, to give gifts, to study the Vedas, & to abstain from sensual pleasure • It was a king’s duty to protect his kingdom & his people • He had something in himself of the gods such Indra, Vayu, Yama…
  • 35. MANU - KSATRIYA • A king should not be despised even if he was an infant • His authority should not be questioned except when he ignored his duties in supporting & protecting Brahmins
  • 36. MANU - KSATRIYA • The king has the right to punish, but he must be fair in his punishment • It was king’s responsibility to protect the caste system & the social order & lavish the priests with generous gifts at every opportunity
  • 37. MANU - VAISYA • The Vaisya are to tend cattle, to give alms, to sacrifice, to study the Vedas, to lend money, to cultivate the land • They had the right to perform & participate in certain Vedic rituals but they were not allowed to marry woman of higher caste
  • 38. MANU - SUDRAS • Sudras to serve meekly the other castes. • The line of distinction is between the 3 upper Varna’s & the Sudras, not between Brahmins & non Brahmins • Brahmins, Ksatriya & Vaisya are to study the Vedas, but this is not mentioned as a Sudras duty • Sudras are forbidden to study the Vedas
  • 39. MANU - CANDALA • The lowest of the Sudras were called Candala or the impure ones • They were treated as untouchables because of their gory religious practices, penchant for sacrifices, magical rites & unclean habits
  • 40. MANU - CANDALA • In ancient times they were not allowed to enter a village or a city during the day time or walk in the same street where men of other castes walked. • Even their shadow were considered impure & their very sight as a bad omen
  • 41. MANU - CANDALA • So they lived mostly on the fringes of society, unknown & uncared for, following some esoteric religion of their own & working mostly in the grave yards & cremation grounds or as hunters, butcher & professional cleaners of human waste
  • 43. • Sankara quotes with approval the following passage from the Veda • The ears of him (Sudras) who hears the Veda are to be filled with molten lead … • For a Sudras is like a cemetery, therefore the Vedas is not to be read in the vicinity of a Sudras
  • 44. • The tongue of a Sudras is to be slit if he pronounces the Vedas, & his body to be cut if he preserves the Veda. • Only the members of the 3 upper Varna are to study the Veda, to participate in Vedic sacrifices, & to bestow gift in Vedic fashion
  • 45. • Sankara recognize that this general rule may at times be alter • If a Sudras despite the rule somehow acquire Vedic knowledge, he will be liberated, “since knowledge in all cases bring it fruit.” • Sankara acknowledge that the Ithihasas & the Puranas may be taught to the Sudras
  • 46. • He quotes the Mahabharata to support his view: “He is to teach the 4 castes.” • But to make sure his principal point is not lost, Sankara adds as a concluding remarks: “It remains, however, a settled point that they (Sudras) do not possess any such qualification to the Vedas
  • 48. • Brahmins, Ksatriya & Vaisya are twice born, that is the male members of these Varna undergo at puberty a sacrament marking their spiritual birth. • Sudras, once born that is they do not have a spiritual birth • The supreme Varna Dharma for the twice born is to engage in self perfecting.
  • 49. • The chief obligation of the once born is to serve the twice born, knowing that their status as Sudras is the result of Karmic forces & that the twice born state is a possibility for them in later reincarnation • There is no necessity that each individual to go through the 4 Varna’s, that is the Vaisya & Ksatriya do not need to anticipate becoming Brahmins as part of their Sadhana
  • 51. • Brahmin are given extremely high status in Hindu law book • The gods are invisible deities, but Brahmins are visible deities • A Brahmin whether learned or not, is a great deity • Their duties are chiefly concern with the conservation of the Vedic lore
  • 52. Brahmin Privileges listed in the Dharma Sastras
  • 53. Privileges • They must serve as guru to all the Varna • They must expound the proper duties & conduct to all classes • They may eat sacrificial food • They cannot be given corporal punishment
  • 54. Privileges • They are free from taxation Example there is lighter punishment for adultery committed by a Brahmin than for adultery committed by a Sudras. • They may keep all found treasure • They do not sin by dying without an heir
  • 55. Privileges • They are favor on the roadways • Killing a Brahmin is the greatest sin • Threatening or striking a Brahmin is severely condemned • They received lighter punishment for some offences
  • 56. Privileges • They cannot be called as litigant by a member of a lower Varna • They may be guests at Sraddhas (Oblations to the dead) • They are the only one who can perform certain sacrifices
  • 58. • They cannot study the Veda nor perform Vedic rites • Nor engage in most of the sacraments • They cannot gain merit by giving gifts to the Brahmins • They cannot cook for the Brahmin, nor eat with them, nor touch them. • They are to spend their whole life in the householder stage
  • 60. How the Caste System was Enforced • HEREDITY • CASTE RULE • MARRIAGES • PREFERENTIAL TREATMENT • ROYAL SUPPORT
  • 61. How the Caste System was Enforced • The caste system was enforced with the help of law books such as Manusmriti and the support of kings who considered themselves as upholders of dharma. • The force of tradition, superstition, religious beliefs, fear of punishment also played an important role in its success
  • 62. Heredity • The caste system was based on birth. • People inherited caste from their parents and passed it on to their children. • Individuals had no right to change their caste as long as they practiced the Vedic religion.
  • 63. Heredity • But they could be excommunicated from the caste by the kings or the local administrators or village heads in case of serious transgression. • In case of inter caste marriages which were rare, children inherited the castes of their fathers.
  • 64. Caste Rules • The caste rules were enforced strictly through the fear of political and religious authority. • The success of the system depended upon the performance of duties prescribed for each caste. • The rules varied from caste to caste
  • 65. Caste Rules • People of higher castes enjoyed privileges but were also expected to be good role models. • For a Brahmin study of the Vedas, practice of rituals and leading a pure and austere life were a must. • Otherwise he was considered to be equal to a Sudra in the eyes of his fellow caste members
  • 66. Caste Rules • Women were expected to assist their husbands in observing the caste rules. • Purification ceremonies, fines and minor punishments were prescribed to annul the negative effect of violating caste rules.
  • 67. Marriage • The caste system prohibited marriages outside one's caste to avoid inter mixture of the castes (Varna samkaram), which was considered to be a sign of decline of dharma and the very reason why the caste system was devised.
  • 68. Marriage • The law books allowed certain types of inter-caste marriages as an exception rather than rule. • Marriages between a higher caste men and lower caste women were less objectionable than Marriages between Sudra males and higher caste females and marriages between men of upper castes and Sudra women
  • 69. Preferential treatment • The three upper castes enjoyed distinct advantages in society compared to the Sudras whose job was to serve the three upper castes and live like fourth class citizens.
  • 70. Preferential treatment • People born in the three upper castes were given initiation into the study of the Vedas and treated as twice born, while Sudras were not allowed to study or even hear the Vedas. • They were treated on par with animals and considered once borne
  • 71. Preferential treatment • The laws were discriminatory in matters of rewards and punishments. • They prescribed lighter punishments for higher castes than the lower castes who had technically little recourse against the former in criminal cases
  • 72. Preferential treatment • For the same offence committed, a lower caste person might attract physical torture, slavery or death penalty while a higher caste person might get away with a simple fine or chastisement or purification ceremony. • The lower caste persons were also not allowed to act as witnesses or sit in judgment against higher castes
  • 73. Royal Support • The caste system was preserved and enforced mostly through royal support. • The relationship between the priestly class and the warrior class was one of convenience
  • 74. Royal Support • The kings took upon themselves the tasks of protecting the caste system and preventing caste intermixture while the priests performed sacrificial ceremonies and purifications ceremonies seeking the welfare of the king and a place for him in heavens
  • 75. Royal Support • The scriptures proclaimed the king as a god in human form and protector and preserver of castes and caste order • The very notion of punishment was a created by God and given to the kings upon earth to help them destroy evil and keep men on the path of dharma
  • 76. Royal Support • The scriptures suggested that a king should start his day by worshipping three Brahmins on waking up and follow their advice with humility and modesty. • He should also appoint a Brahman to the position of a chief minister with and deliberate with him on the most important affairs concerning royal policy
  • 78. Justification in the Vedas • No Vedic tradition is valid unless it is found in the Vedas. • The caste system would not have found approval among the Vedic people unless there was some reference to it in the Vedas.
  • 79. Justification in the Vedas • The Purusha Sukta in the 10th Mandala of the Rig-Veda describes how the castes came into existence, from different parts of Purusha, the Cosmic Soul, at the time of a grand sacrifice performed by the gods.
  • 80. Justification in the Vedas • The Brahmins came out of his mouth, the Ksatriya from his arms, the Vaisya from his thighs and the Sudras from his feet. • Many scholars believe that concepts and the imagery of Purusha Sukta belong to later Vedic period rather than the Rig-Veda period and so it was probably a later day interpolation
  • 81. Karma Justification • The concept of karma perfectly justifies the caste system based on birth. • It favors the argument that people of lower castes have to blame themselves for their plight because of their bad karma in their past lives.
  • 82. Karma Justification • Their pitiable plight is a stern warning to the rest of the humanity that the wheel of dharma operates inexorably, sparing none and favoring none. • This line of argument is found in many scriptures, including the Bhagavad-Gita, according to which people of good merit and those who had developed detachment or dispassion were born in pious families Bhagavad Gita echoes the same theme
  • 83. Karma Justification • In the fourth chapter of the book, Lord Krishna declared that the fourfold Varna system was created by him based on the triple Gunas and mechanism of karma • By combining the belief in karma with the caste system, the ancient law makers prescribed different vocational and occupational duties for each caste and expected people to follow them sincerely as an integral part of their religious duty
  • 84. Karma Justification • Observing these duties without questioning them was an act of merit, which entitled them to progress on the path of dharma and obtain a better life in the next birth
  • 85. GUNAS JUSTIFICATION • According to many schools of Hindu philosophy, all beings and objects in the world contain the triple Gunas or qualities of Prakriti. • Their dominance or suppression cause people to act and behave differently and make them fit for certain types of occupations
  • 86. GUNAS JUSTIFICATION • These three qualities are Sattva, Rajas and Tamas. • Sattva is characterized by purity and spirituality and manifests in men in the form of knowledge, intelligence, faith, sincerity, devotion, piousness and so on. • Sattva is believed to be the predominant quality among the men of knowledge, in other worlds, Brahmins
  • 87. GUNAS JUSTIFICATION • Rajas is characterized by egoism and materialism and manifests in men as ambition, pride, desire for wealth and personal power, lust, hypocrisy, attachment and so on. • Rajas are believed to be the predominant quality in case of men of action, in other words, in Ksatriya and Vaisya
  • 88. GUNAS JUSTIFICATION • Tamas is characterized by lethargy and manifests in men in the form of ignorance, lack of ambition, extreme austerities, demonical resolve, uncleanliness, negative attitude, unhealthy habits and other forms of undesirable behavior. • Tamas is believed to be the predominant quality in men who are unclean and ignorant, in other words, Sudras
  • 89. RELIGIOUS JUSTIFICATION • The caste system was justified by most of the Smrti literature, Manusmriti being the most notorious among them and by such religious scriptures as the Puranas, the Sutra literature and scriptures such as the Bhagavad-Gita and some later day Upanishads. • The law books not only justified rigid caste system but prescribed severe punishments in case of violation.
  • 90. RELIGIOUS JUSTIFICATION • The very purpose for which the law books were composed and the manner in which the information was organized in them on caste lines suggest that in ancient and medieval India they were meant to perpetuate and justify the caste system and provide clear guidelines to the administrative machinery to enforce the laws concerning social divisions with little confusion
  • 91. Caste in other religion • Despite the obvious defects, problems & injustices of the castes, the systems pervades the lives of many in India who are not Hindus • The caste system has entered Islam with divisions into Sayed, Mughal, Sheikh, & Pathan
  • 92. Caste in other religion • Zoroastrianism in India had developed similar divisions: Atharvas, Rathaesthas, Vastrtafshuyans & Huiti • Christians in India have also formed groups analogous to castes
  • 94. • It direct the people attention of people to ceremonies & magical practices rather than to moral issues • Deaden human sympathies towards the less fortunate people of society • Fragment & narrow the human compass of humanitarian concerns, & places a higher values on birth then on character & attainment
  • 95. • They did not attempt to abolish the caste system as they saw in it a great opportunity to maintain their hold by keeping the society divided. • The Christian missionaries found in it a convenient means to convert people to Christianity and keep the Hindu society defensive
  • 96. • Ambedkar, an untouchable who earned a doctorate at Columbia University, suffered all his life at the hands of people inferior to him in education yet superior to him by reason of Varna • Office helpers in the government buildings at New Delhi used to slam inter office communications on his desk as an expression of their attitude towards his untouchability
  • 97. In conversation with Gandhi on August 14, 1931 • “Gandhiji, I have no homeland; &this religion my own wherein we are treated worse than cats & dogs, wherein we cannot get water to drink? No self respecting Untouchable worth the name would be proud of this land
  • 98. Ambedkar Conversion • On October 14, 1956 — and a mere two months before his death — Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, the scholar and political leader who was principally responsible for the drafting of India’s Constitution, converted to Buddhism in a public ceremony in Nagpur. • Somewhere between 100,000 and 500,000 of his Dalit followers — the accounts vary — embraced Buddhism in the immediate wake of his conversion
  • 100. • After independence, Indian constitution guaranteed equal status and fundamental rights to all classes of people. • Practice of untouchability was officially declared as a serious crime, punishable with severe penalties. • Provisions were made to identify and protect the lower castes from exploitation and ill treatment.
  • 101. • Reservation policy created a level playing field and protected them from unfair competition from higher castes in matters of employment and education. • Today the lower castes occupy positions of authority and leadership and are engaged in every profession.
  • 102. • While a lot of improvement in their overall status is still required, through constitutional guarantees the Indian government established many safeguards for the lower castes and improved their status in society considerably so much so that often the high castes complain of being discriminated and at a disadvantage
  • 103. • By granting constitutional guarantees to the lower castes and protecting them from unfair competition, the Indian government averted a major disaster for the newly independent country such as a civil war or civil strife or mass conversions to other religions