Hinduism: Details about 'Indian Caste System'
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Caste (Sanskrit: Gyati ज्ञाति , Hindi: Biradari बिरादरी, samaj समाज, jati जाति etc , Urdu Zat ज़ात ) is an endogamous group. The Indian caste system is a social system in which people are divided into separate endogamous groups. Generally a caste is divided into exogamus groups based on same gotras गोत्र. There are now several thousand castes and subcastes in India, for example Agarwal, Chamar, Jat, Kapu, Nair, Konkanasth, Mahar, Chandraseniya Kayastha Prabhu (CKP), Reddy, Arora, Maratha, Saraswat Brahmins, Mudaliar, Barnwal etc. A caste is defined by the mutual interaction among the members of the caste. The two of the most common bonds are:
Varna and jatiIndian classes are called varna, literally, "kind", and are sometimes referred to as "castes" in English. There were four major varnas in Indian society according to classical texts (Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vaishya, and Shudra) arranged in a hierarchy, with the former untouchables (Dalit) being considered either the lower section of Shudras or outside the caste system altogether. Regionally the caste system is more complex, with many more sub-castes (occupational groups practicing endogamy in a particular region) and other divisions within each of the four pan-Indian castes or Varna. Mixed in with the varna caste system was the jati sub-caste system. The jati was effectively a system similar to guilds, and was associated with occupation. As the varnas gave structure to society, the jati gave structure to each varna. Unlike the varna system which required spiritual purity in order to ascend, jati could originally be changed with occupation within a varna. Marriages would be arranged usually within one's varna, but sometimes between jati sub-castes. Over time this grew more and more rigid until every aspect thereof was determined by birth, with various "justifications" as featured below. Some castes are based on occupation. For example, as a general rule goldsmiths, carpenters and barbers form separate castes. Most castes with a significant number of members are divided into subcastes. The subcastes could arise because of these reasons:
In several cases, merging of subcastes have been recorded. At one time there was considerable interest in relative ranking of castes. There are several ways ranking can be done.
A consequence of the 3rd rule was that Brahmins were often employed as cooks. The rule was often not applicable if the food items are dry (e.g. roasted grains) or cooked with oil/ghee (pakka). The status of untouchablesThe untouchable (or Dalit) in Hindu Society was a person who worked in ignominious, "polluting" jobs dealing with the dead (animal and human), the collection and disposal of bodily waste, and other jobs that brought him/her into constant contact with what society considered 'disgusting'. These occupations, however, were not merely seen as something disgusting that nevertheless needed to be done: they were considered unclean and polluting towards the individual, and the thus-rendered polluted were considered unfit for physical or social contact with the non-polluted, "pure" sections of Society. Untouchables used to live separately within a separate subcultural context of their own, outside the habitated limits of villages and townships, made pariahs in every sense of the word. No other castes could, or would, interfere with their social life since untouchables were lower in social ranking than even those of the shudra varna--they were regarded so worthless in human importance they were not even considered part of the caste/varna system. Untouchables suffered from extreme social restrictions. They were not allowed temple worship, nor water from the same sources. No person of a higher caste could interact with them. No untouchable could enter a temple if a person of a higher caste were within--and since priests of the temple, of the highest caste, were never absent, untouchables were in effect barred from entering temples, shrines, or any other kind of religious ground. Untouchables were not allowed to use the same wells as the other castes; they weren't "pure" enough, and that would "pollute" the water and indirectly the other castes who drank it. If somehow a member of a higher caste came into physical or social contact with an untouchable, the member of the higher caste was defiled, and had to wash her/himself repeatedly and engage in long and rigorous rituals to purge her/himself of the impurity. Such contact even included the shadow of an Untouchable falling on the member of the higher caste. The inclusion of lower castes into the mainstream was argued for by Mahatma Gandhi who called them "Harijans" (people of God). The term Dalit is used now as the term Harijan is largely felt patronising. Modern perceptions of casteThe caste system was first exposed to the modern Western world during the Portuguese occupation and rule of sections of India. Indeed, the word 'caste' in this context is derived from the Portuguese, casta. A few years down the line, other European empires including the British occupied parts of the subcontinent. Herbert Risley's The Tribes and Castes of Bengal, published in 1892, was one of the first works on the issue in India by a Western scholar. Independent India officially documented castes and subcastes, primarily to determine those deserving reservation, an affirmative action process vaguely similar to, and predating, the US system) through the census. The difference between the Indian reservation system and American affirmative action is that India relies entirely on quotas where the US does not. The government lists consist of:
Many Indian states are dominated by caste-based politics. Sometimes, converts to other religions like Christianity, or Islam, retain their caste identity, often due to the economic benefits it carries, and also to retain their ties with the community for social reasons. This practice, however, is often frowned upon by members of the same sub-caste. Major Caste GroupsThese are the major caste groups in India, listed in the order of population, based on 1891 census data.
There have been many attempts to group castes by assigning them to one of the four varna, however the assignments vary depending on who is making the assignments. Megasthenes, the Greek ambassador to Chandragupta Maurya's court in India classified people of India into seven classes: philosophers, peasants, herdsmen, craftsmen and traders, soldiers, government officials and councillors. Individuals have been known to be excommunicated out of the caste for egregious offences. They were then denied the privilege of mingling socially with the rest of their former caste. Theories about the origins of the systemAccording to the Aryan invasion theory, the caste system began with the arrival of the Aryans in India. The Aryans are said to have arrived in India around 1500 BC. The light skinned Indo-Aryans, according to this theory, arrived in India from Central Asia. The Aryan invaders, a primarily light-skinned people, were contemptuous of their subjects, who were dark. Before the Aryans there were other communities in India of other origins (see Indus Valley Civilization). Some of the most important of these are the Dravidian, the Mongol, the Austroloid and Tibeto-Burmese tribals. The Dravidians were the largest community in India, and are by some scholars identified as the bearers of the Indus Valley Civilization. The Aryans organized among themselves in three groups. The others were designated as Dravidians. In this theory, the different Jats (sub-castes) who professed different occupations were integrated in different Varnas according to their occupation. Most of the communities that were in India before the arrival of the Aryans were integrated in the Sudra Varna or were made outcast depending on the professions of these communities. Communities who professed non-polluting jobs were integrated in Sudras Varna. And communities who professed polluting professions were made outcasts or untouchables. Untouchables were not only disallowed to touch the high caste people but they also had to stand at a certain distance from the high castes. Varna in Hindu textsThe Rig-Veda refers to the four principal varnas described in Manu's code, viz. Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas, and Shudras. It affirmed that caste dharma needs to be strictly followed as one's soul climbs the caste ladder with every birth. A soul is born into a caste as punishment/reward for its karmic influences—actions in past lives (Hindus generally believe in reincarnation). The preservation of caste boundaries was considered to be conducive to social harmony and order. The effect of the system was to bind certain castes to sources of influence, power and economy while locking out others and thus create more affluence for higher castes and severe poverty for lower castes and the outcast Dalit. In the last 150 years Indian movements arose to throw off the economic and political yoke of the caste system. The Purusha Sukta hymn (Rig Veda 10:90) mentions the castes and compares them to the body of a man: "The Brâhmana was his mouth, of both his arms was the Râjanya made. His thighs became the Vaishya, from his feet the Sûdra was produced." (RV 10:90:12) In the Purusha Sukta hymn the word Varna is not used, and it is the only hymn of the Rig Veda where the words Vaishya and Sudra are used. The Purusha Sukta hymn is considered to be one of the youngest parts of the Rig Veda. This is the "Divine" justification of the varna system: that since Brahmins emerged from the Creator's mouth, they are the purest; that since Kshatriyas emerged from His arms, they were strong and meant to be soldiers; that because Vaishyas emerged from his abdomen/thighs, they were meant for craft, commerce, responsible for keeping Society's stomach full; and because shudras emerged from the feet, considered an "impure" or "dirty" part of a person's body by cultural norms, they were meant, by Divine Will, to be menial workers. There is an Upanishadic story of a boy who went to a guru to study the various holy Hindu scriptures. His guru asked him what his caste was. Consulting his mother, who was actually a prostitute who didn't really know what her caste was, the boy returned to the guru and told him that he was all castes. He worshipped the Gods, thus fulfilling the duties that are ordinarily a Brahmin's, he earned his keep like a Vaishya, took care of cleaning the house, like a Shudra, and protected his family's interest like a Kshatriya. The guru was pleased and told the boy he was fit to be taught and initiated into the Brahmin's life. However the very fact that the boy had to refer to his birth to determine his caste as a first step indicates that the default caste of a person was always determined by birth. The Dharmashastras (a collection of collections of Hindu codes and laws) say that caste is not just determined by birth, but by action in life according to the dharma of varna-ashram as well. The Brahmins (priests), The Kshatriyas (warriors, nobility), the Vaishyas (the craftsmen and men of commerce), and the Shudras (agriculture workers; menial workers) were the four varnas. A person of each varna was said to possess certain set of characteristics: the Shudras, they believed, were of the tamasic nature; the Vaishyas were either tamasic or rajasic; the Kshatriyas were believed to be noble, learned and selfless, his or her duty being the administration of the people and fighting of battles against intruders, often very spiritually inclined; and that the Brahmins were religious, pure, Society's bank of knowledge and wisdom for their memory of holy scriptures, the performers of rituals, the most spiritually-advanced caste of Hindu society. This view is supported by various readings of the Bhagavad Gita that hold that caste is required for practice of dharma in society. However, whatever varna one is born all human beings can attain salvation by practicing ones dharma. It is worthy to note that all three acharayas, Sankara, Ramanuja, and Madhava all subscribed to this view. The lives of Vaishnavite saints like Kanaka Dasa and Tukaram demonstrated that single-minded devotion to God is enough for attaining Moksha. Hindu tantrics are a part of Hinduism whose scriptural texts, the Agamic texts known collectively as the Tantras, assert their descent from the Vedas, especially the Atharva-Veda. Claiming that the Vedic rituals no longer necessary in Kali Yuga, that the fourth and final epoch of humanity in Hinduism shall see morality ebb to complete dissolution until the end of the earth, the Tantrics see themselves as natural continuations of the Vedas through Hindu yogic practices--and not of any particular caste, yet not Untouchables. Many Hindu yogis and sages have, over the centuries, constantly commented about caste. The non-dualist, Vedantic jnana-yogin (yogi of discrimination) Shri Adi Shankaracharya (8th century), denounced caste as but one more indication of one's weak, Ego-driven self and the flouting of Brahman (the impersonal, ultimate monist basis of Hindu belief). Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (15th century), the powerful bhakti of Krishna also denounced caste. He famously distributed the Hare Krishna mantra to non-brahmins all around India, claiming this was the True path to moksha. Kanakadasa of the 15th century also denounced Casteism. He believed that Life in every human being is Divine, and that only the ignorant wrought injustice against their own brethren by practising the caste system. See alsoNotable people
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