Hidu Caste System

In India as well as America there are different classes in society. The Hindu religion of India has a very broad and drawn out specification for each social caste, whereas social castes such as the poor and rich are more obscure and ambiguous in America. The social classes of the U.S. are solely related to our wealth and land ownership, making us the poor, middle class and the rich. Though these social classes are relevant, they do not specify our exact duties in life or limits in social activity. Any man has the power and ability to make whatever he wants of himself, regardless of wealth. On the other hand, the outline for the Hindu social caste is a significant part of the culture and religion itself, each caste bearing its own duties or dharma.

The origin of the caste system began in between 1500BCE and 600BCE with the writings of the four Vedas or “knowledge.” In the Hindu religion, the Vedas are the most sacred texts and the earliest surviving compositions. The Vedas lay down the blueprint of the Hindu religion in terms of sacrifice, hymns, and everything else pertaining to the religion. The Vedas are not like our Bible or a book in every Hindu household, but more of r

Beyond the text of sacrifice and hymns, the Vedas give an explanation of the creation of the universe. They believed in a cosmic man named Purusa, having a thousand heads, thousand eyes, and a thousand feet, covering the earth. From his eyes came the sun, his mind the moon, his breath the wind, and all other parts of the universe. The distribution of body parts from the cosmic man or “Purusa” gave birth to not only the universe, but also meaning to each caste. The Brahmans, which were birthed from the mouth of Purusa, were the priests of Hindu religion. The Kshatriya were the warriors made from the arms. The Vaishya were workers coming from the thighs and the Sudras were servants made from Purusa’s feet.

itual text explained by the Hindus as eternal sound, eternal words passed down from generation to generation without changing the composition. The Upanisads were developed about 600BCE and gave a reformulation and a rethinking of the Vedas. For example, the Brhadaranyaka Upanisad contains detailed instructions of how to bare a learned daughter or a heroic son. The Upanishads identified the self with the cosmic ultimate, something supremely mysterious.

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