More handpicked essays just for you.
Hinduism's influence on Indian society
History and development of hinduism
Hinduism's influence on Indian society
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Hinduism is often viewed as a particularly tolerant religion. The lack of a single omniscient God, absence of a prophet, and the open worship of what may look like many Gods may tell a tale of open worship, individuality within religion, and a peaceful, tolerant way of life. Without further examining what Hinduism entails, this may seem like the perfect religion. When the impression of superiority is looked at with a little skepticism, the pretty picture is marred by the deep scratches of discrimination, sexism, and elitism.
In Hinduism, people are born into their respective caste, determined by parentage. The four main castes are: Brahmins (priests), Kshatriyas (warriors), Vaishyas (common people), or Shudras(servants). Each caste has its own duties to attend to, and each is expected to do so without regard to personal thought or choice. If duties are not attended to in the way befitting one’s caste, it is thought that the individual would suffer from bad karma. If an individual responds to situations in a way befitting of their caste, they are likewise rewarded with good karma. This insinuates an easy way to manipulate people into behaving in ways that they might not otherwise behave.
The categorization of a caste descends as low as “untouchables.” This term was ascribed to people that were considered so tainted that they were not to be touched by the other castes, and they were not allowed to even be in sight of the upper class. One could postulate that this is quite similar to the antiquated belief that African Americans were “unclean” and should be segregated from Caucasians.
The four main stages of life in Hinduism also take the caste system into account. The first stage is that of a student, being led by a teacher. T...
... middle of paper ...
...oes not hide the actual discrimination that is present in every single aspect of the Hinduism lifestyle. I’m sure that this is fine with some of those that are in the higher caste of Hindu society since the effect this bias has is not a detriment for them. However, I am also sure that there are many born into the lower classes that realize they have more to offer to society than their religion tells them they do. These examples show that, although the multiplicity of Hinduism may reflect the recognition that people are different, it does so in a discriminatory and biased manner.
Works Cited
Molloy, Michael. Experiencing the World's Religions. Tradition, Challenge, and Change. 5th Edition. McGraw-Hill, 2010.
Religious Studies at the University of Wyoming (UoW). Nd.Hinduism. Retrieved February 8th from http://uwacadweb.uwyo.edu/religionet/er/hinduism/HSLIFE.HTM
One of the major Hindu beliefs that Buddhism rejects is the Caste System, or “jati” in Sanskrit (Esposito, Fasching, and Lewis 317). The caste system is the social structure of Hinduism. It starts with the Brahmins, who are the priests and scholars, followed by the Kshatriya or warrior class. Next is the Vaishya, merchant class, and lastly the Shudras, the lowest caste designated to perform the impure and foul jobs the upper castes would never do. (Esposito, Fasching, and Lewis 317) The rules of the caste system are specific. Inter-marriages between castes are heavily discouraged and one can never change their caste during their current lifetime. Each caste has its own cosmic duties to fulfill, and not doing so could be detrimental to the world or an individuals karma. These distinct duties are referred to as one’s Dharma. (Esposito, Fasching, and Lewis 317) The Laws of Manu state “Better to do one’s own dharma badly than another caste’s dharma well” (Esposito, Fasching, and Lewis 317). Through saṃsāra, the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth, hopefully every soul will eventua...
In every civilization there exists a hierarchy that is accepted by the people that are a part of it. This hierarchy, which is present in all societies, is called a class system and usually includes an upper class, a middle class, and a lower class. The upper class consists of those who are the richest in a society, the middle class consists of the working people, and the lower class consists of the poorest people. There is one class system that consists of five tiers, including one that is below its lower class, and differs from any other system; the caste system of India. In a caste system, the class that is received is hereditary and cannot be changed like in other societies. The civilization of India has an extensive history with this longstanding and controversial caste system that has evolved over time and is still in place today.
The caste system determined India’s social organization, and the relations within society, similar to the divide in Rome’s society as a result of the Plebeian and Patrician class. The Aryans
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...
The core doctrine of Hinduism is reflected in the scriptures of the religion through good Karma and yoga, which allows one to get out of the cycle of reincarnation, through meditation and good deeds, and go through the different levels of the caste system until one becomes a Brahmin. “And if I were to ask myself from what literature we who have been nurtured almost exclusively on the thoughts of Greeks and Romans, and of one Semitic race, the Jewish, may draw the corrective which is most wanted in order to make our inner life more perfect, more comprehensive, more universal, in fact more truly human a life, again I should point to India (Smith,
The caste system is a type of social inequality that exists mainly in the Indian Sub-continent, which was said to have been introduced by the Aryans, who categorised the different kinds of people as Brahmins (Nobles), Kshatriyas (warriors), Vaishyas (Merchants), sudras (servants) and the untouchables who were not allowed to mingle with the other higher sections of the society or to do the work other than those which were ...
The caste system was developed during the Vedic Period. The Vedas dictated these levels of the social structure through which the priests informed the public of their place in society. Society is primarily divided into four groups- the Brahmans, or priests; the Kshatriyas, or soldiers; the vaisyas, who are merchants and farmers; and the sudras, who are the servants to the high caste members. The fifth group, who are considered to not be human are known as the Untouchables. The caste system is based on the idea that your prarabadha karma, the karma from your previous lives that you cannot change, determines your place in society when you are reborn. Those who have very good karma are reborn as upper caste and those with bad karma are reborn into the lower caste, or as untouchables.
According to sociologists, a caste system is a social structure composed of ascribed statuses; that is, the governing principles of a society divide its people by inalterable traits. However, the Indian caste system is a more complex matter in that it does not exist solely for the division of economic classes, or loosely govern the relations between subcultures. Rather, the castes are binding social contracts that tie directly into the predominant religion of the region. The Hindu caste system, on the whole, represents not only economic disparity in the Indian subcontinent, but social discrimination and the necessity that a society remains at a cultural equilibrium. Spanning several thousands of years, the caste system of India has only recently been abolished, while much of its hold over Indian culture has yet to subside; it is an enduring concept that has profound
“If I were asked to define the Hindu creed, I should simply say: Search after truth through non-violent means. A man may not believe in God and still call himself a Hindu. Hinduism is a relentless pursuit after truth... Hinduism is the religion of truth. Truth is God.”
In The Laws of Manu the caste system is described in great detail. It explains everything one must do to be a part of their caste. In Hinduism each social class (varna) has its own dharma, or social law. The concept of dharma regulates all parts of life for Hindu’s and outlines their duties. However, there are different levels of dharma for people in the twice-born varnas, which includes the Brahmin, Ksatriya, and Vaisya. The different levels of dharma are based on the stage of life that an individual is at. The four stages an individual can be at are a student, a householder, a forest-dweller, or a sannyasin. A sannyasin is the lowest stage one can be in and one reaches that stage when they have cut all of their ties to society. In the text from The Laws of Manu it is stated that a householder may “never, for the sake of subsistence, follow the ways of the world: let him live the pure straightforward, honest life of a Brahmin” (Smart & Hecht 214). The Hindus believed in living a very simple life and being very honorable. The Laws of Manu states that no Brahmin should “attach himself to any sensual pleasures” (214) and also to “avoid all (means of acquiring) wealth which impede the study of the Veda” (214). In The Laws of Manu the idea of final liberation is brought up very frequently. Final liberation is the goal of all Brahmins. A Brahmin lives his whole life striving to reach final liberation and he does so by following dharma. He does not challenge dharma at all and believes that if he follows it, he will reach final liberation.
The caste system is the second most definitive factor to all Indians. This caste system will determine what kind of job and what set of Dharma one must follow. This caste system tells one whom they can and cannot marry. This caste system directly impacts all of Indian society lives greatly. To me this caste system reflects a segregated community that judge’s people on the mere fact of their birth. This segregation also keeps life for...
The Caste problem is a vast one, both theoretically and practically. Practically, it is an institutions that portends tremendous consequences, it is a local problem but one is capable of wider mischief for as long as caste in India does exist. Hindus will hardly intermarry or have any social intercourse with outsiders, and if Hindus migrate to other regions on earth ,Indian cast would become a world problem. Theoretically, it has defied many great scholars who have taken upon themselves as a labor of love to dig into its origin .Such being the case I cannot treat the problem in its entirety .However, in order to define the caste system we cannot define caste as an isolated unit by itself and not as a group within and with definite relations to the system of caste as a whole. Mr .Sinart, ethnologist who investigated the caste system, draws attention to the idea of pollution as a characteristic of the caste. With regard to this point, it may be safely said it s by no means of peculiarity of caste as such. It usually originates in priestly ceremonialism and as a particular case of the general belief of in purity. Consequently, it’s necessary connection with caste may be completely denied without damaging the working of caste. The idea of pollution has been attached to the institution of caste only because the cast that enjoyed the highest rank is the priestly caste. Well we know that priest and purity are old associates. I may therefore conclude that the idea of pollution is a characteristic of caste only in so far that caste has a religious flavor. Prohibition or rather the absence of intermarriage (endogamy)is the only one that can be called the essence of caste if rightly understood. This will result in lim...
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...
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.
Hinduism has a unique afterlife system where if you accumulate good karma your soul will reincarnate as a higher being on the ladder of reincarnation. This encourages Hindus to be peaceful people and to help others in life. One aspect of Hinduism however does not offer such a nice perspective of the religion, the caste system. The caste system is a system where you are trapped in your social class your entire life which. The poor are oppressed into being poor forever, and this system causes the poor to often be not respected, and any ideas that the poor had was often not accepted causing an entire social class to be able to make zero contributions to technology. The caste system was a part of India, the largest Hindu nation until very recently with external