Relationship between Varna and Karma What is the relation, if any, of the concept of varna to the concept of karma? Two major concepts of the Hindu religion are varna and karma. While at first glance it may not appear that they are related, they in fact do have a direct correlation. The combination of the caste system and the concept of karma have an important part in explaining the consequences of life for the Hindu followers. Varna refers to the caste system. The caste system was divided into four categories. The Brahmins, the Kshatriyas, the Vaisyas, and the Shudras. There were also the untouchables. The Brahmins were the priests. The leaders were the Kshatriyas. The Vaisyas were the common people and the Shudras were the servants. Your membership in a particular caste was derived at your birth. If your mother was a Brahmin then you were a Brahmin for the remainder of your life. You could not marry someone unless they were in the same caste that you belonged to and in some cases they had to belong to the same sub caste. The Law of Karma assumes that everything one does, each separate deed of one's life, weighed along with every other deed, determines destiny. (Noss) Whatever you do in your life will have consequence in a later life. These consequences could be good or bad. With enough good deeds one may become a Brahmin. On the other hand if your deeds were not so great you might end up being a rock or a worm. Thus the Law of Karma and Varna relate with one another. With the caste system installed it was quite easy to discriminate against another person of a lower caste, which also meant discrimination against color because varna can mean class and color. Obviously a Shudra had done things ... ... middle of paper ... ...y opinion and easy and morally justified reason to ban the practice of Sati. The British come from mostly a Christian background. They also ruled the land. Nobody wants to see life wasted, especially a Christian government. Not only did it make the Brits look bad but also it was wrong to them. No one should commit suicide and waste their life. There is so much more that a woman could do to help society and her family if she lived. And if she had children then how could she abandon them. In Christianity suicide is looked down upon and some organizations say that you will go to hell if you commit it. When the British were faced with the decision they knew that it was tradition but to them it was wrong and so they were to themselves right to ban it. And I am sure that many Hindu wives were relieved to not be faced with that decision when the time came.
Karma is the moral law of cause and effect (Bowker 2006, 60-1). This law is one of the many bases of the Hindu faith, Buddhist faith,
According to document A, “Hinduism was (and is) polytheistic - Hindus believe in many gods…..In this kind of Hinduism, people believed in reincarnation - that people could be reborn into other bodies after they died.” The excerpt shows that the daily life would be affected since Hindus will worship more gods and believe in reincarnation. Moreover, Hindus believed in Karma as well as Dharma. Karma was the good or bad actions that had an effect on the soul in later reincarnations. Dharma was the spiritual duties that one must follow. Now it is evident that beliefs were influenced by religion.
...e most privileges, while the Dalit, or untouchables, remain the lowest and are subjected the same inhumane conditions.
...onsibility in life which is decided by the caste they are born into. However, living amongst other people, one’s soul might become “forgetful of the Lord” which leads to “[attaching] itself to pleasure” which would make it “bound” to the wheel of the universe. For a soul to escape this cycle birth, death, and rebirth, it is necessary to connect with this god. The Hindu people believed that “by uniting oneself with him…one ceases to be ignorant” and this means “Birth, death, and rebirth will be no more.” This credence of rebirth and karma highly influenced the way the Hindu society developed.
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...
In India, the religion of Hinduism in particular, provides two sources of support in regards to the social structure of the era. These sources are the Vedas and the Upanishads. According to The Rig Veda when Purusha’s body was divided “his mouth became the brāhman; his two arms were made into the rajanya; his two thighs the vaishyas; from his two feet the shūdra was born (Reilly, 92).” By splitting up the body in this way, there was a justification for the creation of the varna or caste system. The highest class or Brahmin’s were the priest class, who were also known as the most pure. In this role, they were the connecting figures between Purusha and his people, which is reflective of them being his mouth. The next upper division class was the Ksatriya or warrior/leader class. In the class, the role was to do the fighting which was reflective of them being Purusha’s arms. The artisan/farmer or middle class was known as the vaisyas. In this class, members represented the role of the thighs of Purusha, who were responsible for doing the brunt or tougher jobs in society. The nethermost social class was the sudra, who were serfs and servants. They represented the feet of Pursha, which is reflective of their status as the lowest class. Along with the Vedas, the Upanishads served as a written guideline for the varna. These works urged the concept of doin...
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 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.
Print. The. http://www.hinduism.co.za/karma.htm>. 3) Robert Neil Minor,. Modern Indian Interpreters of the Bhagavad Gita.
Some people believe that karma means action and reaction, this is not strictly true, karma actually means " `act', `action' or `activity' "(Fowler. 1997. p11). It can be said, however, that for every action there must be a reaction. Karma is not confined to physical actions, mental actions also count. So Hindus believe that everything a person does or thinks is an action and depending on whether the action is good or bad that person receives good or bad karma as a reaction. "So, if some are happy then they must have done good in the past; if others are suffering they must have done something bad." "This is not fatalism; the law of karma says that we alone - not God or the Devil - are responsible for our fate" (Prinja. 1998. p36). Karma returns to us through everything we do. If a person does something good, with the sole intention of bettering him or herself, they will receive bad karma. Good karma is only received when a person commits a good action without thinking of himself or herself. Most Hindus will spend their entire lives attempting to accrue more good than bad karma. In the case of someone who has accrued sufficiently high levels of bad karma, the said person's spirit may not return after reincarnation as a human. It is possible for a spirit to return as an animal " in order to reap the results of bad karma until it is used up sufficiently to allow reincarnation as a human being once more." (Fowler. 1999. p208). This karma builds up inside a person in the form of the jivatman or personality.
"In Hinduism, salvation is achieved through a spiritual oneness of the soul, atman, with the ultimate reality of the universe, Brahman. To achieve this goal, the soul must obtain moksha, or liberation from the samsara, the endless cycle of birth, death, and rebirth. As a result of these basic teachings, Hindus believe in reincarnation, which is influenced by karma (material actions resulting from the consequences of previous actions), and dharma (fulfilling one's duty in life)"(Teachings and Beliefs, 2004, par. 1).
...me people believe that sati is wrong, and others believe that it is their choice. Though I’m sure there are many of locals who appreciate reform acts to prevent sati, like the Commission of Sati Act, and the National Commissions for women act, just like any law, there are people who just believe what they believe and will continue to practice sati anyway, even if it is abolished in their country. Also the fact that there is historical proof of when sati came to be and that others believe that the mythology may have played a role in the idea of where self-immolation and forced immolation came from, goes to show that these topics a lone can be explained in greater depth. The controversy about this subject will probably never be settled, but I can say I hope that someday there is peace brought to India, whether this is something they choose to do, or not choose to do.
Karma, also known as Karman is a basic concept common to Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism. The doctrine of Karma states that one's state in this life is a result of actions both physical and mental in past carnations, and action in this life can determine one's destiny in future incarnations. Karma is a natural, impersonal law of moral cause and effect and has no connection with the idea of a supreme power that decrees punishment of forgiveness of sins. Karmic law is universally applicable, and only those who have attained liberation from rebirth, called mukti (or moksha) or nirvana, can be transcend it. (The Columbia Encyclopedia)
Transmigration according to Tibetan Buddhism is this, when a host dies, the soul will migrate to another body (host), a human, vegetation, an animal, or even a celestial. So, a soul will never just disappear but just like energy, a soul is never destroyed but passes down. Most people think that karma is fate or predestination, that a person has no power over what kind of karma he/she has done in previous existence. Because karma means “action” or “doing,” it is an action that is intended and deliberate. A person can choose to create karma of two varieties, wholesome karma (good karma) or unwholesome karma (bad karma). A person’s decisions in one life completely dictates what happens to him or her (the fruits he/she bears) in the next life, after the rebirth. A person, animal, or other being could very well be living with good things, good health, riches, etc. in this life but lose all of that and ends up being evil or a suffering creature in the life to come. According to Thanissaro Bhikkhu in his study guide titled Kamma, an individual that is “undeveloped in [contemplating] the body, undeveloped in virtue, undeveloped in mind, undeveloped in discernment: restricted, small-hearted, dwelling with suffering” is going to hell if he operates evil deeds. No one wants to go to hell because it is believed to be the worst place imaginable, a place of agony and Bhikkhu clearly explains who gets thrown down there. This is easily explained by the analogy of the salt crystal thrown in the cup of water or in a river. The evil deed in this case is the discharging of the salt crystal but what determines who goes to hell depends on how that individual discharges the salt crystal. If a man discharges the salt crystal into the river, it will not a...
The caste system in India is elaborately structured to have an Indian touch to it, clearly distinguishing it from social structures worldwide. Caste is a word often used to describe a cluster of people who have a specific rank in the society. Each caste system is elaborately crafted to suit the needs of the society and they vary from group to group; each has its own rules and customs. Different chaste systems are planned in a hierarchical manner to become part of any of the four basic colors; varnas (a Sanskrit word for color). These include; the varna of Brahmans, identified with the learned class and priests; varna of Kshatriyas, which is encompasses warriors, rulers and property owners, the varna of Vaishyas, which attracts traders ; and lastly the varna of Shudras, who are servile laborers (Bayly, 1999).