Caste Systems And Indian Caste System

The caste system has been extremely stable in India for over two thousand years. It is only since the more modern, independent state of India was formed that the system has come under any scrutiny at all. It is presently outlawed, but many of the practices, attitudes and traditions remain ingrained in Hindu society (University of Wyoming, 1997).

Despite this, India had a very rigid structure. The caste system was everything in India. It was above even the state or the ruler, with the Brahmins or priestly class above all, even the warrior caste.

What are the four major castes? What implications does the caste system have for everyday life? How does the caste system relate to Hindu ideas of spiritual life? “The four major castes of Hindu society are; seers ( brahmins ), administrators ( kshatriyas ), artisans or farmers ( vaishyas ), and followers or servants ( shudras)”( Smith 56). Smith writes, religious leaders, teachers, artists, and philosophers are members of the first caste, brahmins, khatriyas, the second caste, first known as warriors are now managers. The tillers of the land, the makers of bricks, and the builders are part of the third caste, vaishyas. The fourth caste is made up of servants, those who will take care of the other castes’ needs (56)”. While I was working in India, summer of 2001 and there at the invitation of the richest family in India and staying at one of their compounds, some of my co-workers and I were playing snooker. A young boy walked into the room where we were playing. He stopped and talked to us for a few minutes before continuing to bed. Accompanied by a man of about twenty years old, the boy’s shudra, who had been the boy’s personal servant for ten or more years. The shudra’s purpose was to protect and serve his charge’s every need. Although there is inequality between castes, Smith denotes.“ within each caste, there is equality, opportunity, and social insurance ( 57)”. Although the text

The caste system was often used to maintain order and provided guidance for the citizen’s role in society. It also adapted to the newly arrived migrants like Turks, and Muslim merchants and established codes for behavioral to others and those in the same class. However, as merchants and manufacturers became influential in the economic state, powerful guilds grouped themselves by working within the caste system, and established themselves as jatis (“sub-castes”), specializing themselves in different types of commerce like silk, cotton, spice trade production. Although, Hinduism was embraced in southeastern area of Asia, ruling elites in Southeast Asia showed no interest in the social class of

The caste system refers to Indian social order which is based on ancestry. The main social classes, “varna”, had priests at the top and peasants at the bottom. It developed due to increasing social complexity from intermingling with Dravidians.

During ancient India, there was a caste system which is the social hierarchy and is still prevalent today. The Varna is the system that was in the Vedic society consisted of four classes: Brahmins (priests), Kshatriyas (warriors), Vaisyas

India is known for its highly-restricted or even cruel, inhuman caste system. This caste system will follow an Indian’s life forever, until he died. An Indian can’t choose which caste to be but only nature-born. This caste system highly prevent to social development in India. Recently, this system even destroys the normal, happy life of normal Indians. They fight against caste system for love but ends up suiciding.

Hinduism reinforces the caste system, which is a "division of society into social classes that are created by birth or occupation" and it is a "prevalent social system of Hinduism" (Molloy 90). Thus, class and race are both elements affected by the caste system. There are different castes, or social classes, and there are also subcastes. Despite the caste being permanent for one's life, it's not to say that those in lower castes cannot move up to a higher caste. This is where the concept of rebirth comes into Hinduism, which is the idea that an individual can make certain choices in their lives, good or bad, and this can affect what caste they will be reborn into.

Throughout our experience, we have encountered so many challenges when it comes to gender in the society. Gender is being used as a basis for stratifying people in the society. In this article, the racial caste system that used to exist in the United State is depicted. In that the black women were denied the access to justice because of their status. They were perceived to be people who do not have any right within the society and no one could believed them when they were raped by the white men because all the court judges were white men according to this article. The women were classified to be from poor background and they should remain at a low class in the society.

The word caste comes from the Portuguese word meaning “pure”, and would describe the social distinctions well, for the classes were pure - there was a very strict separation between the four castes. The Brahmins were the highest class and held the role of priests, the Kshatriyas were the upper class, the Vaisyas were the lower class, and the Sudras were the workers and servants (Griffin, Presentation Day 7). There was no way to move up in the hierarchy in the current lifetime (it was only possible through reincarnation), but switching from Brahmin to Kshatriya was acceptable, as well as moving from Vaisya to Sudra, though they should go back to their correct caste whenever possible (Law of Manu, 142). Women in this society had almost no rights at all; they were considered seducers, though it was preferable to keep them happy. The only property women had the right to was what was given for the wedding, from her family (including the husband after they are married), and what was given to win her over (Law of Manu, 142). According to the Law of Manu, as long as a wife “obeys her husband, she will for that reason alone be exalted in heaven (Law of Manu, 142).” In summary, the job of a woman was to be a mother, and obey the men in her life. However, if the husband is bad, such as being an outcaste or

In this paper I will discuss Erik Erickson’s eight stages of Psychosocial Development. My paper will look at each stage in depth and when you’re done reading them, you will have a broader understanding of each stage in detail.

According to Indianchild.com the India caste system is a hierarchical society. In the Indian caste system, no matter where you live or what religion you are

The caste system itself is a system of social stratification, based on two concepts, varna and jati. Varna

Gender bias, also known as sexism, is a full of attitudes, laws, taboos, preferences, and behaviors that differentiates and discriminates against either sex. These may be a position of which male dominance and female subjugation in the modern society. It could also be a form of sexual stereotypes between men and women, these are commonly experienced in employment versus other positions. A final place that discrimination is faced is the academic environment, the female to male ratios are not in sync in certain programs and courses because of this and it is pressuring men and women to not go into certain fields and do what they love and please. Most advertisements on Television, magazines, newspapers, online ad’s, use a charged sexually image with a female as the star. Women are to be a pleasure for men, and nothing else. Many people have different opinions on genders and sexuality and that is okay, but sometimes you just need to keep them to yourselves.

The caste system also plays a critical role on Indian society as it dictates a person’s social position. I believe this to be true in more rural areas and smaller communities of Indian society. The dharma in each caste system is not always the same and the caste systems dharma can vary. This is to say that dharma is not necessarily universal