Hindu Caste System in India: A Simplified Summary

August 6, 2021MyInfo Basket.com 3 Commentsdoes the caste system still exist, Hindu Caste System in India, what are the five levels of the caste system, why was the caste system created?

Hinduism is oftentimes blamed for the enduring poverty in India. A as a way of life, Hindu religion and culture affect how Hindus view poverty and wealth. (Read: Hinduism: The Brief History, Core Teachings, Fundamental Beliefs, Practices, and Related Issues)

Observing the dharma above all else is promoted by the Hindu caste system, and this is said to contribute to the poverty experienced by many Indians. Dharma, in Hinduism, is the moral and religious law which ought to govern one’s behavior and is one of the four ends of human life.

So what is caste system?

A caste system is a class structure that is determined by birth. In Hinduism, there are four set castes called ‘varnas,’ and each has its own set of rules and duties to live by, known as ‘dharma.’

The following are the four Hindu castes:

Varna or caste	Description	Members
Brahmin	first and highest varna	priests, teachers, and wise men
Kshatriya	second highest	warriors, rulers, and leaders lower than Brahmins
Vaishya	third varna	farmers, artisans, traders, merchants (and others whose work involve agriculture and commerce)
Sudra	Final and lowest varna	servants, laborers, and farm hands or those doing manual labor and service

Inter-varna (inter-caste) mixing, especially intermarriage, is strongly condemned. Economically, the caste system limits the jobs a Hindu may have, since it is only suitable for a Hindu to have a job appropriate to his caste.

Faithful Hindus also hold that the most important thing is to follow one’s dharma, dictated by one’s caste, rather than be guided by any desire such as that which longs for a wealthier life.

In recent times though, especially in the cities, the system has been somewhat breaking down, allowing members of lower varnas to fill professions occupied only by higher ones before.

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Issues related to Hinduism

Aside from poverty, another issue related to Hinduism is about gender equality. Hinduism is said to have caused the tremendous decline of women’s rights during the Vedic period (1600-1800 BCE).

Women were not permissible to own property in society. Also, women had married at very young ages which precluded them to finish their education, consequently becoming unqualified to perform some ritual sacrifices.

Hindu beliefs also negatively depicted women, like claiming that they would be promiscuous unless controlled by men.

One of the widely known of the Dharmashastras (Hindu sacred law books), the Manu Smirti, or Laws of Manu, depicts women as being hierarchically inferior to men: a girl is governed by her father, a married woman by her husband, and a widow by her sons.

And in some other texts, women are even forbidden from hearing the Vedas. In classical Hindu texts, women are sometimes relegated to the level of Shudras (the lowest rank of the Caste System), regardless of their actual caste affiliation.

Nonetheless, there are also images of women in Hinduism, in the form of various goddesses, that are categorically more positive. Examples are Lakshmi, the embodiment of female virtue; Parvati, often depicted as the model mother; and Durga and Kali, who are more powerful than some male gods.

For other free lectures for students like this, visit Homepage: Introduction to World Religions and Belief Systems

Copyright © by Jens Micah De Guzman

Also Check Out: The Worldview of Atheism by Jensen DG. Mañebog

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