NOTE: Free essay sample provided on this page should be used for references or sample purposes only. The sample essay is available to anyone, so any direct quoting without mentioning the source will be considered plagiarism by schools, colleges and universities that use plagiarism detection software. To get a completely brand-new, plagiarism-free essay, please use our essay writing service.
One click instant price quote
Indian Caste System The social function of the caste system in Indian culture was too ensure that the wealthy and powerful maintained their high social status and standard of living by making sure that the wealth was unevenly distributed. The members of the upper castes were lucky to inherit a perfect system that was started by the Nomadic Aryans who headed south into what is know as India today. They evolved the system with the use of Hinduism to maintain peace in a highly stratified society, which in another time and place would have erupted in massive revolts. It still survives to this day making it thousands of years old, and the longest evidence of oppression in the history of humankind. One of the major themes since the dawn of civilization has been the separation of society into classes. Karl Marx, the famous sociologist, predicted that society normally separates in two main classes, those whom had the means of production, example land, factories and wealth known as the bourgeoisie, and those whom did not own wealth known as the proletariat.
The bourgeoisie had the means to purchase the labor of proletariat, who neither had the means of production or to the ability to purchase the labor of others. He claimed that the uneven distribution of wealth and power would eventually cause conflict in any society, and could trigger an uprising by the proletariat for more even distribution of wealth. Evidence of this was seen long before Karl Marx's time. In the ancient Roman Empire, where uneven sharing of wealth existed, it did not take long for the lower class to revolt and get some more rights.
The nomadic Aryans who lived in north Eastern Europe started the caste system. They eventually moved south into India between 1500 and 1000 BCE and took over the civilizations that were set up there. The caste was originally based on skin color. The Aryans were of a lighter complexion of the natives of India and hence set up a system whereby only light skinned people could own wealth. Over the centuries, this initial form of discrimination turned into what is commonly called the caste system. The caste system separates the Indian society in to five different classes each one having a different purpose and function in society.
At the top of the social order were the Brahmins. The Brahmins were descended from a class of seers who had advised the ruler on religious matters in Aryan tribal society. The next caste was the Kshatriya. These were descendent of the Aryan warrior class. They were thought to originally rank higher than the Brahmins, but as religion grew in importance so did the Brahmins and the Kshatriya became ranked second on the social scale. The third caste was the Vaisyas.
This caste was viewed as the merchant caste. Historians believe that they were descended from the rulers of tribal herds who settled in India and moved into commercial pursuits. The fourth caste was the Sudras. The Sudras represented the great bulk of the Indian population. Many were peasants and or artisans and did manual labor. The rights of this group were very restricted.
At the bottom of the social scale was the caste called the untouchables. The untouchables were not even considered a real part of the Indian society. Historians think that the untouchables were descendent from the slave class consisting of prisoners of war and criminals and tribal minorities. The untouchables were forced to do all the degrading tasks in the Indian society. How could the segregation of a society based only on a persons birth, that caused such uneven distribution of wealth survive for so long?
Karl Marx said that those who own power have the access to the means necessary to create and promote a reality that justifies their exploitive actions. He said that the bourgeoisie had such influence on the workers view of reality that the workers accepted that reality although it harms them. He called this false consciousness. This false consciousness in the form of religion is what caused the caste system to survive so long in India. The caste system relied heavily on religion, more specifically the main religion of India, Hinduism. The main laws of Hinduism have to do with one fulfilling ones destiny.
The role of religion is perhaps the most controlling factor for the untouchables. In some areas, the population of untouchables was around 25 %. Yet, they continued to live in terrible conditions because of being born into a certain caste. Hinduism is based on the belief in reincarnation. Reincarnation is the idea that the individual soul is reborn in a different form after death and progresses through several on the wheel of life until it reaches it final destination in a union with the Great World Soul known as Brahman.
Hinduism places all living creatures on a scale of existence, and whatever point a person might be on that scale is dependent only on how that person lived their previous life. The closest to being united with the Great World Soul are the Brahmins, and then come the other castes in descending order, and then the animal kingdom. This idea of moving up the social ladder through reincarnation is what gave life meaning for the lower castes. The false belief that in the next life they will be born into a higher caste, and then even higher in the life after that. As long as they perform the duties of their current caste to the best of their ability or fulfill their dharma they will be promoted to the next caste.
Dharma is a law in Hinduism that states that one has a duty to perform and whatever that duty is one must perform it to the best of ones ability. Therefore, if for example a person was born as an untouchable then the only way to get out of that caste was to be the best untouchable that that person can be. Another reason for the survival of the caste system is a lack of power and representation of the lower castes. As India was being influenced more and more by western culture, the resentment of being in a lower caste grew. A study done by Berreman showed that members of the untouchable caste resented being in that position in society but they had few opportunities to express resentment due to economic power held by the high castes. There were many instances where the members of the upper castes used their position in society to increase their wealth.
Srinivas explained that there was a tendency for the upper castes to get involved in other functions in society, for example politics. The caste system also discriminated when it came to education. The members of the lower castes were often left out of the education system, not because of any specific laws, but because of the pressure put on the children of the untouchable caste from those of higher castes. This meant that there was very little opportunity for members of the untouchable caste to develop other skills than those that were the traditional ones for that caste. Perhaps one of the closest things to the caste system is the slave trade. The slave trade has existed for thousands of years, but still has not had the kind of success that the caste system has had.
The earliest of slaves were normally prisoners of war, so they were paying the price for their efforts in fighting the conquering army. However, according to Srinivas even in those ancient times there were many slave revolts; Then after the middle of the century, there began a succession of revolts that resulted in long-drawn-out wars. The modern slave trade more closely resembles the caste system because these slaves were made slaves simply because of their ethnicity. The first slaves to arrive in America from Africa were in 1619. The first major revolt was in 1831 when a slave named Nat Turner led his fellow slave to revolt and killed their master and his family.
Thereafter there were many slave uprisings and eventually in the 1900 s slavery was abolished Hinduism was the single most important reason for the survival of the caste system. It created a false consciousness which is vital for any stratified society to exist in peace. The caste system in India remained unchanged for thousands of years. The upper castes and their heirs lived very comfortably, while the lower castes were treated as slaves. The caste system was born of dharma which dictated a rigid class structure. In spite of the divisions among different class members, the system worked well.
Buddhism came along and challenged the notion. Buddha taught that birth and the happenstance of whom or what your parents were was not a basis for ranking in society. Instead it was your deeds that dictated your worth. Buddha made his point in Savatthi in a debate with a young Brahman.
In spite of his objections to it, the system didn't go away nor was there an attempt made to fight it. It just became an accepted evil in society. In the ancient Hindu society the practice of a class system was widely accepted. In the caste system there were four main classes and many lower classes known as the excluded classes (the fifth class the untouchables). In each caste there was no agreement upon leader of that particular group. Furthermore, each caste had its own set of rules, regulations and customs that set it apart from the other castes.
The only hierarchy agreed upon by all castes was that of the Brahmans, or priestly class. They were recognized as having a level of spiritual purity that set them above all classes. This honor was bestowed upon them because of their role in ritual sacrifices and the practices of such. Otherwise, they had no other superior status over the others, not even in roles of economics or politics. In accordance with smriti, the concept of dharma was greatly emphasized in the Hindu society. One of the two main aspects of dharma was the designing of social organization through defined bodies of classes.
The classes themselves originated from the mouth and limbs of Purusha. In spite of its seemingly rigid class structure, the caste system did not create a splintered or fragmented society divided over class ranking and the ceaseless sniveling of the haves versus the have nots. Instead, it provided the guideline for a just and orderly society. Buddhism has a slightly different take.
Buddha has many scriptures which denounces the idea of social ranking based on birthright; the means by which one gained their social status in Hindu society. In many of the Buddhist text the five classes are said to be fundamentally equal and, "which men are said to be worthy of respect not through birth, but only through spiritual or moral merit." The theoretical idea of the Buddha, in regard to society, was that of equality. While the order of a class system was good for orderliness amongst the people, it was not a divine sanction. In Sutta Nikaya verse 136, the Buddhist view is made clear: No Brahman is such by birth. No outcaste is such by birth. An outcaste is such by his deeds.
A Brahman is such by his deeds. From the Majhima Nikaya comes the story of one day in the city of Savatthi, the Buddha was staying there when the Brahmans of the city sent young Assalayana, thoroughly versed in the Vedas, to debate him on the issue of equal classes. Assalayana asserted that Brahmans are more pure and are born of the mouth of Brahma. The Buddha retorted with the assertion that all people are born of women and all women give birth and nurture their children the same. Buddha then questioned him on a score of issues ranging from the fate of Brahmans who are murderers, adulterers and the like, to the development of a pure and loving mind, and to whether or not a Brahman could build a better fire than a person from the four lower classes. Assalayana could not prove that the Brahmans were any better in these things or suffer a different fate in religious matters.
Finally, Buddha wielded the great instrument of debate known as the whammy against his young opponent. He asked which one of two Brahmans should be celebrated at a feast, an educated one or an uneducated one. Assalayana answered with the educated one, of course. Then Buddha bore in further by adding that what if the scholarly Brahman is a vile and mean man, while the other is not.
Assalayana changed his answer to the uneducated one sighting that no great benefit would result from celebrating an evil man. Now the Buddha said, "First, Assalayana, you based your claim on birth, then you gave it up for learning, and finally you have come round to my way of thinking, that all five classes are equally pure!" . To this Assalayana could give no reply. In spite of these views the followers of Buddha in India continued to maintain the caste system. The structure was viewed as an inevitable aspect of society. Perhaps the reason for it to remain in place is because there was never a real attack made on it by Buddha or his followers.
It would seem passivity was the only offensive measure employed against it. And, we all know how effective that is. It was accepted among Buddhist in India as, perhaps, a necessary evil. In one regard the caste system was redrawn by Indian Buddhist.
The biggest difference between the Buddhist plan and the Hindus is the placing of the warrior class (Kshatriya) above the Brahman class. Other than that aspect, it can't be shown that Buddhism had any real significant impact on the system of caste. In other lands outside of Hindu India, there was no structure like caste to be found. Perhaps it was just a result of geographic phenomenon. In regard to free will, perhaps the best answer is given in Dish Nikaya 3. 80, where the Buddha asserts that, "For whoever among the classes becomes a monk and later a perfected being... has laid down his burden, gained salvation, destroyed the bonds of becoming; he is free in his perfect wisdom.
Buddha says "whoever among the classes" meaning that anyone who wants to enter monkhood can and is free to do so at any time, regardless of class. It would be his own desire to do so, and not his place in society. Indian culture is fascinating to study because it is extremely diverse and complex. Regarding this, Pandian notes the existence of an underlying Indus or Hindu cultural unity (melting pot) which enables us to understand the nature of Hinduism and the caste system. Despite this apparent unity, however, Pandian also points out that India is indeed a salad bowl with groups who do not blend or mix, and this fact of non-blending renders the label Indian meaningless to signify the cultural, linguistic, or religious unity of India. Therefore, the situation of India poses an interesting challenge for anthropological study.
Yet another reason why it is important to study Indian culture is because, although many of the nations traditions remain strong today, the nation is also undergoing rapid change and development. This paper will examine the diversity that exists in Indias religious beliefs, language, and social and gender roles. It will then conclude with some views on what people should be aware of when they travel to India to do business. In terms of religion, the majority of people in India (80 percent) are followers of the Hindu faith. The concepts of karma and reincarnation are among the predominant beliefs of Hinduism. Karma is the belief that a persons actions, good or bad, will result in either good or bad things happening in that persons life.
This belief has an effect on behavior because...
Free research essays on topics related to: prisoners of war, good or bad, position in society, thousands of years, distribution of wealth
Research essay sample on Good Or Bad Position In Society
