The Caste System • • • •

Brahmins Kshatriyas Shudras

(priests) (warriors)

Vaishyas

(traders and farmers) (servants) Note:

untouchables

were created out of darkness when

Brahman

created the universe

The Varnas

(four social classes)

Modern India and Caste

A.

– –

Politics and Legality

Constitution forbids practicing discrimination based upon caste Quota Systems – more developed/modern areas; college entrance, jobs, ect.

B.

– –

Social Characteristics

More flexible in larger urban areas Developing India  Caste unable to contain the socioeconomic changes

C.

– – –

Dalits

160 million untouchables, 15% of population Gandhi called untouchables

Harijans



Children of God

Untouchables called themselves

Dalits



Oppressed

Caught in Caste: Marketplace Radio Segment

•

http://marketplace.publicradio.org/display/ web/2006/01/03/caught_in_caste/ How and why was the reporter forced into observing the caste system against her will?

Religion All religions Hindus Muslims Christians Sikhs Buddhists Jains Population

1,028,610,328

827,578,868

138,188,240 24,080,016

19,215,730 16,947,992 4,225,053 Percent

100.00%

80.456%

13.434% 2.341%

1.868% 1.504% 0.41%

Aryans In South Asia

• Aryans invaded in 1500 BCE and brought the

Vedas

• -

Vedas – 4 texts

“eternal truth” - the earliest texts in Hinduism

This famous cover of the National Geographic magazine of June 1985 shows a female Afghan refugee fleeing the then Soviet Union's invasion of Afghanistan. The picture is valuable as it vividly demonstrates the left over genetic imprint of the Aryans who founded Afghanistan nearly 4000 years ago. The girl's eyes are green, her hair light brown and her features almost indistinguishable from modern White Europeans. This then represents the last remaining traces of the Aryans in Afghanistan.

Sacred Writings

• Other texts reinforce the Vedas -

Upanishad

, discuss philosophy, meditation, and the nature of God; they form the core spiritual thought of Hinduism.

Epics

-

Mahabharata,

which contains the epic poem

Bhagavad Gita

, “song of god” -

Ramayana

, epic that tells the story of god and prince Rama and wife Sita;

Hinduism

Aum

• represents the

Brahman

or the Absolute

All Gods are part of ONE large force called “Brahman” Brahman is nameless, formless, and

unlimited

Deities

3 principle gods: 1.

Brahma

, creator of the universe 2.

Vishnu

, preserver of the universe 3.

Shiva

, destroyer of the universe –

These gods can take many forms because there are creators, preservers, and destroyers for everything

Beliefs

• • • • • •

Polytheistic Pantheistic

Eternal soul,   Belief in many Gods God is in everything and is infinite

atman

, which is reborn many times

Samsara

, Sanskrit word meaning reincarnation –

Moksha

Brahman

– free your soul from your body so that you can unite with Cannot be achieved in your lifetime so you must be reincarnated for Moksha to occur

Non-Violence

– All living things are equal because they are part of God’s force and have a soul

Beliefs continued…

Karma

a. Moral law which guides the universe b. Total difference between good and bad deeds.

•

The balance of karma in a previous life determines an individual’s present condition.

•

Your present situation is a result of your deeds in a past existence

c. End goal is final and complete union with

Atman

and

Brahman

Karma and Caste System

• Beliefs about rebirth and Karma tied to Caste System

1. Born into a Caste

A. Remain in that caste for this life B. Nothing you did could change that

2. Karma

A. The reason for where you are placed B. High and Low placements are directly influenced by your deeds from previous life C. Highest Cast =

Brahmins

= close to

Moksha

Sikhism

Blend of Hinduism and Islam Basic Beliefs 1 God Gurus 85% of 19 million in the world live in Northern India in Punjab

Sikhism

• Founded on the teachings of Nine successive

gurus

in fifteenth century Northern India • Religious teachers • No priests • Heaven and Hell not important; spiritual union with god which results in salvation

Sikhism

• Sikhism condemns blind rituals such as fasting, visiting places of pilgrimage, superstitions, worship of the dead, idol worship etc. • Sikhism preaches that people of different races, religions, or sex are all equal in the eyes of God. It teaches the

full equality

of men and women. • Women can participate in any religious function or perform any Sikh ceremony or lead the congregation in prayer.

The Five Evils of Sikhism

• Influences of

ego

,

anger

,

greed

,

attachment

and

lust

—known as the

Evils

—are believed to be particularly destructive.

Five

• The fate of people exposed to the

Five Evils

is separation from God, and the situation may be remedied only after intensive and relentless devotion.

The 5K’s

• • • • •

Kesh

– unkempt hair = living in harmony with the will of god

Kanga

– comb = keep hair clean and tidy

Kara

– steel bracelet = restraint from evil deeds

Kacha

– soldiers shorts = self-restraint

Kirpan

– sword = courage and self-defense •

Amrit Ceremony

All baptized Sikh’s are bound to wear the 5 k’s

The 5 K’s of Sikhism Kacha

: To be worn by all baptized Sikhs as undergarment.

A

kaṛā

,

kaṅghā

and

kirpān

.

The Golden Temple

Harmandir Sahib

The most significant place of worship and one of the oldest gurdwaras

The Akal Takht - before & after

• India’s Prime Minister

Indira Gandhi

ordered the

Indian Army

invade the most sacred of all Sikh shrines, the

Golden Temple

to complex to flush out

Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale

a Sikh leader • On June 4, 1984, the

Akal Takht

building was heavily damaged during

Operation Blue Star.

Jainism

Jainism

• Followers of

Jinas

(24 conquerors) – Believed in the immediate consequence of ones behavior •

Ascetic

(Abstinent)

5 Principles of Jainism

Nonviolence –

Ahimsa

Sexual monogamy –

Brahmacharya

Speaking the truth –

Satya

No stealing –

Asteya

Detachment from – people, places, and material things

Aparigraha

Jainism

• Jain monks can be seen with their nose and mouth covered by a cloth mask to ensure that they do not kill any germs or insects while breathing