From childhood, we were taught that there is nothing worse than a caste society. But oddly enough, the castes have survived to this day, as evidenced by, for example, India. And what, in fact, do we know about how the caste system works?
Each society consists of certain basic units that form it. So, in relation to Antiquity, such a unit can be considered a policy, modern to the West - capital (or a social individual owning it), for Islamic civilization - a tribe, Japanese - a clan, etc. For India, from ancient times to the present day, caste has been and remains such a basic element.
The caste system for India is not at all a dense archaic or “relic of the Middle Ages” as we have been taught for a long time. The Indian caste system is part of a complex organization of society, a historically developed versatile and multifaceted phenomenon.
One can try to describe castes in terms of a number of features. However, there will still be exceptions. Indian caste differentiation is a system of social stratification of isolated social groups connected by a single common origin and legal status of their members. They are based on the principles:
1) common religion;
2) general professional specialization (as a rule, hereditary);
3) marriages only between "their own";
4) nutritional features.
In India, there are not 4 at all (as many of us still think), but about 3 thousand castes and they can be called differently in different parts of the country, and people of the same profession can belong to different castes in different states. What are sometimes mistakenly considered Indian “castes” are not castes at all, but varnas (“chaturvarnya” in Sanskrit) - social strata of the ancient social system.
Varna of Brahmins (Brahmins) are priests, doctors, teachers. Kshatriyas (rajanya) - warriors and civil leaders. Vaishyas are farmers and merchants. Sudras are servants and landless peasant laborers.
Each varna had its own color: brahmins - white, kshatriyas - red, vaishais - yellow, shudras - black (once every Hindu wore a special cord of the color of his varna).
Varnas, in turn, are theoretically divided into castes. But in a very complex and intricate way. A clear direct connection is not always visible to a person with a European mentality. The word "caste" itself comes from the Portuguese casta: birthright, genus, estate. In Hindi, this term is identical to "jati".
The infamous "untouchables" are not just one separate caste. In ancient India, everyone who was not part of the four varnas was automatically classified as “marginal”, they were avoided in every possible way, they were not allowed to settle in villages and cities, etc. As a result of their position, the "untouchables" had to take on the most "non-prestigious", dirty and low-paid work, and they formed their own separate social and professional groups - in fact, their own castes.
There are several such castes of "untouchables" and, as a rule, they are associated either with dirty work, or with the killing of living beings or death (so all butchers, hunters, fishermen, tanners, scavengers, sewers, laundresses, workers of cemeteries and morgues, etc. should be "untouchable").
At the same time, it would be wrong to believe that every "untouchable" is necessarily someone like a homeless person or "lowered". In India, even before gaining independence and the adoption of a number of legislative measures to protect the lower castes from discrimination, there were "untouchables" who achieved a very high social status and deserved universal respect. As, for example, an outstanding Indian politician, public figure, human rights activist and author of the Indian constitution - Dr. Bhimaro Ramji Ambedkar, who received a law degree in England.
One of the many monuments to Bhimaro Ambedkar in India
The "untouchables" have several names: mleccha - "alien", "foreigner" (that is, formally all non-Hindus, including foreign tourists, can be attributed to them), harijana - "child of God" (a term specially introduced by Mahatma Gandhi), pariahs - "outcasts", "expelled". And the most commonly used modern name for the "untouchables" is Dalits.
Legally, caste in India was fixed in the Laws of Manu, drawn up in the period from the 2nd century BC to the 2nd century AD. The system of varnas traditionally developed in a much more ancient period (there is no exact dating).
As mentioned above, castes in modern India still by no means can be considered simply an anachronism. On the contrary, all of them are now carefully recalculated there and listed in a special appendix to the current current Indian constitution (Table of Castes).
In addition, changes (usually additions) are made to this table after each census. The point is not that some new castes appear, but that they are fixed in accordance with the data indicated about themselves by the census participants. Only discrimination based on caste is prohibited. What is written in article number 15 of the Indian Constitution.
Indian society is very colorful and heterogeneous in its structure; besides the division into castes, there are several other differentiations in it. There are both caste and non-caste Indians. For example, Adivasis (descendants of the main indigenous black population of India before its conquest by the Aryans), with rare exceptions, do not have their own castes. In addition, for some offenses and crimes, a person can be expelled from his caste. And there are quite a lot of non-caste Indians - as evidenced by the results of the census.
Castes exist not only in India. A similar public institution takes place in Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bali and Tibet. By the way, the Tibetan castes do not correlate with the Indian ones at all - the structures of these societies formed completely apart from each other. It is curious that in Northern India (the states of Himachal, Uttar Pradesh and Kashmir) the caste system is not of Indian, but of Tibetan origin.
Historically, when the vast majority of the population of India professed Hinduism, all Hindus belonged to some kind of caste, with the exception of the pariahs expelled from the caste and the indigenous non-Aryan peoples of India. Then other religions (Buddhism, Jainism) began to spread in India. As the country was subjected to invasions by various conquerors, representatives of other religions and peoples began to adopt from the Hindus their system of varnas and professional cast-jati. Jains, Sikhs, Buddhists and Christians in India also have their own castes, but they are somehow different from the Hindu castes.
What about Indian Muslims? After all, the Koran originally proclaimed the equality of all Muslims. Legitimate question. Despite the fact that British India was divided into two parts in 1947: “Islamic” (Pakistan) and “Hindu” (India proper), today Muslims (about 14% of all Indian citizens) in absolute terms live in India more than in Pakistan, where Islam is the state religion.
However, the caste system is inherent in India and Muslim society. However, caste differences among Indian Muslims are not as strong as among Hindus. They have practically no "untouchables". Between the Muslim castes there are no such impenetrable barriers as the Hindus - it is allowed to transfer from one caste to another or marriages between their representatives.
The caste system was established among Indian Muslims relatively late - during the Delhi Sultanate in the 13th-16th centuries. The Muslim caste is usually referred to as biradari ("brotherhood") or biyahdari. Their appearance is often attributed by Muslim theologians to the influence of Hindus with their caste system (supporters of "pure Islam" see this, of course, as insidious intrigues of the pagans).
In India, as in many Islamic countries, Muslims also have their own nobility and common people. The first are called sharifs or ashraf ("noble"), the second - ajlaf ("low"). About 10% of Muslims living in the territory of the Republic of India currently belong to Ashraf. They usually trace their genealogies to those external conquerors (Arabs, Turks, Pashtuns, Persians, etc.) who invaded Hindustan and settled over many centuries.
For the most part, Indian Muslims are the descendants of the same Hindus who, for one reason or another, converted to a new faith. Forced conversion to Islam in medieval India was the exception rather than the rule. Usually, the local population was exposed to slow Islamization, during which elements of a foreign faith were unobtrusively included in local cosmology and ritual practice, gradually replacing and replacing Hinduism. It was an implicit and sluggish social process. People in the course of it kept and protected the isolation of their circles. This explains the persistence of caste psychology and customs among large sections of Indian Muslim society. Thus, even after the final conversion to Islam, marriages continued to be concluded only with representatives of their own castes.
It is even more curious that even many Europeans were included in the Indian caste system. So, those Christian missionaries-preachers who preached to noble brahmins eventually ended up in the "Christian brahmin" caste, and those who, for example, carried the Word of God to the "untouchables" - fishermen - became Christian "untouchables".
Often it is impossible to determine exactly which caste an Indian belongs to only by his appearance, behavior and occupation. It happens that a kshatriya works as a waiter, and a brahmin trades and cleans up garbage in a shop - and they don’t particularly complex about these reasons, and a sudra behaves like a born aristocrat. And even if an Indian says exactly what caste he is from (although such a question is considered tactless), this will do little for a foreigner to understand how society works in such a strange and peculiar country as India.
The Republic of India declares itself a "democratic" state and, in addition to the prohibition of caste discrimination, has introduced certain benefits for members of the lower castes. For example, special quotas have been adopted there for their admission to higher educational institutions, as well as for positions in state and municipal bodies.
The problem of discrimination against people from the lower castes and Dalits, however, is quite serious. The caste structure is still fundamental to the lives of hundreds of millions of Indians. Outside of large cities in India, the caste psychology and all the conventions and taboos that follow from it are firmly preserved.
upd: For some reason that I don't understand, some readers made swearing and mutual insults in the comments to this entry. I do not like it. Therefore, I decided to block comments on this entry.
At the end of July, a 14-year-old untouchable died in a hospital ward in New Delhi, who had been held in sexual slavery by a neighbor for a month. The dying woman told the police that the kidnapper threatened her with a knife, forced her to drink juice mixed with acid, did not feed her, and, together with friends, raped her several times a day. As law enforcement officers found out, this was already the second kidnapping - the previous one was committed by the same person in December last year, but he was released on bail. According to local media, the court showed such leniency towards the criminal, since his victim was from Dalits (untouchables), which means that her life and freedom were worth nothing. Although discrimination based on caste is prohibited in India, Dalits are still the poorest, most disadvantaged and most uneducated part of society. Why this is so and how far the untouchables can rise up the social ladder - Lenta.ru explains.
How did the untouchables appear?
According to the most common version, these are the descendants of representatives of the tribes who lived in India before the Aryan invasion. In the traditional Aryan system of society, consisting of four varnas - Brahmins (priests), Kshatriyas (warriors), Vaishyas (merchants and artisans) and Shudras (hired workers) - Dalits were at the very bottom, below the Shudras, who were also descendants of the pre-Aryan inhabitants of India . At the same time, in India itself, a version that arose back in the 19th century is widespread, according to which the untouchables are the descendants of children expelled into the forests, born from the relationship of a Sudra man and a Brahmin woman.
The ancient Indian literary monument Rig Veda (compiled in 1700-1100 BC) says that the Brahmins came from the mouth of the ancestor Purusha, the Kshatriyas from the hands, the Vaishyas from the thighs, the Shudras from the feet. There is no place for the untouchables in this picture of the world. The varna system finally took shape in the interval between the 7th century BC. and II century AD.
It is believed that the untouchable can defile people from the highest varnas, so their houses and villages were built on the outskirts. The system of ritual restrictions among the untouchables is no less strict than that of the Brahmins, although the restrictions themselves are completely different. The untouchables were forbidden to enter restaurants and temples, wear umbrellas and shoes, walk in shirts and sunglasses, but they were allowed to eat meat - which strict vegetarian Brahmins could not afford.
Is that what they are called in India - "untouchables"?
Now this word is almost out of use, it is considered offensive. The most common name for the untouchables is dalits, "oppressed", or "oppressed". Previously, there was also the word "harijans" - "children of God", which Mahatma Gandhi tried to introduce into use. But it did not take root: the Dalits considered it to be just as offensive as the "untouchables".
How many Dalits are there in India and how many castes do they have?
Approximately 170 million people - 16.6 percent of the total population. The question of the number of castes is very complicated, since the Indians themselves almost never use the word “castes”, preferring the more vague concept of “jati”, which includes not only castes in the usual sense, but also clans and communities, which are often difficult to classify as one or the other. another varna. In addition, the line between caste and podcast is often very vague. We can only say with certainty that we are talking about hundreds of jati.
Dalits still live in poverty? How is social status related to economic status?
In general, the lower castes are indeed much poorer. The bulk of the Indian poor are Dalits. The average literacy rate in the country is 75 percent, among Dalits - just over 30. Almost half of the children of Dalits, according to statistics, drop out of school because of the humiliation they are subjected to there. It is the Dalits who make up the bulk of the unemployed; and those who are employed tend to be paid less than those of the higher castes.
Although there are exceptions: in India, there are approximately 30 millionaire Dalits. Of course, against the backdrop of 170 million poor and beggars, this is a drop in the bucket, but they prove with their lives that you can succeed even as a Dalit. As a rule, these are really outstanding people: Ashok Khade from the Chamar (tanner) caste, the son of an illiterate poor shoemaker, worked as a dock worker during the day and read textbooks at night to get an engineering degree, and at the same time slept under the stairs on the street, since he did not enough money to rent a room. His company is now pursuing deals worth hundreds of millions of dollars. This is a typical Dalit success story, a kind of blue dream for millions of the underprivileged.
Have the untouchables ever tried to start a riot?
As far as we know, no. Before the colonization of India, this thought could hardly have occurred at all: at that time, expulsion from the caste was equated with physical death. After colonization, social boundaries began to gradually blur, and after India gained independence, the rebellion for Dalits lost its meaning - they were given all the conditions to achieve their goals through political means.
The extent to which submissiveness has become ingrained in the minds of Dalits can be illustrated by an example given by Russian researchers Felix and Evgenia Yurlov. The Bahujan Samaj Party, representing the interests of the lower castes, organized special training camps for Dalits, in which they learned to "overcome centuries of fear and fear in the face of high-caste Hindus." Among the exercises was, for example, the following: a stuffed high-caste Hindu with a mustache and a tilak (dot) on his forehead was installed. Dalit had to overcome his timidity and go up to the effigy, cut off his mustache with scissors and wipe off the tilak.
Is it possible to escape from the untouchables?
It is possible, although not easy. The easiest way is to change religion. A person who converts to Buddhism, Islam or Christianity technically falls out of the caste system. Dalits first began converting to Buddhism in significant numbers at the end of the 19th century. Mass conversions are associated with the name of the famous fighter for the rights of Dalits, Dr. Ambedkar, who converted to Buddhism along with half a million untouchables. The last such mass ceremony was held in Mumbai in 2007 - then at the same time 50 thousand people became Buddhists at once.
Dalits prefer to turn to Buddhism. Firstly, Indian nationalists treat this religion better than Islam and Christianity, since it is one of the traditional Indian religions. Secondly, among Muslims and Christians, over time, their own caste division was formed, albeit not as pronounced as among the Hindus.
Is it possible to change caste while remaining a Hindu?
There are two options here: the first is all sorts of semi-legal or illegal methods. For example, many surnames that indicate belonging to a particular caste differ by one or two letters. It is enough to slightly corrupt or charm a clerk in a government office - and, voila, you are already a member of another caste, and sometimes a varna. It is better, of course, to do such tricks either in the city, or in combination with moving to another area where there are not thousands of fellow villagers around who knew your grandfather.
The second option is the procedure "ghar vapasi", literally "welcome home". This program is implemented by radical Hindu organizations and aims to convert Indians of other religions to Hinduism. In this case, a person becomes, for example, a Christian, then sprinkles ashes on his head, announcing his desire to perform “ghar vapasi” - and that’s all, he is again a Hindu. If this trick is done outside of your native village, then you can always claim that you belong to a different caste.
Another question is why do all this. A caste certificate will not be asked when applying for a job or when entering a restaurant. In India, over the past century, the caste system has been breaking down under the influence of the processes of modernization and globalization. Attitude towards a stranger is built on the basis of his behavior. The only thing that can fail is the surname, which is most often associated with the caste (Gandhis - merchants, Deshpande - brahmins, Acharis - carpenters, Guptas - vaishyas, Singhas - kshatriyas). But now, when anyone can change their last name, everything has become much easier.
And change the varna without changing the caste?
There is a chance that your caste will undergo a Sanskritization process. In Russian, this is called “vertical mobility of castes”: if one or another caste adopts the traditions and customs of another, higher caste, there is a chance that sooner or later it will be recognized as a member of a higher varna. For example, the lower caste begins to practice vegetarianism, characteristic of the Brahmins, dress like Brahmins, wear a sacred thread on the wrist and generally position themselves as Brahmins, it is possible that sooner or later they will begin to be treated as Brahmins.
However, vertical mobility is characteristic mainly of castes of higher varnas. None of the Dalit castes has yet managed to cross the invisible line that separates them from the four varnas and even become Shudras. But times are changing.
In general, as a Hindu, you are not required to declare belonging to any caste. You can be a casteless Hindu - your right.
Why change caste at all?
It all depends on which way to change - up or down. An increase in caste status means that other people for whom the caste is significant will treat you with more respect. Downgrading your status, especially to the Dalit caste level, will give you a number of real advantages, so many higher castes try to enroll as Dalits.
The fact is that in modern India, the authorities are waging a merciless fight against caste discrimination. According to the constitution, any discrimination based on caste is prohibited, and you will even have to pay a fine for asking about caste when applying for a job.
But the country has a mechanism of positive discrimination. A number of castes and tribes are listed as "Scheduled Tribes and Castes" (SC/ST). Representatives of these castes have certain privileges, which are confirmed by caste certificates. For Dalits, places are reserved in the civil service and in parliament, their children are admitted free of charge (or for half the fee) to schools, places have been allocated for them in institutes. In short, there is a quota system for Dalits.
It's hard to say if this is good or bad. The author of these lines met Dalits who could give odds to any Brahmin in terms of intelligence and general development - quotas helped them rise from the bottom and get an education. On the other hand, one had to see Dalits going with the flow (first by quotas for the institute, then by the same quotas for the civil service), not interested in anything and not wanting to work. They cannot be fired, so their future is secured until old age and a good pension. Many in India criticize the quota system, many defend it.
So Dalits can be politicians?
How else can they. For example, Kocheril Raman Narayanan, who was President of India from 1997 to 2002, was a Dalit. Another example is Mayawati Prabhu Das, also known as Mayawati Iron Lady, who served as Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh for a total of eight years.
Is the number of Dalits the same in all states of India?
No, it varies, and quite significantly. Most Dalits live in the state of Uttar Pradesh (20.5 percent of all Dalits in India), followed by West Bengal (10.7 percent). At the same time, as a percentage of the total population, Punjab holds the lead with 31.9 percent, followed by Himachal Pradesh with 25.2 percent.
How can Dalits work?
Theoretically, anyone - from the president to the toilet cleaner. Many Dalits act in films and work as fashion models. In cities where caste lines are blurred, there are no restrictions at all; in villages where ancient traditions are strong, Dalits are still engaged in "impure" work: skinning dead animals, digging graves, prostitution, and so on.
If a child is born as a result of an inter-caste marriage, to which caste will he be assigned?
Traditionally in India, the child was recorded in the lowest caste. Now it is considered that the child inherits the caste of the father, with the exception of the state of Kerala, where, according to local law, the caste of the mother is inherited. This is theoretically possible in other states, but in each individual case it is decided through the courts.
A typical story that happened in 2012: then a Kshatriya man married a woman from the Nayak tribe. The boy was registered as a kshatriya, but then his mother, through the courts, ensured that the child was rewritten as a nayak so that he could take advantage of the bonuses provided to disadvantaged tribes.
If I, as a tourist in India, touch a Dalit, can I then shake hands with a Brahmin?
Foreigners in Hinduism are already considered unclean, because they are outside the caste system, therefore they can touch anyone and for whatever reason, without defiling themselves in any way. If a practicing brahmin decides to communicate with you, then he will still have to perform purification rituals, so whether you shook the Dalit's hand before or not is essentially indifferent.
Are Dalits Filming Intercaste Porn in India?
Of course they do. Moreover, judging by the number of views on specialized sites, it is very popular.
On September 24, 1932, in India, the right to participate in elections was granted to the untouchable caste. the site decided to tell its readers how the Indian caste system was formed and how it exists in the modern world.
Indian society is divided into estates called castes. Such a division occurred many thousands of years ago and has survived to this day. Hindus believe that, following the rules established in their caste, in the next life you can be born a representative of a slightly higher and more revered caste, take a much better position in society.
Leaving the Indus Valley, Indian arias conquered the country along the Ganges and founded many states here, whose population consisted of two classes, differing in legal and material status. The new Aryan settlers, the victors, took over India and land, and honor, and power, and the defeated non-Indo-European natives were plunged into contempt and humiliation, turned into slavery or into a dependent state, or, pushed into the forests and mountains, led there in inaction of thought a meager life without any culture. This result of the Aryan conquest gave rise to the origin of the four main Indian castes (varnas).
Those original inhabitants of India who were subdued by the power of the sword suffered the fate of captives and became mere slaves. The Indians, who voluntarily submitted, renounced their paternal gods, adopted the language, laws and customs of the conquerors, retained personal freedom, but lost all land property and had to live as workers on the estates of the Aryans, servants and porters, in the homes of rich people. From them came the caste sudra . "Shudra" is not a Sanskrit word. Before becoming the name of one of the Indian castes, it was probably the name of some people. The Aryans considered it below their dignity to enter into marriage alliances with representatives of the Shudra caste. The Shudra women were only concubines among the Aryans.
Over time, sharp differences in fortunes and professions formed between the Aryan conquerors of India themselves. But in relation to the lower caste - the dark-skinned, subjugated native population - they all remained a privileged class. Only the Aryans had the right to read the sacred books; only they were consecrated by a solemn ceremony: a sacred cord was placed on the Aryan, making him “reborn” (or “twice born”, dvija). This rite served as a symbolic distinction of all Aryans from the Shudra caste and the despised native tribes driven into the forests. The consecration was performed by laying on a cord, which is worn placed on the right shoulder and descending obliquely across the chest. Among the Brahmin caste, a cord could be placed on a boy from 8 to 15 years old, and it is made of cotton yarn; among the Kshatriya caste, who received it no earlier than the 11th year, it was made from kushi (Indian spinnery), and among the Vaishya caste, who received it no earlier than the 12th year, it was made of wool.
Indian society was divided into castes many thousands of years ago.
The "twice-born" Aryans over time divided according to differences in occupation and origin into three estates or castes, which have some similarities with the three estates of medieval Europe: the clergy, the nobility and the middle urban class. The embryos of caste systems among the Aryans existed even in those times when they lived only in the Indus basin: there, from the mass of the agricultural and pastoral population, warlike tribal princes, surrounded by people skilled in military affairs, as well as priests who performed sacrificial rites, already stood out.
During the resettlement of the Aryan tribes further deep into India, to the country of the Ganges, the warlike energy increased in bloody wars with the exterminated natives, and then in a fierce struggle between the Aryan tribes. Until the conquests were completed, all the people were engaged in military affairs. Only when the peaceful possession of the conquered country began, it became possible to develop a variety of occupations, it became possible to choose between different professions, and a new stage in the origin of castes began. The fertility of the Indian land aroused the desire for the peaceful obtaining of means of subsistence. From this quickly developed an innate Aryan tendency, according to which it was more pleasant for them to work quietly and enjoy the fruits of their labor than to make heavy military efforts. Therefore, a significant part of the settlers ("Vish") turned to agriculture, which gave abundant harvests, leaving the fight against enemies and the protection of the country to the princes of the tribes and the military nobility formed during the period of conquests. This estate, which was engaged in arable farming and partly in shepherding, soon grew so much that among the Aryans, as in Western Europe, they formed the vast majority of the population. Because the title vaishya "settler", originally designating all Aryan inhabitants in new areas, began to designate only people of the third, working Indian caste, and warriors, kshatriyas and priests, brahmins ("prayers"), who over time became privileged classes, made the names of their professions the names of the two upper castes.
The four above-mentioned Indian estates became completely closed castes (varnas) only when the ancient worship of Indra and other gods of nature rose above brahminism, - a new religious doctrine about Brahma , the soul of the universe, the source of life from which all beings originated and to which all beings will return. This reformed creed gave religious holiness to the division of the Indian nation into castes, especially the priestly caste. It said that in the cycle of life forms passed by all that exist on earth, Brahman is the highest form of being. According to the dogma of the rebirth and transmigration of souls, a being born in a human form must go through all four castes in turn: to be a sudra, a vaishya, a kshatriya, and finally a brahmin; having passed through these forms of existence, it is reunited with Brahma. The only way to achieve this goal is for a person, constantly striving for a deity, to exactly fulfill everything commanded by the Brahmins, honor them, please them with gifts and signs of respect. Offenses against the Brahmins, severely punished on earth, subject the wicked to the most terrible torments of hell and rebirth in the forms of despised animals.
According to the dogma of the transmigration of souls, a person must go through all four castes
Belief in the dependence of the future life on the present was the main pillar of the Indian caste division and the dominion of the priests. The more resolutely the Brahminical clergy placed the dogma of the transmigration of souls at the center of all moral teaching, the more successfully they filled the imagination of the people with terrible pictures of hellish torments, the more honor and influence they acquired. Representatives of the highest caste of the Brahmins are close to the gods; they know the path leading to Brahma; their prayers, sacrifices, holy feats of their asceticism have magical power over the gods, the gods have to fulfill their will; bliss and suffering in the Hereafter depend on them. It is not surprising that with the development of religiosity among the Indians, the power of the Brahmin caste increased, tirelessly praising in their holy teachings reverence and generosity to the Brahmins as the surest ways to obtain bliss, suggesting to the kings that the ruler is obliged to have his advisers and make judges of the Brahmins, is obliged to reward their service with rich content. and pious gifts.
So that the lower Indian castes would not envy the privileged position of the Brahmins and would not encroach on it, the doctrine was developed and vigorously preached that the forms of life for all beings are predetermined by Brahma, and that the progress through the degrees of human rebirths is made only by a calm, peaceful life in a given position, true performance of duties. So, in one of the oldest parts of the Mahabharata it says: “When Brahma created creatures, he gave them their occupations, each caste had a special activity: for the brahmins - the study of the high Vedas, for the warriors - heroism, for the vaishyas - the art of labor, for the shudras - humility before other colors: therefore ignorant brahmins, infamous warriors, unskillful vaisyas and disobedient sudras are reprehensible."
This dogma, which attributed to every caste, every profession, a divine origin, consoled the humiliated and despised in the insults and deprivations of their present life with the hope of improving their fate in the future existence. He gave the Indian caste hierarchy religious consecration. The division of people into four classes, unequal in their rights, was from this point of view an eternal, unchanging law, the violation of which is the most criminal sin. People have no right to overthrow the caste barriers established between them by God himself; they can achieve the improvement of their lot only by patient obedience.
Mutual relations between the Indian castes were clearly characterized by teaching; that Brahma produced Brahmins from his mouth (or the first man Purusha), Kshatriyas from his hands, Vaishyas from his thighs, Shudras from mud-stained feet, therefore the essence of nature among the Brahmins is “holiness and wisdom”, among the Kshatriyas - “power and strength”, among the Vaishyas - “wealth and profit”, among the Shudras - “service and humility”. The doctrine of the origin of castes from different parts of the highest being is expounded in one of the hymns of the latest, most recent book of the Rig Veda. There are no caste concepts in the older songs of the Rig Veda. The Brahmins attach great importance to this hymn, and every truly believing Brahmin recites it every morning after bathing. This hymn is the diploma by which the Brahmins legitimized their privileges, their dominion.
Some Brahmins should not eat meat
Thus, the Indian people were led by their history, their inclinations and customs to fall under the yoke of a hierarchy of castes, which turned classes and professions into tribes alien to each other, drowned out all human aspirations, all the inclinations of humanity.
The main characteristics of castes
Each Indian caste has its own characteristics and unique characteristics, rules of existence and behavior.
Brahmins are the highest caste
Brahmins in India are priests and priests in temples. Their position in society has always been considered the highest, even higher than the position of the ruler. At present, representatives of the Brahmin caste are also engaged in the spiritual development of the people: they teach various practices, look after temples, and work as teachers.
Brahmins have a lot of prohibitions:
Men are not allowed to work in the fields and do any manual labor, but women can do various household chores.
A representative of the priestly caste can only marry his own kind, but as an exception, a marriage to a Brahmin from another community is allowed.
A brahmin cannot eat what a person of another caste has prepared: a brahmin would rather starve than accept forbidden food. But he can feed a representative of absolutely any caste.
Some Brahmins are not allowed to eat meat.
Kshatriyas - warrior caste
Representatives of the kshatriyas have always performed the duties of soldiers, guards and policemen.
At present, nothing has changed - kshatriyas are engaged in military affairs or go to administrative work. They can marry not only in their own caste: a man can marry a girl from a lower caste, but a woman is forbidden to marry a man from a lower caste. Kshatriyas are allowed to eat animal products, but they also avoid forbidden food.
Vaishyas, like no one else, monitor the correct preparation of food.
Vaishya
Vaishyas have always been a working class: they were engaged in agriculture, raised cattle, traded.
Now representatives of the Vaishyas are engaged in economic and financial affairs, various trade, banking. Probably, this caste is the most scrupulous in matters related to food intake: vaishyas, like no one else, monitor the correct preparation of food and will never accept defiled dishes.
Sudras are the lowest caste.
The Shudra caste has always existed in the role of peasants or even slaves: they were engaged in the dirtiest and hardest work. Even in our time, this social stratum is the poorest and often lives below the poverty line. Shudras can marry even divorced women.
Untouchables
The untouchable caste stands out separately: such people are excluded from all social relations. They do the dirtiest jobs: cleaning the streets and toilets, burning dead animals, dressing the skin.
Amazingly, the representatives of this caste could not even step on the shadows of representatives of the higher classes. And only quite recently they were allowed to enter temples and approach people of other classes.
Cast Unique Features
Having a brahmin in the neighborhood, you can give him a lot of gifts, but you should not expect a response. Brahmins never give gifts: they accept but do not give.
In terms of land ownership, sudras can be even more influential than vaishyas.
Untouchables could not step on the shadows of people from the upper classes
The Shudras of the lower stratum practically do not use money: they are paid for their work with food and household items.You can move to a lower caste, but it is impossible to get a higher caste.
Castes and Modernity
Today, Indian castes have become even more structured, with many different sub-groups called jati.
During the last census of representatives of various castes, there were more than 3 thousand jati. True, this census took place more than 80 years ago.
Many foreigners consider the caste system a relic of the past and believe that the caste system no longer works in modern India. In fact, everything is completely different. Even the Indian government could not come to a consensus regarding such a stratification of society. Politicians are actively working on dividing society into layers during elections, adding to their election promises the protection of the rights of a particular caste.
In modern India, more than 20 percent of the population belongs to the untouchable caste: they have to live in their own separate ghettos or outside the settlement. Such people should not go to shops, government and medical institutions, and even use public transport.
In modern India, more than 20% of the population belongs to the untouchable caste.
There is a completely unique subgroup in the untouchable caste: the attitude of society towards it is rather contradictory. This includes homosexuals, transvestites and eunuchs who make a living by prostitution and begging tourists for coins. But what a paradox: the presence of such a person at a holiday is considered a very good sign.
Another amazing podcast of the untouchables is a pariah. These are people who are completely expelled from society - marginalized. Previously, it was possible to become a pariah even by touching such a person, but now the situation has changed a little: a pariah becomes either born from an inter-caste marriage or from pariah parents.
Sources
- http://indianochka.ru/kultura/obshhestvo/kasty.html
Leaving the Indus Valley, the Indian Aryans conquered the country along the Ganges and founded many states here, whose population consisted of two classes, differing in legal and material status.
The new settlers, the Aryans, the victors, seized for themselves in India both land, and honor, and power, and the defeated non-Indo-European natives were plunged into contempt and humiliation, turned into slavery or a dependent state, or, pushed back into the forests and mountains, they led there in inaction thoughts of a meager life without any culture. This result of the Aryan conquest gave rise to the origin of the four main Indian castes (varnas).Those original inhabitants of India who were subdued by the power of the sword, suffered the fate of captives, became mere slaves. The Indians, who voluntarily submitted, renounced their paternal gods, adopted the language, laws and customs of the conquerors, retained personal freedom, but lost all land property and had to live as workers on the estates of the Aryans, servants and porters, in the homes of rich people. From them came the caste sudra. "Shudra" is not a Sanskrit word. Before becoming the name of one of the Indian castes, it was probably the name of some people. The Aryans considered it below their dignity to enter into marriage alliances with representatives of the Shudra caste. The Shudra women were only concubines among the Aryans.
Ancient India. Map
Over time, sharp differences in fortunes and professions formed between the Aryan conquerors of India themselves. But in relation to the lower caste - the dark-skinned, subjugated native population - they all remained a privileged class. Only the Aryans had the right to read the sacred books; only they were sanctified by a solemn ceremony: a sacred cord was placed on the Aryan, making him “reborn” (or “twice born”, dvija). This rite served as a symbolic distinction of all Aryans from the Shudra caste and the despised native tribes driven into the forests. The consecration was performed by laying on a cord, which is worn placed on the right shoulder and descending obliquely across the chest. Among the Brahmin caste, a cord could be placed on a boy from 8 to 15 years old, and it is made of cotton yarn; among the Kshatriya caste, who received it no earlier than the 11th year, it was made from kushi (Indian spinnery), and among the Vaishya caste, who received it no earlier than the 12th year, it was made of wool.
The "twice-born" Aryans over time divided according to differences in occupation and origin into three estates or castes, which have some similarities with the three estates of medieval Europe: the clergy, the nobility and the middle, urban class. The embryos of caste systems among the Aryans existed even in those times when they lived only in the Indus basin: there, from the mass of the agricultural and pastoral population, warlike tribal princes, surrounded by people skilled in military affairs, as well as priests who performed sacrificial rites, already stood out.
At the migration of the Aryan tribes further deep into India, to the country of the Ganges, militant energy increased in bloody wars with the exterminated natives, and then in a fierce struggle between the Aryan tribes. Until the conquests were completed, all the people were engaged in military affairs. Only when the peaceful possession of the conquered country began, it became possible to develop a variety of occupations, it became possible to choose between different professions, and a new stage in the origin of castes began. The fertility of the Indian land aroused the desire for the peaceful obtaining of means of subsistence. From this quickly developed an innate Aryan tendency, according to which it was more pleasant for them to work quietly and enjoy the fruits of their labor than to make heavy military efforts. Therefore, a significant part of the settlers (" vichy”) turned to agriculture, which gave abundant harvests, leaving the fight against enemies and the protection of the country to the princes of the tribes and the military nobility formed during the period of conquests. This estate, which was engaged in arable farming and partly in shepherding, soon grew so much that among the Aryans, as in Western Europe, they formed the vast majority of the population. Because the title vaishya"settler", originally designating all Aryan inhabitants in new areas, began to designate only people of the third, working Indian caste, and warriors, kshatriyas and the priests Brahmins("prayers"), who over time became privileged classes, made the names of their professions the names of the two upper castes.
The four Indian estates listed above became completely closed castes (varnas) only when Brahmanism rose above the ancient service to Indra and other gods of nature - a new religious doctrine of Brahma, the soul of the universe, the source of life from which all creatures originated and to which all beings will return. This reformed creed gave religious holiness to the division of the Indian nation into castes, and especially to the priestly caste. It said that in the cycle of life forms passed by all existing on earth, Brahman is the highest form of being. According to the dogma of the rebirth and transmigration of souls, a being born in a human form must go through all four castes in turn: to be a sudra, a vaishya, a kshatriya, and finally a brahmin; having passed through these forms of existence, it is reunited with Brahma. The only way to achieve this goal is for a person, constantly striving for a deity, to exactly fulfill everything commanded by the Brahmins, honor them, please them with gifts and signs of respect. Offenses against the Brahmins, severely punished on earth, subject the wicked to the most terrible torments of hell and rebirth in the forms of despised animals.
Belief in the dependence of the future life on the present was the main pillar of the Indian caste division and the dominion of the priests. The more resolutely the Brahminical clergy placed the dogma of the transmigration of souls at the center of all moral teaching, the more successfully they filled the imagination of the people with terrible pictures of hellish torments, the more honor and influence they acquired. Representatives of the highest caste of the Brahmins are close to the gods; they know the path leading to Brahma; their prayers, sacrifices, holy feats of their asceticism have magical power over the gods, the gods have to fulfill their will; bliss and suffering in the Hereafter depend on them. It is not surprising that with the development of religiosity among the Indians, the power of the Brahmin caste increased, tirelessly praising in their holy teachings reverence and generosity to the Brahmins as the surest ways to obtain bliss, suggesting to the kings that the ruler is obliged to have his advisers and make judges of the Brahmins, is obliged to reward their service to the rich. content and pious gifts.
So that the lower Indian castes would not envy the privileged position of the Brahmins and would not encroach on it, the doctrine was developed and vigorously preached that the forms of life for all beings are predetermined by Brahma, and that the progress through the degrees of human rebirths is made only by a calm, peaceful life in a given position, true performance of duties. So, in one of the oldest parts Mahabharata says: “When Brahma created creatures, he gave them their occupations, each caste a special activity: for the brahmanas - the study of the high Vedas, for the warriors - heroism, the vaishyas - the art of labor, the shudras - humility before other colors: therefore, ignorant brahmins, not glorious warriors, are worthy of reproach, unskillful vaisyas and disobedient sudras.
Brahma, the main deity of Brahmanism - the religion that underlies the Indian caste system
This dogma, which attributed to every caste, every profession, a divine origin, consoled the humiliated and despised in the insults and deprivations of their present life with the hope of improving their fate in the future existence. He gave the Indian caste hierarchy religious consecration. The division of people into four classes, unequal in their rights, was, from this point of view, an eternal, unchanging law, the violation of which is the most criminal sin. People have no right to overthrow the caste barriers established between them by God himself; they can achieve the improvement of their lot only by patient obedience. Mutual relations between the Indian castes were clearly characterized by teaching; that Brahma produced Brahmins from his mouth (or the first man Purusha), Kshatriyas from his hands, Vaishyas from his thighs, Shudras from mud-stained feet, therefore the essence of nature among the Brahmins is “holiness and wisdom”, among the Kshatriyas it is “power and strength”, among the Vaishyas - “wealth and profit”, among the Shudras - “service and humility”. The doctrine of the origin of castes from different parts of the highest being is expounded in one of the hymns of the latest, most recent book. Rigveda. There are no caste concepts in the older songs of the Rig Veda. The Brahmins attach great importance to this hymn, and every truly believing Brahmin recites it every morning after bathing. This hymn is a diploma by which the Brahmins legitimized their privileges, their dominion.
Thus the Indian people were led, by their history, by their inclinations and customs, to fall under the yoke of a hierarchy of castes, which turned estates and professions into tribes alien to each other,
Shudra
After the conquest of the Ganges valley by the Aryan tribes who came from the Indus, part of its original (non-Indo-European) population was enslaved, and the rest lost their lands, turning into servants and laborers. From these natives, alien to the Aryan invaders, the Shudra caste gradually formed. The word "sudra" does not come from a Sanskrit root. It may have been some local Indian tribal designation.
The Aryans assumed the role of a higher class in relation to the Shudras. Only over the Aryans was a religious ceremony of laying a sacred thread, which, according to the teachings of Brahminism, made a person “twice-born”. But even among the Aryans themselves, social division soon appeared. According to the nature of their life and occupations, they broke up into three castes - Brahmins, Kshatriyas and Vaishyas, reminiscent of the three main classes of the medieval West: the clergy, the military aristocracy and the class of small proprietors. This social stratification began to appear among the Aryans during their life on the Indus.
After the conquest of the Ganges valley, most of the Aryan population took up agriculture and cattle breeding in the new fertile country. These people formed a caste Vaishya("village"), which earned its livelihood by labor, but, unlike the Shudras, consisted of legally full owners of land, livestock or industrial and commercial capital. Warriors stood over the Vaishyas ( kshatriyas), and priests ( brahmins,"prayers"). Kshatriyas and especially Brahmins were considered the highest castes.
Vaishya
Vaishyas, farmers and shepherds of ancient India, by the very nature of their occupations, could not equal the upper classes in neatness and were not so well dressed. Spending the day in labor, they had no leisure either for acquiring Brahmin education, or for the idle occupations of the military nobility of the Kshatriyas. Therefore, the vaishyas soon began to be considered people of unequal rights to priests and warriors, people of a different caste. Vaisya commoners had no warlike neighbors to threaten their property. The Vaishyas did not need sword and arrows; they lived quietly with their wives and children on their piece of land, leaving the military class to guard the country from external enemies and from internal unrest. In the affairs of the world, most of the recent Aryan conquerors of India soon lost the habit of weapons and military art.
When, with the development of culture, the forms and needs of everyday life became more diverse, when the rustic simplicity of clothing and food, housing and household items began to not satisfy many, when trade with foreigners began to bring wealth and luxury, many vaishyas turned to crafts, industry, trade, return money in interest. But their social prestige did not rise from this. Just as in feudal Europe the townspeople did not belong to the upper classes, but to the common people, so in the populous cities that arose in India near the royal and princely palaces, the majority of the population were vaishyas. But they did not have room for independent development: the contempt of the upper classes weighed on the artisans and merchants in India. No matter how much wealth Vaishyas acquired in large, magnificent, luxurious capitals or in trading seaside cities, they did not receive any complicity either in the honors and glory of the Kshatriyas, or in the education and authority of the Brahmin priests and scientists. The highest moral blessings of life were inaccessible to the Vaishyas. They were given only the circle of physical and mechanical activity, the circle of material and routine; and although they were allowed, even made obligated to read Veda and law books, they remained outside the highest mental life of the nation. The hereditary chain chained the Vaishya to his father's plot of land or industry; access to the military class or to the Brahmin caste was forever barred to him.
Kshatriyas
The position of the warrior caste (kshatriyas) was more honorable, especially in iron times. Aryan conquests of India and the first generations after this conquest, when everything was decided by the sword and martial energy, when the king was only a commander, when law and custom were kept only by guarding weapons. There was a time when the kshatriyas aspired to become the leading estate, and in dark legends there are still traces of memories of the great war between warriors and brahmins, when “impious hands” dared to touch the sacred, God-established greatness of the clergy. Traditions say that the Brahmins emerged victorious from this struggle with the Kshatriyas with the help of the gods and the hero of the Brahmins, frames and that the wicked were subjected to the most terrible punishments.
Kshatriya education
Times of conquest were to be followed by times of peace; then the services of the kshatriyas were no longer needed, and the importance of the military class decreased. These times favored the aspiration of the Brahmins to become the first estate. But the stronger and more resolutely the soldiers held on to the degree of the second most honorable class. Proud of the glory of their ancestors, whose exploits were praised in heroic songs inherited from antiquity, imbued with a sense of dignity and consciousness of their strength, which the military profession gives people, the kshatriyas kept themselves in strict isolation from the vaishyas, who did not have noble ancestors, and looked with contempt on their working, monotonous life.
The Brahmins, having consolidated their primacy over the Kshatriyas, favored their class isolation, finding it beneficial for themselves; and the kshatriyas, along with lands and privileges, tribal pride and military glory, passed on to their sons and respect for the clergy. Separated by their upbringing, military exercises and way of life from both the Brahmins and the Vaishyas, the Kshatriyas were a knightly aristocracy that, under the new conditions of social life, preserved the militant customs of antiquity, instilled in their children a proud belief in the purity of blood and tribal superiority. Protected by heredity of rights and class isolation from the invasion of alien elements, the kshatriyas constituted a phalanx that did not allow commoners into their ranks.
Receiving a generous salary from the king, supplied from him with weapons and everything necessary for military affairs, the kshatriyas led a carefree life. Apart from military exercises, they had no business; therefore, in times of peace - and in the calm valley of the Ganges time passed mostly peacefully - they had much leisure to make merry and feast. In the circle of these clans, the memory of the glorious deeds of the ancestors, of the hot battles of antiquity, was preserved; singers of kings and noble families sang old songs to kshatriyas at sacrificial holidays and at funeral dinners, or composed new ones to glorify their patrons. From these songs, Indian epic poems gradually grew - Mahabharata And Ramayana.
The highest and most influential caste was the priests, whose original name was "purohita", "house priests" of the king, in the country of the Ganges was replaced by a new one - Brahmins. Even on the Indus there were such priests, for example, Vasistha, Vishwamitra- about whom the people believed that their prayers and the sacrifices they made had power, and who therefore enjoyed special respect. The benefit of the whole tribe demanded that their sacred songs, their ways of performing rituals, their teachings be preserved. The surest remedy for this was for the most respected priests of the tribe to pass on their knowledge to their sons or disciples. This is how the Brahmin families arose. Forming schools or corporations, they preserved prayers, hymns, sacred knowledge by oral tradition.
At first, each Aryan tribe had its own Brahmin clan; for example, among the Koshalas, the clan of Vasistha, among the Anges, the clan of Gautama. But when the tribes, accustomed to living in peace with each other, united into one state, then their priestly families entered into partnership with each other, borrowed prayers and hymns from each other. The creeds and sacred songs of the various Brahmin schools became the common property of the whole association. These songs and teachings, which at first existed only in oral tradition, were, after the introduction of written signs, written down and collected by the Brahmins. So arose Veda, that is, "knowledge", a collection of sacred songs and invocations of the gods, called Rigveda and the following two collections of sacrificial formulas, prayers and liturgical decrees, Samaveda And Yajurveda.
The Indians attached great importance to the fact that the sacrificial offerings were made correctly, and that no mistakes were made in addressing the gods. This was very conducive to the emergence of a special Brahmin corporation. When the liturgical rites and prayers were written down, the exact knowledge and observance of the prescribed rules and laws, which could only be studied under the guidance of the old priestly families, became a condition for the sacrifices and rites to be pleasing to the gods. This necessarily gave the performance of sacrifices and worship to the exclusive management of the Brahmins, completely stopped the direct relationship of the laity to the gods: only those who had been taught by the priest-mentor - the son or pupil of a Brahmin - could now perform the sacrifice in the proper way, making it "pleasant to the gods" ; only he could deliver God's help.
Brahman in modern India
Knowledge of the old songs with which ancestors in their former homeland honored the gods of nature, knowledge of the rites that accompanied these songs, became more and more decisively the exclusive property of the Brahmins, whose forefathers composed these songs and in whose genus they were inherited. Traditions connected with worship, necessary for understanding it, also remained the property of the priests. What was brought from the homeland was clothed in the minds of the Aryan settlers in India with a mysterious sacred meaning. Thus the hereditary singers became hereditary priests, whose importance increased as the people of the Aryans moved away from their old homeland (the Indus Valley) and, busy with military affairs, forgot their old institutions.
The people began to consider the Brahmins as intermediaries between people and gods. When peaceful times began in the new country of the Ganges, and concern for the performance of religious duties became the most important business of life, the concept established among the people about the importance of priests should have aroused in them the proud thought that the estate, performing the most sacred duties, spending its life in the service of the gods, has the right to take first place in society and the state. The Brahmin clergy became a closed corporation, access to it was closed to people of other classes. Brahmins were supposed to take wives only from their class. They taught all the people to recognize that the sons of a priest, born in a lawful marriage, possess by their very origin the right to be priests and the ability to perform sacrifices and prayers pleasing to the gods.
Thus arose a priestly, Brahmin caste, strictly isolated from the Kshatriyas and Vaishyas, placed by the power of their class pride and the religiosity of the people on the highest level of honor, seizing science, religion, and all education in a monopoly for themselves. As time passed, the Brahmins became accustomed to thinking that they were as much superior to the rest of the Aryans as they considered themselves superior to the Shudras and the remnants of the wild native Indian tribes. On the street, in the market, the difference between the castes was already visible in the material and form of clothing, in the size and shape of the cane. A Brahmin, unlike a Kshatriya and a Vaishya, left the house with nothing more than a bamboo cane, a vessel of water for cleansing, with a sacred thread over his shoulder.
The Brahmins did their best to put the theory of castes into practice. But the conditions of reality opposed such obstacles to their striving that they could not strictly enforce the principle of the division of occupations between the castes. It was especially difficult for the Brahmins to find means of subsistence for themselves and their families, limiting themselves to only those occupations that specifically belonged to their caste. The Brahmins were not monks who take only as many people as they need into their class. They led a family life and multiplied; therefore it was inevitable that many Brahmin families became impoverished; and the Brahmin caste did not receive maintenance from the state. Therefore, the impoverished Brahmin families fell into poverty. The Mahabharata says that two prominent characters in this poem, Drona and his son Ashwatthaman, there were Brahmins, but due to poverty they had to take up the military craft of the Kshatriyas. In later insertions they are severely reprimanded for this.
True, some Brahmins led an ascetic and hermit life in the forest, in the mountains, near sacred lakes. Others were astronomers, legal advisers, administrators, judges, and received a good livelihood from these honorable occupations. Many brahmins were religious teachers, interpreters of sacred books, and received support from their many students, were priests, servants at temples, lived on gifts from those who made sacrifices and, in general, from pious people. But whatever the number of Brahmins who found their livelihood in these pursuits, we see from laws of Manu and from other ancient Indian sources that there were many priests who lived only by alms or fed themselves and their families in occupations indecent to their caste. Therefore, the laws of Manu are diligently concerned to instill in kings and wealthy people that they have a sacred duty to be generous to the Brahmins. The laws of Manu allow the Brahmins to beg, they allow them to earn their livelihood by the occupations of Kshatriyas and Vaishyas. A Brahman can subsist on agriculture and shepherding; can live "the truth and lies of the trade". But in no case should he live by lending money at interest, or by seductive arts, such as music and singing; should not be hired as workers, should not trade in intoxicating drinks, cow's butter, milk, sesame seeds, linen or woolen fabrics. The law of Manu also permits those kshatriyas who cannot subsist on the art of war to engage in the affairs of the vaisyas, and he allows the vaisyas to subsist on the occupations of the sudras. But all these were only concessions forced by necessity.
The discrepancy between the occupations of people and their castes led over time to the disintegration of castes into smaller divisions. Actually, it is these small social groups that are castes in the proper sense of the word, and the four main classes we have listed - Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas and Shudras - in India itself are often called varnas. Condescendingly allowing the higher castes to feed on the professions of the lower, the laws of Manu strictly forbid the lower castes to take on the profession of the higher: this insolence was supposed to be punished by confiscation of property and exile. Only a sudra who does not find employment for himself can practice a craft. But he must not acquire wealth, lest he become arrogant against people of other castes, before whom he is obliged to humble himself.
Untouchable Caste - Chandalas
From the Ganges basin, this contempt for the surviving tribes of the non-Aryan population was transferred to the Deccan, where they were placed in the same position as the Chandalas on the Ganges. pariahs, whose name is not found in laws of Manu, became among Europeans the name of all classes of people despised by the Aryans, "unclean" people. The word pariya is not Sanskrit, but Tamil. The Tamils call pariahs both the descendants of the most ancient, pre-Dravidian population, and the Indians excluded from the castes.
Even the position of slaves in ancient India was less difficult than the life of the untouchable caste. The epic and dramatic works of Indian poetry show that the Aryans treated their slaves meekly, that many slaves enjoyed great confidence in their masters and occupied influential positions. Slaves were: those members of the Shudra caste, whose ancestors fell into slavery during the conquest of the country; Indian prisoners of war from enemy states; people bought from merchants; faulty debtors given by judges as slaves to creditors. Slaves and female slaves were sold on the market as a commodity. But no one could have as a slave a person from a caste higher than his own.
Originating in antiquity, the untouchable caste exists in India to the present day.
What determines the life of Hindus in modern ashrams and megacities? A system of government built according to European patterns, or a special form of apartheid, which was supported by castes in ancient India and continues to embody today? The clash of the norms of Western civilization with Hindu traditions sometimes leads to unpredictable results.
Varnas and jati
Trying to figure out which castes existed in India and continue to influence its society today, one should turn to the basics of tribal groups. Ancient societies regulated the gene pool and social relations with the help of two principles - endo- and exogamy. The first allows you to create a family only within your area (tribe), the second prohibits marriages between representatives of a part of this community (genus). Endogamy acts as a factor in the preservation of cultural identity, and exogamy opposes the degenerative consequences of closely related ties. To one degree or another, both mechanisms of biosocial regulation are necessary for the existence of civilization. We turn to the experience of South Asia because the role of endogamous castes in modern India and Nepal continues to be the most striking example of the phenomenon.
In the era of territory development (1500 - 1200 BC), the social system of the ancient Hindus already provided for the division into four varnas (colors) - Brahmins (Brahmins), Kshatriyas, Vaishyas and Shudras. Varnas, presumably, were once homogeneous formations without additional class division.
During the early Middle Ages, with the growth of the population and the development of social interaction, the main groups underwent further social stratification. The so-called "jatis" appeared, the status of which is associated with the original origin, the history of the development of the group, professional activities and the region of residence.
In turn, the jati themselves contain many subgroups of different social status. One way or another, the well-proportioned pyramidal structure of subordination can be traced both in the example of the jati and in the case of generalizing super-clans - varnas.
Brahmins are considered the highest caste in India. Priests, theologians and philosophers among them play the role of a link between the worlds of gods and people. Kshatriyas bear the burden of state power and military command. Gautama Siddhartha Buddha is the most famous representative of this varna. The third social category in the Hindu hierarchy, the Vaishyas, are predominantly clans of merchants and landowners. And, finally, the "working ants" of the Shudras are servants and hired workers of a narrow specialization.
The lowest caste in India - the untouchables (a group of Dalits) - is outside the varna system, although they represent about 17% of the population and are involved in active social interaction. This group "brand" should not be taken literally. After all, even priests and warriors do not consider it shameful to have a haircut at a hairdresser - Dalit. An example of a fantastic class emancipation of a representative of the untouchable caste in India was Dalit K. R. Narayanan, who was the country's president in 1997-2002.
The synonymous perception of untouchables and pariahs by Europeans is a common misconception. Pariahs are completely declassed and completely disenfranchised people, deprived of even the very possibility of group association.
Mutual reflection of economic classes and castes in India
The last time information about class affiliation was studied in 1930 during the population census. Then the amount caste in india was more than 3,000. If a bulletin table were used at such an event, it would have up to 200 pages. According to ethnographers and sociologists, the number of Jati by the beginning of the 21st century had decreased by about half. This may be due to both industrial development and ignoring caste differences among Brahmins, Kshatriyas and Vaishyas who were educated in Western universities.
Technological progress leads to a certain decline in handicrafts. Industrial corporations, trading and transport companies need armies of identical sudras - workers, detachments of middle managers from among the vaishyas and kshatriyas in the role of top managers.
The mutual projections of economic classes and castes in contemporary India are not obvious. Most of today's politicians are vaishyas, not kshatriyas, as one might assume. The leadership of large trading firms is mainly those who, according to the canon, should be warriors or rulers. And in the countryside there are even impoverished Brahmins cultivating the land...
To understand the contradictory reality of modern caste society, neither recreational tourist trips nor search queries like “India caste photos” will help. It is much more effective to get acquainted with the opinions of L. Alaev, I. Glushkova and other orientalists and Hindus on this issue.
Only tradition can be stronger than the law
The Constitution of 1950 affirms the equality of all estates before the law. Moreover, even the slightest manifestation of discrimination - the question of origin at the time of employment - is a criminal offence. The irony of the collision of the modernist norm with reality is that the Hindus accurately determine the group affiliation of the interlocutor in a couple of minutes. Moreover, the name, facial features, speech, education and clothing are not of decisive importance here.
The secret to maintaining the value of endogamy lies in the positive role it can play in social and ideological terms. Even the lower class is a kind of insurance company for its members. Castes and varnas in India are a cultural asset, moral authority and a system of clubs. The authors of the Indian constitution were also aware of this, recognizing the initial endogamy of social groups. In addition, universal suffrage, unexpectedly for the modernizers, became a factor in strengthening caste identification. Group positioning facilitates the tasks of propaganda and the formation of political programs.
This is how the symbiosis of Hinduism and Western democracy develops in a contradictory and unpredictable way. The caste structure of society demonstrates both illogicality and high adaptability to changing conditions. Castes in ancient India were not considered eternal and indestructible formations, despite the fact that they were consecrated by the law of Manu from the “code of honor of the Aryans”. Who knows, perhaps we are witnessing the realization of an ancient Hindu prediction that "in the era of Kali Yuga, everyone will be born as Shudras."
Allan Rannu, a hereditary orientalist, talks about human destiny and about the four varnas as tools for understanding the world and oneself.
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