(kind, genus, color) - the name of the four social communities, or ranks, into which the population of ancient India was divided. In the aggregate, V. represented a hierarchy of statuses that did not coincide with property, class, or political status. division about-va. The eldest was V. Brahmins - scientists, priests and teachers, white was associated with her; second in rank - V. kshatriyas - warriors, rulers and nobility (red color); the third V. vaishyas - farmers, cattle breeders and merchants, common people (yellow color); fourth V. Shudra - dependent persons (black color). The boys of the three upper V. underwent the Upanayana rite and were considered dvija ("twice-born"). Shudras were considered "one-born". They and even lower strata of the population were not allowed to study the Vedas and other priests. books. The division of society into V. genetically goes back to the Indo-Iranian or even Indo-European community, in which there were three social ranks (in Iran - pishtra). It is generally accepted that V. Shudra was already formed in India from the local population, included in the so-called arr. in the Aryan society. However, V. is not mentioned in the early Vedic literature, with the exception of one of the later hymns of the Rig Veda, which recounts the legend of the emergence of V. as a result of the sacrifice of the first man Purusha: the brahmins arose from the mouth, the kshatriyas from the hands, the vaishyas from the torso, the shudras - from the feet. V. were not strictly endogamous. Tradition explains the further development of the V. system into a system of castes by intermarriage, children from which occupied a different social position. Until now, most Indian castes trace their origin to one of the varnas.
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(Skt. type, genus, color), the name of the four social communities, or ranks, into which the population of ancient India was divided. Taken together, the varnas represented a hierarchy of statuses that did not coincide with the property, class or political division of society. Varna was the eldest...
A large dictionary of esoteric terms - edited by d.m.s. Stepanov A.M.
(from the Portuguese casts - genus, species, breed), a group of people who are aware of their commonality, marry only among themselves, have a range of traditional occupations, as well as specific customs, rituals, mythology, limiting communication with other similar groups and included in ...
In the XV - VI centuries. BC.
Formation of the estate structure. Varna
In India, the result of the separation of the nobility and the priesthood was the formation of closed estates - varnas. The main content of the term “varna” is “kind”, “color”, “category” of people.
The Varna system was the result of historical development and could have arisen only at a certain stage of it. All Hindu texts testify that at first the Aryans did not know the varnas, that they arose in strict accordance with the division by type of labor activity. As a result of the decomposition of the primitive communal system, in addition to classes, estates took shape. There were class differences in almost all countries of antiquity, but they took on a complete character precisely in India, thanks to the persistence and vitality of the remnants of tribal relations and the strength of the community organization. Tribal associations were gradually included in class society, but firmly held their old positions, contributing to the conservation of social phenomena. The formation of estates took place under the direct influence of the characteristics of tribal relations, religious and ethnic differences, and the decisive factor in the formation of a formalized hierarchical system of varnas was the processes that took place in socio-economic development - this is the strengthening of social inequality. The concentration of property corresponded more or less exactly to the varn division. The class principle determines the essence of the varna system. In the early Vedic period, there was a tripartite division in society - brahmins (priests), rajanya (know) and vish (simple - people). This division was largely determined by occupation and position in society and had nothing to do with the caste system that developed later. In the Vedic age there were no traces of hereditary professions and caste endogamy, the people were a single whole. But in the late Vedic period, differences between divisions in society began to grow. There was a doctrine of four varnas: Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas and Shudras.
The very first and earliest mention of varnas is contained in the Rigvedic hymn “Purushasukta”, which tells about the origin of varnas from parts of the mythical first man Purusha. Brahmins from the mouth, kshatriyas from the hands, vaishyas from the thighs, sudras from the feet.
Varna of the Brahmins (Brahmins) (brahmana - “knowing the sacred doctrine”) occupied the supreme position. This included representatives of the clans who performed priestly duties, and royal families. The establishment of the social superiority of the Brahmins over other members of society was facilitated by their mythical origin. Since the brahmins were created from the most “clean” part of the body of Brahma, the gods communicated with people through the mouth of the brahmins. The fate of people depends on God, and only brahmins can know God's will and influence it. They were given the exclusive right to perform sacrifices, basic rites, to acquaint people with the sacred scriptures. It was believed that they had reached the highest degree of perfection. Taking advantage of the fact that they were entrusted with the spiritual people, they sought to consolidate their privileged position in society, attributing to themselves a divine origin. The ancient sacred - shastras included prescriptions that emphasized the exclusivity of the Brahmins in comparison with other representatives of Indian society. Brahmins were exempted from duties, they themselves disposed of their property. Killing brahmins was the greatest sin.
Next according to the class hierarchy scheme was the Kshatriya varna (ksatruya - “endowed with power”), which included the military nobility. This varna had real power in Indian society, as it had material resources and military power in its hands. There are many facts that testify to the rivalry between the Kshatriyas and the Brahmins for the claim to a privileged position in society. The kshatriyas constantly disputed the supremacy of the brahmins, arguing that the brahmin was not the lord and that the priest was only the servant of the king.
The bulk of the community members formed the third varna - vaishyas (vais "va - “endowed with property”). This varna consisted mainly of farmers and cattle breeders, as well as merchants and artisans. They were given the right to own land and were assigned a minor role in government. In in particular, the coronation of kings took place with their indispensable participation.Vaishyas were the basis on which the well-being of the Brahmins and Kshatriyas rested, they were the main taxable class.However, the Vaishyas did not enjoy equal rights with these varnas and were not famous, the blood of priests did not flow in their veins and know.
Later than the other three, the Shudra varna finally took shape. They were engaged in physical labor, their position was close to that of a slave, many restrictions on their rights were imposed on them. The Shudras did not have the right to participate in government, to hold responsible positions in the state apparatus, to participate in worship and sacrifices to the gods (the Shudras were allowed to perform domestic sacrifices and the rite of remembrance of the ancestors). As the Vedic texts testify, since the sudra was created from the feet of Prajapati without the participation of a god, then his gods are the owners of the house. Gradually the position of the sudras changed. Their rights to life and well-being were recognized by the elite of society. They were allowed to participate in the coronation of new kings and given the opportunity to delegate representatives to the royal council.
As a rule, belonging to the varna was determined by birth. The transition from one varna to another, as well as mixed marriages, was prohibited. At the same time, the sources contain evidence that the partitions between the varnas were not insurmountable. So, for example, the heroes of the "Ma-habharata" - Dhritarashtra, Pandu and Vidura, were the sons of the Brahmin Vyasa, but the first two belonged to the Kshatriyas, since their mothers were Kshatriyas, and the third - to the Shudras, on the mother - a Shudryanka. It was believed that Vyasa himself had a father - a Brahmin, and a mother - a fisherman.
The privilege of the three highest varnas of Indian society in relation to the Shudras was emphasized by a special rite of initiation (upanayana), from the word upavita - a cord woven in a special way and from a special material (for each varna is different) - the most essential and significant part of the rite. The essence of this rite of passage consisted, as it were, in the formal admission to full-fledged members of the community of an already mature fellow tribesman. It was believed that during this ceremony a second birth occurs, hence the members of the three highest varnas - Brahmins, Kshatriyas and Vaishyas were called "twice-born" (dvijati). The rite was performed in childhood, for children of Brahmins at the age of 8, Kshatriyas - 11, Vaishyas - 12.
The whole life of the twice-born was to be divided into four periods (ashram):
I - brahmacharin - the period of study. The students lived in the teacher's house () and were in the position of servants. They worked for a mentor, carried out all his orders and instructions. Their work was considered tuition fees.
II - (grihastha) - the period of conscious family life. During this period, a twice-born could start a family and was obliged to support family members and perform a cult of gods and ancestors.
III - (vanaprastha) - the period of the forest hermit. When a person reached old age, acquired grandchildren, he had to retire from the world, become a hermit. This is a period of philosophical knowledge and self-knowledge.
IV - (yati, sannyasi) - the period of a wandering ascetic. Preparation for life in the afterlife. A period of feeling that the end is near.
By the end of the Vedic period, the system of four estates - varnas - finally took shape, the strengthening of which became one of the indicators of a break with the traditions of the primitive communal system.
Concept varna the level of evolutionary development of a person in society is determined, correlated with the level of his personal development. According to this criterion, the whole society was divided into four varnas. Such a system of social organization was adopted in Vedic times, it is familiar to us from modern India.
At the bottom of the social ladder are people who perform the simplest menial work, sometimes outcasts, outcasts of society, called shudras or untouchables. The next category is vaishu, artisans who earn their livelihood by their work. They were the most numerous. Further - kshatriyas, or warriors who skillfully wielded weapons and guarded the society in which they lived. They were responsible for ensuring that justice reigned in the world, certain laws were observed. And the fourth category of brahmins is the keepers of knowledge.
A tradition similar to the division into varnas existed in our territories. The parallelism is obvious. Those who are called shudras in India are called untouchables or smerds here. In India - vaishyas, here - vesi, in India - kshatriyas, here - knights, in India - brahmins, here - magicians or sorcerers. We see different names for the same phenomena.
The varna of a person depends, first of all, on the experience accumulated by the soul, on what segment of evolution has been passed in previous incarnations. The very word "varna" is translated as "color", and originally meant the color of the aura, or the energy body of a person, by which it was possible to determine the main aspirations of the Soul that came into this world: “a brahmin [seems to be] white, a kshatriya is red, a vaishya is yellow, a sudra is black” (Vajrasuchika Upanishad).
In Vedic society, varna was not originally defined by parents. The newborn was brought to the brahmin, and he, having a subtle vision, looked at the color of the aura, and assessed the level of development of the soul, and, accordingly, drew conclusions about what lessons she needed to get here, within which varna this person needed to look for his place in life.
In the Laws of Manu, the creation of the varnas, and the distribution among them, is described as follows: “And for the sake of the prosperity of the worlds, he [Brahma] created from his mouth, hands, thighs and feet a Brahmin, a Kshatriya, a Vaishya and a Shudra<…>And in order to preserve this entire universe, he, the most luminous one, established special occupations for those born from the mouth, hands, hips and feet. Education, study [of the Vedas], sacrifice for oneself and sacrifice for others, giving and receiving [alms] he established for the brahmanas. The protection of subjects, the distribution [alms], sacrifice, the study [of the Vedas] and non-adherence to worldly pleasures, he indicated for the kshatriya. Grazing cattle, and also distribution [alms], sacrifice, study [of the Vedas], trade, usury and agriculture - for vaishyas. But the lord pointed out only one occupation for the Shudras - serving these varnas with humility.(Laws of Manu). That is, the definition of varna correlates with the type of social activity.
In the Kali Yuga, a mixture of varnas occurs and it becomes more and more difficult to distinguish between them: “Brahmins, kshatriyas, vaishyas will mix with each other and (all) they will become like sudras, neglecting truth and repentance. Low will become medium and medium will become low. Such will be the world at the end of the south."(Mahabharata). We live in a period when it is more and more difficult for a person to understand his destiny - this is one of the biggest problems of modern society. A person who is, in fact, a sudra, can now lecture on spiritual topics, and a spiritual practitioner for the sake of survival, sweep the streets. The type of social activity in our era does not coincide with the inner essence of a person, with his abilities and capabilities, at the end of the yuga according to the Mahabharata: "Shudras will interpret the dharma, and brahmins will listen to them with reverence and faith"(Mahabharata).
The ancient sages understood how important it is for a person to "remember" who he is. For adequate spiritual development, it is important to fulfill precisely those social duties that correspond to the level of development of the soul:
Fulfill - albeit badly - your duty personally,
More important than performing someone else's super excellent
You can determine your varna by analyzing motivations, values, aspirations. Sudras living outside social norms are often unwilling to perform any public duties, or perform them “under duress”. Shudras are people who seek only pleasure in life. Shudras are practically not able to control passions, we can say that they are slaves of passions. Ultimately, the representatives of this varna, through pleasures, lead themselves to sorrows and sufferings, while enjoying themselves destroy their lives: “Carnal pleasures are varied, they are sweet and captivating, in one form or another they shake our spirit ... These pleasures are my misfortune, they contain the seed of loss, failure, bitter anguish, dangers”().
It is possible to single out the tasks that need to be solved by the sudra throughout life: in general, they are associated with the study of the material plane of existence. There is an opinion that souls who have just come from the animal world receive such an incarnation, respectively, their interests do not go beyond the simplest instincts and problems of the animal level. A representative of this varna must master the level of survival, then learn how to leave viable offspring and take care of him. In general, all the vital interests and motivations of the Shudras are reduced to a few primitive needs: to eat, sleep, defend, copulate.
The soul, which has just begun to master the human world, in the first incarnations in a new quality will be underdeveloped and capable only of physical labor. Through work, the development of the Shudras proceeds.
They are not able to adequately manage their own energy and therefore they simply should not have it. Hard physical work wastes energy at the level of muladhara (the first chakra) - and it simply does not remain for "svadhisthane" nonsense (for example, sex), which already belongs to the second chakra. In this case, labor acts as the most reliable cure for passions, which otherwise will simply destroy a person.
The instructions for the Shudras, working to serve the representatives of the higher varnas, we will find in many Vedic texts. In the Vedic society, a clear system was developed that allowed representatives of all varnas to evolve: "The kshatriyas served the brahmins, the vaisyas served the kshatriyas, and the sudras, being devoted to the brahmins and kshatriyas, served the vaisyas"(Mahabharata).
By serving those who have reached a higher level in spiritual development and receiving gratitude from them, a person changes his fate in this incarnation and in the next ones. A vaishu will serve a warrior and gradually become a warrior; a warrior serving a brahmana will gradually become a brahmana. But, to learn how to serve adequately is, first of all, the fundamental task of a person who belongs to the Shudras. He must overcome his laziness, develop the skills of discipline, the skill to purposefully carry out the assigned work.
As soon as the sudra manages to form the foundation of his life, as soon as he satisfies the most primitive needs, he has various desires. And this is not even the problem, representatives of other varnas, of course, also have desires. The trouble is that the desires of the Shudras are extremely unstable: "I want what is now before my eyes." At the same time, a sudra is not able to concentrate his attention on one object for a long time, to keep some kind of goal (“keep the goal in himself”). A sudra cannot, for example, set aside money to buy an apartment or a car; rather, he will spend it on momentary pleasures. Money is just one of the options for the manifestation of energy in our world. But the Shudra treats any other energy in the same way, squandering it on entertainment, pleasing the sexual sense, the sense of taste, etc.: “Language draws a person in one direction, thirst in another; the sexual urge pulls him somewhere else, while the skin, stomach and ears go in other directions; his nose pulls him in one direction, his wayward eyes in another, while the desire for activity pulls him somewhere else, and all this undermines a person, like many wives of a householder.(Udhava Gita). Representatives of this varna have not mastered that level of interaction with the world, which already allows them to collect energy and invest it in any business. The incarnation of a sudra can be received by a soul who had assets (material, energy) in a past life and failed to properly dispose of them. Now she is born with practically nothing.
The Shudras always need someone to guide them towards some more or less long-term goal (for example, "if you don't get drunk for a week, you'll get paid on Monday," says a foreman to a drunk-loving construction worker). Shudra is not able to lead anyone, to organize some kind of process. He himself can work only when he receives clear instructions from the boss. A representative of this varna will feel comfortable in the position of an employee. Moreover, the rougher and simpler the work, the less thought it requires, the better. It is not typical for Shudras to show initiative or creativity in their work, they will consciously or subconsciously strive for situations that involve stereotyped solutions.
In what sense, the Shudras are very similar to small children, they cannot control their desires, navigate the world themselves, choose a stable area of their interests. In this regard, all other varnas, more “adult”, are responsible for the evolution of those who were born with experience corresponding to the level of the sudra.
A representative of any other varna can “slide down” to the Shudras. For example, if a Vaishu or a Kshatriya begins to drink alcohol, or is too fond of sex, then in the next life he will be destined for the fate of a sudra, if, of course, he stays in the human world at all. And in this incarnation, he will have many desires and needs, and no opportunities to satisfy them.
The next varna is vaishu. This includes businessmen, artisans, peasants. Those who earn their living by using certain tools or some kind of intellectual capacity.
Vaishu are attached to the idea of hoarding. Moreover, their wealth does not have to be expressed in monetary form, it can be the wealth of the family, i.e. tangible support from relatives, ancestors, a secure future secured by descendants. Health is also considered by them as a kind of potential and a kind of wealth. Usually the following areas are a priority for a vaishu: family, children (the formula “prolongation of the family” is often used here), health, work. This is what they basically live for.
Vaishu have a fairly developed intellect. Both the "accountant by nature", who neatly adds up numbers and the mathematician, whose joy is the calculation of integrals, use the possibilities of the vaishu level.
For a vaishu, only that which he can prefix with the pronoun "my" is of interest. Representatives of this varna can take care, but only about “their” children, “their” employees, “their home”. It is in caring for "one's own", about what he is attached to, that a Vaishu-type person is realized. (Looking ahead, let's say that a kshatriya begins to think at least about the level of state interests, or more globally - about justice. He no longer thinks about the world from the level of affection, and does not look at it through the prism of love, which is in his value system at the last place).
Vaishu, are already less prone to passions than the Shudras, they develop a sense of will, which allows them to manage themselves, control energy expenditure to some extent, and invest the saved resource in the chosen business. At this level, there is a desire and, most importantly, the opportunity to invest in achieving a specific goal, there is a desire for self-actualization, the need to do something on their own. Accordingly, vaishus can organize, for example, their own business, make decisions within its framework, and manage hired employees.
The values of the people of this varna are always connected with the material plane of being. The problem of the vaishus is that they put all their strength into the material world. It is difficult for people at this stage of development to understand that this world is not reduced only to the material, from their point of view, "money can buy everything." Vaishu do not perceive what cannot be felt, and their worldview does not include such concepts as energy and karma, and without them, most of the spiritual information remains incomplete.
Vaishu must understand that behind everything created in the material world, there will be a certain karma. Creating material goods and leaving them behind in this world, a person should think about who will use them and for what purpose. A blacksmith can forge a beautiful sword, but if a scoundrel uses this weapon, part of the karma will "leave" the one who created the weapon.
The evolutionary development of a vaishu occurs when he has already learned to satisfy all the needs of the material level, he realized that he can easily earn a lot of money, he has a prosperous family and many children ... but some kind of emptiness remains inside. Then two options for development open up: either he understands that everything material is still perishable and will be destroyed sooner or later, and then he chooses the brahminical type of development. Or, while retaining interest in the material, he begins to be guided by the desire to transform this world, make it fair, and moves away from serving "oneself" to serving society.
For him, the level of politics and management becomes interesting. In stereotypical representations, a kshatriya is, first of all, a warrior. But it is not so. The interests of a kshatriya are rather in power, the ability to manipulate people. A kshatriya takes responsibility for society, and understands that its representatives must be protected and protected, including from themselves. Neither Vaishu nor Shudra can organize themselves, they need someone who, being on top, establishes order and discipline. A person comes to the path of a kshatriya with the realization that it is he who must do this, moreover, relying on the central concept for a kshatriya - the concept of justice. Kshatriya's service in building "sociality", he creates and controls the order by which society should live: “The king, carefully guarding these (his subjects), ensures that all castes comply with their laws” ().
The art of war is just a forceful method of both retaining power and protecting “subjects”, monitoring the implementation of established rules, and it is in this regard that mastering the skill to kill is of value to them. “Where the king rules according to the dharma, the subjects are busy with their own affairs, and those who deviate from their duty, (the king) returns to him again. Subjects should always be afraid of kings: after all, rulers destroy the one who deviates from his duty, just as a hunter (kills) an antelope with arrows.(Mahabharata).
But, unfortunately, the appeal to the method of eradicating evil by violence has certain consequences. In fulfilling their duty, kshatriyas accumulate a lot of negative karma associated with killing, inflicting pain on another living being. They will have to answer for the murders and violence. This is the main problem for this varna.
The degree of responsibility for an act depends on what guna the person who committed it is in, on how much he is able to understand what his actions lead to. The fact is that kshatriyas who defend justice, live according to dharma, are already sufficiently captured by the energy of goodness, respectively, the consequences of their actions begin to come to them quickly, making it possible to realize the law of karma. Kshatriya already knows the basic principles of the world order, understands the laws of society. And accordingly, the punishment for mistakes for representatives of this varna will be quite severe.
They must understand the wrongness of the very principle of fighting evil with the help of military methods. The ways in which the kshatriyas try to solve problems have too many flaws, their consequences are too severe, and the effectiveness is not high. Having accumulated considerable experience, the warrior begins to think that evil cannot be destroyed by killing. In place of some villains, others come. The warrior begins to understand that by cutting off his head, he does not help a person change for the better, that in the next incarnation he will again meet his victim, who simply received a different physical body, but retained all energy problems and an absolutely “sick” consciousness.
Realizing that nothing can be essentially changed through the transformation of matter, the kshatriya turns to the study of his inner world, to work with his own consciousness, and becomes a brahmin.
In modern society, another option is also possible - having become disillusioned with the well-functioning mechanism of interaction with society, a kshatriya goes into the world of illusions, into the world of alcohol or computer games.
Kshatriyas are at the top of the social pyramid. Representatives of the next varna, the Brahmins, are no longer interested in such "children's toys" as power, fame, honor, prestige. Usually, people come to the Brahminical world outlook, having already passed a lot of lessons in their previous incarnations, and realized the low value of the interests that come to the fore among the kshatriyas, vaishus and sudras. Brahman is not interested in material values, he may well not be burdened by the possession of money or property, simply because he does not need it.
Brahmins are looking for something more stable, and they are attracted by knowledge, because it is it that has enduring value. This is a class of people who support knowledge, and limit themselves to the maximum in everything, for the sake of it. The more various pleasures a person has, the less his mental or spiritual potential. This is stated in the original sources: “And the aspirant to knowledge cannot have pleasures. Either the seeker of pleasure must leave science, or the seeker of science must leave pleasure.”(Mahabharata). The more a sudra, vaishu or kshatriya hunts, amuses, enjoys, the more primitive he becomes towards the end of his life.
Brahman, on the one hand, understands that any pleasure has its direct consequence - and this consequence is suffering. On the other hand, any pleasure is a waste of energy. He tries to "collect all his potential into a fist" as much as possible, and realize it for the benefit of society.
In fact, the life of a brahmin is a constant austerity. In order to see the world clearly, a brahmana must use the energy of ajna, but at the level of this chakra, energy cannot be accumulated. In order for the chakra to function adequately, a brahmin must constantly transform energy, while understanding that first of all you need to change yourself, and then the world around will change. And this partly concludes his ministry, so he helps others develop.
If you were once in the company of a really strong personality, a Teacher, with a capital letter, you probably noticed that just being with him, in his energy, you felt different. In his presence, motivation, strength and desire to change appeared. In some sense, this is what the Brahmins live for. They strive to keep their energy at a high enough level so that people who are close to them can receive benefit. You can give a person as much important information as you like - but not supported by energy, it will remain "meaningless shaking of the air." Brahman changes people through its energy.
The process of degradation or development of a person, including in terms of movement through varnas, is determined by the dynamics of one simple ratio: The more a person wants for himself, the lower he will eventually remain. This is a very slow step-by-step and not always obvious process. The more a person becomes attached to personal needs, pleasures, whatever it is "for himself", the worse it will be for him. A person begins to move upward only when, first, through austerity, he gives up his happiness now, for the sake of greater happiness later, and ultimately from his happiness for the sake of the development of others.
Brahman, ideally, should not have any personal interests at all. He tries to act outside his ego and outside his desires, in fact, only fulfilling the will of the world, the will of the gods. He incarnates on this earth, not because he has, for example, the desire to live, but only because he is needed here, because people karmically connected with him need help.
Yogic practices aimed at the fastest possible evolution allow one to go through the state of different varnas in one life. In ancient times, varna was not a seal that determined a person's life until death. Passing certain lessons and developing potential, a person could “outgrow” his varna and, accordingly, move to the next one, or, on the contrary, degrade - go lower. “He who is born among the Shudras, but has achieved high virtues, falls, O Brahmin, into the category of Vaishyas and even Kshatriyas, and living righteously, he can be born as a Brahmin”(Mahabharata). In the Mahabharata we find an injunction to value people by deeds and not by birth: “If a brahmana is mired in low vices, if he is swaggering and constantly doing evil, he becomes like a sudra. And a sudra who strives relentlessly for humility, truth and piety, I regard as a brahmin because he acts like a twice-born.”(Mahabharata). A sudra always has room to grow, and a brahmana always has room to fall.
To understand who you really are, you need to separate the “true self” and what has been introduced by society. Since childhood, we are imposed with interests that are alien to our souls - the desire for pleasure or wealth, in fact, the interests of the Shudras, at best - the Vaishu. You need to see what is deeper, behind this superficial layer, what your soul really reaches out to.
The article was compiled based on the materials of the lectures of the teachers of the club website.
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 your 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.
History of the origin of the caste system
The Indian Vedas tell us that even the ancient Aryan peoples living on the territory of modern India about one and a half thousand years before our era already had a society divided into estates.
Much later, these social strata began to be called varnas(from the word "color" in Sanskrit - according to the color of the clothes worn). Another variant of the name of varnas is caste, which already comes from the Latin word.
Initially, in ancient India there were 4 castes (varnas):
- brahmins - priests;
- kṣatriya—warriors;
- vaisya--workers;
- sudras are laborers and servants.
A similar division into castes appeared due to different levels of well-being: The rich wanted to be surrounded only by their own kind., prosperous people and disdained to communicate with the poorer and uneducated.
Mahatma Gandhi preached the fight against caste inequality. with his biography, this is truly a man with a great soul!
Castes in modern India
Today, Indian castes have become even more structured, they have a lot of various 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.
There is a completely unique subgroup in the untouchable caste: the attitude of society towards it is rather contradictory. These include 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 untouchable podcast - 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.
Conclusion
The caste system originated millennia ago, but still continues to live and develop in Indian society.
Varnas (castes) are divided into podcasts - jati. There are 4 varnas and many jati.
In India there are societies of people who do not belong to any caste. This - exiled people.
The caste system gives people the opportunity to be with their own kind, provides the support of fellows and clear rules of life and behavior. This is the natural regulation of society, existing in parallel with the laws of India.
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.
Ancient India. Map
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 estate 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 coastal 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 obliged, to read the Vedas and law books, they remained outside the higher intellectual 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 gradually grew Indian epic poems - Mahabharata and Ramayana.
Brahmins
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 community. 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. This is how the Vedas, that is, "knowledge", a collection of sacred songs and invocations of the gods, called the Rigveda, and the next two collections of sacrificial formulas, prayers and liturgical decrees, Samaveda and Yajurveda, arose.
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 occupations, we see from the 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 should not acquire wealth, lest he become arrogant against people of other castes, before whom he is obliged to humble himself.
