India's Caste System

I first gave my attention to Hinduism when I heard of the caste system a few years ago. Denzel Washington starred in a movie where he was intimately involved with an Indian woman. The woman's father, brothers, and community strongly disapproved of her involvement with a Black man. I was surprised, because people from India are of a dark complexion. Why would it be a disgrace to marry or date someone who did not appear to be much different then you? Through further research I learned that the caste system is a social order put into place by Aryans who descended upon the Indus River Valley about 1500 BC.  

The Aryans suppressed the Indus River people as well as imposed their religion upon them. The Aryans held powerful positions and the best jobs were given to those who maintained ethnic purity. The darker skinned people were given the lower jobs. From this came the caste system. There are four Vamas (colors) in the caste system. The highest and most important position was that of the priests. The higher your position; the closer you were to Brahman (God). The lower your position the further removed you were from Brahman. The priests were classified as having white skin. Below the priest were the warriors, who were classified as reddish in complexion. Below the warriors were the merchants, artisans, and farmers, they were classified as yellowish. Below the merchants, et cetera were the laborers. The laborers were classified as black. Still lower than ordinary laborers, there was a subculture of the laborers called the untouchables, a caste distinction that still exists in the culture today. The untouchables hold the lowest class of jobs. They work in the least desirable positions, such as sewer workers and undertakers. They are considered to be so impure that other people cannot touch them. Under the caste system, whatever caste your parents belonged to is the caste you were born into. The occupation held by your parents is the same occupation you will hold, and your children will also inherit these same occupations. Even though Mahatma Ghandi outlawed the caste system before his death, it still remains a strong part of Indian society through the passing of traditions from one generation to the next.

In 1000 BC the indigenous people began to question the Veda tradition, the religion forced upon them by the Aryans. The indigenous people questioned the caste system and tried to make sense of it. They begin to sit and talk about God. Through discussion they started to believe the nature of things can be understood by everyone, not just the priests. The indigenous people started to turn the religion of the Aryans into a religion that made sense to them. Based on their realization that everyone can understand God, they decided that the priests were not needed. They determined that if they are of a particular caste then it is their duty to perform their job the best that they can. By performing their dharma (duty) they are doing their part in maintaining the world. From these beginnings emerges an accommodating religion now known as Hinduism.  

In the Hindu tradition it is believed that we are all part of a universal whole. This tradition believes that as human individuals we each must fulfill our duties by doing our dharma, the jobs we are born to do, and avoiding the accumulation of karma, the negative material we receive when we violate our duty. If we are sufficiently dutiful, upon rebirth we may advance to the next level in the caste system. Ultimately as we perfect our duty we may become liberated from the birth-death-birth cycle of samsara and become one with the whole. The purpose of the Hindu is to discover that he is a part of the universal whole that is called Brahman or God. The sense of being separate is an illusion. The truth is that all is one; the division of things is maya, an illusion.  

There are four paths to the truth in Hinduism. These paths come under the heading of yoga. Yoga was developed to help get to the core of us; it is a method used to help us complete our union with Brahman. Hinduism ties the four main types of yoga with four basic psychological personality types. The names of the four paths are: 1.) Jnana Yoga, 2.) Bhakti Yoga, 3.) Karma Yoga, and 4.) Raja Yoga. The first path, Jnana Yoga is the way through knowledge. This practice is for those who are thinkers. In a detached manner the aspirant studies herself. The aspirant questions why she does things the way she does. The student will begin to understand herself as a natural reality. As a result she stops using the word "I”.

The aspirant realizes the truth, that there is no independent self, she is then able to distinguish between the surface self that stands out and is the recipient of attention and the larger self that is out of sight. Smith claims that "The yoga of knowledge  is said to be the shortest path to divine realization. It is also the steepest" (32). The second path, Bhakti yoga, is the way through love. Bhakti yoga is the most popular of the four. The Bhakta's goal is to be the best instrument for God. The basic principles of Bhakti yoga are splendidly demonstrated in Christianity. The Bhakta will strive to adore God with every element of his or her being. In this  yoga, all the Bhakta has to do is to love God dearly, not just so he can say he loves God, but to love God in fact. There can be no ulterior reason, but for love's sake alone. The third path, the way through work, is intended for persons who are active. Karma yoga can be practiced in either jnana (knowledge), or Bhakti (devoted service). Work can be a vehicle for self-transcendence in either approach. According to Hindu doctrine, every action performed upon the outside world reacts on the doer. The best way for the emotionally inclined to render work selfless is to bring ardent and affectionate natures into play and work for God's sake instead of their own. For the worker who is more reflective than emotional, the work is performed detachedly, almost in dissociation from the empirical self. Identifying with the Eternal, the worker works; but as the empirical self is performing the deeds the True Self has nothing to do with them. The True Self observes only senses moving among sense objects. The fourth path is the way through psychophysical exercises. Raja yoga is designed for people who are of scientific nature. This approach requires a strong suspicion that our true selves are more than we now realize and a passion to examine them to their full extent. The yogi experiments not on his body, but on his mind. The experiments take the form of practicing prescribed mental exercises and observing their subjective effects. The intent is to drive the psychic energy of the self to its deepest part to activate the True Self. This form of meditation is practiced under the direction of an experienced guru (teacher). When performed correctly the yogi will come out with heightened self-knowledge and greater self-control.  

Hinduism is an intrinsic part of Indian society. No matter who you are or how old you are, you know what your dharma is. There are four stages of life according to Hindu beliefs. First, around the age of seven, a child begins his education. The higher you are in the caste system the more education you will receive; Second, once a person has been educated, if not born into the caste of the priests, a man will marry and take a job. A woman will marry and have a family. You become responsible adults fulfilling your dharma. In your third stage of life as a senior citizen you have the option of going into the forest for further study or staying with your family. The fourth stage is for those who choose to live as a sannyasin. A sannyasin is someone who is striving to be one with the whole. This person is provided for by the community and considered to be a holy person. The sannyasin is considered dead in regards to his position in the family. He disregards everything except for Brahman.  

My curiosity about the caste system brought me to discover a very well developed religion. Unlike the other main religions of the world, it was not founded by a single individual, but rather flourished from the mixture of two cultures that were in total contrast to each other. I experience life differently when I apply the concept that my job and position in life is my personal sacrifice in maintaining the world. I feel positive about what I am doing and I try to do my best. This usually results in me having a better interaction with other people and it helps me along my journey to become a better person. The practice of meditating and working to become closer to God brings me peace of mind. I find myself less judgmental and less concerned about materialistic belongings. I continue to practice Christianity, but I have learned useful concepts from Hinduism that help me maintain my relationship with God.  

Like most people of western civilization, I find the caste system to be deplorable. We can only hope that over time, this system will dissolve and be done away with completely.
T. Sublett