The Social System of Aryans

The Social System of Aryans

Explain the origins of the caste system.

• The caste system is a system of social stratification and social restriction in which communities are defined by thousands of endogamous hereditary groups
•  The term "caste" was first used by the Portuguese to describe their inherited class status
• The Aryans constructed a well-defined social order. In some way their social hierarchy served to maintain the order and stability that states and political structures guaranteed in other societies.

What does the Aryan term “varna” mean?

          The Aryans used the term “varna”, a Sanskrit word meaning “color”, to refer to the major social classes. This terminology suggests that social distinctions arose partly from differences in complexion between the Aryans, who referred to themselves as "wheat-colored".

Briefly explain or identify who was in the each of the four main varnas.

          Four main varnas: brahmins (priests); kshatriyas (warriors and aristocrats); vaishyas (cultivators, artisans and merchants) and shudras (landless peasants and serfs).

What was the fifth varna that was eventually added and what was their role in society?

          The fifth varna was untouchables. They were people who performed dirty or unpleasant tasks, such as butchering animals or handling dead bodies, and who theoretically became so polluted from their work that their very touch could defile individuals of higher status.

What does the term “jati” mean?

• A Hindu caste or distinctive social group of which there are thousands throughout India; a special characteristic is often the exclusive occupation of its male members 
• In Indian society each jati typically has an association with a traditional job function or tribe, although religious beliefs or linguistic groupings define some jatis

What were some of general rules of jati?

• Goldsmiths, carpenters and barbers form separate communities could not intermingle
• Members of Jati are forbidden from changing from their caste, or community to another
• Brahmins were often employed as cooks. The rule was often not applicable if the food items are dry or cooked with oil/ghee

What was the punishment for violating these rules?

          Violation of jati rules could result in expulsion from the larger group. The penalty was serious, since an outcaste individual could not function well and sometimes could not even survive when shunned by all members of the largest society.

What was the  believed benefit of having castes and jatis in Aryan society?

• To distinguish the wealth and reputation of each (some people might be richer and famous, some might not) 
• Put people in one society, and they shall never quite or otherwise

What were the “Upanishads”?

• The word upanishad literally means “a sitting in front of”, and it refers to the practice of disciples gathering before a sage for discussion of religious issues. Most of the disciples were men, but not all
•  The Upanishads often took the form of dialogues that explored the Vedas and the religious issues that they raised

Expalin the term “Brahman”.

          In Hinduism, Brahman is the one supreme, universal Spirit that is the origin and support of the phenomenal universe. Brahman is sometimes referred to as the Absolute or Godhead which is the Divine Ground of all being. Brahman is conceived as personal, impersonal and/or supreme depending on the philosophical school.

Explain the term “samsara”.

          Samsara, literally meaning "continuous flow", is the cycle of birth, life, death, rebirth or reincarnation within Hinduism, Buddhism, Bön, Jainism, Sikhism, and other Indian religions.

Explain the term “karma”.

          Karma in Indian religions is the concept of "action" or "deed", understood as that which causes the entire cycle of cause and effect originating in ancient India and treated in Hindu, Jain, Buddhist and Sikh philosophies.

What was the “moksaha” and what two things were required in order to attain it?

          Within Indian religions, moksha literally "release", is the liberation from samsara and the concomitant suffering involved in being subject to the cycle of repeated death and reincarnation or rebirth.

          The two principal means to moksha were asceticism and meditation.

Manuscript of Isa Upanishad

Briefly explain how the Upanishads explained the caste system.

          The Upanishads were often used to justify the inequality created by the caste system. They stated why one was born into a caste - because of the way one had lived their previous life.