What is the Indian caste system?

The Indian caste system is derived from Hinduism and has a history of more than 3,000 years. The caste system divides Indians into four classes from top to bottom: Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishas and Shudras. There is also a large group outside the caste called Dalits, or untouchables. On the surface, the caste system seems to be related to class. For example, Brahmins and Kshatriyas are upper class and Vaishars and Shudras are lower middle class. But in fact, caste and class can not be completely equated.

Caste is not class

Class is defined as a group of people in different positions in social relations, among which the most important division is based on power and wealth. The aristocracy, the plebs, the rich, the middle class and so on. But in India, there are many Brahmins who are poor, and there are many Shudras who are rich. The uneducated also abound among Brahmins, and the highly educated among Shudras are not uncommon. These characteristics are particularly evident in modern Indian society, so it is not correct to define caste as a social class.

Caste is not skin color

The caste system was originally a social system created with the Aryan invasion of India. The Aryan people were whiter, while the Dravidians, indigenous Indians, were darker. The Aryans, as the ruling class, were in the top caste, and the Dravidians, as the ruling class, were in the bottom caste. So in the early days of the caste system, you could roughly tell a person's caste by their skin color. Over time, however, the line between Aryan and Dravidian skin color gradually blurred. So skin color as a basis is totally unreliable. A Brahman with fair skin has no higher status than a Brahman with dark skin. Similarly, a Sudra with a darker complexion is no different from a Sudra with a whiter complexion. However, a fair and beautiful woman from a lower caste would still have a good chance of marrying an upper caste man, thus improving the status of the whole family. Upper caste women, on the other hand, were not allowed to marry lower caste men under any circumstances.

Caste is not a profession

According TO THE RIGVEDA, THE ANCIENT Hindu TEXT, BRAHMA, THE GOD OF CREATION, CREATED THE PRImal PURUSHA AND USED THE PRIMAL BODY TO CREATE FOUR DIFFERENT CLASSES OF HUMAN BEINGS. The mouth of the original man produced the first rank of "Brahmins", who were in charge of religious culture and sacrifice, enjoying the highest status; The arms of the originals gave rise to a second class of "kshatriyas," who were responsible for military affairs, war and state administration; The legs of the primitive people gave rise to the third rank of "barks", who were common people, engaged in farming, husbandry, labor, commerce and other occupations; The feet of the original people gave rise to the "shudras" of the fourth rank, who were at the bottom of society, engaged in all kinds of hard manual labor and did not enjoy any political rights. Dalits, the untouchables excluded from the caste system, are considered "untouchables". So according to the Rig Veda, caste seems to be inseparable from profession.

In fact, the caste and occupation divide was closed thousands of years ago. In modern society, caste has little to do with occupation. It is common for Brahmins to be in business and Vaishe to be in the army. As for India, government departments are full of different castes, and it has long been accepted that the higher castes are subordinate to the lower castes. Many new occupations in modern society also far exceed the ancient definition of occupation, and cannot be identified by caste. In addition, caste and occupation are defined differently in different parts of India. For example, agriculture is lower caste in South India, while it is generally higher caste in North India.

What exactly is caste?

To sum up, caste is not class, not color, not profession, so what exactly is caste? Today, the question has become so murky that even asking a Hindu Indian would be hard to answer. Professor Srinivas, a social anthropologist at the University of Delhi, defines a caste as "a hereditary, endogamous and often local group associated with a hereditary occupation that occupies a specific position in a local caste hierarchy."

While Professor Srinivas's view is shared by many, some Indian experts believe that caste lies at its core in religious notions of "cleanliness" and "impurity". Many people refer to Dalits as untouchables, but the real definition of dalits is "untouchable". If it was just low status, then there should be no problem in doing low jobs, but Dalits are considered dirty and strictly forbidden by the upper castes. If a Brahmin is in a desperate situation, if a beggar comes to his rescue, he should be grateful. But if the other is a Dalit with a legitimate profession, then the Brahmin should die rather than refuse to help, otherwise he will be contaminated by Dalit and become a Dalit himself.

In modern India, the caste system has been abolished by law. However, it is still difficult to completely change the caste concept in people's minds.