Hinduism And The Caste System - Essay Example

Modern Hinduism and the Caste System How accurate is the view presented by many modern Hindus that caste is cultural rather then a religious institution and hence can be discarded without undermining the fundament principle of Hinduism? Introduction: Hinduism along with Judaism could realistically be said to be the foundations from which all other religions have sprung. Hinduism unlike Judaism is an open philosophy and it is this openness in its religious philosophy that has given rise to misconceptions about the religion. There is no founder for the Hinduism nor is there any kind of date that can be fixed for when it originated. The religious philosophy of Hinduism is contained in the several holy texts of Hinduism. (Chaudhuri, C. N., 1979). One of the most common misconceptions is that Hinduism has many Gods and also is a collection of many religious forms. This is far from true. Yes there are many Gods that occupy the heavenly abodes in Hinduism, yet all these gods as with all living beings are the result of the is the result of the creation through the sacrifice of the Supreme Viraat Purusha, or Supreme Being or Brahman. Thus the Supreme Being or Brahman is the Truth and the origin off all, present in all and is the one worthy of all worship. (God or gods?). Hinduism in its humility refuses to define this Supreme Being, as it believes it is not possible to define the Infinite in terms of the finite perspective of human beings. The Supreme Being is present in every living being and can be understood by any individual who chooses to seek the Supreme Being and in this is the finding of the Ultimate Truth. There are many means to worship the Supreme Being or Brahman. This can be found in the translation of the praises sung to Him by Hindus in the morning. Just as the waters of the vast rivers reach the same ocean, so does all the worship reach the same Lord Narayana. Just as the ocean refuses no stream that reaches it, the Supreme Being accepts all who approaches It. Thus irrespective of the choice of Gods that any Hindu chooses to worship, all this worship ultimately flows to the Supreme Being. It is this core principle of Hinduism that has given rise to the feeling of multiple Gods and religions within the omnibus of Hinduism. This is also the strength of Hinduism in that it is the seeking of the Ultimate Truth, which can be undertaken by anyone that makes a Hindu and not the object of worship. This allows Hinduism to accept and tolerate any religious form. (Narayanan, R., 2002). The fundamental principles of Hinduism include the spiritual principle that transcends any man-made constructs to a superior soul-state that is part of this existence and beyond this existence. The search for the Supreme Being within this unsullied Self or the search for the Truth is the fundamental essence of the Hindu religion and the guiding light to this is contained in the fundamental principles of Dharma, Karma and Moksha. All living beings irrespective of their form are both the subjects and the objects of the eternal Dharma This inherent faith coupled with the search for Truth is the requirement of every Hindu. Within Dharma is found the duties that arise not just to the Brahman or the Supreme Being, but also to every member of society and to the natural order of things. Karma is the accumulation of good acts or deeds in the current existence that go towards salvation or Moksha from the eternal cycle of life and death. To be liberated from this eternal cycle is to understand and prescribe to the Eternal Truth of the Supreme Being and the presence of the Divine with the Self. Failure to do this causes a repeat of existence in this world to provide opportunities for salvation. So in essence the fundamental principles of Hinduism provide the guidance to be liberated from the cycle of life and death and to be united with the Supreme Being from whence all life sprung. (Michaels, A., 2004). Castes in Hinduism: The Hinduism religion is considered by some as more of a way of life than a religion. This is due to the impact that the religion has had on the culture of the people that follow Hinduism. The origin of the caste system lies in the social order that was apart of the Divine Plan in the creation of the world. Society requires several functions to be effectively undertaken if it were not to collapse. The Bhagavad Gita provides clarity to these functions and the prowess needed for undertaking these functions. “Of Brahmanas, Kshatriyas and Vaishyas, as also the Sudras, O Arjuna, the duties are distributed according to the qualities born of their own nature.” Gita Ch. 18, v 41. “Serenity, self-restraint, austerity, purity, forgiveness and also uprightness, knowledge, realisation and belief in God are the duties of the Brahmanas, born of their own nature.” Gita Ch. 18, v.42. “Prowess, splendour, firmness, dexterity and also not fleeing from battle, generosity and lordliness are the duties of Kshatriyas, born of their own nature.” Gita, Ch. 18, v. 43. “Agriculture, cattle-rearing and trade are the duties of the Vaishya (merchant class), born of their own nature; and action consisting of service is the duty of the  Sudras (servant class), born of their own nature.” Gita, Ch.18, v.44.”Each man devoted to his own duty, attains perfection.” Gita, Ch.18, v.45. Thus the religious text of the Bhagavad Gita provides the four castes of Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vaishya and Sudra and that perfection is attained in devotion to the prescribed duties. (Caste System). The codification of the caste system and its rigidity, however comes from the Manu Smriti or the Laws of Manu, which in all probability came into existence around the first and second centuries before Christ. It becomes relevant to note that the Manu Smriti is among the most prominent Hindu treatise on social obligation and as such is responsible for the rigidity and the cultural intones of the social caste system. Primarily the Manu Smriti concentrated on the regulation of the two highest castes the priestly Brahmins and the princely kshatriyas and it was steeped in culture as it dealt with marriages, daily rituals, permitted foods and ritual impurities and the like. In short the religious and functional aspects of the caste system, which allowed migration to any caste based on qualities of the individual was being eroded to provide a more rigid and cultural meaning to the caste system. (The Laws of Manu). Hindu Culture: The culture of the Hindus is deeply ingrained with the religious aspects of Hinduism and over a period of time these cultural practices became popularly attached to the religious practices. For example from the fundamental principles of Hinduism come duty to the Supreme Being, duty to society and duty to family. Duties gradually became so ingrained in the grain of the Indian society that individual freedom and rights became subservient to it. This has provided benefits to the society. Respect for parents and caring for the aged comes from the ingrained duties in the culture of the society, as does the caring and devotion that the parents give to their children. The rigidity of the caste system may be considered as one of demerits of cultural invasion of the religious aspects. The caste system was not a birth right in its original religious form but a creation for social order so that each performed a role in society that befitted the qualities that the individual was bestowed with. Migration between castes was a part and parcel of depending on the qualities displayed. Many of the ancient Hindu saints and sages were not born Brahmins or members of the high caste, but ascended into the upper castes because of the knowledge and devotion to the Supreme Being or the One Truth. In a similar fashion individuals born into upper caste families have descended into the lower castes because of the qualities that they have displayed. (Madan, T.N. 1987). Conclusion: The caste system that has been in practice for many centuries has lost its religious significance and is steeped in culture. There are two important points that need to be remembered here and the first is that the Smritis (the written word), of which the Laws of Manu belong are subservient to the Shrutis or the words heard, which runs back to the creation of the Universe, for in the beginning there was only the Word or Aum. The second important aspect is the times that human beings live in. According to Hinduism, subsequent to Mahabharata the universe has entered the Kalyug, which is the period of the degeneration of humankind till the restoration through the last coming in Kalki. In the Kalyug there would be degeneration in all aspects of human kind including the prescribed idyllic social order. The Divinely inspired caste system gets corrupted to the more rigid and culture oriented caste system. (Narayanan, R., 2002). The modern Hindus are thus right when they say that the caste system is cultural rather than based on religion for the caste system is no longer valid and can be discarded without affecting the fundamental principles of Hinduism. Attaining Salvation or Moksha is the ultimate aim of every human being as it permits reunion with the Supreme Being from whence all came and should return. Having come from the Supreme Being there is a spark of the Supreme Being in every individual, irrespective of the caste and hence knowing the inner Self where this spark resides allows one to gain Moksha. “That Self is dearer than a son, is dearer than wealth, is dearer than everything else and is innermost. If one were to say to person who speaks of anything else than the Self as dear, he will lose what he holds dear One should meditate on the Self alone as dear. He who meditates on the Self alone as dear, what he holds dear, verily, will not perish”. (I.4.9. The Principal Upanishads). Literary References ‘Caste System’. [Online]. Available at: http://www.hinduism.co.za/caste.htm. Chaudhuri, C. N. 1979. Hinduism, Chatto & Windus, London. ‘God or gods?’ Hinduism. bbc.co.uk. [Online]. Available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/hinduism/beliefs/index.shtml. Madan, T.N. 1987. ‘NON-RENUNCIATION. Themes and Interpretations of Hindu Culture’. OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS. New Delhi. Michaels, A., 2004. Hinduism: Past and Present. PRINCETON UNIVERSITY PRESS. Oxford. Narayanan, R., 2002. KALKI – THE LAST COMING. Eternity Publishers. Thrissur, India. ‘The Laws of Manu’. 2003. [Online]. Available at: http://www.galileolibrary.com/history/history_page_50.htm#READING. ‘The Principal Upanishads’. Ed. Lewis, H.D. 1978. The Muirhead Library of Philosophy. George Unwin Ltd. London. Read More