THE CASTE SYSTEM OF THE HINDUS

The Caste system which divides Hindus into rigid hierarchical groups based on their karma (work) and dharma (the Hindi word for religion, but here it means duty) is generally accepted to be more than 3,000 years old. Manusmriti, widely regarded to be the most important and authoritative book on Hindu law and dating back to at least 1,000 years before Christ was born, “acknowledges and justifies the caste system as the basis of order and regularity of society”. The caste system divides Hindus into four main categories Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas and the Shudras. Many believe that the groups originated from Brahma, the Hindu God of creation. At the top of the hierarchy were the Brahmins who were mainly teachers and intellectuals and are believed to have come from Brahma’s head. Then came the Kshatriyas, or the warriors and rulers, supposedly from his arms. The third slot went to the Vaishyas, or the traders, who were created from his thighs. At the bottom of the heap were the Shudras, who came from Brahma’s feet and did all the menial jobs. The main castes were further divided into about 3,000 castes and 25,000 subcastes, each based on their specific occupation. Outside of this Hindu caste system were the achhoots the Dalits or the untouchables. The Dalits are considered beneath even the lowest caste members, and they have been unable to work in particular jobs or interact with other castes because of their status. The beliefs embedded in the caste system are powerful ? if a Dalit is seen touching public drinking water, the water is immediately considered contaminated. Facing much discrimination and ostracisim, many Dalits live with great levels of fear and uncertainty.