Castes

The division of the Hindus into classes or castes, with fixed occupations, stems from the historic development of India. It is supposed by some to have been founded upon conquest by light skinned invaders who eventually composed the first three castes. This invading group subdued the natives of the country and reduced them to inferior positions. The Castes are known to be graded on skin color as well as other factors such as occupation. Others have traced the development of the Caste system to the desire to perpetuate, by descent from father to son, certain offices or occupations.

The Hindu tradition gives the following account of the origin of the various castes: At the creation, Brahma resolved to give the earth inhabitants who should be direct emanations from his own body. Accordingly from his mouth came forth the eldest born, Brahma (the priest), to whom he confided the four Vedas; from his right arm issued Shatriya (the warrior), and from his left, the warrior's wife. His thighs produced Vaissyas, male and female (agriculturists and traders), and lastly from his feet sprang Sudras (mechanics and laborers).

The four sons of Brahma became the fathers of the human race and heads of their respective castes. They were commanded to regard the four Vedas as containing all the rules of their faith, and all that was necessary to guide them in their religious ceremonies. They were also commanded to take rank in the order of their birth, the Brahmans uppermost, as having sprung from the head of Brahma.

A strong line is drawn between the first three castes and the Sudras. The former is allowed to receive instruction from the Vedas, which is not permitted to the Sudras. The Brahmans possess the privilege of teaching the Vedas and were in exclusive possession of all knowledge. Though the sovereign of the country was chosen from the Shatriya class, also called Rajputs, the Brahmans possessed the real power, and were the royal counselors, the judges and magistrates of the country; their persons and property were inviolable. Though they may have committed great crimes, they could only be banished from the kingdom. They were to be treated by sovereigns with the greatest respect, for "a Brahman, whether learned or ignorant, is a powerful divinity."

It becomes the duty of a Brahman to marry at a certain age. He is to be supported by the contributions of the rich, and not to be obliged to gain his subsistence by any labor or occupation. Since communities could not maintain all the Brahmans, it was necessary to allow them to engage in productive employment so they did tend to work.

The two intermediate classes, whose rank and privileges could be inferred from their occupations, are positioned to help society function effectively in terms of those occupations represented by these classes. The Sudras or fourth class are bound to serve at the bequest of the higher classes, especially the Brahmans, but they may follow mechanical occupations and practical arts, as painting and writing, or become traders or herdsmen. Consequently they sometimes grow rich, but it can also sometimes occur that Brahmans become poor in their lifetime. That fact works its usual consequence, and rich Sudras sometimes employ poor Brahmans in menial occupations.

There is another class lower even than the Sudras, for it is not one of the original pure classes, but springs from an unauthorized union of individuals of different castes. These are the Pariahs, who are employed in the lowest services and treated with the utmost severity. They are compelled to do what no one else can do without polluting himself or herself. They are not only considered unclean themselves, but they render unclean everything they touch. They are deprived of all civil rights, and stigmatized by particular laws regulating their mode of life, their houses, and their furniture. They are not allowed to visit the pagodas or temples of the other castes, but have their own pagodas and religious exercises. They are not allowed to enter the houses of the other castes. If this does occur, religious ceremonies can be held to purify the home. They must not appear at public markets, and are confined to the use of particular wells, which they are obliged to surround with bones of animals, to warn others against using them. They dwell in miserable hovels, distant from cities and villages, and are under no restrictions in regard to food, which last is not a privilege, but a mark of ignominy, as if they were so degraded that nothing could pollute them. The three higher castes are prohibited entirely the use of flesh. The fourth is allowed to use all kinds except beef, but only the lowest caste is allowed every kind of food without restriction.