CASTE SYSTEM

1
CASTE SYSTEM
2
Do Now10/21/13

• Read the Code of Manu and answer the associated
  questions.
• HW Study for Unit 2 Test on Wednesday

3
Code of Manu

• For the sake of the preservation of this
  entire creation, Purusha,
• the exceedingly resplendent one, assigned
  separate duties to the
• classes which had sprung from his mouth, arms,
  thighs, and feet.
• Teaching, studying, performing sacrificial rites,
  so too making
• others perform sacrificial rites, and giving away
  and receiving
• gifts -- these he assigned to the brahmins.
• Protection of the people, giving away of
  wealth, performance of
• sacrificial rites, study, and nonattachment to
  sensual pleasures
• these are, in short, the duties of a kshatriya.
  Tending of cattle,
• giving away of wealth, performance of sacrificial
  rites, study,
• trade and commerce, . . . and agriculture --
  these are the
• occupations of a vaishya.
• The lord has prescribed only one occupation.
  . . for a sudra
• namely, service without malice of . . . these
  other three classes.

4
(No Transcript)
5
Indias Caste System

• What is a Caste?
• social group that someone is born into and cannot
  change
• How many of you have felt excluded from a group
  of people at one time or another? How did that
  make you feel? Why were you excluded?

6
Rules, rules, rules

• Being in a caste means that you have no say in
• the job you have
• whom you can marry
• who your friends can be
• Nobody in India called the system a caste- they
  call it jati.
• Many jati still exist in Indias society today.

7
Brahmins

• Top varna
• Made up of priests
• Only people who could perform a religious ceremony

8
Kshatriyas

• 2nd varna
• Made up of warriors
• Ran the government and the army

9
Vaisya merchant varna
10
Sudras

• Lowest varna
• Manual laborers and servants
• Had very few rights
• Most people in India belonged to this varna

11
The Untouchables

• One group of people who did not belong to any
  caste
• Called the Untouchables
• Collecting trash, skinning animals, handling dead
  bodies
• Very hard life
• Most people thought living near an untouchable
  was bad for them, so they lived apart from most
  of society
• Had to tap two sticks together when they traveled
  so everyone could hear them coming

12
Why was a caste system created?

• Caste systems were probably created because of
  skin color.
• Aryans had lighter skin than the native Indians
  (darker skin).
• Caste systems were probably created to keep the
  Aryans in power(1500-500 bce).
• Because the Aryans had more people, they made the
  caste to stay in charge of all the smaller
  groups.
• Could also control everyones behavior and make
  rules this way.
• Think Hunger Games (Districts)!

13
How did the belief in reincarnation/karma/dharma
uphold the caste system?

• Three beliefs are necessary to understand why the
  caste system was so influential in India.
• Reincarnation
• Dharma
• Karma
• Answer the four questions using your HW reading,
  Fridays materials
• (10 min)

14

• Turn and talk with your partner and share your
  response to Question 5
• Share out with the class.