Religion 100Q: Hinduism Project

A Student Blog about Aspects of Hinduism

The Caste System (Brahmin and Kshatriya)

Summary:

The Caste system is the social hierarchy in India. It is not limited to ancient In-
dia, it is still prevalent today. According to S. A Nigosian in World Religions, the
caste system, “Is its (India) system of social stratification”(Nigosian 136).  Jati
and Varna are classifications of the traditional Indian Society. Jati and Varna
are two classifications that are very different, but both play a vital role in the
life of a Hindu. The system of classification, Varna is a system that existed in
the Vedic Society that divided the society into four classes Brahmins (priests),
Kshatriyas (warriors), Vaishyas (skilled traders, merchants), and Shudras (un-
skilled workers). (The Chalandalas or “untouchables” is not considered part of
the Varna system) Varna literally translates to color, but the system has nothing
to do with an individual’s skin color, but has everything to do with classifying
individuals based on their characteristics and attributes. The Varna system was
originally created to give structure to Indian society based on each individual’s
qualities, not based on one’s birth right which is what it has developed into. So-
cial order in Hindu society comes from Post- Vedic times, Jati system, or the
sub-castes within each Varna, gives a sense of identity to each member of a spe-
cific Varna. A Jati is considered a community that has a particular profession.
You used to be able to determine someone’s trade or profession by their sur-
name, but because of the modern education system, and lack of discrimination
by the state, the Jati system is currently quickly deteriorating.

The Caste System represents a division of labor based on birth right justified by
moral and religious concepts. The Brahmins held the most power in Hindu so-
ciety , they were priests, otherwise known as the spiritual and intellectual lead-
ers of the society. “They devoted their time  to studying, teaching, performing
sacrifices, and officiating religious services” (Nigosian 136). The second Varna
in the social hierarchy are the Kshatriyas who are the rulers and warriors of
the society. Their job was to “Protect, administer, and promote material welfare
within the society” (Nigosian 136). The third in the social hierarchy are the
Vaishyas who are the farmers, merchants, and traders who really contribute to
the economy of India. The fourth and last of the Varnas are known as the Su-
dras who are laborers that supply the manual labor needed for the economic
well-being of India. Later as the development of the caste system continued a
fifth group was formed; although not officially considered a Varna, the Chalan-
dalas or “untouchables” had status so low that they did not belong to a caste at
all.

The justification of this “social stratification” is linked to the justification of

Karma and Samsara. Karma refers to action, each person’s birth is directly re-
lated to the past karma from the previous life of that individual, birth into the
Brahmin Varna is a result of good karma. “Those who’s conduct here has been
good will quickly contain some good birth – birth as a Brahmin, birth as a
kshatriya, or birth as a vaisya. But those who conduct here has been evil will
quickly attain some evil birth – birth as a dog, birth as a pig, or birth as a chan-
dala” (Chandogya Upanishad 5.10.7). According to this, Karma determines birth
into a class, which in turn defines one’s social and religious status, which in
turn describes one’s duties and obligations to that specific status. Samsara re-
fers to the “wheel of life, the circle of constant rebirth” (Molloy 87). Hindus be-
lieve in reincarnation and that the Karma from one’s previous life leads to
where that individual is placed into in society.

Origin of the Caste System:

The Caste System today is a result of the end of the Mughal era and the British
colonial government in India. The Mughal empire was ruled by a Persianate
Dynasty of Chagatai Turco-Mongol origin and was prominent throughout large
areas of the Indian subcontinent. The end of this era caused there to be an in-
crease of men who deemed themselves powerful and associated themselves
with kings and priests. The British colonial government later continues this de-
velopment in 1860 and 1920 by separating Indians into castes. They only al-
lowed individuals in the upper castes to hold professions and trades of im-
portance. In 1920 that policy changed and the colonial government started a
policy that reserved a certain percentage of government jobs for the individu-
als in the lower castes. When India gained its independence in 1947 from the
British Empire new policies were enforced that helped to improve the socioeco-
nomic conditions of its lower caste population. In 1950 many affirmative ac-
tions initiatives were taken by the Supreme Court of India. Discrimination
against the lower castes is now considered illegal in India under Article 15 of
its constitution.

Brahmins:

The word Brahmin translates to “Supreme Self” or the first of the gods. Brah-
min is the highest Varna in Vedic Hinduism. The population of India that is con-
sidered a member of the Brahmin caste according to the article “The Joshua
project” is about 60,481,000 people. That’s approximately 4.3 percent of the to-
tal Indian population. The Brahmin Varna consists of priests, and individuals of
this specific Varna are separated into sub-castes called gotras. Because of the
religious and cultural diversity Brahmins are divided into these sub- castes. On-
ly some members are priests, other members have held professions as educa-
tors, law makers, scholars, doctors, writers, poets, land owners, and politicians.
According to Nancy Auerbach in her book Living Hinduism the Brahmin is asso-
ciated with Sanatana Dharma which was in early Hinduism and is a code of
ethics, or a way of living in order to achieve “mosksha” a sense of liberation
and enlightenment. As the developments of the caste system continues, Brah-
mins became an influential Varna in India and discriminated against the other
lower castes.

Most Brahmins are located in the Northern states of India which includes Uttar
Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh, and small concentrations in the southern states
which includes Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Kerala. This territorial division led
to the creation of two groups among the Brahmin: the Panch Gour (northern-
ers) and the Panch Dravida (Southerners). These two groups are separated by
the central Indian Vindhya mountain range that almost bisects the country into
two parts.

Brahmin came from the term Brahman, which is a magical force. The name
Brahmin was given to the first trained priest who held a sacrifice. After the end
of the Vedic period in 1000 BC, the term “Brahmin” became universally known
as the term for all members of the priestly class. Around 900 BC the Brahmins
were divided in to exogamous clans that restricted matrimonial choice and dic-
tated ritual. This system is still intact today where it is frowned upon to marry
someone of another caste. The Rig Veda is one of the most sacred Hindu scrip-
ture, and it contains the mythological origin of the Brahmin. The god Prajapati
(Lord of beings) is identified with Brahma who is the creator in the Hindu trini-
ty and was later sacrificed by his children. This sacrifice is said to have pro-
duced the universe and that the Brahmin originated from his mouth.

Traditionally the Brahmin are supposed to become priests, but in actuality they
hold a wide variety of occupations. Many members practice agriculture, while
others hold white collar jobs. The Brahmin are allowed to follow any profes-
sion, but no one except a Brahmin can become a priest. Members of this Varna
tend to be strict vegetarians. It is a socio-spiritual obligation to feed Brahmin at
ceremonies. Brahmin men have more freedom then Brahmin women. Men try
to avoid alcohol and smoking whereas for women it is strictly forbidden. The
socially acceptable age for marriage also varies between the sexes. Women can
get married starting from as young as 18 whereas men get married at an older
age. Marriages tend to be arranged by parents and monogamy is expected.
Widows are not allowed to remarry whereas widowers are allowed to.  Alt-
hough Brahmin women are second to men, they do hold a higher level of edu-
cation than other women in Indian society.

Overall Brahmins hold a high status in Hindu society, and are considered to be
smart and influential. They set the standard of social conduct and morality due
to their leadership in society. Hindu priesthood  is dominated by Brahmins, but
other castes due in fact  have “sacred specialists” but their status does not com-
pare to that of a Brahmin.

Kshatriyas:

The term Kshatriya comes from kshatra which means authority and power.
This authority and power is not based on successful leadership, but more on
sovereignty over certain territories.  Kshatriya is the second Varna within the
social hierarchy. The Brahmin and the Kshatriya make up the upper castes, 20
percent of India’s population is within this category. The Kshatriya constitutes
the ruling and military elite, the warriors. Their purpose in the society is to
fight as warriors during war and govern in time of peace. They had a duty to
protect the citizens from harm, to ensure that each individual performed their
prescribed duty and advanced spiritually in their specific Varna. In addition to
that they are responsible for the protection of the political cosmic order (dhar-
ma). Kshatriyas initially achieved their status on merits of their aptitude
(guna), conduct (karma), and nature (swabhava). As the caste system later de-
veloped, merit became irrelevant status became hereditary.

It is said that when Brahma was procreating, a “negative energy” emerged

from him. The negative energy took the form of Rakshasas also known as dev-
ils who started to torture Brahma. Brahma asked Lord Vishnu for help, who lat-
er killed them. Lord Vishnu then explained to Brahma that  when positive ener-
gy is used, negative energy will also emerge. Because of this Lord Vishnu tells
Brahma that a special race of humans should be created to protect the entire
human race. The Rig Veda contains a different story of origin for the varnas. In
this Hindu scripture, Brahmin originated from the mouth of Brahma, while
Kshatriya originated from the arms.

The two primary roles of the Kshatriya Varna were to govern the land and to
wage war, which led to professions as rulers and soldiers. The male children in
Kshatriya were considered symbols of masculinity whereas the female child
needed to be gentle and well behaved. Like Brahmin and the rest of the Varnas,
men and women were not allowed to marry outside their specific Varna. Kshat-
riyas also hold a high status of power, second only to the Brahmin. They make
sure everyone stays within their Varna.

Citations:

Ellwood, Robert S., and Barbara A. McGraw. Many Peoples, Many Faiths: Wom-
en and Men in   the World Religions. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall,
1999. Print.

“Kshatriyas.” New World Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 24

Nov. 2015.

Molloy, Michael. Experiencing the World’s Religions: Tradition, Challenge, and

Change.  Boston: McGraw Hill Higher Education, 2008. Print.

Nigosian, S. A. World Religions: A Historical Approach. Boston: Bedford/St. Mar-

tin’s, 2000.      Print.
“People Groups.” : Joshua Project. Global Mapping International, n.d. Web. 24
Nov. 2015.

V, Jayaram. Chandogya Upanishad. S.l.: Pure Life Vision, 2013. Print.

 November 25, 2015  Selina Kelete

4 thoughts on “The Caste System (Brahmin and Kshatriya)”

David B Gowler Dr
December 6, 2015 at 4:52 am

See slide 15 of Hinduism1 ppt.

Zoey
April 10, 2019 at 1:54 pm

This is very helpful, Thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Autumn
April 22, 2019 at 5:03 am

Perfectly composed content, regards for information.

Shivbhadrasinh Gohil
August 29, 2019 at 6:46 pm

Thank you for sharing this information about Kshatriya and Brahmin.
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