my seminar

1. 1
By
ROJI KURIEN

2. • COORDINATE SYSTEM OF SOCIAL ORGANIZATION AND
COMPLEX SOCIAL PHENOMENA
• TWO DIVISIONS
 THE DIVISION IN LIFE :ASHRAMA (STAGES OF LIFE)
 DIVISIONS IN THE SOCIETY: CASTE SYSTEM.
• THE CASTE DIVISION IS BASED ON OCCUPATION.
• THERE ARE MANY PROBLEMS IN THE HINDU CASTE
SYSTEM.
• EVERYWHERE THE OTHER IS CONSIDERED AS A RIVAL.
2

3. • HOW FAR ‘BEFRIENDING THE
OTHER’ IS POSSIBLE WITHIN THE
CASTE SYSTEM.
3

4. • CASTE - Portuguese Word ‘CASTE’, means BREED,
RACE OR CLASS, which shows a Hereditary link or
Family Origin.
• CASTE =‘JATI’, Means Birth or Descent.
• “AN AGGREGATE OF PERSONS WHOSE SHARE OF
OBLIGATION AND PRIVILEGE ARE FIXED BY BIRTH
SANCTIONED AND SUPPORTED BY MAGIC AND
RELIGION.” - MANRTINDAT AND MONACHESS
• Caste is root of social stratification; birth gives a
certain position and imposes certain codes of
conduct up on the members. 4

5. • Caste divides the whole society with different
social status.
• Caste felling is more than the individual
felling.
• Their own rules and regulations and the one
who breaks these is expelled from the caste.
• As it is based on birth, it is difficult to change
ones caste.
5

6. • Strict rules of each caste, forbid them to have
food with members of other caste.
• Marriage outside one’s caste is restricted.
• Each caste have their own obligation to
perform certain occupations.
• Some enjoys social privileges and others are
debarred of their caste.
6

7. •It is a problem in the
social history of India.
•Various scholars have
various theories on the
origin of caste system.
7

8. Brahmano asya mukhiamasid bahu rajanya kritha
Uru tadasya yadvaisyah padbhyam sudro ajayah
Rig Veda: X-XC-12
 ANCIENT LITERATURE OF INDIA IS THE BACK BONE.
 BRAHMINS - MOUTH, KSHATRIYA -ARMS, VAISHYA -
THIGHS AND SUDRA -FEET OF THE CREATOR.
 CLASSICAL INTERPRETATION by MANU.
 THE SELF EXISTENT CREATED THESE FOUR GROUPS.
8

9.  OCCUPATIONAL ORIGIN OF CASTE.
 FORWARDED BY NESFIELD.
 OCCUPATION MADE DIVISIONS INTO CASTE AND
RELIGION HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE CASTE.
 IT IS CLEAR FROM THE OCCUPATION WE CAN
UNDERSTAND THE NAME OF THE CASTE IN WHICH
HE BELONGS TO.
 EUROPEANS ARE BEHIND THIS.
 BRAHMINS ESTABLISHED CASTE SYSTEM -TO
MAINTAIN THEIR STATUS IN THE SOCIETY AND THE
DIVINE ORIGIN OF CASTE SYSTEM WAS SPREAD BY,
OBSCURING THE TRUE FACTS. 9

10.  INTEGRATION AND ASSIMILATION OF VARIOUS
CULTURAL FROM THE VARIATION BETWEEN VARIOUS
ETHNIC GROUPS EXISTED HERE.
 DENZIL IBBETSON PROPOSED EVOLUTION THEORY
 INTERACTION OF TRIBES, OCCUPATIONAL GUILDS
AND RELIGION
 INTER TRIBAL OCCUPATIONS WERE SANCTIONED BY
RELIGION AND THUS BECOME HEREDITARY AND
GRADUALLY STRATIFICATION RESULTED IN CASTE.
10

11. • VARNAVYAVASTHA ideal form of division of
labour in the society.
• ‘VARNA’ literally means COLOUR.
• Originally used for showing the
differentiation between Arya and Dasa.
• The PURUSASUKTA of RIG VEDA says about
the four orders of society. (Traditional Origin
of Caste System)
11

12. • MAHABHARATA gives importance to the
divine origin of the Varna system.
• GITA says that these divisions are on the basis
of quality and actions.
• Different varnas have their own duties and
obligations.
• The Varna theory of social organization is
completely based on the theory of Karma.
12

13. 13

14. FROM THE MOUTH
INTELLECTUAL CLASS
TO LEAD PEOPLE IN THE
RIGHT DIRECTION IN EARTHLY
AND SPIRITUAL MATTERS.
FROM THE HAND
MARTIAL CLASS
TO PROTECT THE PEOPLE
ESPECIALLY DHARMA,
PERSONAL HONOR AND
PROPERTY.
FROM THE THIGHS
TRADING CLASS
TO PROVIDE THE SOCIETY
WITH THE THINGS
NECESSARY FOR THE
LIVELIHOOD AND THE
PRODUCTION OF WEALTH
THROUGH THEIR TRADE.
FROM THE FEET
SERVING OR WORKING CLASS
TO WORK FOR THE ENTIRE
WELFARE OF THE SOCIETY.14

15. • This cannot be restricted to HINDUS or
INDIANS but is applicable to all mankind
because it is based on GUNA and KARMA of
individuals.
• Evolutions of individuals continue until they
reach in BRAHMA.
• Evolution of JIVATMA (Individual person) can
be classified using the Four Stages of Life
(Ashrama) with the Varna System and is
called as VARNASHRAMA DHARMA.
• Therefore the First Stage of life is Sudra, the
second stage is Vaishya, and the third stage is
Kshatriya and the fourth stage is Brahmin. 15

16. • VARNA becomes the foundation of division of
society, which is marked by a particular
occupation for every member in accordance
with his physical and natural make-ups.
• Thus the society was divided into four. After a
long run varna system and the caste system
were merged each other.
• VARNA SYSTEM is the initial stage of CASTE
SYSTEM.
16

17. THERE ARE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CASTE AND VARNA.
CASTE SYSTEM
 BASED ON BIRTH
 CHANGING ONES CASTE IS
DIFFICULT
 HAS RESTRICTIONS
 RIGID SYSTEM.
VARNA SYSTEM
 BASED ON OCCUPATION
AND INDIVIDUAL
QUALITIES
 BY CHANGING ONES
OCCUPATION ONE CAN
CHANGE HIS VARNA
 HAS NO RESTRICTIONS
 FLEXIBLE SYSTEM
NOW THE TWO DIFFERENT SYSTEMS BECAME ONE.
17

18. • Members of same caste act as a Community.
• Those who are outside their caste is OTHER for
them.
• The different castes mutually exclude each
other.
18

19. “CASTEISM IS AN OVERRIDING BLIND AND
SUPREME GROUP’S LOYALTY THAT IGNORES THE
HEALTHY SOCIAL STANDARDS OF JUSTICE FAIR
PLAY AND UNIVERSAL BROTHERHOOD.”
19

20. • WE FEELING among the members of same caste.
• Closed group by marriage.
• Casteism benefits only a small number but it has
harmful effects on the development of the society.
• Favoring members of the same caste results in all
kind of malpractices in the society and there will be
moral degradation.
• Education up to a certain extend can solve this
problem along with this minimum usage of the term
caste will help us to avoid the problems of Casteism.
20

21. FUTURE OF CASTE
SYSTEM
• MODERN SOCIAL LIFE CANNOT BE ACCOMPLISHED
BY THE CASTE SYSTEM.
• THE CONCEPTS LIKE EQUALITY, FRATERNITY AND
LIBERTY MADE THE STRATIFICATION AND SOCIAL
HIERARCHY AS UNETHICAL.
• ENFORCED LAW CANNOT OVER THROW THE CASTE
SYSTEM. WE HAVE TO EMPLOY SOME OTHER
MEANS.
21

22. • Caste - autonomous unit, making and
enforcing their own laws but now the judicial
system has made restriction, when ever where
ever the natural justice is denied the court will
interfere there.
• Caste cannot be called as a religious unit, but
it is widely used as a religious unit.
• Caste is autonomous within the internal
government, governed partially by religious
and non religious.
22

23. • Origin from the same source and by birth all are
equal.
• Janmana jayate sudrah-karmana jayate dvija.
• Means, at birth every child is born as Sudra. By his
own karma (action) he becomes twice born (dvija).
• Division of labour is a good one but it should not be
on the basis of birth.
• It should be according to his talents and training.
23

24. • Ones action will make him
the member of the particular
varna.
• ‘If a particular feature of a
caste is founded in a person
of other caste, he should be
considered as the member of
that particular caste, not to
the caste of his birth.’
(Vishnu Bagavatam VII IX-35)24

25. • Everything is from God, which help us to
respect all form of life and find God in the
human beings.
• Befriending the other is based on the general
notion that all are created as equal by God.
25

26. MY CONCEPTS
• How far befriending the other is possible
without eliminating the caste system?
• “Secularism of our constitution is not anti or
a-religious but positive towards every
religion.”
• It is from every one the ‘we feeling’ must
come then only befriending the other is
possible.
26

27. • A beautiful garden will have many varieties of
flower. These flowers make the garden an
attractive one.
• The different castes make the caste system a
beautiful one likewise the flowers in the garden.
• Flowers make a union to form a garden
therefore the four castes make the caste system
and the every member must have the ‘we
feeling’ as they are members of a same system.
27

28. FAMILY CONCEPT
• Similar to a family with four children with
four different interests.
• Similarly is the caste system with four castes.
The four children have a feeling that they are
one because of their family.
• The four castes must have this feeling as they
are the elements of the same system. When
this is achieved befriending is a possible
reality.
28

29. BODY CONCEPT
• The four castes are originated from different
body parts of the Supreme.
• Different parts have their own functions to
perform; same is to the different castes. The
body parts are not functioning as individual
units, they work as a union.
• Therefore the different castes must perform
their duties not as a separate entity.
• Their united cooperation is needed for the good
running of the society. They are one with the
entire caste system.
29

30. • I BELIEVE IN THE SECULARISM OF OUR
COUNTRY.
• NEW MEANING-RESPECT THE PEOPLE
OF SAME RELIGION ALONG WITH THE
MEANING, RESPECT ALL OTHER
RELIGIONS.
• SECULARISM BECOMES RESPECTING
ALL HUMAN BEINGS.
• MOST SUITABLE WAY TO BEFRIEND THE
OTHER.
30

31. • Interconnectedness
• Survival factor
• The four castes will merge in one single person.
then he cannot exclude the other, he has to accept
the other. (Vishnu Bagavatam)
• All are created equally by the One Supreme.
• It is from every person the ‘we feeling’ has to come.
When people are ready to accept this, befriending
the other will be possible within the caste system.
31

32. “ONE CASTE, ONE RELIGION ONE GOD, FOR
MAN, OF THE SAME BLOOD AND FORM,
THERE IS NO DIFFERENCE.”
Sree Narayana Guru
32