1. Hinduism & the Caste System

2. The Beginnings of Hinduism
When the Aryans invaded India from the north, they brought with them parts of their culture
Their language, Sanskrit, which the Aryans believed was a holy language, was spoken by the gods.
The Aryans’ 4 holiest books, the Vedas, are written in Sanskrit.
These four books describe the Aryan religion.

3. Hinduism
Hinduism is one of the oldest religions still practiced today.
They worship three main gods
Brahma the Creator
Vishnu the Preserver
Shiva the Destroyer
Below these gods are many other lesser gods.

4. Brahma the Creator Creator of the Universe
Four faces to symbolize the 4 Vedas and watching all four cardinal directions

5. Vishnu the Preserver Preserves the created universe.
He is all-powerful and all-knowing
Believed to be walking among the people of the world
In his four arms he carries a conch shell, a mace, and a discus, symbols of his power and greatness.

6. Shiva the Destroyer
Shiva is responsible for change--both in the form of death and destruction.

7. Hindu Teachings
Hinduism teaches that people live many lives until they reach spiritual perfection
Hindus believe in reincarnation: the soul lives on after death and returns to life in a new body.
Those who live good lives will be reborn into a higher social caste position
Those who live bad lives will return as lower caste or life form

8. Hindu Teaching: Karma
Karma: the belief that our actions, good and bad, come back to us in the future
Good karma will reincarnate you to a higher caste; bad karma will reincarnate you to a lower caste

9. Hindu Teaching: Karma (cont.)
Nirvana: like heaven—a state of changeless bliss
Ultimate reward of Hinduism: be released from reincarnation and become one with the universe and Brahman

10. Caste System
The priests used the Vedas and the belief in reincarnation to give order to their society.
The Aryan social classes are divided into 4 castes.
Priests
Soldiers and Rulers
Farmers and merchants
Common people

11. The Caste
A person born into one caste could never change caste or mix with members of another caste.
Caste members live, marry, and work within their own group.
To the Indian people the caste system was like the human body

12. The Untouchables Below all the castes were the untouchables.
They did all the unpleasant jobs of society.
Were though to be impure
They had to avoid all contact with the rest of society.

13. Accepting the Caste System
What made life under the caste system bearable was reincarnation
They believed that even though life might be hard, but if people did the work of their caste, there was hope that the next life would be better.

14. In Summary, Why have the Caste System?
It kept order in society.
People didn’t disobey or rebel.
There was always the hope of good karma leading to a higher caste in the next life.
***This allowed Aryan priests to keep order in society for hundreds of years***