1. 47Class System2/28  Do you think people should be judged in society by how much money they make? Why?

2. Hinduism & the Caste System

3. The Beginnings of Hinduism  About 1500 BC, when the Aryans invaded India, 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’ holiest books, the Vedas are written in Sanskrit.  These four books describe the Aryan religion.

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

5. Brahma the Creator  Creator of the Universe  Believes all other gods originated from Brahma.  4 faces= 4 corners of universe  Holds a sacrificial ladle, 4 vedas, a jar of holy water from the Ganges River, has a necklace of prayer beads, and sits on a lotus flower

6. Vishnu the Preserver  Preserves the universe.  He is all powerful and all knowing  Role is to maintain a balance between good and evil powers.  In the universe to do this he returns to Earth in many forms.

7. Shiva the Destroyer or Purifier  Shiva is responsible for change both in the form of death and destruction.  Many forms but most famous is Lord of the Dance.  Halo of Fire-circle of birth and death  Crushes Dwarf- demon of ignorance

8. Hinduism Teachings  Hinduism teaches that people live many lives until they reach spiritual perfection  Believes 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  Those who live bad lives will return as lower caste, could be an animal or an insect.

9. Other Hindu Beliefs  Dhrama : ultimate moral balance of all things, person must balance religion, social life, and family. If a person makes a promise it must be kept at all costs.  Karma : duty everyone must do duty with out expecting a favor in return  Moksha : like heaven, state of changeless bliss. Ultimate reward= release from reincarnation and united with God.

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 castes 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

13. The Untouchables  Below all the castes were the untouchables.  They did all the unpleasant jobs of society, such as garbage, cleaning stable, or the dead.  Were though to be impure  They had to avoid all contact with the rest of society.

14. Accepting the Caste System  What made life under the caste system bearable was reincarnation.  Hindus believe that each person has a soul. The soul is reborn, born again, in another body.  They believe that even though life might be hard, if you obey the rules of your caste, there is hope that you will be reborn into the next life in a better caste.