miércoles, 2 de septiembre de 2009

Varna - the traditional Hindu caste system





Harijans [children of God] - individuals who are at the bottom of or outside the Hindu caste system. They were traditionally sweepers, washers of clothes, leatherworkers, and those whose occupation it was to kill animals. The term is also sometimes applied to the hill tribes of India, who are considered unclean by some because they eat beef. Originally called untouchables or pariahs, they were given the name Harijans by the Indian political and religious leader Mahatma Gandhi, who worked for many years to improve their lives. Many now refer to themselves as Dalits [Marathi,=broken] to indicate their oppressed position outside Hindu society; legally the Indian government groups them as “scheduled castes.”


*Shudra was a common Sanskrit word, any person regardless of his/her varna to could be addressed as shudra. An implied version of this common form has become traditionally associated with the varna system. It is also mentioned in the purusha-sukta of Rigveda where shudras are said to have emanated from the feet of the lord (पद्भ्याम् शूद्र् अजायत padbhyām śūdro ajāyata, It denotes that the three other varnas which made up the parts of purusha (पुरुश, the lord) were supported by the shudras as the feet form the supporting system of the entire body - wikipedia

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