Varnas

Before I read this chapter, I knew a little about the Caste System of India. I knew that it was pretty strict and specific, but reading about the Caste as Varnas intrigued me. Around 500 B.C.E, "the idea that society was forever divided into four ranked classes, or varnas, was deeply embedded in Indian thinking" (225). The system works as such; People are separated into one of four classes. The highest class is Brahmin, which was filled with priests and teachers. People who were considered "the most important" it seems, were the people that were mostly associated with God. So the spiritual aspect of life was very important to the people of India. The next class was the Kshatriya, which was filled with warriors and rulers. These men were in charge of protecting and governing the society around them. I am sure that there were a limited amount of people that could protect the people, so they were ranked higher then others. The third group was filled with farmers, merchants and artisans, called the Vaisya class. "These three classes came to be regarded as pure Aryans and were called the "twice-born", for they experienced not only a physical birth but also formal initiation into their respected varnas and status as people of Aryan descent" (225). The lowest members were the Sudra class and finally that class that I have learned the most about are the Untouchables. It really amazes me how undervalued these people were. They were treating basically like dirt and were not associated with any other class. The fact that the Caste System is still very present today makes me realize how different cultures and countries use religion.