1.
Explain the origins of the caste system
- The
origins of the caste system are unknown, but it was related to Hinduism. The
word 'caste' is came from England or Portugal or Spain, 'Casta,' which means
'pure.' However the system was
abused and became a system of racist segregation.
2. What does the Aryan term “varna” means?
- The
name for the original social division of Vedic people into four groups, which
are subdivided into thousands of jatis in Hinduism
3. Briefly
explain or identify who was in each of the four main varnas
- Brahman comprises
the priests and teachers in society.
- Warriors
and rulers belong to the Kshatriya.
- resembles the modern American middle class. Merchants, farmers, and
artisans make up the Vaishya.
- Sudra is
the lowest of the four, people who do hard work and labor.
4. What was the fifth varna that was eventually
added and what was their role in society?
- The people of this
"fifth varna" are now called Dalits or Harijians who were
formerly known as "untouchables" or "pariahs". However,
this last strada is not a part of Hinduism.
5. What does the term “jati” means?
-
Jati means a Hindu caste or distinctive
social group of which there are thousands throughout India.
6. What were some of the
general rules of jati?
- The general rule of
jati is that they can only marry with jati, and also when you were born u
belong to jati because your parents belong to jati, which you can’t change.
7. What was the punishment
for violating these rules?
- For violating the
rules, you get expelled from jati.
8. What was the believed benefit of having castes and
jatis in Aryan society?
-
9. What were the “Upanishads”?
- The Upanishads are philosophical texts
considered to be an early source of Hindu religion. There are more than 200
known.
10. Explain the term “Brahman”
- Brahman is the one
supreme, universal Spirit that is the origin and support of the phenomenal universe in Hinduism. Brahman is
sometimes referred to as the Absolute or Godhead
which is the
Divine Ground of all being. Brahman is conceived
as personal ("with
qualities"), impersonal ("without
qualities") and supreme depending on the philosophical
school.
11. Explain the term “Samsara”
- Samsara is the cycle of birth, life,
death, rebirth or reincarnation within Hinduism, Buddhism and the other Indian
religion.
12. Explain the term “Karma”
- Karma in Indian
religions is the concept of
"action" or "deed", understood as that which causes the
entire cycle of cause and effect originating in ancient
India and treated in Hindu, Jain, Buddhist and Sikh philosophies.
13. What was “moksha” and what two
things were required in order to attain it?
- Within Indian religions, moksha is the liberation from samsara and thee concomitant suffering involved in being subject to the cycle of repeated death and reincarnation or rebirth.
14. Briefly explain how the Upanishads
explained the caste system.
-