To be born a Hindu in India is to enter the caste system, one of the world's longest surviving forms of social stratification. Embedded in Indian culture for the past 1,500 years, the caste system follows a basic precept: All men are created unequal. The ranks in Hindu society come from a legend in which the main groupings, or varnas, emerge from a primordial being. From the mouth come the Brahmans%u2014the priests and teachers. From the arms come the Kshatriyas%u2014the rulers and soldiers. From the thighs come the Vaisyas%u2014merchants and traders. From the feet come the Sudras%u2014laborers. Each varna in turn contains hundreds of hereditary castes and subcastes with their own pecking orders.
A fifth group describes the people who are achuta, or untouchable. The primordial being does not claim them. Untouchables are outcasts%u2014people considered too impure, too polluted, to rank as worthy beings. Prejudice defines their lives, particularly in the rural areas, where nearly three-quarters of India's people live. Untouchables are shunned, insulted, banned from temples and higher caste homes, made to eat and drink from separate utensils in public places, and, in extreme but not uncommon cases, are raped, burned, lynched, and gunned down
RE:untouchables
by preethi menon on Jun 07, 2007 11:19 AM Permalink
What you said is very true, specially the first line but to be born into christian family means you are either a RC, Protestant Latin Catholic........(100 more), to be born into a islam family means you are either a Sunni, shia, wahabi......etc., (60 more).
Untoucability ....is all abolished longtime back, i donot think anyone even practicises the same as it is very difficlut to praticise the same in the new world order just as Bonded labour....etc., it may be praticised here and there where we cannot even reach.
This mean that there are several evils in the society which is praticsed by a few.
RE:untouchables
by RR on Jun 07, 2007 11:07 AM Permalink
Hi Vijay, I see u r deep concern about the caste system, Even I hate this system, but when I analyzed it to identify the flaws, I found things which are different from the one in existence and the one said by saints. The difference is that, it is not the men or women belong to caste, but the thoughts and behaviour of the Men and Women decides the caste.
A person born in so called brahmin family, if does illegal activities, against the Ethics He is called a Sudra and A person from so called sudra community, if does good things he is called brahaman.
It all means that god keeps you closer if do good things to society and keeps you in his heart if you are a patriot and save u r people and country, and Keeps u far if you do anything which affects any single individual.
So the current system is a wrong interpretation and we have to educate our people.
So in my view no one is untouchable according to sanatana dharama(Hindu), a person who deos wrong this to the society is an untouchable(Politicians, Terrorist etc...).
