Laws of Manu and How It Has Influenced Contemporary India
Laws of Manu and how it has influenced contemporary India
Every society has some sort of ranking among its members; however India’s caste system is so elaborate that it causes a rift within its society. This rift has hindered the growth of India. How is something supposed to go forward when the gears are stagnant or is even going backwards? India was home to one of the earliest settlements in human history. For many centuries the ancient Indians and Greeks were progressively claiming each culture started calculus and scientific thought. Now when one has a pedigree like that, they tend to be a dominant force. However India has not been a very dominant force until very recently; and it can be argued that is because of India’s backwards thinking. The current Indian caste system was developed from the Manusmrti or the Laws of Manu, a Hindu scared scripture. Manusmrti is an ancient dissertation given by the first man on earth, Manu. It was written when Manu implored a group of seers to educated Indians the “law of all the social classes”. It is as it follows:
1. Society is to be divided by four varna or categories. - Brahmans – Priests - Kshatriyas – Governing officials - Vaishya – Farmers, traders - Shudra – servers of the above three varnas
2. Duties and occupations of the different varnas are to be dictated by the King.
3. Brahmans are to be treated as a god. “Even a hundred-year old Kshatriya is to treat a ten year old Brahmin as his father” (Olivelle, 2004).
4. Women are to be treated unequally. They are to treat their husbands as gods
5. The legal consequences between each Varna are unequal. “For example if a Brahmin is awarded a death sentence, it is sufficient to shave his head, but Kshatriya, Vaishya and Shudra are to actually die.” 6. One can only marry within their Varna. However if you wanted a second wife they can be of a lower caste, but if she is a shudra then you become a shudra as well.
7. Even though Manu does not
Every society has some sort of ranking among its members; however India’s caste system is so elaborate that it causes a rift within its society. This rift has hindered the growth of India. How is something supposed to go forward when the gears are stagnant or is even going backwards? India was home to one of the earliest settlements in human history. For many centuries the ancient Indians and Greeks were progressively claiming each culture started calculus and scientific thought. Now when one has a pedigree like that, they tend to be a dominant force. However India has not been a very dominant force until very recently; and it can be argued that is because of India’s backwards thinking. The current Indian caste system was developed from the Manusmrti or the Laws of Manu, a Hindu scared scripture. Manusmrti is an ancient dissertation given by the first man on earth, Manu. It was written when Manu implored a group of seers to educated Indians the “law of all the social classes”. It is as it follows:
1. Society is to be divided by four varna or categories. - Brahmans – Priests - Kshatriyas – Governing officials - Vaishya – Farmers, traders - Shudra – servers of the above three varnas
2. Duties and occupations of the different varnas are to be dictated by the King.
3. Brahmans are to be treated as a god. “Even a hundred-year old Kshatriya is to treat a ten year old Brahmin as his father” (Olivelle, 2004).
4. Women are to be treated unequally. They are to treat their husbands as gods
5. The legal consequences between each Varna are unequal. “For example if a Brahmin is awarded a death sentence, it is sufficient to shave his head, but Kshatriya, Vaishya and Shudra are to actually die.” 6. One can only marry within their Varna. However if you wanted a second wife they can be of a lower caste, but if she is a shudra then you become a shudra as well.
7. Even though Manu does not
Bibliography: Nath, R. (1993). Why I Am Not a Hindu. Retrieved 6 3, 2012, from The Secular Web: http://www.infidels.org/library/modern/ramendra_nath/hindu.html Olivelle, P Sonalde Deasi, A. D. (2011). Caste in 21st Century India: Competing Narratives. Economic & Political Weekly, 40-48. Gould, H. A. (1987). The Hindu caste system. Delhi: Chanakya Publications. Crossette, B. (1993). India: Facing the twenty-first century. Bloomington: Indiana University Press. Jain, Pankaj. "Varna Vyavastha: Class System of Vedic Society." Sulekha.com. Aug. 2004. Web. 06 June 2012