Transcript Varnas
If YOU lived there (short notebook entry) Your family are skillful weavers who make beautiful cotton cloth. You belong to the class in Aryan society who are traders, farmers, and craftspeople. Often the raja of your town leads the warriors into battle. You admire their bravery but know you can never be one of them. To be an Aryan warrior you must be born into that noble class. Instead, you have your own duty to carry out. HOW do you feel about remaining the rest of your life as a weaver? Some things to look for. Caste system Varnas Sutras Indian Society Divides Aryan society + More complex = divided into groups These groups were organized into people’s occupations and had rules about how different groups interacted. These were called the Varnas. The Varnas, the social divisions. According to the Vedas, there were FOUR main varnas. Varnas Brahmins - priests Kshatriyas - rulers & warriors Vaisyas - farmers, craftspeople, and traders Sudras - laborers and NonAryans The Caste Sytem Rules became stricter. As time went, each of the varnas in Aryan Society was divided into castes, or groups. The caste system divided Indian society into groups based on a person’s birth, wealth, or occupation. Roots of Hinduism: The Vedas The Vedas (“Wisdom”) were collections of prayers and hymns of the Indo-European Aryans who migrated into India around 1500 B.C. The Aryans developed a social structure with sharp distinctions between individuals and groups according to the occupations and roles in society These distinctions became the basis of the caste system Brahmins (priests) were at the top of the caste system Fanciful depiction of the Indo-Aryans entering India Roots of Hinduism: The Vedas The Vedas required ritual sacrifices by which the Aryans hoped to win favor of the gods Gods required constant attention Proper honor for the gods required households to have brahmins perform no less than five sacrifices per day As time passed, many Aryans, to include the brahmins became dissatisfied with the sacrificial cults of the Vedas, viewing them as sterile rituals rather than genuine means of communicating with the gods Sought something to satisfy their spiritual longings Caste RULES To keep each caste “special” or “distinct”, the Aryans developed sutras, guides. The sutras listed rules for the caste system Example - you can’t marry someone from a different class. More strict rules Forbidden for people from one class to eat with people from another IF YOU BREAK THE RULES could be banned from their homes and their castes, which would make them be called UNTOUCHABLES! Review What is the Varnas? What were the four varnas? What are they? What did the Varnas develop into? WHY? What is the sutras? What were some of the rules in the sutras? What could happen to someone who broke caste rules? Brahmanism Religion became an important part of Aryan life even before they moved to India. Because of the priests being called Brahmin, the Aryan religion was called Brahmanism. The Vedas Aryan religion was based one the Vedas. There are FOUR Vedas and each had sacred poems and hymns THE OLDEST was the RIGVEDA Other Vedas: Teachings of the Upanishads Most Vedas had religious rituals. (Performing sacrifices) Use of FIRE. Rituals that certain people could performs. Shiva: The Lord of Yoga meditating on Mount Kailasa in the Himalayas Brahmanism to HINDUISM Eventually ideas of the texts began to blend with other cultures like people from Persian and Asia and finally became Hinduism. Hindu beliefs Many gods Major ones Brahma the Creator Siva the Destroyer Vishnu the Preserver Hindu’s believe that all these three make up one spirit = Brahman Life and rebirth Everyone has a soul = atman. The person has one goal to reunite with the Brahman because world is an illusion. Souls are born and reborn= REINCARNATION!!!!! Their new life depends on their karma the effects that good or bad actions have on a person’s soul. Buddhism Today: the Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatso is the 14th Dalai Lama Unsuccessfully tried to protect Tibet’s rights after China invaded His followers consider him a living Buddha, the incarnation of the Buddha of Compassion Ultimately fled to Dharamsala, India where he currently leads Tibet’s government in exile Won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989 In 2007 China made it illegal for the Dalai Lama to reincarnate without government permission!