The Indian Caste System And Its Influence On Hinduism

The Indian Caste system was originally developed by the Aryans, when they had first invaded India. It was the Aryans who put themselves above the people already living in India, and made themselves at the highest Varna. The Aryans believed that they were superior because of the color of their skin. Those different Varnas included: Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas, Shudras, and the Untouchables, who were considered far below the rest of the caste system. Since in the Hindu faith cleanliness is seen as a sign of power, it is only fitting that the priests would be at the top, while the street cleaners, and laborers would be at the bottom. This system comes from the belief that karma stays with someone through all of their reincarnated lives, meaning that if someone is born into a lower Varna it is because of their actions in their past lives. The Aryan invasion greatly influenced Hinduism in Indian culture, and the Aryan Caste system was justified, by the Hindu religion. …show more content…
It is because of this Caste system that an Untouchable would be unable to live in the same neighborhood, or even eat near someone in a higher Caste. These discriminatory actions are based on the truth of dharma meaning the order and different hierarchies in the world. Another fault that the Hindu Varna system has is one cannot escape their Caste. It does not matter what a person has done in their life, if they are born into a Varna their is no way that they can ever move above it. With this system once a family is born into a Caste every single member of that family would be stuck in that Caste, until