Enumerate the merits and the demerits of caste system.

Solution

Although it is hard to trace merit of a caste system, but it could have advantageous for those who were upper caste, hence here some of the merits

1. It kept the competition in various field checked according to the varnas only, hence it was lot easier for Kshatriya to deal with Kshatriya, brahmanas with brahmanas etc.

2. It made the position of the top three varnas permanent by giving it the idea of divine origin and as well as by birth.

3. It kept the power of the society limited to only upper section of the varna. Hence it was easier to rule without any revolt from below.

II. Disadvantages of Caste System.

(i) Setback to national feeling the people could not mix up with one another on account of racial narrowness. Hence they treated the other castes or even their nation as inferior to their own caste. It was quite against the national interest.

(ii) Strengthening of untouchability . The evil of untouchability poisoned the atmosphere of the entire society. The higher castes began to look down upon the lower castes. They were refused entry in the temples. They could not step on the village well and could not even enter the public places. They were scared and were beaten black and blue. Free labour was extracted from them. The high castes people made them lead a wretched life.

(iii) This caste system made mobility of anyone impossible, it restricted someone in the caste to follow only the prescribed duties.

(iv) Basically the caste system made the lower caste to be treated worse than the animal.

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Some More Questions From Kinship, Caste And Class Chapter

What, according to the Dharmashastras, were the ideal occupations for the four varnas? Give one way in which the Brahmanas tried to enforce these norms.

“Brahmanical norms regarding marriage and occupations were not always followed in ancient times.” Give arguments in support of this statement.

In what ways was the Buddhist theory of a social contract different from the Brahmanical view of society derived from the Purusha Sukta?

The following is an excerpt from the Mahabharata in which Yudhisthira, the eldest Pandava, speaks to Sanjaya, a messenger:

Sanjaya, convey my respectful greetings to all the Brahmanas and the chief priest of the house of Dhritarashtra. I bow respectfully to teacher Drona .... I hold the feet of our preceptor Kripa .... (and) the chief of the Kurus, the great Bhishma. I bow respectfully to the old king (Dhritarashtra). I greet and ask after the health of his son Dpryodhana and his younger brother ......Also greet all the young Kuru warriors who are our brothers, sons and grandsons......Greet above all him, who is to us like father and mother, the wise Vidura (born of a slave woman)......I bow to the elderly ladies who are known as our mothers. To those who are our wives you say this, 'I hope they are well-protected.'...... Our daughters-in-law born of good families and mothers of children greet on my behalf. Embrace for me those who are our daughters..... The beautiful, fragrant, well-dressed courtesans of ours, you should also greet. Greet the slave women and their children, greet the aged, the maimed (and) the helpless.

Try and identify the criteria use to make this list in terms of age, gender, kinship ties. Are there any other criteria? For each category, explain why they are placed in a particular position in the list.

This is what a famous historian of Indian literature Maurice Winternitz, wrote about the Mahabharata: “just because the Mahabharata represents more of an entire literature.... and contains so much and so many kinds of things....(it) give (s) us an insight into the most profound depths of the soul of the Indian folk.' Discuss.

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Kinship, Caste And Class

Enumerate the merits and the demerits of caste system.

Some More Questions From Kinship, Caste And Class Chapter

What, according to the Dharmashastras, were the ideal occupations for the four varnas? Give one way in which the Brahmanas tried to enforce these norms.

“Brahmanical norms regarding marriage and occupations were not always followed in ancient times.” Give arguments in support of this statement.

Explain why patriliny may have been particularly important among elite families.

Discuss whether kings in early states were invariably Kshatriyas.

Compare and contrast the dharma or norms mentioned in the stories of Drona, Hidimba and Matanga.

In what ways was the Buddhist theory of a social contract different from the Brahmanical view of society derived from the Purusha Sukta?

Discuss whether the Mahabharata could have been the work of a single author.

How important were gender differences in early societies? Give reasons for your answer.

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