RELS 131 Lecture Notes - Lecture 9: National Symbol, Sannyasa, Vanaprastha

• School: Queen's University
• Department: Religious Studies
• Course: RELS 131
• Professor: Aditi Sen- Chowdhury

Document Summary

Four categories, priests, warriors, producers, low cast (set to serve the higher cast) Hinduism emerging as a combination of caste system and upanishadic ideals. The epics being the major vehicle of finding the middle ground. o. Philosophy a global impact: more schools of philosophy - 6 and one is atheist. Caste system still plays a role in modern times. Idea of twice born (upnayana or initiation ceremony: men only apply to twice born, they have an initiation ceremony - initiated into the caste. Purity and pollution: untouchables is the fifth caste created, a lot of intermarriage happened during the coming of buddhism. The children of the mix caste would become untouchables. Many writers wrote it so there are some contradictions within it. Brahmin man marrying a shudra the child becomes untouchables, the children would keep their caste if the brahmin man marries within the top three. For women it does not matter what caste. o.