Ishwa helper Reged: 03/03/02 Posts: 553

Re: Caste System and Hinduism [Re: indianheart] #20748 - 09/20/02 07:03 AM Edit Reply Quote

I wonder where this rigidness came from. The British were and still are very famous for their social rigidness and etiquettes. That's a feature which was pan-European and only partly abandoned after the crises of the sixties of the last century. The British had established Indian educational system and infrastructure. Their system is basically still the one we meet in India. One can imagine the amount of indoctrination. If the social system was rigid in more remote days, one can not understand how Brahmins became rulers and rulers beame Brahmin, how Shudras and Vaishyas established empires (Nandas and Guptas). My guess is that the Agnikula Kshatriyas/Rajputs were Brahmins, because all the four claim Brahmin descent. The other Rajputs are either Somakula or Suryakula. Agnikula is a hint to the Brahminical Homa. And what about the whole Bhakti movements in which people of all Varnas, including Chamars (said of Sant RaiDas, pupil of the Brahmin Ramananda), etc. became Sants! Would that have been possible if the caste system was rigid? Some Bhakti currents were against the Br�hma variant of Hinduism, in which the link between Brahman and reality of society was lost in mere repetitive ritualism, islolationism, etc. Vaishnava and Shaiva variants fused together in the Bhakti movement with dynamic Br�hma elements.