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"The Control Of Impulse Is The First Principle Of Civilization."
- Will Durant, Pulitzer Prize winning philosopher, writer and historian The above was taken from the Website - Happiness Online. |
We South Asians ( Indians, Sri Lankans, Pakistanis, Bangladeshis, Nepalis, Bhutanis and Maldive Islanders ) belong to an ancient culture. The Nation India itself has a large variety of languages, tribes and races; while "Hinduism" which is the majority religion of India includes a large number of Gods, Goddesses, World-views and preaches many lifestyles. India is also the largest of the South Asian (SAARC) countries in terms of Area as well as Population, and has one of the fastest developing economies of the world.
I wish to say first of all, that the objective of this paper is not to Justify the Caste System which once existed legally, (and still exists illegally) in some South Asian countries. The objective is to study that Caste System as a Link in the Chain (or Web) of evolution of the Human Societies, in comparison with such essays as Plato's Republic, and some traditional societies in countries like Japan.
Please click here to go Below for more Information :-We live (21st Century) in an age of Democracy, and the "Rule of Law". However, there is also the case where the leadership of the United Sates and Britain decided to Override the Moral Authority of the United Nations Organisation in the Year 2003, when they declared war on Iraq. What is interesting is that, the United Nations Organisation was formed after World War II under the Guidance of the leadership of the United Sates and Britain at that time. ( Therefore, I think it can be safely said that the 21st Century is also an age of "Double Standards". ) However, Double standards are NOT confined to the United Sates and Britain. The two nations atleast provide Democratic Values and a Strong system of Justice for their own citizens atleast on principle ( although in some cases, true Justice may have to be earned by paying Lawyer's Fees ).
Due to the wars, revolutions, rebellions, civil disturbances and other types of social chaos in the world today, I was motivated to initiate a search on how and why human society came to its present state, and to compare it with "Alternate Realities" - various solutions proposed by prophets and philosophers who at various times and in various different regions of the earth as to what the Best human society would be.
The behavior of us Human Beings seem to show that we are Nothing But a more technologically developed form of Animal. (Probably, some of us may only be a little more flexible in our thinking and behaviour, than that of a Dog or a Cat.)
The first human societies may have been Very primitive tribal societies. Their social organisation may have only been a little advanced from a level of groups of individuals found in species of Great Apes (eg.:- Chimpanzees or Gorillas). These societies would have been made of hunters and gatherers probably similar to societies of Australian Aborigines.
The Next stage would have been those of hunters and gatherers.
I like to imagine, that human societies Obey the Second Law of Thermodynamics. ( All systems tend towards disorder. Refer.:- Glossary )
Without the help of powerful ( external ) forces, the order in an isolated system would breakdown, and tend towards chaos. With respect to human society, this chaos is referred to as " Anarchy ".
In the modern world, it is the Government which exercises power to prevent Anarchy, and so help keep the " Social Order " intact.
Although Government is Not Always an "External force", it is usually The Most Powerful Force in a particular society, and is capable of controlling or " Managing " all the Other components of a Society.
Coming back to the question of the need for human societies, we can see that when Society breaks down, there are situations like what happened in the following countries in the periods given :-
In the Above cases, murder and destruction were Not Only Frequent occurences, but the groups responsible for the murders were Various and Unpredictable. I those situations, No Group of human beings were safe, until a New Powerful force or took over control or the previously existing power (probably in a newer more efficient form re-took control of the country. In some cases, the assistance of Foreign Powers was also necessary. In some of the Above Countries where New Powers took control, they Implemented ( or Tried to Implement ) a New Sociel Order when compared to the one existing Before the Anarchy.
The major tasks (or roles) occuring within Human Society, can be categorised into four major Groups :-
The Assignment of the above tasks to various Human Groups, can be seen in Ancient Indian Society. Although such a society was an Extreme or Rigid form, the Groups of Tasks can be " Mapped " to probably All of the human societies (including modern technologically advanced ones.
The Groups of people ( "Castes" ) performing the major Groups of Tasks, were as follows :-
Now for the "Mapping" of the above FOUR Tasks (or Castes) to various other societies around the world at various time periods. Let us start with some of the primitive "Tribal" societies.
In a primitive tribe, such as those found in South Africa, East Africa, the Congo or the Amazon Forest, whose main livelihood consists of Hunting and Gathering, a major feature is the "Tribal Chief". If we assume that the Tribal Chief is the Ruler (or Administrator) of the Tribe, then through the Caste Mapping Method we can call him the "Kshathriya". Among some North American ( "Red Indian" ) tribes, an old woman ( the "Squaw" ) also had power especially in the selection of a new chief.
( Interestingly, in groups of animals also, we can identify this "Kshathriya Caste". Just think about the Leader of a Wolf Pack, a Pride of Lions, or a Herd of Elephants. Herds need to be Lead / Administered or Managed. In Insect societies such as those of Bees, Ants and Termites, there actually exist Different Groups of individuals dedicated for different Tasks, which may even be Called Castes, by researchers. )
Coming back to our "Primitive Tribe", we also have the "Medicine Man" or "Shaman". This person is both a "Spiritual Guide" as well as the "Medical Doctor" of a Primitive Tribe. I would like to call Him ( or Her as in the case of "Medicine Women" ) the "Brahmin", by using the Caste Mapping Method.
Referring to the "Noble Savage" concept of the Great Frenchman Jean Jacques Rousseau, I wish to say that the "Human Savage" is indeed Noble, because the Caste Boundaries are Not Fixed in atleast some of the Primitive Tribes. There maybe even a certain Democracy in some tibes, where a New Chief has to be elected after the Old Chief dies. Being the son of the old chief DOES NOT AUTOMATICALLY guarantee leadership, specially if that son is Physically Weak, Stupid, or has shown in some way that he is NOT capable of Leadership. To add a footnote to the Great Rousseau, I like to say that "Animal Societies" are also Noble. Elephants, Lions or Baboons may engage in combat, and the winner may become leader. Social Monkeys and Apes may have even Nobler Societies, because they sometimes use their brains in addition to Physical Strength in order to achieve leadership of their groups. So we have dealt somewhat, with the Mapping of the Kshathriya ( Leader ) Caste and the Brahmin ( Guide ) Caste by dealing with the Tribal and the Animal societies.
In ancient Sumeria ( and probably in ancient Mohenjodaro - Harappa as well ) there was the "Priest-King". This was a powerful person who performed the Kshathriya Role as the Absolute Monarch or Emperor, while he performed the Brahmana Role by giving "Divine Guidance" as the Priest. This is a case of Two "Castes" being represented by One person or One family.
In ancient Egypt, the situation was a little different. While the King ( "Pharaoh" ) was believed to be the descendent of a powerful god ( "Osiris" ), there was a separate priest or a group of priests to perform the Religious Duties of the Kingdom.
In Japan under the "Shogunate", the Shogun was the real ruler or "Strongman", therefore he can be considered the "Kshathriya", while the Emperor at that time, had little political power, but was considered the Descendent of a powerful Goddess, and therefore was a Shinto Religious symbol. Therefore, we can consider the Emperor (and the Shinto priests) as the "Brahmins" of the Japanese Shogunate.
After the emergence of modern religio - philosopies ( Judaism, Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism and Islam ), the role of the Brahmin of a society can safely by Mapped to that of the Priest (or Monk) of the Dominant Religion of that particular society. Religions claim to have "All the Answers" to the problems of human beings. The exceptions here are the "Atheist states" such as the former U.S.S.R. or China, as well as the U.S.A. where Church and State are officially separate. Here, the Role of the Brahmin maybe performed by the Marxist Theoreticians, or by the Scientists. I ancient Greece, we can see the Role of the Brahmin preformed in the earliest times by the Priests in charge of temples of the various Gods and Goddesses. The Poets such as Homer also acted as Social Guides or "Brahmins". This feature can be seen in some Indo-european (the so called "Aryan") tribal societies such as Scandinavia and India. In India, some of the Poets were actualy of the Brahmin Caste ( eg.- Valmiki ). The poems written by these poets were the Epics or the Sagas ( In ancient Scandinavia" ).
In some ( both ancient and modern ), the Religious Leaders ( "Brahmins" ) were very powerful and influential. This went to such an extent, that these people tried to form the entire structure of the society in the image they wanted. Such societies include - ancient Egypt and India, ancient Isreal, "Taliban Afghanistan", the Islamic Republic of Iran, the colonies of New England in the 1600s and ancient Tibet. Yet even among these societies, the Social Structures differed.
Some of these differences were independent of their Religion. For example, Iran and "Taliban Afghanistan" were both Islamic Republics. In "Taliban Afghanistan", the Top Mullah was both the Ruler as well as the Spiritual Guide ( both Brahmin and Kshathriya ). However, in Iran despite being an Islamic Republic, the Top Spiritual Guide ( Ayatollah ) performed the task of Brahmin, while the Ruler or Kshathriya was the President elected by the people. In this situation, the President's power was balanced and limited by the power of the Ayatollah. In Tibet, the Chief Lama was both the "Kshathriya" ( Ruler ) and "Brahmin" ( spiritual guide ).
If we consider Ideologies (Communism and Fascism) also as "Religions", then those societies can also be thought of as ones based on "Religion". Examples of societies Rigidly structured according to Political philosopies, are Mussolini's Italy ( Fascist ), Nazi Germany, Stalin's U.S.S.R., Mao's China and Castro's Cuba. In all these cases, the Ruling class acted as both the Administrators ( Kshathriya ), and the Guides ( Brahmana ).
Societies Never remain the same, no matter how Rigidly their structure has been maintained. This Social change is usually a slow process. For example, although in ancient India the Caste Structure was very Rigid and Officially accepted, today the situation is different. In Modern India, the Caste Structure is Illegal, but exists "Unofficially". It is Not so Rigid as it was in ancient times. One reason for this change maybe that Respected Great Men such as Lord Buddha and Mahathma Ghandi criticised the Rigid Caste System for its evils.
Sometimes however, changes to the existing Social Structure occure Very Rapidly ( in a few years or months ). Such Rapid Social changes are referred to as "Revolutions".
Revolutions are sometimes wars between different "Castes". Usually the downtrodden "Kshudra" ( Workers ) together with the Vaishya ( Farmers and Traders ) try to take power and replace the "Kshathriya" and "Brahmana" people. Sometimes, certain "Deprived" or "Sympathetic" individuals from the "Kshathriya" and "Brahmana" Castes may go against their own people and join the lower castes in their struggle. ( Prince Yousoupoff of Russia and Marquis Lafayatte of France are two people from the "Kshathriya Caste" whose certain actions had a positive benefit for the Revolutions of the poor people. )
Today, even in countries which traditionally were rigidly Caste Based, ( eg:- Nepal and India ) there are violent Armed Revolts against the Kings and Great Landlords of the Kshathriya and Brahmin orders. In Nepal the communists are revolting against the Monarchy, while in India ( Bihar ) the Maoist Naxalites have frequent Armed attacks on the Landlords.
Under this topic, we can briefly compare the lives of Lord Buddha and Jesus Christ.
Jesus Christ was born into the "Kshudra Caste" ( since his human father Joseph, was a Carpenter - a Labourer ). Jesus made many enemies among all the "Castes", since his Religion had a new concept. At that time, Isreal was ruled by the Roman Empire, using the Jewish puppet King Herod as their proxy. Therefore, we can say that both the Romans and King Herod were "Kshathriyas" in relation to the people of Isreal. The Pharisees can be recognised as the "Brahmins" of Isreal. The corrupt Moneylenders can be taken as the "Vaishyas". The Three Powerful "Castes" of Isreal at that time, allied themselves in suppressing Jesus ( the Champion of the powerless "Kshudras" ). While the Religion of Jesus was for everyone, the wrongs that he preached may have been essential for the existence of the Powerful "Castes". Judas who betrayed Jesus, did so by performing one of the most Unethical ( or Inhuman ) of "Vaishya" actions. Judas "traded" Jesus to his enemies. Finally, Jesus was crucified to death.
Lord Buddha also made many enemies due to his own "Revolutionary" Dhamma teachings. However, the Buddha had the advantage of being born to the "Kshathriya Caste" ( which was at that time even more powerful than the Brahmins of India ). So, the Buddha escaped death even though there was attempts on his life as well. Another which advantage Lord Buddha may have had, was that his enemies were divided. There was No Single Great Power ( comparable to the Roman Empire in Isreal ). Instead, India at that time, was made of several large and small kingdoms, some of which were frequently at war with each others. Also, there were more than sixty different religious philosophers, and different types of holy men, so that any well to do free thinking man had enough avenues of guidance than the Brahmins and the Vedhas. Infact, pre-Buddha India was well known for many Ascetics and Hermits who had perfected "Paranormal" mental and physical powers which were far greater than a normal Brahmin could achieve. There would have been enough of incentives to form your own religion and to stay alive even after doing so.
Since I represented the Castes according to the roles played by humans in a society, we should also be able to map caste to the individuals of an institution or even a family. This is a form of Micro-level mapping, since the Institutions and Families are mere units making up human society.
In a human family of a typical male dominated society, the father is the "Kshathriya". The "Brahmin" may either be the father or the mother. The father, mother and sometimes the older children may perform tasks of the "Vaishya Caste". These tasks include earning money to provide for the family, buying household goods and growing some of the essential food items in the home garden.
The younger children are always the "Kshudra Caste", but the older family members may also perform certain "Kshudra" Tasks such as cleaning the house, and fixing up broken items.
In Plato's publication ( the Republic ), he reports a discussion which his teacher Socrates, had with certain other gentlemen on how an ideal society should be formed. ( At that time, the ideas of "Democracy" and "Republic" were Not very compatible. ) In this discussion, Socrates outlines an ideal state ( a Republic ) made up of only Two classes of people. According to our Mapping of Castes, these two classes are each, the combinations of Two of the Four "Castes". At the Top of Socrates' Republic was an elite "Ruling Class". This class was composed of the Rulers ( "Kshathriya" ), the Soldiers who protected the state as well as the educated people who gave guidance to the Republic ( "Brahmana" ). Therefore, the "Elite Ruling Class" of "Plato's Republic" was actually a combination of the "Brahmana" and the "Kshathriya" Castes.
The rest of the citizens of the Republic ( the commoners ) performed the roles ( tasks ) of the "Vaishyas" and the "Kshudras" - Production of food and other essential commodities, Commerce and Labour. Therefore, the commoners ( those who were "Ruled" by the elite ) were a combination of the "Vaishya" and "Kshudra" Castes.
Today, there are many nations ( especially in the Developing World ) where there are uprisings by the deprived masses ( "Kshudras" ) against the Ruling elite. These uprisings may sometimes have the backing of the "Vaishyas" of those countries. Uprisings which succeed in replacing existing regimes, are usually those which have a lot of financial and intellectual backing, mainly from the "Vaishyas", but also from certain frustrated members of the "Brahmana" and "Kshathriya" Castes.
The development and advancement of technology, as well as trade and commerce, is are "Vaishyan" tasks. However, the machines ( computers and electronics ) which are produced by those "Vaishyan" tasks, will lead to the Automation of many of the "Kshudran" tasks ( eg.- Labour and Waste Disposal ). Therefore, the human "Kshudras" in future may not have a large role to play ( atleast in the Developed Countries ). One way to provide gainful employment for the "Kshudras" in such a scenario, maybe to assign them the task of "Controlling" or "Managing" the "Machines".
The following "Kshudra" Leaders guided their people to freedom, in movements which challenged the established order of "Kshathriyas" and "Brahmanas". Some of them succeeded, while others failed. Some succeeded to a certain extent. But their significance made them world famous. Some of these "Kshudra Leaders" followed "Armed Struggles", while others used Non-violent means.