Castes Dictionary

Kshattriya ksattriya (Sanskrit) Also Kshatriya. The warrior, administrator, ruler; the second of the four Hindu castes.

See also CHATUR-VARNA

(See also: Kshattriya, ksattriya , Mysticism, Mysticism Dictionary, Occultism, Occultism Dictionary)

varna: The four varnas are as follows.

-       brahmin (brahmana): "Mature, evolved soul." Scholarly, pious souls of exceptional learning. Hindu scriptures traditionally invest the brahmin class with the responsibility of religious leadership, including teaching and priestly duties.

-       kshatriya: "Governing; endowed with sovereignty." Lawmakers and law enforcers and military, also known as rajanya.

-       vaishya: "Landowner, merchant." Businessmen, financiers, industrialists; employers. Those engaged in business, commerce and agriculture.

-       shudra: (Sanskrit) "Worker, servant." Skilled artisans and laborers. It is in keeping with varna dharma that sons are expected to follow the occupation of their father, as that is the occupation that was chosen prior to birth.

-       jati: "Birth; position assigned by birth; rank, caste, family, race, lineage." Jati, more than varna, is the specific determinant of one's social community. Traditionally, because of rules of purity each jati is excluded from social interaction with the others, especially from interdining and intermarriage.

In modern times there is also a large group (oneseventh of India's population in 1981) outside the four varnas. These are called scheduled classes, untouchables, jatihita ("outcaste"), chandalas (specifically those who handle corpses) and harijan, a name given by Mahatma Gandhi, meaning "children of God." "Untouchable" jatis included the nishada (hunter), kaivarta (fisherman) and karavara (leather worker).

The varna dharma system - despite its widespread discrimination against harijans, and the abuse of social status by higher castes - ensures a high standard of craftsmanship, a sense of community belonging, family integrity and religio-cultural continuity.

Caste is not unique to Hinduism and India. By other names it is found in every society. The four varnas, or classes, and myriad jatis, occupational castes, or guilds, form the basic elements of human interaction.

See: dharma, Dharma Shastras, jati.

(See also: Varna , Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

Dwija (Sanskrit). "Twice-born". In days of old this term was used only of the Initiated Brahmans; but now it is applied to every man belonging to the first of the four castes, who has undergone a certain ceremony.

(See also: Dwija , Theosophy, Spirituality, Body mind and Soul, Spiritual Dictionary,)

Jati-bheda - caste distinction; the difference between various castes or species.

(See also: Jati-bheda , Bhakti, Bhakti Yoga, Bhakti Dictionary, Body Mind and Soul)

Brahmins:

Brahmins - the highest, priestly caste

(See also: Brahmins , Hinduism, Hinduism Dictionary, Sanskrit Dictionary, Body Mind and Soul)

Hair. Occult philosophy considers the hair (whether human or animal) as the natural receptacle and retainer of the vital essence which often escapes with other emanations from the body. It is closely connected with many of the brain functions - for instance memory.

With the ancient Israelites the cutting of the hair and beard was a sign of defilement, and "the Lord said unto Moses. . . They shall not make baldness upon their head", etc. (Lev. XX1., 1-5.) "Baldness", whether natural or artificial, was a sign of calamity, punishment, or grief, as when Isaiah (iii., 24) enumerates, "instead of well-set hair baldness", among the evils that are ready to befall the chosen people. And again, "On all their heads baldness and every beard cut" (Ibid. xv., 2). The Nazarite was ordered to let his hair and beard grow, and never to permit a razor to touch them. With the Egyptians and Buddhists it was only the initiated priest or ascetic to whom life is a burden, who shaved.

 The Egyptian priest was supposed to have become master of his body, and hence shaved his head for cleanliness; yet the Hierophants wore their hair long. The Buddhist still shaves his head to this day - as sign of scorn for life and health. Yet Buddha, after shaving his hair when he first became a mendicant, let it grow again and is always represented with the top-knot of a Yogi. The Hindu priests and Brahmins, and almost all the castes, shave the rest of the head but leave a long lock to grow from the centre of the crown. The ascetics of India wear their hair long, and so do the war-like Sikhs, and almost all the Mongolian peoples. At Byzantium and Rhodes the shaving of the beard was prohibited by law, and in Sparta the cutting of the beard was a mark of slavery and servitude.

Among the Scandinavians, we are told, it was considered a disgrace, "a mark of infamy", to cut off the hair. The whole population of the island of Ceylon (the Buddhist Singhalese) wear their hair long.

So do the Russian, Greek and Armenian clergy, and monks. Jesus and the Apostles are always represented with their hair long, but fashion in Christendom proved stronger than Christianity, the old ecclesiastical rules (Constit. Apost. lib. I. C. 3) enjoining the clergy "to wear their hair and beards long" (See Riddle’s Ecclesiastical Antiquities.)

The ‘Templars were commanded to wear their beards long. Samson wore his hair long, and the biblical allegory shows that health and strength and the very life are connected with the length of the hair. If a cat is shaved it will die in nine cases out of ten. A dog whose coat is not interfered with lives longer and is more intelligent than one whose coat is shaven.

Many old people as they lose their hair lose much of their memory and become weaker. While the life of the Yogis is proverbially long, the Buddhist priests (of Ceylon and elsewhere) are not generally long-lived. Mussulmen shave their heads but wear their beards; and as their head is always covered, the danger is less.

(See also: Hair , Theosophy, Spirituality, Body mind and Soul, Spiritual Dictionary,)

Marga (Sanskrit) Path; in Buddhism the noble eightfold path that leads to nirvana.

There are four commonly recognized margas, forms of yoga or spiritual and intellectual training:

1)    karma yoga (path of action);

2)    bhakti yoga (path of faith or love);

3)    raja yoga (path of kingly yoga); and

4)    jnana yoga (wisdom path).

These four pathways correspond with the four Hindu castes: Sudra (the agricultural); Vaisya (commercial); Kshattriya (administrative, military, ruler); and Brahmana (philosopher, sage).

(See also: Marga , Mysticism, Mysticism Dictionary)

A Theosophical definition of Vaisya :

Vaisya

(Sanskrit) The third of the four castes or social classes into which the inhabitants of ancient India were divided. The Vaisya is the trader and agriculturist. (See also Brahmana; Kshatriya; Sudra)

See also: Vaisya , Mysticism, Body Mind and Soul

Grantha (Sanskrit) (from granth to tie, compose)

A tying, binding, stringing together; a verse (particularly one of 32 syllables, i.e., a sloka); a composition, literary production, book -- the ancient Sanskrit manuscript being leaves held together by means of a cord.

The name especially given to the sacred scriptures of the Sikhs. These were originally compiled in 1604 by the fifth Sikh guru, Arjan, and consisted of hymns of the first five gurus and of saints of different religions and castes. In 1705-6 Govindsingh, the tenth and last guru, added the hymns of the ninth guru and enjoined that after him the Grantha would take the place of the guru. The theme of the hymns is the union of the human soul with the divine through transcending of egoism.

(See also: Grand Architect of the Universe , Mysticism, Mysticism Dictionary, Occultism, Occultism Dictionary)

Orissa

Orissa is an eastern state belonging to the Indian sub-continent. The city of Bhubaneswar (temple city of India) is the state capital.

During the medieval times, the state corresponding roughly with now-a-days Orissa passed under the various names such as: Utkala, Kalinga, and Odra (Udra) Desa. The state boundaries varied from time to time and were sometimes much larger. These land names are associated with peoples. The Okkala or Utkala, the Kalinga, and the Odra or Oddaka were mentioned in literature as tribes. Ancient Greeks knew the latter two as Kalingai and Oretes. Eventually the names got identified with the territories. The land was inhabited by semi-Hinduized tribes (shabaras) in the hinterland, a group of farming Brahmins (halua brahmuna) who practised invincible Tantra method near Jajpur area (the place of Goddess Biraja), and people of other castes and trades as well. For centuries before and after the birth of Christ, Kalinga was a formidable political power, extending from the Ganga river to the Godavari river. Approximately between the 11th and 16th centuries the name was twisted; the name Odra Desa was gradually transformed into Uddisa, Udisa, or Odisa, which in English became Orissa. The language of Odisa came to be known as Oriya.

Kalinga was already famous at the dawn of Indian history. Buddhist sources refer to the rule of King Brahmadutta in Kalinga at the time of the Buddha's death. In the 4th century BC the first Indian empire builder, Mahapadma Nanda, conquered Kalinga, but the Nanda rule was short-lived. In 260 BC the Mauryan emperor Ashoka invaded Kalinga and fought one of the greatest and most bloody wars of ancient history. He then renounced war, became a Buddhist, and preached peace and non-violence in and outside India. In the 1st century BC the Kalinga emperor Kharavela conquered vast territories that collectively came to be called the Kalinga empire.

Kalinga became a maritime power beginning in the 1st century AD, and its overseas activities culminated in the 8th century with the establishment of the Shailendra empire in Java. Orissa was ruled during the 8th, 9th, and 10th centuries by the powerful Bhauma-Kara dynasty and in the 10th and 11th centuries by the Soma dynasty. The Lingaraj temple at Bhubaneshwar, the greatest Shiva monument of India, was initiated by the king Yayati.

Medieval Orissa enjoyed a golden age under the Ganga Dynasty. Its founder, Anantavarma Chodagangadeva (1078-1147), ruled from the Ganges to the Godavari with "Cuttack" city as the state capital. He began the construction of the temple of Jagannaatha (Lord of the Universe) at Puri. Narasimhadeva 1 (1238-64) built the Sun Temple (Surya Mandira) of Konarka, one of the finest and best creations of Hindu architecture all over the world. In the 13th and 14th centuries, when much of India was overrun by the Muslims, independent Orissa remained a citadel of Hindu religion, philosophy, art, and architecture. The "Veera Kalinga Putras" (brave sons of Kalinga) were the last to give up, till it was conquered by betraying.

The Gangas were succeeded by the Surya dynasty. Its first king, Kapilendradeva (1435-66), won territories from his Muslim neighbours and greatly expanded the Orissa kingdom. His successor, Purushottamadeva, maintained these gains with difficulty. The next and the last Surya king, Prataparudradeva, became a disciple of the naamayogi avataar Chaitanya mahaprabhu, the great medieval saint, and became a pacifist. After his death (1540) Orissa's power declined, and in 1568, when King Mukundadeva was killed by his own countrymen, Orissa lost its independence to the Afghan rulers of Bengal.

The Mughal emperor Akbar conquered Orissa from the Afghans in 1590-92. When the Mughal Empire fell in 1761, part of Orissa remained under the Bengal nawaabs, but the greater part was snatched by the Marathas. The Bengal sector came under British rule in 1757 after the Battle of Plassey; the Maratha sector was conquered by the British in 1803. Although after 1803 the British controlled the entire Oriya-speaking area, it continued to be administered as two units. It was not until April 1, 1936, that the British heeded calls for unification on a linguistic basis and constituted Orissa as a separate province; 26 Oriya princely states, however, remained outside the provincial administration. After the independence of India in 1947, all these princely states except Saraikela and Kharsawan (which merged with Bihar) became part of Orissa.

Geography:

The state can be broadly divided into four natural divisions: (1) the northern plateau, (2) the eastern ghats, (3) the central tract, and (4) the coastal plains. The northern plateau (in the northern part of the state) is an extension of the forest-covered, lightly settled, and mineral-rich Chot-Nagpur plateau centred in southern Bihar. The eastern ghats, extending roughly parallel to the coast, are remnants of a very ancient line of hills in eastern peninsular India; rising to heights of 3,600 feet (1,100 metres), the eastern ghats are forest-covered, provide a home for a variety of wildlife, and are populated by several tribal groups. The central tract comprises a series of plateaus and basins occupying the inland area west and north of the Eastern Ghats; the plateau areas provide scant resources, but several of the basins--notably the Kalahandi, Balangir, Hirakud, and Jharsuguda--have the soil and the irrigation facilities to support local agriculture. The coastal plains are formed of alluvial soils deposited by the many rivers flowing to the Bay of Bengal; locally the area is known as the Baleshwar Coastal Plain to the northeast, the Mahanadi delta in the centre, and the Chilika Plain to the southwest. The coastal plains are heavily populated, have extensive irrigation, and are devoted almost entirely to the growing of rice during the rainy season.

The main rivers are the Subarnarekha, Burabalang, Baitarani, Brahmani, Mahanadi, Rushikulya, and Vamsadhara. Notable mountain ranges are the Mahendra Hill (Giri; rising to 4,924 feet [1,501 metres]), the Malaya Hill (3,894 feet [1,187 metres]), and the Megasini (3,822 feet [1,165 metres]). Orissa's Chilika Lake is the biggest saltwater lagoon in India.€€€

(See also: Orissa , Hinduism, Yoga, Body Mind and Soul)

Varna: The Hindu term for caste, a social division into which a person is born. There are four major castes in Hindu society: Brahmin, kshatriya, vaishya, and shudra. Each varna can be divided into a number of jatis. Below these four varnas are the untouchables.

(See also: Varna ,Yoga, Yoga Dictionary)

Hinduism does not support caste system. The focus of Hinduism is on the individual and his salvation not on his caste or its privileges. Scholars tend to quote the Purushasukta as the basis for the emergence of caste system. There are also references to caste system in the Bhagavad gita. But for a serious student of History, it becomes obvious that these references appear to be deliberate manipulations and later day interjection intended to justify a system that was otherwise fully unjustified. The Manusmriti, in the form that is available today did more damage to Hinduism and the self esteem of many Hindus than Islam and Christianity. 

Read more here: » Hinduism and Caste System: Does Hinduism support Caste system?

upanayana: (Sanskrit) "Bringing near."

A youth's formal initiation into Vedic study under a guru, traditionally as a resident of his ashrama, and the investiture of the sacred thread (yajnopavita or upavita), signifying entrance into one of the three upper castes.

The upanayana is among twelve samskaras prescribed in the Dharma Shastras and explained in the Grihya Sutras. It is prescribed between ages 8-16 for brahmins (who received a white thread), 11- 22 for kshatriyas (red thread), and 12-24 for vaishyas (yellow thread). At present the color white for the sacred thread has been adopted universally.

The upanayana is regarded as a second or spiritual birth, and one so initiated is known as dvija, "twice-born." Until about the beginning of the common era, the upanayana was also afforded to girls. Great value was placed on their learning the Vedas in preparation for the duties of married life.

See: samskaras of childhood.

(See also: Upanayana , Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

vaisya:

vaisya (vaishya). Business person, trader, merchant. See Caste.

(See also: vaisya , Hinduism, Hinduism Dictionary, Sanskrit Dictionary, Body Mind and Soul)

Grantha (Sanskrit) (from granth to tie, compose)

A tying, binding, stringing together; a verse (particularly one of 32 syllables, i.e., a sloka); a composition, literary production, book -- the ancient Sanskrit manuscript being leaves held together by means of a cord.

The name especially given to the sacred scriptures of the Sikhs. These were originally compiled in 1604 by the fifth Sikh guru, Arjan, and consisted of hymns of the first five gurus and of saints of different religions and castes. In 1705-6 Govindsingh, the tenth and last guru, added the hymns of the ninth guru and enjoined that after him the Grantha would take the place of the guru. The theme of the hymns is the union of the human soul with the divine through transcending of egoism.

(See also: Grantha , Mysticism, Mysticism Dictionary, Occultism, Occultism Dictionary)

Devanagari (Sanskrit). Lit., "the language or letters of the devas" or gods. The characters of the Sanskrit language.

The alphabet and the art of writing were kept secret for ages, as the Dwijas (Twice-born) and the Dikshitas (Initiates) alone were permitted to use this art. It was a crime for a. Sudra to recite a verse of the Vedas, and for any of the two lower castes (Vaisya and Sudra) to know the letters was an offence punishable by death.

Therefore is the word lipi, ‘‘writing", absent from the oldest MSS., a fact which gave the Orientalists the erroneous and rather incongruous idea that writing was not only unknown before the day of Panini, but even to that sage himself That the greatest grammarian the world has ever produced should be ignorant of writing would indeed be the greatest and most incomprehensible phenomenon of all.

(See also: Devanagari , Theosophy, Spirituality, Body mind and Soul, Spiritual Dictionary,)

varna:

varna. Caste.

(See also: varna , Hinduism, Hinduism Dictionary, Sanskrit Dictionary, Body Mind and Soul)

BRAHMANA: member belonging to the priestly caste

(See also: BRAHMANA , Hinduism, Hinduism Dictionary, Sanskrit Dictionary, Body Mind and Soul)

brahman (from Pali braahmaa.na): The brahman (brahmin) caste of India has long maintained that its members, by their birth, are worthy of the highest respect.

Buddhism borrowed the term brahman to apply to those who have attained the goal, to show that respect is earned not by birth, race, or caste, but by spiritual attainment. Used in the Buddhist sense, this term is synonymous with arahant.

 (See also: Brahman , Buddhism, Body Mind and Soul)

Hansa (Sanskrit) The name, according to the Bhagavata Purana, of the "One Caste" when there were as yet no varieties of caste, but verily "one Veda, one Deity and one Caste".

(See also: Hansa , Theosophy, Spirituality, Body mind and Soul, Spiritual Dictionary,)

HINDUISM: The main religious and social system in India. Hinduism has various sects with the commonality of the belief in reincarnation, polytheism and an ordained caste system as its social base.

(See also: HINDUISM , Magickal Traditions, Magickal Paths, Paganism, Pagan Dictionary)

Laws of Manu, Laws of Manava-dharma-sastra Also called the Manu-samhita; The Code of Manu (or Institutes of Manu).

Well-known archaic Hindu codes or institutes comprising maxims of various kinds, attributed to the first manu, known as Svayambhuva, who according to archaic records lived nearly 30 million years ago during the satya yuga of the race during which he appeared. One of the most important Smriti (unwritten traditional teachings).

The Laws of Manu is one of the main pillars of ancient Hindu law, and is held in the highest reverence. Tradition says that Manu wrote down the laws of Brahma in 100,000 slokas, which formed 24 books and a thousand chapters. He gave the work to Narada, one of the archaic sages, who abridged it for the use of mankind to 12,000 verses. Narada in his turn gave the Code to Sumati, a son of Bhrigu who for greater convenience reduced it to 4,000 verses.

The Laws of Manu is recognized as approaching the Vedas in age. It is not merely a law book in the European sense of being a mere code of legal enactments; the chief topics of its twelve extant books are

1)    cosmogony;

2)    the sources of the law, sacraments, initiation, discipleship;

3)    marriage and the duties of a householder or the second social order;

4)    means of subsistence, and private study and morals;

5)    diet, purification, and the duties of women;

6)    the duties of a recluse and ascetic, or the third and fourth social orders;

7)    government, and the duties of a king and the military caste;

8)    judicature and law, civil and criminal;

9)    duties of husband and wife, miscellaneous regulations concerning conduct and the duties of a king;

10) duties and occupations of the castes and mixed castes;

11) penances and expiations; and

12) metempsychosis and final liberation.

(See also: Laws of Manu, Laws of Manava-dharma-sastra , Mysticism, Mysticism Dictionary)