8. The Hinduism's View of Society

Source 1

Rgveda X, 90

The Rgvedas are one of the four collections, called the Vedas, the most ancient sacred scriptures of India. The RgVedas cointains the hyms that celebrate the various gods. This hymn contains the myth of the sacrifice of the Purusha, a immense Primordial Man. This myth is of pivotal importance because it explains, along the creation of the physical universe, also the existence of the four social classes (Priest, Warrior, Farmers, Worker) whose division has sacred connotations.

1) Thousand-headed is Purusha, thousand-eyed, thousand-footed. Having covered the earth on all sides, he stood above it the width of ten fingers. Only Purusha is all this, that which has been and that which is to be. He is the lord of the immortals, who grow by means of [ritual] food.
2) Such is his greatness, yet more than this is Purusha. One-quarter of him is all beings; three- quarters of him is the immortal in heaven.
3) Three-quarters of Purusha went upward, one-quarter of him remained here. From this [one-quarter] he spread in all directions into what eats and what does not eat.
4) From him the shining one was born, from the shining one was born Purusha. When born he extended beyond the earth, behind as well as in front.
5) When the gods performed a sacrifice with the offering Purusha, spring was its clarified butter, summer the kindling, autumn the oblation.
6) It was Purusha, born in the beginning, which they sprinkled on the sacred grass as a sacrifice. With him the gods sacrificed, the demi-gods, and the seers.
7) From that sacrifice completely offered, the clotted butter was brought together. It made the beasts of the air, the forest and the village.
8) From that sacrifice completely offered, the mantras and the songs were born. The meters were born from it. The sacrificial formulae] were born from it.
9) From it the horses were born and all that have cutting teeth in both jaws. The cows were born from it, also. From it were born goats and sheep.
10) When they divided Purusha, how many ways did they apportion him? What was his mouth? What were his arms? What were his thighs, his feet declared to be?
11) His mouth was the Brahman [caste], his arms were the Rajanaya [Ksatriya caste], his thighs the Vaisya [caste]; from his feet the Sudra [caste] was born.
[...]
13) From his navel arose the air; from his head the heaven evolved; from his feet the earth; the [four] directions from his ear. Thus, they fashioned the worlds.

Translated by Michael Myers, from Reading About the World, Volume 1, edited by Paul Brians, Mary Gallwey, Douglas Hughes, Azfar Hussain, Richard Law, Michael Myers Michael Neville, Roger Schlesinger, Alice Spitzer, and Susan Swan and published by Harcourt Brace Custom Publishing.
Material Published in
http://public.wsu.edu/~..world_civ_reader_1/rig_veda.html
(26/09/2014)

Source 2

Bhagavad Gida ,ch. 18. 42-47

A excerpt from the Bhagavad Gita, a 700-verse scripture that is part of the larger Hindus epic Mahabharata. It is a sacred text of the Hindus, because it deals with a lot of religious and moral matters. In these excerpts is explained the extremely closed and sacred nature of the division of the social classes.

42) Those who have serenity, self control, austerity, purity, patience, honesty, knowledge, Self-realization, and belief in God are labeled as Brahmans, the intellectuals.
43) Those having the qualities of heroism, vigor, firmness, dexterity, not fleeing from battle, charity, and administrative skills are called Kshatriyas, the protectors.
44) Those who are good in cultivation, cattle rearing, business, trade, and industry are known as Vaishyas. Those who do service and labor type work are classed as Shudras.
45) One attains the highest perfection by devotion to one's natural work. Listen to Me how one attains perfection while engaged in natural work.
46) He from whom all beings originate, and by whom all this universe is pervaded; worshipping Him by performing one's natural duty for Him one attains perfection.
47) One's inferior natural work is better than superior unnatural work. One who does the work ordained by one's inherent nature incurs no sin.

Translation and Copyright by Dr. Ramanand Prasad, 1988
http://eawc.evansville.edu/anthology/gita.html