Robyn Lebron The Caste System: The Rig Veda, a collection of ancient Vedic Sanskrit hymns dedicated to the Gods, defined four varnas (castes) In decreasing status, they are normally described as: v v v v (the priests and academics) (rulers, military) (farmers, landlords, and merchants) (peasants, servants, and workers in non-polluting jobs) The were outcasts who are not even considered to be part of the caste system They w orked in what are considered polluting jobs They were called the “untouchables” by the other four castes In some areas of the country, even a contact with their shadow by a member of the Varnas was considered polluting.21 A person’s caste determined the range of jobs or professions from which they could choose There were r ules that prohibited persons of different groups from intermarriage, eating, drinking, or even smoking with each other About 500 bc to 500 ad, the system became even more rigid so that a person was born and died in the same group with no possibility of upward mobility Although the caste system was abolished by law in 1949, and discriminating against a person because of their caste is now illegal, it remains a significant force among Hindus unchanged in some rural districts of India Hinduism in general does not encourage converting This largely explains why there has never been any missionary activity in Hinduism It is the belief of Hinduism that each person chooses their own path to reach God You are never encouraged to stray from the path that you have chosen Each religion is just a different path to the same God Converting to another religion takes you to an entirely new path, which in Hinduism is seen as unnecessary Modernity has led to an infusion of newer ideas into the Hindu religion, thereby making it more open, so that we find m any n on-Asians taking on Hinduism Th is is particularly interesting because there is no large-scale proselytizing effort in Hinduism The status of women is typically discussed on a nationwide basis However, about eighty percent of the citizens of India are Hindu, fourteen percent are uslim, and six percent are of other religions or no religion ~ 280 ~