From his head the priests and scholars brahmins arose; from his arms the kings and warriors kshatriyas arose; from his thighs the farmers and merchants vaishyas came to be; and from his feet came the servants and laborers shudras. The hierarchy and stratification of society is thus written into the blueprint of the universe. At the same time, the interdependence of the castes is recognized, for they are parts of a body, a whole organism.
Dharma is not exactly the same for each of these castes. Dharma differs for women and for men, for young persons and for elders. Read more. This page is best viewed in an up-to-date web browser with style sheets CSS enabled. While you will be able to view the content of this page in your current browser, you will not be able to get the full visual experience. Please consider upgrading your browser software or enabling style sheets CSS if you are able to do so.
This page has been archived and is no longer updated. Find out more about page archiving. Atman Atman Atman means 'eternal self'. Dharma Dharma Dharma is an important term in Indian religions. Now exhibited in the Horniman Museum, London. The four classes are: Brahmans or Brahmins - the intellectuals and the priestly class who perform religious rituals Kshatriya nobles or warriors - who traditionally had power Vaishyas commoners or merchants - ordinary people who produce, farm, trade and earn a living Shudras workers - who traditionally served the higher classes, including labourers, artists, musicians, and clerks People in the top three classes are known as 'twice born' because they have been born from the womb and secondly through initiation in which boys receive a sacred thread as a symbol of their high status.
The ashrama system is as follows: Brahmacarya - 'celibate student' stage in which males learned the Veda grihastha - 'householder' in which the twice born male can experience the human purposes purushartha of responsibility, wealth, and sexual pleasure Vanaprastha - 'hermit' or 'wilderness dweller' in which the twice born male retires from life in the world to take up pilgrimage and religious observances along with his wife Samnyasa - 'renunciation' in which the twice born gives up the world, takes on a saffron robe or, in some sects, goes naked, with a bowl and a staff to seek moksha liberation or develop devotion Correct action in accordance with dharma is also understood as service to humanity and to God.
Purushartha Purushartha Hinduism developed a doctrine that life has different goals according to a person's stage of life and position. Brahman and God Brahman Brahman is a Sanskrit word which refers to a transcendent power beyond the universe. God Most Hindus believe in God but what this means varies in different traditions.
There are two main ideas about Bhagavan or Ishvara: Bhagavan is an impersonal energy. Ultimately God is beyond language and anything that can be said about God cannot capture the reality. Followers of the Advaita Vedanta tradition based on the teachings of Adi Shankara maintain that the soul and God are ultimately identical and liberation is achieved once this has been realised. This teaching is called non-dualism or advaita because it claims there is no distinction between the soul and the ultimate reality.
Bhagavan is a person. God can be understood as a supreme person with qualities of love and compassion towards creatures. On this theistic view the soul remains distinct from the Lord even in liberation. The supreme Lord expresses himself through the many gods and goddesses.
The theologian Ramanuja also in the wider Vedanta tradition as Shankara makes a distinction between the essence of God and his energies. We can know the energies of God but not his essence. Devotion bhakti is the best way to understand God in this teaching.
These paramparas are defined by their attraction to a particular form of God called ishta or devata : Vaishnavas focus on Vishnu and his incarnations avatara , avatars. The Vaishanavas believe that God incarnates into the world in different forms such as Krishna and Rama in order to restore dharma. This is considered to be the most popular Hindu denomination. Shaivas focus on Shiva , particularly in his form of the linga although other forms such as the dancing Shiva are also worshipped.
The Shaiva Siddhanta tradition believes that Shiva performs five acts of creation, maintenance, destruction, concealing himself, revealing himself through grace. Shaktas focus on the Goddess in her gentle forms such as Lakshmi , Parvati, and Sarasvati, or in her ferocious forms such as Durga and Kali. Use precise geolocation data. Select personalised content. Create a personalised content profile. Measure ad performance.
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Measure content performance. Develop and improve products. List of Partners vendors. Share Flipboard Email. Subhamoy Das. The warriors and leaders are like the upper body. The merchants, traders and farmers are like the strong legs. The manual workers and labourers are like the feet. Stage in life Meaning Duties dharmas Brahmacharya The student stage Go to school and learn the scriptures and duties.
Grihastha The householder stage Marry and have children. Work and earn money to support the family. Vanaprastha The retirement stage Concentrate on reading the scriptures, meditating, worship, visiting the temple and going on pilgrimages.
Sannyasa The sacred pilgrim stage Move away from material possessions and be a wandering holy person who teaches others about the scriptures and spends time in prayer. The duty a Hindu should perform in their life. If a Hindu is in the final stage of their life, they should give up their possessions and travel to temples to learn the scriptures.
Enjoying the pleasures of life. Enjoying food, music, arts and sexuality. Gaining wealth in a lawful way. Having a job that is legal and not working in a job that is illegal. Freedom from samsara so that the atman joins up with Brahman.
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