The concept of purity and pollution
The concept of purity and pollution defines the tradition of superiority and inferiority among the Hindu community. Although in the modern world we don't see people following such traditions but unintentionally we all tend to follow the same path, not up-to that extent. To understand how, let us first find out what is the concept all about.
What exactly is the concept of purity and pollution?
Hindu Society was classified into four Varnas namely, Brahmin (priest and teacher), Kshatriyas (ruler and warrior), Vaishya (trader) and Shudra (servant). These were further sub-divided hierarchically into many smaller Caste or Jatis. The Dalit, Chandalas and Adivasis caste were left outside from division of varnas and treated as the lower caste hierarchy. They were considered as polluted castes and were regarded as untouchables for the other upper caste, this custom was called untouchability system. The marriage was practiced in form of endogamy where marriage taken outside their caste was prohibited.
Brahmins - the priest and teacher who perform the religious ritual and obliged to serve the sacrament.
Kshatriyas - the ruler and warrior in the society.
Vaishyas - the merchant and peasant classes in the society. They were expected to lend cattle, offer sacrifices, trade, and lending money and cultivate the land.
Shudras - the lowest class among the four caste divided in the society. There were not allowed to study vedas or event hear the sacred chants. There duties was to serve the other three caste.
Chandalas, Dalit and Adivasis - the lowest of the shudras and other class outside from the four varnas were treated as impure ones. Treated as untouchables because of their gory religious practice, penchant for sacrifices, magical rites and unclean habits.
How are we following it ?
Let me ask you how many of us clean our washroom ourselves? How many of us asks our servants to sit on our expensive sofas? Some of us even keep different utensils for our servants or the sweepers. But wait how are we following it? We never asked our maids about their castes.
All of us think that we are not following the footsteps of our ancestors but in a way we are. Traditionally the Shudras were the ones whose traditional occupation was to serve the other three castes. So it was pretty obvious that the maids working for us were from a lower caste. Our grandparents must have not asked them ever about their castes but it was because it was known to them that obviously a Brahmin lady or a man wouldn't come and work for us at our home.
Many of our parents still do not like maids cooking in our kitchen even though we have a hectic schedule. May be because we think that they are unhygienic. But what made us believe that? Probably because we were made to think that way when we were kids.
Shudras were confined to menial labour and despised or polluting jobs, working as farm laborers, handlers of unclean animals such as pigs, and curers of hides.
Burning ghat workers and executioners are two of the occupations considered most polluting. The seventh century Chinese traveler
Xuanzang listed butchers, fishermen, public performers, executioners, and scavengers as marked castes living outside the city. Anything to do with a dead cow or its hide is the work only of untouchables. They were denied access to many Hindu temples, were not allowed to read religious Sanskrit books, could not use common village wells and tanks, and lived in settlements outside the village, forbidden to enter inside the residential areas of the upper castes. A caste of ritual drummers in the south known as the
Parayan contributed the word
pariah (out-caste) to English.
Some of us may have a brahmin maid at home but do we treat her the way we treat our friend or neighbors ? May be because we 've never seen our elders treating them that way.
Its a human nature to discriminate no matter from where we are. We tend to hang out with people whom we can relate to and that is how we form different groups even after staying in the same society.
From the time we are born, we tend to follow the society to adjust in the society.
Few days back I visited Malana Village in Himachal which still follows the concept of purity and pollution.
Here’s The Untold Story Of Malana, One Of India’s Best Kept Secrets by Aishwarya Choudhury The untold story of Malana is perhaps one of the best kept secrets of the country. And that is what makes it is so attractive! Even in the time of technology and globalization, the village is untouched by the humdrum of the popular. Malana is one of the oldest standing democracies of the world, with the small village managing it's own affairs even today. This primitive land shadowed by the majestic peaks of Chandrakhani and Deotibba has always been kind to tourists, fiercely and silently guarding it's own culture. When in Malana, be sure not to touch the walls or belongings of the natives unless you want a fine imposed. Crazy as that may sound, they don't even eat food cooked by a non-native. The Malanese people believe that they are descendants of Alexander and their rituals involving purity and pollution are as stringent as their faith. Unlike the rest of India, the village of Malana has its own religious beliefs. Apart from their undying faith in Shiva , they believe in their Devta , Jamlu Rishi. It is said that the sage from the Puranas once inhabited the land and laid the foundation of the democracy, which still works as a fully functional parliamentary system.
For more read the reference below:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Untouchability
https://kharingyoshimrah01.wordpress.com/2014/11/20/the-concept-of-purity-pollution-and-endogamy-in-hindu-society/
