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| A system of social organization composed of closed endogamous groups all of which are ranked in hierarchial order expressed in language of purity and pollution, and most of which perform a traditional occupation. |
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| Group in which you must marry determined by your birth into that group. |
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| (Caste) classical, idealized pan-Indian social order. |
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| The reason you are born into a particular varna. |
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| 1st Varna: Perfom rituals, study & teach sacred texts, priests. |
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| 2nd Varna: Rulers, warriors, judges, administrators. |
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| 3rd Varna: Traders, herders, farmers. |
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| 4th Varna: Menial workers, artisans, manual laborers: Not twice born like top three Varnas, can't study Veda or attend Vedic ceremonies. |
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| Literally so low theya re outside the caste system. Also called harijans, dalits, untouchables, scheduled castes and tribes. |
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| Literally "birth" subgroups of Varnas. These are the actual endogamous groups. You cannot change these. |
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| Each person's duty, based on their caste (and modified by gender and stage of life), to uphold the order of human society. |
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| Also known as Snnyasis, reject society and their dharma to pursue attaining moksha full time. Women cant be these. |
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| Determines rank of jati (and Varna). Level of pollution/purity determines who can do what with whom under what conditions. |
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| Affirmitive action program. Indian government's attempt to remediate the past inequities. Applies to schools, colleges, government jobs for the scheduled castes. |
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| Money and goods given by bride's family to groom's family as a gift/payment for taking her into their family. |
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| Husbands family demands additional dowry after the wedding and if not paid the bride is murdered or driven to suicide. This is very hard to prosecute even though a separate brandh of judiciary is established to do this. |
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| A woman's sexual purity that protects her husband's health and prosperity. |
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| Traditional practice where a woman immolates herself on her husband's funeral pyre. (She doesn't have ot live as a widow. Outlawed even under British colonial rule. Still occasionally occurs.) |
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| Sanatana Dharma "eternal religion". Accept Vedic literature as revealed truths. |
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| Path of action. Uphold world doing dharma, eventual good rebirth where one can work to get out, caste system. |
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| Path of wisdom of knowledge. Develop wisdom to get out of samsara NOW, become a sadhu to develop wisdom and eliminate ignorance. |
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| Path of devotion. Devotion to God, synthesis of first two paths; work toward liberation through doing your dharma. |
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| Liberation from samsara. It is attained through knowledge of truth, actual reality. |
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| Perpetuates continued existence in cycle of transmigration, misunderstanding of ultimate nature of reality. |
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| Text, last part of Vedic literature, secret teaching: speculative philosophy & explanation of mystical practices to do in order to realize ultimate reality. |
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| Theory and practices leading to experience of the sacred, and alternate/true vision of reality. |
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| The utlimate reality of the universe, life-breath of the universe and everything in it, can't be described in dualistic language or understood with conceptual thought, more than just a power, not identified with any activity or or quality or material, ultimate ground of all being is without any qualities. |
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| Basis of something permanent in the individual, what we really are, the 'soul' pure awareness, lights up the subject as pure perception, perception of neither external nor internal objects, without describable qualities. |
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| Your atman is no different than Brahman, it IS Brahman. Direct understanding of the identity of the macrocosm (universe) as one with the microcosm (individual) is the knowledge that liberates you from samsara. |
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| Path of mental control that leads to realizing this knowledge and thus liberation. Involves austerities - difficult mental and physical practices to force the consciousness to withdraw from external stimuli and focus within. Control the senses, control the mind. |
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| A spiritual teacher, someone who can guide you through yogic practices. |
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