Abstract This paper describes the inner journey undertaken by people such as Siddhartha, the main character of the novel, in their quest for knowledge and inner peace. The writer shows how, in chronicling this inner journey in "The Brahmin's Son", Hesse presents a subversive challenge to devout followers of Hinduism by suggesting that the Divine Understanding is not located out in the world, but within every person.
From the Paper "As the reader progresses, it becomes apparent that Siddhartha's dissatisfaction stems from Brahmanism's failure to achieve Nirvana. Siddhartha is an excellent student, one who soaks up the knowledge offered by his own father and his other Brahmin teachers. This knowledge is supposed to lead to Enlightenment, the core goal of any good Hindu. However, the more he learns, the more Siddhartha's dissatisfaction grows. The inner tension increases as Siddhartha struggles between being "thirsty for knowledge" (4) and his desire for inner peace."
Abstract This paper explores, on many levels, Voltaire's "Story of a Good Brahmin". The paper addresses some of the questions that arise while reading the story and explores some of their possible answers.
From the Paper "It has become clear that in order for his static cycle of torment to end, he cannot be a Brahmin any longer. There has to be a healthy medium somewhere in the system. Maybe it is not normal to desire a step backward within the caste. Maybe it cannot be done. Still in order to end his misery, he must assume some level of ignorance. Let's face it; even in his high status of enlightenment, he still does not have the answers. He is stuck pursuing life questions that have too many possibilities. This change will provide him with the unquestioned faith he is missing currently. By moving to the center of the caste system, the good Brahmin can achieve some level of happiness and maybe not even be aware of it."
Abstract This paper discusses the cosmogonic myth of 'Purusa' upon which the traditional caste system in India is based. The paper explains that this system places the Brahmin (the most pure) at the top, the Ksatriya below them, the Vaisya below the Ksatriya, and, at the bottom, the Sudra, and that this placement is supposed to be symbiotic rather than oppressive. The paper then puts forth the argument that purity was not intended as selective attribute, but is an idea that arose from the Vedic Brahmins, those who thought themselves as the most esteemed piece of Puru a; therefore, purity is a man-made conception - one that should have no bearing on one's capabilities or aspirations in this life or in one's pursuit to reach m k a.
From the Paper "Yet Hinduism is more than an amalgamation of a purity-centric caste institution developed under the steady hands of Vedic Brahmins. Especially in the past century, much has been done to raise "social awareness about the evils of institutionalized discrimination, especially against untouchables and women" (Lipner 123). As India develops further and becomes increasingly inter-connected with the rest of the world, the socially positive and aspiring aspects of Hinduism ought to take more precedent over the out-dated traditions of caste restriction and oppression. The cosmogonic Puru a myth is not a divinely ordained blank check to the highest caste or those who hold the most esteemed positions, as the Vedic Brahmins happily promulgated, but rather it is a myth that espouses the interconnectedness of all things in one body or universe; so that if one part is damaged, all parts are affected adversely. This is the message of the Puru a myth. From this egalitarian message it can be said that it is through action not birth that one's cosmic endeavor is furthered."
Abstract This paper examines the classification, or caste, system that exists in Hindu societies and the purposes. The author discusses the Brahmins, who are priests and scholars; the Kshatrias, warriors and rulers; the Vaishyas, who pursue commerce and trades; and the Shudras, serfs who serve and support the three higher groups.
From the Paper:
"The Western idea of knowledge and wisdom almost always, it seems, has a material purpose, to master physical problems in physical ways. The Hindu idea is to master what is physical to be liberated from physical concern altogether. Thus it seems true that in general all cultures, human development can be described as the process from childhood to youth to adulthood to old age. It also seems true that all cultures can be said to desire wisdom and knowledge. But the real importance of the whole process is judged by each culture's priorities, which are not the same in Hinduism, in Buddhism, and in the West."
Tags: hindu, buddha, brahmin, caste, varna, shudra, india, samsara, dharma
Abstract This essay compares the struggle of Tolstoy's Ilych and Hesse's Siddhartha. The essay concludes that both characters needed to learn something similar: Knowledge is not always something that one should seek; rather it begins in a kind of listening to oneself, a turning inward and a clear-minded acceptance of one's wounds. Both stories portray that only through struggle and strife do we gain clear insight into our innermost natures. In fact, the real crisis of our lives may not be in the struggle itself, but in the fact that we may refuse to look (or delay looking) at that part of ourselves where such struggles arises.
From the Paper "Ilych finally became conscious and only then "the screaming began" (1318). He finally understood how he had come to treat others, his wife and children, and himself. In a sense, perhaps he recognized that our lives are all about choices"choices about who we associate with, how we live, how we work, how we think, how we respond to adversity, how we treat others, and how we feel about ourselves. The real tragedy in the life of Ilych is that right up to the moment of his death, he believed he had no other choice but to live as he had, and die as he would. Cruel fate demanded it. And he had always believed himself to be deprived of choice or free will in terms of his life"but in reality, at each step, Ilych held the reigns of control."
Abstract This paper explains the key concepts of Hinduism, karma, the caste system, the four permissible goals, the ways of salvation and the infinite manifestations of God, and how they affect the culture of India. The paper explains the concept behind the Law of Karma, the Hindu caste system, the different paths toward perfection, and the way a Hindu can pay debts to the gods. The paper also lists the names of the different gods and goddesses in Hinduism and describes some of the conflicts that the practices and beliefs of Hinduism have with modern society.
From the Paper "Hinduism is a complex and seemingly contradictory religion. It is also a way of life. The key concepts of Karma, The Caste System, the four permissible goals, the ways of salvation, and the infinite manifestations of God combine to create a culture immersed in ritual. Karma binds the belief in the transmigration of the soul and the hope of reaching Moksha (salvation) to right behavior. The Caste System, as delineated in the Vedas 1, serves to stratify society and eventually leads to discrimination and social strife. The Four Permissible Goals of the Hindu Religion "recognize that men naturally and therefore legitimately seek, in the course of many rebirths, four aims in life" (Noss, 178). They are pleasure, power, morality, and salvation.2 There are three ways to reach this salvation. These are the Way of Works, the Way of Knowledge, and the Way of devotion.3 Finally, the multiple faces of God serve to address the many needs of the Hindu believer."
Abstract This paper analyzes the story and the characters of Roy's novel about castes in Indian society and explains how the book is about the norms and laws of society that stand as barriers to love.
From the Paper "Roy refers to the social norms that control sexual behavior as the Love Laws. They indicate "who should be loved and how. And how much" (311). There are a number of "love laws" that are broken in the story; however, Roy presents these socially unacceptable or barely tolerated instances in an existential light where they appear more as barriers than as crimes and, or, sins. Divorce, although socially frowned upon, is tolerated to a certain degree and sanctioned by social response. Sexual coercion is given greater negative response but is treated more as a "misstep" or "mistake" than the crime it would be in other, less patriarchal, societies. Incest is forbidden according to the moral parameters of the Indian society but is treated, by Roy, as a natural outcome of an intimacy derived from being twins. By far the "worst" of the transgressions that occur in the book is the affair between an untouchable and a respectable woman of the trader caste."
Abstract This book review describes "The Master" as the 2004 New York Times Book Review award-winning novel. It describes it as an historical examination of the middle-aged life of monumental author Henry James, whose descriptive infatuation with the English language gives insight into the life of the ex-patriot Boston Brahmin. The review describes how the author, Toibin gives closure to the person Henry James.
From the Paper "Toibin weaves history through the middle-age of James, now on the very doorstep of his success. Tracing through his youth, his time at Harvard, and the historicity of the family that raised him to be the recluse into which he grew comfortably with his own character, Toibin attempts to make observed sense of all the things that created such a tormented writer and, perhaps, kept him from early success. Unlike his brothers Wilky and Bob, he does not sacrifice himself to the cause of the war. He does not share the raved free-thoughts of his father, whose ultimate suicide seems almost inevitable in Toibin's painting of the man. He is not as clever as his sister, Alice, who was the social opposite of closed-off James. Even in his family, he was on the outside."
Abstract The paper analyzes and compares three historians' exploration of the distinctive, ancient origins and purposes of the Hindu caste system from the early 19th to the late 20th centuries. The paper looks at Julius Lipner's "Hindus: Their Religious Beliefs and Practices", John Hutton's "Caste in India" and James Mill's "The History of British India". The paper shows how each historian approached the subject in different manners, utilizing contrasting sources and historical philosophies, in order to establish their respective viewpoints.
Outline:
Julius Lipner's "Hindus: Their Religious Beliefs and Practices" (1994)
John Hutton's "Caste in India" (1946)
James Mill's "The History of British India" (1817)
Conclusion
From the Paper "As human beings, we attempt with varying degrees of success to understand the multiple paradigms of existence that shape our lives in both subtle and profound ways. These paradigms manifest themselves as society, religion, economics, politics, and in other ways that constitute our reality. For the modern historian, it is an impossible yet persistent goal to step back from these various paradigms and describe and interpret events of the past with full objectivity. The impossibility of objectivity, at least in historical scholarship, stems from the inability to completely separate oneself from one's emotions, prejudices, and overall context in time. Indeed, total objectivity implies the unfeasible detachment from the characteristics of our humanness. To believe in the ability to attain full objectivity in historical study and authorship is to imagine human history as a science with clear cause and effect relationships."
