Defining Social Roles for Men and Women in India through Traditional Hi

Social Roles for Men and Women in India through Traditional Hindu TextsThroughout this essay, I will discuss the social roles of men and women in the home, within rituals and within creation. I will look at the roles of a husband and wife, as well as Goddesses and Kings. The main customs dutyal texts that support these roles argon the Rg Veda, the Kalpa Sutras, the epics (the Ramayana and Mahabharata), Tryambaka, and Manu Smrti. They are believed to lay the foundations for order in society, as well as giving people the knowledge of their duty. I will show how these separate texts have defined roles within coteries and genders and show how their different styles of writings have defined roles in different ways. A persons role in society depends largely on their set/class. Firstly, I think it is important to distinguish the difference between Caste and Class. A persons class (Varna) is dependant on their occupation. It can be changed throughout a persons life. A varna is very far from being the same thing as a caste A persons caste (jati) comes mainly from their blood line. The only way that a persons caste can be changed is through violations of its rules or through marriage to a member of another caste (although this is greatly frowned upon). In the past, a persons caste and class were the same. There are fixed occupations for many castes . In our more modern society however, two people who belong to the same caste do not necessarily do the same job. For example, a person belonging to the Warrior caste can be either a soldier or a doctor for the soldiers. This is where sub-castes are introduced. They distinguish between jobs as well as wealth within a certain caste. It shows different roles within society a... ...rsity squashHutton J.H1980Fourth editionHinduism A very short IntroductionOxford University pressKnott K1998Hindu Goddesses Visions of the divine femininein the Hindu religious traditionUniversity of California pressKinsley D1986The Perfect wi fe The orthodox Hindu woman according to the Stridharmapaddhati ofTryambakayajvanDelhi- Oxford University PressBombay Calcutta MadrasLeslie J1989Roles and Rituals for Hindu WomenPinter Publishers, LondonLeslie J1991Dharmas daughters coetaneous Indian women and Hindu CultureRutgers University PressMitter S. S1991The rise of the Goddess in the Hindu traditionState University of New York Press AlbanyPintchman T1994Hinduism and sympathetic rights a conceptual approachOxford University pressSharma A