Hindus believe that every individual is born into one of 4 Varna, often referred to as the 4 main Castes.  Ranked in order of respect or purity, the highest caste is Brahman, and they are the priest caste of Hinduism. After them are the Kshatria, who are the warrior castes. After them are the Vaishya caste , who are business people. And after them are the Sudra, who are the common peasants and workers. Below these four castes there are casteless, the Dalit, who are often referred to as the untouchables.  The untouchables are not considered to be an official caste.  The four main castes were not allowed to have any physical contact with the untouchables.  The untouchables are required to do all the jobs considered to be unclean by the other castes, such as tending to dead bodies and cleaning garbage.  When you are born into a Varna, or a caste, you are stuck in that caste your whole life.  Whatever, your parents were, that’s what you will be.  Their job will be your job.  You are generally not allowed to marry into another caste, either up or down.

According to Hindu belief, each of these 4 main Varna have a specific job or duty which they are expected to perform, which is known as that caste’s dharma.  For example, the Brahmins, the holy men and women, are expected to live an austere, pure life, be a good example to others, and teach them about Hinduism.  Kshatriyas, who were traditionally the warriors and secular rulers of Indian kingdoms (kings and queens) are expected to be good rulers and protect and provide for their people.  They are also expected to fight battles to protect their people from invasion or to conquer more land to make the lives of their people easier and increase their resources.  Vaishya are the merchants and skilled craftsmen; they raise and sell cattle and make things that people need.  Shudras are traditionally farm laborers.  They work the fields and grow the food everyone else needs to survive. The Dalit, or untouchables, are expected to do the dirty work, not complain, and not interact with the 4 main castes.

According to Hindu belief, if you do your job- your dharma- well, you will get good karma.  If you do your job badly you will get bad karma.  It is believed that those who die with a lot of good karma will be reincarnated into a higher caste in their next life.  If you don’t perform your dharma, you will be reincarnated into a lower caste or even as an animal in your next life.  So, if you are an untouchable, your life will be difficult.  You will have to do smelly, unclean work and none of the other castes will want to go near you.  However, untouchables believe that if they do their job well and do not complain, they will receive good karma and be reborn into a higher caste in their next life.

The creation of the Varna in Hinduism created a strong class system in India where everyone has a specific job to do and are strongly motivated to do it so they receive good Karma and can be reborn higher their next life.  Furthermore, it’s believed that people get what they deserve.  If someone is born as a Brahmin or Kshatriya, they must have had good karma in their previous lives and are thus deserving of respect.  If someone is an untouchable they must have had bad karma and deserved to be looked down on.

However, what if you reach the top of the caste system, become a Brahmin, and still have good Karma?  According to Hindu belief, if you have good karma for many lives, become a Brahmin and still have good Karma, you can achieve the ultimate goal, which is Moksha, or an escape from the cycle of rebirth (samsara).  Moksha is an abstract idea for Hindus, but it generally believed that your soul will return to god in a sort of heavenly paradise.

To confuse the notion of the caste system, there is another social classification in India known as the Jati.  Jati are occupational groups you are born into- for example, the cattle merchant Jati or the rug weaver Jati or the rice farmer Jati.  This is a close social group that provides mutual support.  All members of the Jati will contribute to its support- so, if you are having a difficult year, your Jati can help you out.  There are thousands of Jati in India, which are sometimes referred to as castes in English.

So, to summarize, there are the 4 main castes in Hinduism, also known as the Varna.  Each Varna has its specific duty- or dharma- to perform.  If you perform your dharma well you will receive good karma and be reincarnated into a higher caste.  Those of the highest Caste- Brahmins- who have good karma, can achieve the ultimate goal, known as Moksha- an escape from the cycle of reincarnation.  There are also thousands of Jati in India (which are also sometimes referred to as castes), which are occupational groups which provide mutual support to their members.