s of humanity, one of which whose station in life is so low that they are not considered a class. These are the untouchables. They are outcast from society to the point that if they come in contact with one of the four classes, the class member must be purified. The other cross section of society, that although it is not a class, it does have it’s own strict religious rules and confining boundaries. From a western perspective, the treatment of women seems atrocious, and there are organizations whose sole purpose is to empower Hindu women. The Law-code of Manu states Women must be honored and adorned by their fathers, brother, husbands, and brothers-in-law who desire good fortune… Her father protects her in childhood, her husband protects her in youth, her sons protect her in old age – a woman does not deserve independence. The father who does not give away his daughter in marriage at the proper time is censurable; censurable is the husband who does not approach his wife in due season; and after the husband is dead, the son, verily, is censurable, who does not protect his mother. (Ludwig, pg. 111)The woman is viewed not as an object to be had or collected, but as an object of adoration. As this quotation describes, the father must give her away early, so that she may have a husband when he is no longer around to provide for her. In turn, the husband’s duty is to provide her with sons so that after he is no longer able to provide for her, she will be taken care of by her sons. The series of men protecting her from independence is not done to prevent her from independence as in western thought; she is not prohibited from independence, she is protected from it.The caste system provides many benefits to its followers. It provides humans with the main desires that a religion provide. It gives the people of this religion a social structure that encourages closeness with other members from your class and Jati ...
