belonged to no caste at all. The Government of India outlawed untouch-
ability in 1947.
Aryan invaders who conquered India before 1000 B.C. first imposed the
caste system. They tried to maintain a barrier between themselves and the
darker-skinned Indians. Varna, the Hindu word for caste, means color.
Caste lines were loose at first, but the system became rigid as it grew, and
many subdivisions developed. Even eating and drinking with members of
other castes was forbidden. In time, the caste system received a religious
explanation and became the test of orthodox Hinduism. The doctrines of
reincarnation and the law of Karma were used to justify the place and rank
of each person in the system. Hindu scriptures taught that a person was in a
low caste because of the previous life the person had led. A person could be
reborn into a higher caste if the person lived righteously and obeyed caste
rules.
The caste system brought about class hatreds and hindered the progress
of Indian society. But it also had its merits. It gave each individual a sense of
belonging. Today, many lower caste groups, particularly those in rural
villages, continue the caste system. Many symbols, representative of the
many Hindu divinities, can be associated with Hinduism; however, no one
single symbol is adequately representative of the Hindu faith.
ORIGIN OF HINDUISM IN AMERICA
The history of Hinduism in America dates to 1893 and the appearance
of several spokesmen at the Parliament of Religion in Chicago. Swami
Vivekananda, a disciple of Ramakrishna, became a nationally known
figure because of his oratorical ability and vibrant personality. After the
Parliament, he established the Vedanta Society, the first Hindu group in
America.
Approximately 50 other groups which are based upon Hinduism have
been formed in America. Almost all American Hindu groups represent either
older groups which were reconstructed by the Renaissance or new groups
which developed after the Renaissance. The best known groups are the
International Society for Krishna Consciousness, the Integral Yoga Institute,
the Sri Chimoy Centre, and the Divine Light Mission. Over the years,
Hindu teachers came to the United States. The most notable of these,
Swami Yogananda,
founded the Self-Realization Society. Only after
World War II, however, did Hinduism begin to make a major impact
in America. The growth of modern Hinduism was made possible by the
increased study of comparative religions in colleges and universities, the
cross-fertilization occasioned by American visitors to India, and the
increasing number of Gurus (teachers) who migrated and settled in America.
BRANCHES OF HINDUISM
During its long history, Hinduism has seen the rise of many groups of
dissenters from traditional Hindu beliefs and doctrines. Religions such
as Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism have developed as outgrowths of
Hinduism, Buddha founded Buddhism as a protest against the Hindu caste
system around 500 B.C. Jainism was founded by Mahavira (599-527 B. C.)
as a reform sect. If Jainism teachings were to be summed up in one
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