Traditional Indian society was sharply hierarchical, and to some extent this remains true today. Membership in a particular group came by being born into it, and nothing one did could change this. Society was seen as an organic whole, in which some parts had higher status than others, but where every part was necessary for the whole to function smoothly. In actual practice, each of these four groups was split into hundreds of sub-groups, usually based on the group's hereditary occupation, and a group's relative status in a particular place was subject to all kinds of local variables. What this did mean was that every individual, as a member of a particular family and group, had a well-defined social role, and there was great stress on the individual's obligation to fulfill these social duties.
Any human birth is considered a great opportunity.
Keeping these general remarks in mind, I can now give you a Stunningly Brief Introduction to Hinduism. These pages are in progress. Page maintained by James G. Lochtefeld.