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What is the relation, if any, of the concept of varna to the concept of
karma? Of karma to the doctrine of reincarnation? The concepts of varna and
karma are each closely related to the eastern civilization religions of
Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism. Varna and karma go hand in hand with each other
to explain themselves, as does karma with the doctrine of reincarnation.
The complicated explanation of all of these concepts follows. In order to
understand the concept of karma, one must first understand the term varna. An
appropriate definition would be the rise of class system, which the Hindus
adhere to.
An English translation of varna, however, is simply the word “color” (Noss
87). There are four social classes that break down the class system otherwise
known as varna. Beginning with the highest class, there is the Brahmins or
priests, followed by the ruling Kshatriyas, the Vaisyas (common people), and
finally the Shudras (servants). The Brahmins said that if one was a member of
any of the first three classes to be extremely careful to avoid the Shudras (Noss
87).
Now that we have somewhat of an understanding of varna, the concept of karma
can be more easily explained. Karma simply stated is that the way one lives his
or her life now determines destiny or fate. In other words, the consequences of
one’s actions in this life will determine what they do or become in the next
life.
Therefore, karma is what made one who he or she is in the present life due to
the actions the person portrayed in his or her previous life. Karma is the cause
of one’s destiny in the future life, and is what caused a person to be who he or
she is today. Now we will explain the relationship between varna and karma.
Let’s imagine the following situation.
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