Caste and the Ramayana

Caste and the Ramayana

by Deleted user -
Number of replies: 6

Caste clearly has a big influence on how one interprets the story of the Ramayana.  This makes sense, given that people of different castes have different experiences and bring different backgrounds to the table when reading the text, and we have seen many times how people read into stories differently depending on their context.  In the chapter "A Ramayana of Their Own: Women's Oral Tradition in Telugu," Velcheru Narayana Rao discusses the Ramayana songs sung by both Brahmin women and non-Brahmin women.  He first discusses how different women's tellings of the Ramayana differ from men's, articulating how the women's songs tend to focus much more on topics that "interest women," such as "pregnancy, morning sickness, childbirth, the tender love of a husband, the affections of parents-in-law, games played by brides and grooms in wedding rituals" (Rao, 119).  Though he is discussing Brahmin women here, it is clear how though they share the same caste as the Brahmin men, the difference in their experiences is evident in which parts of the story they choose to highlight.  Not really a caste difference, but certainly a difference indicative of the Hindu hierarchy.  

Additionally, Rao discusses how the Brahmin women and non-Brahmin women read into the story differently.  He articulates this point nicely but pointing out "the songs sung by the low-caste women seem to reflect their disaffection with the dominant upper-caste masters for whom they work rather than with the men of their own families" because "these singers are doubly oppressed" (Rao 134).  The level to which these women have cause for complaint is greater than that of the Brahmin women, because they are not only oppressed within their own caste, but the castes above them as well.  There are similar themes that they can pick up on and relate to, but as people considered beneath the upper-caste characters told of in the Ramayana, it is natural that they would have more apathy for characters like Rama.  

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In reply to Deleted user

Re: Caste and the Ramayana

by Deleted user -
Rachel, I love your point about how people from different castes have different backgrounds. Meaning, when they read, their interpretations will be much different than other castes'. Castes are very divided and distinct. A woman from an upper caste is bound to experience different situations than one from a lower caste. Additionally, I love your statement, "they are not only oppressed within their own caste, but in the castes above them as well." Therefore, these women will most definitely interpret the story differently, such as viewing certain characters differently.

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In reply to Deleted user

Re: Caste and the Ramayana

by Deleted user -
Rachel,
I agree with your points. It truly is impossible to enter into any reading without reading with a lens of lived experiences. There are many levels of oppression and structure, especially for women, in the Hindu caste system. To think that they all compound on these women's shoulders as they interact with their religious texts is daunting. There is no doubt that their reclamations of power through song account for the differences in nuanced language and general positioning of characters throughout the stories.

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Re: Caste and the Ramayana

by Deleted user -
The last point is very interesting when you mention the songs sung by the lower caste women show their dis-satisfaction with the higher caste women. This is interesting to read because it is shown that there is even a affect of the caste system during the actual worship of the deities.

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In reply to Deleted user

Re: Caste and the Ramayana

by Collin Cortinas -
Rachel,
Some good stuff here! I like that you touched on how the Brahmin and non-Brahmin women's songs differed from those of men, I also touched on that. I also find the other example you found very interesting since it reflects some of the discussions that I had. The idea that the low-caste women view the text in a way that justifies their problems with their masters is a reflection of the Christian comparison that I made in my post, and I find this very interesting!

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In reply to Deleted user

Re: Caste and the Ramayana

by Deleted user -
Rachel, I love that you mentioned that someone's caste will influence the level of apathy they have for certain characters. It's natural that you would have a certain distaste for characters that would have treated you poorly while favoring characters that are similar to you or are from a similar caste to you.

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Re: Caste and the Ramayana

by Cole Myers -
Women are not a monolith, and that's a good thing to draw attention to. High caste and low caste women are both women, but have experiences miles apart. A brahmin woman is going to have an opinion of the Ramayana very different from the "doubly oppressed" lower caste women that read the Ramayana. Women's Ramayanas are more focused on women's issues. That being said, the women's experiences of a brahmin woman will be with less trials and tribulations that a lower caste woman, perhaps. A brahmin woman is going to most likely have a smoother pregnancy than a lower caste woman, for example.

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