Indias Laws Of Manu - 2116 Words

The development of morality and justice in Hindu India, Mesopotamia, China, and Scandinavia differed depending on religion and whether the civilization had a supreme ruler or not. While all four civilizations were religious, Mesopotamia and India were, by far, the most religious. India’s Laws of Manu was anonymously put together and claimed to be the work of Manu (The Laws of Manu, 139), while Mesopotamia’s Code of Hammurabi is a collection of rulings made by the king who claimed was granted rectitude by their god Shamash (The Judgments of Hammurabi, 13). The Analects were a collection of sayings put together by Confucius’ pupils, and Scandinavia’s Saga of the Volsungs were a collection of stories about the Volsung clan. The reason for the†¦show more content†¦The word caste comes from the Portuguese word meaning â€Å"pure†, and would describe the social distinctions well, for the classes were pure - there was a very strict separation betw een the four castes. The Brahmins were the highest class and held the role of priests, the Kshatriyas were the upper class, the Vaisyas were the lower class, and the Sudras were the workers and servants (Griffin, Presentation Day 7). There was no way to move up in the hierarchy in the current lifetime (it was only possible through reincarnation), but switching from Brahmin to Kshatriya was acceptable, as well as moving from Vaisya to Sudra, though they should go back to their correct caste whenever possible (Law of Manu, 142). Women in this society had almost no rights at all; they were considered seducers, though it was preferable to keep them happy. The only property women had the right to was what was given for the wedding, from her family (including the husband after they are married), and what was given to win her over (Law of Manu, 142). According to the Law of Manu, as long as a wife â€Å"obeys her husband, she will for that reason alone be exalted in heaven (Law of Manu, 1 42).† In summary, the job of a woman was to be a mother, and obey the men in her life. However, if the husband is bad, such as being an outcaste or