The reference to a division into four social classes appears in the late Rigvedic Purusha Sukta. Purusha Sukta is hymn The shudra is said to have sprung from his feet. The Varna hierarchy was hence, determined by the descending order of the different organs from which the Varnas were created. This theory was interpreted in lieu with the Manu and was given religious sanctions which infact was similar to legal sanction of those times.
According to the ancient text of Bhagavad Gita , the varna system was not considered to be hereditary and was assigned on the basis of karma. However, this statement basically suggests that there is a functional differentiation based on quality and action. The philosophical justification of the Varna system is agreed upon in the Upanishads. The Shanti Parva of the Mahabharata also holds the view that an individual can attain a superior Varna by performing righteous acts, i. The fact that the four varnas were born from different parts of the same purusha indicates the interdependence of the varnas.
The parts of the body of the Purusha from which vaishya and shudra were born, thigh and feet, bear the weight of the entire frame. In other words they stand for the support system of the entire body. The schematic arrangement of varnas is for the integration of the society and not for its division.
Various scholars like Max Muller, consider this verse to be controversial and is believed to be a corruption and a medieval or modern era insertion into the text. The Marxist theory was propounded by eminent scholars like RS Sharma.
He proposed the mode of production involving the theory of surplus leading to class formation varna system. The early Rig Vedic society was tribal, pastoral, semi-nomadic and largely egalitarian and was free from the later institution of social classes called varna.
The later Vedic people took to agriculture on a large scale and produced enough cereals to enable the princes to perform sacrifices and reward their priests. This system of sacrifices benefitted the priests and the warriors who raised themselves over the common people to create a social hierarchy. As the later Vedic phase was based on agriculture and the limited use of iron, it marked the transition of the tribal states into territorial states and the gradual disintegration of the society into class and occupational groupings.
This system further disintegrated with the emergence of the use of iron plough and creation of surplus produce. This paved a way for the rise of a class-based and state-based society in which the religious and governing wings of the ruling class could collect taxes, tributes and tithes.
The existing Brahminical ideology gave the necessary religious and legal sanction to the emerging caste based social system. The Brahmins and the Kshatriyas devised and developed a social mechanism through which the two classes could benefit from the economic expansion leading to the exclusion of the peasants, the artisans and the agricultural laborers. It propounds that for orderly progress work in society it is necessary that it be divided into classes, according to natural tendencies.
Dr Bhagwan Das has divided labour under the Indian varna system into the following classes- 1 Teacher class, 2 governing class, 3 business class, 4 physical labourer class. These are respectively the Brahmans, the Kshatriyas, the Vaishyas and the Shudras. Thus the responsibility of the Brahmanas was to see the proper execution of academic work like the study of knowledge and teaching and other religious activities.
The government of the state, defence and administration were left to the Kshatriyas while the vaishyas carried on the agriculture, dairy farming and business. The Shudras served the other varnas.
As has been said earlier, this class division is not peculiar to India, it has been the common feature of all the organised societies of the world. In this way in the varna system, the division of labour has Deen effected on the basis of inherent qualities and mental tendencies.
Indians have accepted four tendencies common on man : satvika, Satvika-rajasika, rajasika-tamasika and tamasika. The division of the varna system has been made on the basis of these tendencies. The Brahmanas were of the satvika nature, Kshatriyas of the satvika-rajasika, vaisays of the rajasika-tamasika and shudras of the tamasika. Thus, originally in the varna system, greater performance was given to nature and tendency than to birth.
Vaishya is the third Varna represented by agriculturalists, traders, money lenders, and those involved in commerce. Vaishyas would work in close coordination with the administrators of the kingdom to discuss, implement, and constantly upgrade the living standards by providing profitable economic prospects. Because their life conduct exposes them to objects of immediate gratification, their tendency to overlook the law and despise the weak is perceived as probable.
Hence, the Kshatriya king would be most busy with resolving disputes originating of conflicts among Vaishyas. Vaishya women, too, supported their husbands in business, cattle rearing, and agriculture, and shared the burden of work. They were equally free to choose a spouse of their choice from the four Varnas, albeit selecting a Shudra was earnestly resisted.
Vaishya women enjoyed protection under the law, and remarriage was undoubtedly normal, just as in the other three Varnas. A Vaishya woman had equal rights over ancestral properties in case of the untimely death of her husband, and she would be equally liable for the upbringing of her children with support from her husband.
The last Varna represents the backbone of a prosperous economy, in which they are revered for their dutiful conduct toward life duties set out for them. Scholarly views on Shudras are the most varied since there seemingly are more restrictions on their conduct. However, Atharva Veda allows Shudras to hear and learn the Vedas by heart, and the Mahabharata, supports the inclusion of Shudras in ashrams and their learning the Vedas.
Becoming officiating priests in sacrifices organized by kings was, however, to a large extent restricted. Shudras are not the twice-born, hence they are not required to wear the sacred thread like the other Varnas.
A Shudra man was only allowed to marry a Shudra woman, but a Shudra woman was allowed to marry from any of the four Varnas. Shudras would serve the Brahmins in their ashrams, Kshatriyas in their palaces and princely camps, and Vaishyas in their commercial activities. Although they are the feet of the primordial being, educated citizens of higher Varnas would always regard them as a crucial segment of society, for an orderly society would be easily compromised if the feet were weak.
Shudras, on the other hand, obeyed the orders of their masters, because their knowledge of attaining moksha by embracing their prescribed duties encouraged them to remain loyal. Kshatriya varna is the name of a social class as defined by such texts as the " Rig Veda " and other Hindu texts.
They are expected to cultivate qualities of bravery, strength, chivalry and generosity. The varna system is often interpreted as a caste system, but some say that this is inaccurate as it is more to be thought of as a system that classifies people by their idealised human callings. Their dharma , or duty, was to be the first into battle and never flee, to never refuse a challenge and to deal with crime. They were afforded some privileges, but expected to demonstrate considerable strength in return.
It is said that the Hindu gods, Rama and Krishna, were born into the Kshatriya varna because they needed military weapons and prowess in order to restore dharma. To help you bring attention to your doshas and to identify what your predominant dosha is, we created the following quiz.
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