Varna (“color”) Brahmin, kshatriya, vaishya, and shudra are four major groups in Indian society, each with a different occupation and social status.
The brahmins, who were priests and scholars, had the highest
status, followed by the kshatriyas, who were kings and soldiers, the vaishyas,
who were in charge of economic life, and finally the shudras, who were supposed
to serve the others.
This picture is expressed as early as the Vedas, the oldest
Hindu religious texts, in particular by the Purusha Sukta, a hymn in the Rig
Veda (10.90).
The creation of the world and society is described in the Purusha
Sukta as stemming from the sacrifice of the Primeval Man (purusha), with
brahmins coming from his mouth, kshatriyas from his shoulders, vaishyas from
his thighs (a common euphemism for the genitals), and shudras from his feet.
Although this four-fold scheme is conceptually appealing, the reality was far more complicated.
For one thing, none of these four varnas was as uniform as
this scheme might lead one to suppose: Each of the varnas had multiple occupationally
defined subcommunities known as jatis, which often competed for status with one
another, even though they may have been members of the same varna.
The other discrepancy was that local circumstances had a
great effect on any particular community’s social status.
As one example, the Vellala community in Tamil Nadu had a
great deal of status and power, even though they were technically shudras,
because they were a landholding community.
On the opposite end, it is not uncommon for brahmins in
northern India to earn their living by trading or other businesses.
This four-fold varna plan does give the general status picture,
but the specifics are much more detailed.
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