If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Ask your question. The rise of Buddhism, too, left its significant footprint on the Varna system’s legitimate continuance in renewed conditions of life. Join now. The same applies to Vaishyas and Shudras. In this system, specific tasks are designated to each Varna citizen. Vaishya is the third Varna represented by agriculturalists, traders, money lenders, and those involved in commerce. All Brahmin men were allowed to marry women of the first three Varnas, whereas marrying a Shudra woman would, marginally, bereft the Brahmin of his priestly status. Each Varna propounds specific life principles to follow; newborns are required to follow the customs, rules, conduct, and beliefs fundamental to their respective Varnas. Log in. Cite This Work THE CASTE SYSTEM OF THE VEDIC PERIOD. A critical study of the Rig Veda reveals the following features, of the caste system. DR. KANA CHATTOPADHYAY. The Vedas (Rig-veda)by BernardM (CC BY-SA). The underlying reason for adhering to Varna duties is the belief in the attainment of moksha on being dutiful. Many Shudras were also allowed to be agriculturalists, traders, and enter occupations of Vaishyas. Dating the earliest human migration to the Indian mainland remains a matter of debates and uncertainty. Records from the classical and medieval periods in India mention men of the Brahmin class performing work other than carrying out priestly duties or teaching about religion. The Vedic scriptures do not authorize a caste system which is fixed … They were only entitled to initiate an Aryan. Brahmins started to feel the authoritarian nature of their occupation and status, because of which arrogance seeped in. 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. Scholars have traced three principal stages of evolution in the caste system viz., the Rig Vedic Age, the Later Vedic age and the age of the Sutras or Upanishads. The Brahmanical literature denied many rights to Vaishya class. The caste system in Hinduism was created around 1200 BC, during the Vedic period, and has been a continual tradition in Hindu society even after being outlawed in the Indian Constitution in 1950 which was a major change for Hindu society. Justice, moral, and righteous behaviour were primary teachings in Brahmins’ ashrams (spiritual retreats, places to seek knowledge). Members of the priestly class were called Brahmins; those of the warrior class, kshatriyas; agriculturists and traders, vaishyas; and the menials, sudras. Jati and Varna are classifications of the traditional Indian Society. … Even the artisans enjoyed independent status. Jati and Varna are two classifications that are very different, but both play a vital role in the life of a Hindu. A Brahmin behaving as a Kshatriya or a Vaishya debases himself, becoming unworthy of seeking liberation or moksha. Hence, the Kshatriya king would be most busy with resolving disputes originating of conflicts among Vaishyas. Its development was gradual. By 1000 BC the Vedic Aryans moved East wards towards the more fertile Ganges plain. In the Later Vedic Age the status of the Vaishya class seems to have deteriorated. The chandalas, the aborigines were included in this class. Various restrictions were imposed on intermarriage, interdining. Thus, soulful adherence to Varna duties from the peak of Vedic period eventually diminished to subjective makeshift adherence, owing partly to the discomfort in practising Varna duties and partly to external influence. The tendencies towards social division had been present ever since the coming of Aryans into India. 1. It was difficult to change one's caste but it was not absolutely impossible. Bibliography In later Vedic period the narural Varna System was transformed into 'Chaturvarnya Vyavastha' by Brahma, the second Prajapati. A critical study of the Rig Veda reveals the following features, of the caste system. Many kings found it acceptable to reject their Brahmin guru’s advice and hence became self-regulating, taking unrighteous decisions, leading to loss of kingship, territory, and the confidence of the Vaishyas and Shudras. In the post-Vedic period, the Varna system misinterpreted as a Caste system. Vaishya women, too, supported their husbands in business, cattle rearing, and agriculture, and shared the burden of work. Cattle rearing was one of the most esteemed occupations of the Vaishyas, as the possession and quality of a kingdom’s cows, elephants, horses, and their upkeep affected the quality of life and the associated prosperity of the citizens. The vedic caste system simply comprises of 4 Varnas – Brahmana, Kshatriya, Vaishya and Shudra. Caste is a European innovation having no semblance in Vedic culture. In contradistinction to them the status of the Vaishyas sank further below. Likewise, a society, too, is constituted by these four Varnas, who, through their obedience to the Varna rules, are provisioned to sustain prosperity and order. Purusha is the primordial being, constituted by the combination of the four Varnas. ), Vaishyas (agriculturalists, traders, etc., also called Vysyas), and Shudras (labourers). (Gita, 4.13 ; 18.41–47). Kshatriya women, like their male counterparts, were equipped with masculine disciplines, fully acquainted with warfare, rights to discharge duties in the king’s absence, and versed in the affairs of the kingdom. The current Hindu caste system in India is a complete corruption of the Vedic social work order system, because it’s based on birth (caste from birth) and not based on the attitudes, qualities, and consciousness developed. They were not just revered because of their Brahmin birth but also their renunciation of worldly life and cultivation of divine qualities, assumed to be always engrossed in the contemplation of Brahman, hence called Brahmins. These priests came to be known as Brahamanas. https://www.ancient.eu/article/1152/. It is therefore suggested by scholars that in the Rig Vedic period the Aryans were divided into classes instead of castes. A Brahmin could kill a Sudra with impunity. For only $5 per month you can become a member and support our mission to engage people with cultural heritage and to improve history education worldwide. For example, some were warriors, merchants, architects, carpet-makers, and even farmers. The Vedic caste system in its extreme form makes the lower classes untouchable to the higher classes. In early Vedic period 'Varna' used to be identified as “Gunakarma vibhagashah”. Arya is referred to as fair and Dasa as dark. The Aryans tried to maintain the purity of their descent by introducing the ritual of initiation. Hereditary caste, ban on intermarriage and inter-dining among different castes were completely unknown in the Ancient Indian Rig Vedic Caste System. Massive colonisation, impact of ‘cultural imperialism’ enforced significant alterations on Varna duties. A man of a particular caste marrying a woman of a higher caste is considered an imperfect match, culminating in ignoble offspring. As per the Vedas, it is the ideal duty of a human to seek freedom from subsequent birth and death and rid oneself of the transmigration of the soul, and this is possible when one follows the duties and principles of one’s respective Varna. It is misinterpreted by one or two groups in order to get certain advantages over other varnas. In the Period of the Sutras there was a general crystallization of caste divisions. 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