Question

Explain the following concept with examples.

Varna system

Answer 1

1. The Varna System during Vedic period referred to the social order or class of people. There was flexibility and fluidity with respect to occupation.
2. It was only towards the end of the Vedic period that Varna turned into a rigid jati (caste) hierarchy based on the ideology of ‘purity and pollution’.
3. Notions of purity and pollution continue to be followed in everyday practices such as food and water intake, dressing, occupation, worship, social interactions, travel etc.
4. For Example -
   1. Brahmin - priests, teachers, intellectuals
   2. Kshatriya - rulers and warriors
   3. Vaishya - Merchants, traders, farmers
   4. Shudra - Menial work
5. The first three varnas began to call themselves the upper varnas. They became the ‘twice-born’ (dvija) because they were entitled to the initiation ceremony (upanayana).