How many varnas

Traditionally the Brahmin are supposed to become priests, but in actuality they hold a wide variety of occupations.

Many members practice agriculture, while others hold white collar jobs. The Brahmin are allowed to follow any profession, but no one except a Brahmin can become a priest. Members of this Varna tend to be strict vegetarians. It is a socio-spiritual obligation to feed Brahmin at ceremonies.

Brahmin men have more freedom then Brahmin women. Men try to avoid alcohol and smoking whereas for women it is strictly forbidden. The socially acceptable age for marriage also varies between the sexes. Women can get married starting from as young as 18 whereas men get married at an older age.

Marriages tend to be arranged by parents and monogamy is expected. Widows are not allowed to remarry whereas widowers are allowed to. Although Brahmin women are second to men, they do hold a higher level of education than other women in Indian society.

Overall Brahmins hold a high status in Hindu society, and are considered to be smart and influential. They set the standard of social conduct and morality due to their leadership in society. The term Kshatriya comes from kshatra which means authority and power. This authority and power is not based on successful leadership, but more on sovereignty over certain territories.

Kshatriya is the second Varna within the social hierarchy. The Kshatriya constitutes the ruling and military elite, the warriors. Their purpose in the society is to fight as warriors during war and govern in time of peace. They had a duty to protect the citizens from harm, to ensure that each individual performed their prescribed duty and advanced spiritually in their specific Varna. In addition to that they are responsible for the protection of the political cosmic order dharma. Kshatriyas initially achieved their status on merits of their aptitude guna , conduct karma , and nature swabhava.

As the caste system later developed, merit became irrelevant status became hereditary. The negative energy took the form of Rakshasas also known as devils who started to torture Brahma. Brahma asked Lord Vishnu for help, who later killed them. Lord Vishnu then explained to Brahma that when positive energy is used, negative energy will also emerge.

Because of this Lord Vishnu tells Brahma that a special race of humans should be created to protect the entire human race. The Rig Veda contains a different story of origin for the varnas. In this Hindu scripture, Brahmin originated from the mouth of Brahma, while Kshatriya originated from the arms. The two primary roles of the Kshatriya Varna were to govern the land and to wage war, which led to professions as rulers and soldiers.

The male children in Kshatriya were considered symbols of masculinity whereas the female child needed to be gentle and well behaved. Like Brahmin and the rest of the Varnas, men and women were not allowed to marry outside their specific Varna. Kshatriyas also hold a high status of power, second only to the Brahmin. They make sure everyone stays within their Varna. Ellwood, Robert S. Molloy, Michael. Nigosian, S. World Religions: A Historical Approach.

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Skip to content. Summary : The Caste system is the social hierarchy in India. Kshatriyas: The term Kshatriya comes from kshatra which means authority and power. How many Varnas are there in Sanskrit? What is the meaning of Varna in Sanskrit? What are the 4 main Varnas of India? How many Varnas have been described in the Vedas? What are the 5 castes in Hinduism?

Is Varna based on birth? Which system is based on birth? How do you identify Varna? Are Patel Rajputs? Are Gujjar Sudra? Previous Article Does Pakistan control Kashmir? Next Article What comprises the degree of purity of a hue?