In traditional Hindu society, dharma has historically denoted a variety of ideas, such as Vedic ritual, ethical conduct,
caste rules, and civil and criminal law.
Its most common meaning however pertains to two principal ideals: that social life should be structured through well-defined and well-regulated classes (varna), and that an individual's life within a class should be organized into defined stages (ashrama, see dharmasastra).
Varna refers to the categorization of the Hindu society by four castes, hypothesized by the Brahmins and their sacred texts. This quadruple division is not to be confused with Jāti or even the much finer division of the contemporary caste system in India.[1] The four varnas, or chatur varna, are mentioned in ancient texts in the following (stratified) order, from top to bottom,[2]
the Brahmins: Scholars, teachers and fire priests
the Kshatriya/chattari: Kings and soldiers warriors
the Vaishyas: Agriculturists and merchants
the Shudras: Service providers and artisans
They are also divided into two groups, the Arya (comprising the first three classes) and the Shudra (śudrārya),[3] the Shudra generally being excluded from Vedic rituals.
Separate and shunned by the society were the "untouchables" like the Candala (cāṇḍāla), who had to deal with the disposal of dead bodies and are described as dirty and polluted. There was a belief that one's Karma in the past, resulted in one's condition in this birth. "Now people here whose conduct is good can expect to quickly attain a pleasant birth, like that of a Brahmin, the Ksatriya, or the Vaisya. But people of evil conduct can expect to enter a foul womb, like that of a dog, a pig, or a Chandala".[4]
The varna system of Hindu society is described in the various Puranas and Smritis, among others. Manusmriti, is a Dharmashastra text reflecting the laws and society of Maurya period India and was a reference work for the Brahmins of Bengal.
Dharma - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Varna (Hinduism) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia