SLAVERY IN ANCIENT INDIA

(1000BC to 800AD)
‘Dasa’ is the most commonly used term in ancient India to refer a slave. ‘Das’ which means
to finish or terminate something is the inspiration behind this term 1. It is a Sanskrit word
found in the Ancient Hindu texts. This term was majority in use in the later Vedic period that
specifically meant slave. A lot of the slaves were from the Shudra community. The major
social differentiation began in the form of Varna system. The society was divided into four
vernas: Brahmanas, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas and Shudras. The fourth varna, the Shudras, were at
the bottom of the social hierarchy. They served the upper three varnas. Upanayana Samskara
(investiture with sacred thread necessary to acquire education), a ritual of the period, couldn’t
be performed by the Shudras. The Brahmins, the Kshatriyas, and the Vaishyas were entitled
to such a ceremony and hence were known as Dviijas. This Varna system was not only the
very beginning of the imposition of discrimination and disabilities on the Shudras but also the
beginning of the concept of ritual population.

1
Chanana, Dev R. Slavery in Ancient India: As Depicted in Pãli and Sanskrit Texts, edited by Aloka Prasher
Sen. Subordinate and Marginal Groups in India. N.p.: Oxford University Press, n.d., pp. 96-97.