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DAILY
CLASS NOTES
Ancient History

Lecture - 14
Vedic Culture (Part 02)
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Vedic Culture (Part 02)

Varna System/Caste System:
Rig Vedic Age:
❖ The time period was between 1500 to 1000 BC.
❖ In the Rig Vedic age, the Varna system was there.
❖ The Varna system's significance lies in occupation rather than birth. Varna system stands for colour.
❖ The origin of Varna was from Purusha Sukta of Rig veda.
➢ Rig veda has 10 mandalas, and Purusha Sukta was written in 10th mandala of Rig veda.
➢ The origin of Varna comes from different body parts of Virat Purusha such as Brahman, Kshatriya,
Vaishya, and Sudra.
✓ Brahmins: The origin of brahman comes from the mouth. They were associated with Teaching.
✓ Kshatriya: The origin of Kshatriya comes from the Arms, and associated with Protection.
✓ Vaishya: The origin of Vaishya comes from legs, and is also associated with trade.
✓ Sudra: The origin of Sudra comes from Feet, they were associated to serve others.
❖ Varna was flexible, allowing individuals to adapt their social class based on their occupation.
➢ In the ninth mandala of the Rig Veda, an individual is expressing a statement-I am poet, my mother
grinds wheat, and my father is a doctor/physician. It means in one family there were three Varnas.
➢ Rishi Vashistha was Brahmin and his mother Urvashi was dancer, and his father Mitravaha was
Kshatriya.
Later Vedic Age:
❖ The time period was between 1000 to 500 BC.
❖ Caste system was seen in the later vedic age.
❖ When profession is considered by birth, it is called caste, and in later vedic age, varna is associated with
work, it is also called caste.
❖ Caste is based on the basis of birth.
❖ During the later Vedic age, the concept of Gotra originated, initially signifying a place where cows were
tended. However, it evolved to become associated with family lineage, leading to the prohibition of
marriage within the same Gotra.

Aspect 1:
Q. What do you understand about the Varna System? Discuss.
Aspect 2:
Q. What do you understand about the Caste system? Discuss.
Aspect 3:
Q. What is the difference between Varna and Caste system?
Aspect 4:
Q. Discuss the nature of Rig Vedic society.
Aspect 5:
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Q. What changes were noticed in the later vedic period in the context of Varna and caste system.
Aspect 6:
Q. What is the concept of Gotra? Discuss.
Part 1:
Society in Rig Vedic Period:
❖ The Varna system was not seen initially in the Rig Vedic age.
❖ All persons were considered jana, and all were having equal status and respect.
❖ In the Rig Veda initially the word Varna was used for colour, but later it was used for profession
(NCERT).
❖ Aryans were having fair complexion that is why they were called white varna, and non Aryans were
called Krishna Varna.
❖ Origin of Varna:
➢ The origin of varna seen in Rig veda.
➢ Rig Veda is divided into 10 mandals (Chapters), and all chapters are not seen in sequence.
➢ In the 10th Mandala, there was a Purusha Sukta, in which the origin of four varna is seen.
➢ In one of the Sukta (Purusha Sukta), it is said that all four Varnas originated from different body
part of Virat purusha such as Brahmins were originated from mouth, kshatriyas were originated
from arms, Vaishya from legs, and Sudras were from Feets.
➢ Each Varna is given specific work to support his work such as Brahmins had to teach, Kshatriyas
had to protect, Vaishyas had to do business while Sudras had to serve others.

Brahm Kshat Vish

❖ Brahm, one who ❖ The term Kshat implies that the early Aryans ❖ Vish was a general
performs yajanas. engaged in conflict, necessitating the selection of member of jana,
❖ They are also called individuals to safeguard the community from and they were
purohit. losses. This is the rationale behind the designation called Vish.
of these individuals as Kshatriyas. ❖ They did business.
❖ Kshatriya is a person who is saving other varna
from loss (Kshat).

➢ The Varna system was not rigid in the Rig Vedic period. We have two examples to prove the view
point like:
✓ In the 9th Mandal, there was a person who was saying-I am a poet , and my mother grinds wheat,
while my father is doctor.
✓ In another example, Vashistha was rishi or brahmin, and his mother was urvashi performing
dance in the court of Indra, while his father Mitravahu was Kshatriya.
➢ In this way in the Rig Veda period, the Varna System was not complex, it was based on birth, it was
based on profession.
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Part 2: Varna system in Later Vedic Period:

❖ In this period, the varna system became complex, and it was associated with work or profession, and
difficult to change once work or profession.
❖ The Varna system evolved as a caste system.
❖ (Note: In one of the references we come to know that to change once caste was difficult, but not impossible
in later vedic period.)
❖ In the later vedic period, the Varna was associated with birth (it means son of Brahmin will become
Brahmin, but in Rig Vedic Period the son of Brahmin could change his varna easily).
Concept of Gotra:
❖ The concept of Gotra emerged in the later vedic period, the literal meaning of Gotra, a place where cows
were kept.
❖ Later, this term was associated with family, and the descendants of the same family were considered from
the same gotra.
❖ Later, no marriage was possible within the same gotra.

Ashram System:
❖ The concept of Ashram emerged in the Later Vedic Period.
❖ Chandogya and Jabala Upanishad delineate the presence of Ashrams.
❖ Chandogya Upanishad talks about the four Ashrams, while Jabala Upanishad talks about the three
Ashrams.
❖ There are four Ashrams such as:
➢ Brahmacharya Ashram (Age between 0 to 25)
➢ Grihastha Ashram (Age between 25 to 50)
➢ Vanprastha Ashram (Age between 50 to 75)
➢ Sanyasa Ashram (Age between 75 to 100)
❖ The literal meaning of Ashram is called Rest after work.
Some Important Points:
❖ The literal meaning of Aryan is warrior, Honourable, and the word came from Iran.
➢ It's not a race but later it was considered.
❖ Sapt Sindh region (Sendhava Pradesh): The Area where early Aryan stayed.
➢ Sapt Sindh region means the land of seven rivers such as: five rivers of Punjab like Chenab, Ravi,
Sutlej, Beas, and Jhelum, and two other rivers are Sindh and Saraswati.

Note:
❖ Alternate perspectives on Sapta Sindhu Pradesh included the recognition of the five rivers in Punjab—
Chenab, Ravi, Sutlej, Beas, and Jhelum—as well as the acknowledgment of two rivers, Sindh and
Saraswati.
❖ Additionally, two rivers from Afghanistan, Swat and Kumbh, were also considered part of this region.

❖ The term Ashram emerged in the later vedic period (1000-500 BC).
❖ Coins and Vedic Period:
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➢ Coins were not seen in the Rig Vedic Period (1500-1000 BC), but an exchange system was there that
is called the Barter system.
➢ Coins were also not seen in the later vedic age, but Nishka (it was a name of ornament like gold) was
considered as a coin(1000-500 BC), and the barter system was continued.
➢ Coins predominantly circulated within the Mahajanapada, and Nishka was the name of coin (600
BC), coexisting alongside the prevalent barter system.

Note:
❖ What do you think about the Ashram system? Do you think there is any relevance of the Ashram system
these days. Discuss.

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