VARNA SYSTEM

BY: Dr. TARUN PRATAP

VARNA SYSTEM

THE VARNA DHARMA OR CASTE IS THE CARDINAL TERM IN THE SOCIAL HERITAGE OF
ANCIENT INDIA.
THE TERM VARNASHRAM DHARMA IMPLIES THAT THE DHARMAS IS NOT THE SAME FOR
ALL.IT IS A UNIQUE SYSTEM OF SOCIAL OBLIGATIONS.IT ALSO IMPLIES THAT THERE IS A
DHARMA APPROPIATE TO EACH CLASS AND TO EACH STAGE IN THE LIFE OF THE
INDIVIDUAL.
THIS THROUGHGOING RECOGNITION THAT MEN ARE NOT THE SAME AND THAT THERE
IS HIERARCHY OF CLASSES EACH WITH ITS AEPERATE DUTIES AND DISTINCTIVE WAY
OF LIFE IS ONE OF THE MOST STRIKING FEATURES OF INDIAN SOCIOLOGY.
THE FACT THAT THE FOUR VARNAS WERE BORN OF THE FROM THE DIFFERENT PARTS
OF THE SAMR PURUSHA INDICATES THE INTERDEPENDENCE OF THE VARNAS.IN
OTHER WORDS THEY STANDS FOF THE ECONOMIC PROPS OF THE SOSIETY.THE
SCHEMATIC ARRANGEMENTS OF VARNAS IS FOR THE INTEGRATION OF THE SOCIETY
AND NOT FOR IT DIVISIONS.
THE VARNA SCHEME WAS THE KEYSTONE OF THE ARCH OF THE INDIAN SOCIAL
SCHEME.IT AIMED AT THE PERMANENT SOLUTION OF EVERY SIDE OF THE SOCIAL
PROBLEMS VIZ GENETIC,PSYCHOLOGICAL,SPIRITUAL AND ECONOMIC.
THE VARNA SYSTEM WAS BASED ON FUNCTION AND THAT THE VARNAS WERE
CLASSES AND NOT CASTES.-------ELABORATE.
IN SHORT THE FOUR-FOLD DIVISION IS FOR INTEGRATION AND NOT DIVISION.IT IS THE
CONCEPTION OF THE SINGLE COMMUNITYARRANGED IN FOUR LAYERS.BUT THE REAL
FAULT LIES WITH THE HINDU LAW,WHICH BY ITS PROHIBITION UPHOLDS THE DIVISION
AND RENDERS NORMAL ADJUSTMENTS IMPOSSIBLE.

GOTRA

THE TERM CAME INTO PROMINENCE IN THE LATE VEDIC TIMES.THEY WERE OF
FUNDAMENTAL IMPORTANCE TO THE BRAHAMANS AS INDICATION OF SOCIAL AND
RITUAL IDENTITY.
GOTRA MEANS THAT THOSE PEOPLE WHO TRACE THEIR DESCENT TO THE COMMON
ANCESTOR.IT WAS A BELIEF AMONG THE BRAHMANS THAT THEY HAVE DESCENDED
FROM ONE OR OTHER RISHI AFTER WHOM THE GOTRAS WERE NAMED.
THE GOTRA WAS OF CHIEF IMPORTANCE IN CONNECTION WITH MARRIAGE AND
PROPERTY SINCE THE MEMBERS OF THE SAME GOTRA WERE NOT PERMITTED TO
MARRY WITHIN THE SAME GOTRA BUT THEY COULD IN THE ABSENCE OF AN
HEIR,CLAIM RIGHTS TO PROPERTY OWNED BY ONE OF THEIR FELLOW MEMBERS.
THE ADOPTION OF THE GOTRA SYSTEM RAISED THE STATUS OF THE BRAHAMANAS
AND THEY WERE ELEVATED TO THE RESPECTABLE CLASSES.
THE OTHER TWICE BORN CLASSES ADOPTED THE SAME GOTRAS AS THE
BRAHAMANAS ----BASICALLY THE GOTRAS OF THOSE BRAHAMANS WHICH
TRADITIONALLY OFFICIATED AT THEIR DOMESTIC RITUALS.
THE BREACHES OF THE GOTRA REGULATIONS WERE NOT VIEWED SERIOUSLY BY
EARLY LAW GIVERS AND THEY EVEN PRESCRIBED PENANCES FOR SUCH
BREACHES.FOR INSTANCE ,IF A MAN MARRIED A WOMEN OF THE SAME GOTRA HE HAD
TO PERFORM A CHANDRAYANA PENANCE,A SEVERE FAST FOR A MONTH.

PRAVARA
THEY ARE THE STEREOTYPED LIST OF THE NAMES OF

ANCIENT RISHIS BELIEVED TO BE THE REMOTE FOUNDERS

OF FAMILIES.
THE PRAVARA GENERALLY CONTAINED THE NAMES OF THE
RISHIS WHICH WOULD OCCUR IN THE PRAVARAS OF
FAMILIES OF OTHER GOTRAS.
ACCORDING TO THE CUSTOM OF SOME GOTRAS,MARRIAGE
WAS IMPOSSIBLE WITH A MEMBER OF ANOTHER GOTRA
HAVING ONE PRAVARA NAME IN COMMON,WHILE OTHERS
BARRED INTERMARRIAGE ONLY WHEN THERE WERE TWO
COMMON NAMES IN THE PRAVARAS.
THE MATRIMONIAL CHOICE CAME TO BE RESTRICTED OR
NARROWED DOWN WITH THESE PROHIBITIONS ESPECIALLY
WHEN IN THE MIDDLE AGES THE ENDOGAMOUS CASTE
SYSTEM WAS FULLY ESTABLISHED.

JATI
A GREAT DEAL OF CONFUSION HAS ARISEN OUT OF THE

INDISCRIMINATE USE OF THE WORD CASTE TO DENOTE BOTH

VARNA AND JATI.VARNA IS NOT THE SAME AS JATI.
VARNA REPRESENTS THE FOUR-FOLD DIVISION OF THE SOCIETY
WHILE JATI REPRESENTS THE SMALLER GROUPS EXISTING IN THE
SOCIETY,WHICH THE AUTHERS OF THE DHARMASHASTRAS SEEK
TO DERIVE FROM ONE OR THE OTHER OF THE FOUR VARNAS .
VARNAS-----BRAHAMANA,KSHARIYAS,VAISHYAS,SUDRAS.
JATI------AMBASTHA,CHANDALA,DRAVADA,YAVANA ETC.
MANY CASTES OR JATIS WERE PRODUCED BYA SERIES OF
CROSSES FIRST BETWEEN MEMBERS OF THE FOUR VARNAS AND
THEN BETWEEN THE DESCENDENTS OF THESE INITIAL UNOINS.
SECONDLY MANY CASTES WERE FORMED BY DEGRADATION FROM
THE ORIGINAL VARNAS BECAUSE OF THE NON-OBSERVANCE OF
SACRED RITES.THESE ARE CALLED VRATYAS.

FAMILY

ALL THE MEMBERS OF THE FAMILY LIVED TOGETHER UNDER ONE AND THE
SAME ROOF AND SHARED THE PROPERTY OF THE FAMILY IN COMMON.
NORMALLY THE THE JOINT FAMILY INCLUDED THREE GENERATIONS AND THIS
FACT IS NOTICED IN SMRITIES,FOR UNDER THE RULES OF THE LAW OF
PARTITION ,ANY MEMBER OF A JOINT FAMILY WHO IS REMOVED MORE THAN
THE THREE DEGREES FROM THE COMMON ANCESTOR CAN CLAIM A SHARE
ON PARTITION.
THERE IS NO REFERENCE TO A WILL AND THE ELDEST SON WAS NOT
ENTITLED TO ANY SPECIAL INHERITANCE THOUGH A VERY SMALL WEIGHTAGE
AMOUNTING TO THE 1/20TH OF THE SHARE WAS PERMITTED.
PARTITION OF THE FAMILY TOOK PLACE EVEN DURING THE LIFETIME OF THE
FATHER
THE FATHER WAS THE HEAD OF THE FAMILY AND ADMINISTRATOR OF THE
JOINT PROPERTY.THE FAMILY WAS PATRIARCHIAL IN NATURE.
SRADDHA, THE RIGHTS COMMEMORATING THE ANCESTORS,BOUND THE
GROUPS TOGETHER.ALL THE RELATIVES OF THE DECEASED(SAPINDA)
JOINED ON THIS OCCASION.THUS THE DEAD AND THE LIVING WERE RELATED
TO EACH OTHER BY THIS RITE.
THE JOINT FAMILY SYSTEM BOUND THE FAMILY WITH A DEEP SENSE OF
SOLIDARITY AND GAVE ITS MEMBERS A GREAT MEASURE OF SOCIAL
SECURITY.

LIMITATIONS
JOINT FAMILY SYSTEM GAVE RISE TO THE NEPOTISM AND

FAVOURATISM,WHICH ACCOUNTED FOR ITS UNPOPULARITY

AND FAST DISAPPEARENCE IN OUR TIMES
THE SOCIAL SECURITY IT ENSURED BRED PARASITES WHO
WOULD BASK IN THE COMPARATIVE COMFORTS
CONTRIBUTING VERY LITTLE OR NOTHING TO THE
FORTUNES OF THE FAMILY
THERE WERE VERY LITTLE OPPORTUNITY FOR FASTENING
OF INDIVIDUAL AUTONOMYOR-SELFDEPENDENCE.
THE WHOLE ENVIRONMENT OF THE FAMILY WAS NOT
CONGENIAL FOR THE GROWTH OF THE INDIVIDUAL BECAUSE
HE WAS BOUND DOWN BY THE RULES AND REGULATIONS
FRAMED BY THE HEAD OF THE FAMILY.

SLAVERY

SLAVERY WAS A RECOGNIZED INSTITUTION OF INDIAN SOCIETY AND DATES BACK TO

THE OLDEST TIMES.THE SLAVE WAS DENOTED BT THE TERM DASA ,WHICH ORIGINALLY
MEANT THE PEOPLE VANQUISHED BY THE ARYANS.
IT HAD THE TACTICAL APPROVAL OF THE MAHABHARATA BECOMES CLEAR WHEN IT
DECLARES THAT IT IS THE LAW OF THE WARTHAT THE VANQUISHED SHOULD BE THE
VICTORS SLAVE.
THE SLAVES COULD BE ACQUIRED BY BIRTH IN THE MASTERS HOUSE,BY
PURCHASE,BY GIFT,BY INHERITANCE,BY MAINTENANCE DURING FAMINES,,BY
PLEDGE,BY RELEASE FROM HEAVY DEBT,BY CAPTURE IN WAR,BY VOLUNTARY
SURRENDER FO FREEDOM,BY APOSTOSYFROM ASCETICISM,BY CONNECTION WITH A
FEMALE SLAVE ETC.
THE SLAVES MIGHT BE BOUGHT,GIVEN AWAY OF MORTAGAGED.
THE BRAHAMANA CAN NEVER BE A SLAVE AND THE SALE AND PURCHASE OF A
BRAHAMANA WOMAN ARE TO BE ANNULLED.
A FREE WOMEN MARRYING A SLAVE HERSELF BECAME A SLAVE,BUT A FEMALE SLAVE
BEARING A CHILD OF THE MASTER WAS IMMEDIATELY RELEASED FROM
SEVITUDE.OTHER EMANCIPATION METHODS INCLUDE BY MASTER HIMSELF ON THE
RECEIPT OF THE AMOUNT OF RANSOM.A SLAVE WHO SAVED THE LIFE OF THE MASTER
WAS TO BE RELIEVED FORTHWITH AND HE BECAME ENTITLED TO A SONS
SHARE.FURTHER THE PEOPLE CAPTURED AND SOLD BY A ROBBER OF THOSE
ENSLAVED BY FORCE HAD TO BEEMANCIPATED.

CERTAIN DISABILITIES---A SLAVE COULD NOT BE A JUDICIAL WITNESS

EXCEPT IN THE LAST RESORT; ALEGAL ACT DONE BY A SLAVE IS VOID
EXCEPT EXCEPT WHEN DONE WITH THE PERMISSION OF THE MASTER.
BENEFITS------1)HE WAS TO BE TREATED AS THE SUBORDINATE MEMBER OF THE HOUSE
HOLD AND IT WAS THE MASTERS DUTY TO MAINTAIN HIM.
2)IN CASE THE SLVE DIED SONLESS,THE FUNERAL AND THE COMMERATIVE
RITES HAS TO BE DONE BY THE MASTER.
THE PROPERTY OF THE SLAVES ULTIMATELY BELONGS TO THE MASTER AND
THE SONS OF THE SLAVE HAS NO RIGHT OVER THEM.
3)THE MASTERS ARE FORBIDDEN TO LEAVE SLAVE IN THE OLD AGE OR TO
GIVE THEM CORPORAL PUNISHMENT.
4)THERE SHOULD NOT BE ANY SALE OF CHILDREN EXCEPT IN EMERGENCY.
5)THE SLAVES COULD NOT BE FORCED TO DO DEFILING WORK.
6)THE STATE TO INTERFERE IN THOSE CASES WHERE THE MASTERS TREAT
THEM BADLY.
IT FOLLOWS FROM THAT ,THE INSTITUTION OF SLAVERY WAS PRESENT IN
INDIA BUT THEY WERE TREATED HUMANLYAND LIBERALLY