VARNA SYSTEM

1. VARNA SYSTEM

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. 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.

6. 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.

7. 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.

8. 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 VICTOR’S SLAVE. • THE SLAVE’S COULD BE ACQUIRED BY BIRTH IN THE MASTER’S 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 SON’S SHARE.FURTHER THE PEOPLE CAPTURED AND SOLD BY A ROBBER OF THOSE ENSLAVED BY FORCE HAD TO BEEMANCIPATED.

9. 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 MASTER’S 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