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Varṇa and Āśrama

Varṇa and Āśrama. Textual Sources (in brief). The Veda (revealed scripture): 3 collections of ritual liturgy – hymns, formulas, commentary Ritual Codes (Sūtras) >> Dharmasūtras Political Science (Arthashastra) Epics (Mahabharata, Ramayana) Inscriptions (Epigraphy) Other documents. Varṇa.

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Varṇa and Āśrama

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  1. Varṇa and Āśrama

  2. Textual Sources (in brief) The Veda (revealed scripture): 3 collections of ritual liturgy – hymns, formulas, commentary Ritual Codes (Sūtras) >> Dharmasūtras\ Political Science (Arthashastra) Epics (Mahabharata, Ramayana) Inscriptions (Epigraphy) Other documents

  3. Varṇa • Varṇa: 4 ‘estates’ or ‘classes’ of Ārya society • schema mentioned first in Rig-Veda 10.90 • *Brahmins: repositories, teachers of Veda • *Kṣatriyas: rulers, protectors, warriors • *Vaiśyas: ‘commoners’; producers, merchants, • Śūdras: servants of the Ārya classes • Males of the first three are entitled to take initiation into study of the Veda, and having done so to wear the sacred thread as a marker of belonging to the Ārya classes. • The Dharmasūtras (Mauryan or post-Mauryan supplements to the Vedic ritual codes) make of this a duty incumbent upon all born into these classes, so that some minimal Veda study becomes (at least in theory) the criterion of Ārya status.

  4. Āśrama • Āśrama: mode(s) of life • 4 sequential ones, acc. to Manu • apply only ‘twice-born’ males • Veda-student (brahmacārin) • Householder • Forest-dwelling hermit • Wandering mendicant (sannyāsin, muni) Schema applies only to upper-varṇa males; the sequential model was developed to reconcile traditional, worldly duties with otherworldly orientations that had gained acceptance in Brahmin circles during the Mauryan period (the age of the Buddha and the Upanisads).

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