The four stations of life in the traditional Vedic or Hindu scripture texts are called varnas, and these varnas correspond to the group structure of Hindu society. This hierarchy of varnas is described by Kinsley:
(1) the Brahmins, who are described as priests and scholars; (2) the Kshatrias, who are said to be warriors and rulers; (3) the Vaishyas, who pursue commerce and trades; and (4) the Shudras, who are described as serfs whose duty it is to serve and support the three higher groups.
The advantages to the well-being of society can be inferred from this description. It is obvious that the first group is associated with wisdom and social ideology, which can also be associated with religious doctrine, or the source of common belief and ritual practice. It is the priestly class, even though not all Brahmins are priests per se. The second group appears to have the duty of enforcement or protection of the doctrine within society; it is the military class. The third group further protects the integrity of society by seeing to its material needs; it is the trading class. All of these groups, says Kinsley, are entitled to study the vedas. In fact, they are obligated to study the vedas as children. The fourth group, which is not given access to the scriptures, is meant to enable the other three, particularly the Brahmins, to flourish. The whole effect is to organize a very populous society and to impose clarity on the shape of that society. Kinsley also mentions a fifth group, below the Shudras, called the untouchables, although in fact no member of one group may touch (i.e., marry) a member of another group. Again, this fosters absolute certainty about how society is organized and where one fits in the scheme of universal order. Another aspect of this hierarchy is that it privileges men over women.
Kinsley explains that in history, Indo-Aryans imposed the formal varna system on indigenous peoples of India. However, the in...