174 Part III: South Asia
Vaishyas to Shudras. From this same sacrifice came not only the four human
orders but all the beasts of the air (birds), forests (wild animals), and villages
(domesticated animals), as well as the sacred language of verses, chants, and
formulas. So, we are to assume, the four hierarchical categories of humans
were established at the very founding of the universe, the core of the human
social order, on a par with the animal species.
This four-way classification is known as the varna system, a simple for-
mula that can be stretched in numerous ways; it provides four slots to which all
kinds of social groups can be assigned. As new social groups or farming com-
munities or tribes were encountered and absorbed by society, their subgroups
were assigned to one of these four categories. In South India, the actual groups
were different from those in the north or west, yet the varna system served well
enough to categorize groups into the hierarchical order so that an unknown
group’s place in the hierarchy could be recognized from any part of India.
However, these varna categories are not castes. Though there are four main
varnas, there are thousands of castes, and these are the actual relevant commu-
nities for individuals and families. In any one area there may only be a handfulBox 5.5 The Cosmic SacrificeWhen the gods performed the sacrifice with Purusha as the offering, spring was
the clarified butter, summer the fuel, autumn the oblation. They anointed Purusha, the
sacrifice born at the beginning, upon the sacred grass. With him the gods, perfected
beings, and sages sacrificed. From that sacrifice in which everything was offered, the
melted fat was collected, and he made it into those beasts who live in the air, in the
forest, and in villages. From that sacrifice in which everything was offered, the verses
and chants were born, the meters were born from it, and from it the formulas were
born. Horses were born from it, and those other animals that have two rows of teeth;
cows were born from it, and from it goats and sheep were born.
When they divided Purusha, into how many parts did they apportion him? What do
they call his mouth, his two arms and thighs and feet? His mouth became the Brah-
min; his arms were made into the Kshatriya (warrior); his thighs the Vaishyas (the peo-
ple); and from his feet the Shudras (servants) were born. The moon was born from his
mind; from his eye the sun was born. Indra and Agni came from his mouth, and from
his vital breath the Wind was born. From his navel the middle realm of space arose;
from his head the sky evolved. From his two feet came the earth, and the quarters of
the sky from his ear. Thus they set the worlds in order.
There were seven enclosing-sticks for him and thrice seven fuel-sticks, when the
gods, performing the sacrifice, bound Purusha as the sacrificial beast. With the sacri-
fice the gods sacrificed to the sacrifice. These were the first dharmas. These very pow-
ers reached the dome of the sky where dwell the perfected beings, the ancient gods.
Rig Veda 10.90
Source: Wendy Doniger O’Flaherty, 1988.