Varna and access to property

The Brahmanical View: Varna as a Gatekeeper to Wealth

The Brahmanical texts (the Dharmasutras and Dharmashastras) did not only use gender to decide who could own property. They used varna as a second, equally important criterion. The logic was simple: the texts prescribed that the only occupation for a Shudra was servitude. In contrast, men of the first three varnas — Brahmana, Kshatriya, and Vaishya — were allowed a range of occupations. If these rules were actually followed in practice, the richest men in society would inevitably be Brahmanas and Kshatriyas.

This was not just a theoretical idea. Other textual traditions, when describing priests and kings, confirm that this matched social reality to some extent. Kings are almost always shown as wealthy. Priests are generally shown as rich too, though there are occasional stories of a poor Brahmana. So the Brahmanical framework, if implemented, directly linked higher varna status to greater access to wealth.

The Buddhist Challenge: A Radical Rejection of Birth-Based Status

While the Brahmanical view was being written down, other traditions were developing sharp critiques of the entire varna order. The most famous of these came from early Buddhism, from around the sixth century BCE onwards.

Buddhists did not deny that differences existed in society. But they refused to see these differences as natural or fixed. Most importantly, they rejected the idea that a person’s status could be claimed on the basis of birth. This was a direct attack on the core of the varna system.

The Story of the Wealthy Shudra: A Buddhist Argument for Equality

A story from a Buddhist text in Pali, the Majjhima Nikaya, makes this Buddhist attitude very clear. It is a dialogue between a king named Avantiputta and a disciple of the Buddha named Kachchana. The story may not be literally true, but it reveals a powerful argument.

The king first asks Kachchana what he thinks about the Brahmana claim that they are the best caste, the fairest, the purest, and the sons of Brahma. Kachchana does not argue about birth or purity. Instead, he asks a practical question: “What if a Shudra were wealthy… would another Shudra… or a Kshatriya or a Brahmana or a Vaishya… speak politely to him?”

The king admits that if a Shudra had wealth — corn, gold, or silver — he could have anyone as his obedient servant: another Shudra, a Kshatriya, a Brahmana, or a Vaishya. That servant would get up earlier, go to rest later, carry out orders, and speak politely.

Kachchana then asks the decisive question: “This being so, are not these four varnas exactly the same?” The king concedes that there is no difference amongst the varnas on this count.

Key Points to Remember …