Q1.
You may have heard the English word ‘caste’. It comes from a Portuguese word, casta, as Portuguese travellers to India in the 16th century CE tried to make sense of Indian society. While a few scholars consider ‘caste’ to refer to varṇas, most take it to apply to jātis; yet others consider ‘caste’ to refer to the whole varṇa–jāti system.
Answer
The point of this box: ‘caste’ is not an Indian word at all. It is a foreign label pasted on to an Indian reality, and that is why it is used so loosely.
| Word | Where it comes from | What it actually refers to |
|---|---|---|
| Varṇa | A concept that emerged from Vedic texts | Four broad categories — Brahmins (preserving and spreading knowledge, performing rituals), Kshatriyas (defending society and the land), Vaishyas (increasing wealth through trade, business or agriculture), Shudras (artisans, craftspeople, workers or servants) |
| Jāti | Indian society itself | A group or community with a specific professional occupation tied to its livelihood, its skill passed from generation to generation, often further divided into sub-jātis with their own customs about marriage, rituals and food |
| Caste | Portuguese casta, used by travellers of the 16th century CE | Used by a few scholars for varṇa, by most for jāti, and by yet others for the whole varṇa–jāti system |
Why the confusion arose: the Portuguese arrived at a society organised in two overlapping ways at once — a fourfold varṇa idea from texts, and thousands of living occupational jātis on the ground. They had one word for both, so one word had to stretch over both. Ever since, ‘caste’ has meant slightly different things to different writers.
Tip: when you write about this in an exam, name the Indian term you actually mean — varṇa or jāti — and then say what ‘caste’ is being used for in that sentence. That single habit removes most of the muddle.