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GCSE Religious Studies · key term
One of the four traditional social classes in Hindu society, associated with different roles and responsibilities.
Used by AQA and Eduqas
Paper 1
Revise: Meaning of DharmaVarnashrama dharma concerns responsibilities associated with varna, meaning social class, and ashrama, meaning stage of life. The underlying idea is that people have different responsibilities because they occupy different roles.
Paper 1, Paper 3
One of the four traditional broad categories of Hindu society: Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vaishya and Shudra.
Revise: Prejudice and Discrimination in HinduismVarna means one of four broad traditional social categories: Brahmins, associated with priestly and teaching roles; Kshatriyas, with ruling and protecting; Vaishyas, with farming and trade; and Shudras, with service and labour. Caste is more complex: it includes numerous communities whose membership and status have been inherited by birth.
A traditional Hindu social category associated with particular responsibilities.
Explain both parts of varnashrama dharma: varna concerns social class; ashrama concerns stage of life.
Do not describe Dalits as a fifth varna: they were traditionally excluded from the four-varna system.
Gandhi opposed untouchability but retained a role for varna; Ambedkar wanted to dismantle caste divisions.
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