SNAPSHOTSocial Life and Duty in Classical India
Much personal behavior in classical India, at least ideally, was regulated according to caste. Each caste was associated with a particular color, with a part of the body of the god Purusha, and with a set of duties.
| Caste (Varna) | Color/Symbolism | Part of Purusha | Duties |
| Brahmin | white/spirituality | head | priests, teachers |
| Kshatriya | red/courage | shoulders | warriors, rulers |
| Vaisya | yellow/wealth | thighs | farmers, merchants, artisans |
| Sudra | black/ignorance | feet | labor |
| Untouchables (outside of the varna system; thus no color and not associated with Purusha) | — | — | polluted labor |
Beyond caste, behavior was ideally defined in terms of four stages of life, at least for the first three varna groups. Each new stage was marked by a samskara, a ritual initiating the person into this new phase of life.
| Stage of Life | Duties |
| Student | Boys live with a teacher (guru); learn Sanskrit, rituals, Vedas; practice obedience, respect, celibacy, nonviolence. |
| Householder | Marriage and family; men practice caste-based career/occupation; women serve as wives and mothers, perform household rituals and sacrifices, actively support children and elders. |
| Retirement | Both husband and wife withdraw to the forests following birth of grandchildren; diminished household duties; greater focus on spiritual practice; sex permitted once a month. |
| Wandering ascetic | Only for men (women return to household); total rejection of ordinary existence; life as wandering hermit without shelter or possessions; caste becomes irrelevant; focus on achieving moksha and avoiding future rebirth. |