What were the four varnas? Which sources tell us about them? Was the varna system followed everywhere?
The four varnas were:
1. Shudras (Artisans and Workers)
2. Vaishyas (Farmers, Merchants and Business people)
3. Kshatriyas (Warriors, Police and Administrators)
4. Brahmana (Priests, Teachers and Intellectuals)
The first mention of the Varna system was found in Purusha Suktam verse of the ancient Sanskriti Rig Veda. The division of the varna is to distribute the responsibilities among various people and to maintain the purity of caste and establish eternal order.
This system was followed by people in the Vedic Society, but not everyone in the Indian subcontinent.