Varna

Varna: Class

The word //varna// (literally meaning colour) is used in Hindy philosophies to describe the nature (//swabhava//) of a man. It initially had to do with the sophistication and spiritual refinement of a man, and quickly got attached to the profession of a man. http://www.kamat.com/indica/caste/

"The varna system is first clearly explained in the famous Purusha Sukta of the Rig Veda, perhaps humanity's oldest book. The hymn describes the entire universe in the form of a human being, a cosmic person called the 'Purusha'. From this cosmic person the human social order is modeled with the Brahman or intellectual class deriving from his head, the Kshatriya or warrior class from his arms, the Vaishya or merchant class from his thighs and the Shudras or servants from his feet." http://www.hindunet.com/forum/showflat.php?Cat=&Number=69438&Main=11325 (emma c)
 * __Found this on HinduNet- A Forum from Hindu Universe.__**