Each caste traditionally has been tied up with a specific function which is essential for a complete socio-cultural life. Brahmans who occupy the top most position in the Varna order are divided into a number of Jatis, On the basis of occupational pursuits, with a range from performing of domestic, temple and public rites and rituals, worshipper of Gods and deities to the conduct of initiation rites, marriage ceremonies and death rituals. Although all of their occupations are sacred, yet their occupations are also arranged in a hierarchical order, being punctuated by relative notion of purity and pollution. The social structure of caste society revolves around occupations some of which are sacred and some others are profane.
But there are also occupations, like agriculture which is value neutral, meaning that it can be performed by castes of all categories. is absolutely not a polluting occupation. When one looks at the whole range of occupations one realises that the scale of pollution is calibrated from highly polluting to pollution neutral to highly sacred. As it was mentioned above, some occupations of Brahmans are not wholly sacred, particularly religious activities connected with purificatory rituals. The Brahmans who performs mortality rites and accept gifts from the supposed sinners so as to absolve the latter, occupy a very lowly position among all categories of
Brahmans who occupy the highest position in the Varna order. The occupations of Kshatriya Jatis and Vaishya Jatis are value-neutral and are not polluting. However, they occupy positions the social order below the Brahmans. The Kshatriyas occupy the second position as their occupation involves regality and governance. They maintain law and order and ensure social justice. They are the protectors of the society. The Vaishyas are the traders and farmers. They undertake various occupations, such as farming, animal husbandry, trade and commerce. Their occupations are not completely value neutral. Their occupations are susceptible to commitment of sins in terms of the ideal norms of the society.
The Shudra Varna incorporates a large number of Jatis who are divided into two broad categories, pure or higher Shudra and impure or lower Shudra. A large number of occupations are practised by the Shudras. A clean Shudra Jati is one from whom members of an orthodox Brahman accepts water, and conversely an impure Shudra is one from whom an orthodox Brahman does not accept water. The first three Varnas are Dwijas or twice-born whereas the castes of the Shudra Varna are Ekaja or once-born.
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Caste is both a structural and a cultural concept. It is a structural concept from the point of view of the fact that a caste society has a definite structure based on the ideology of purity and pollution. The twin concept of purity and pollution paradoxically attracts different castes to a common platform of interaction, yet some sort of repulsion also governs their interrelationship. Structure as it is construed is based on expected or ideal mode of relationship in the totality of organisation of caste society. From cultural point of view, each caste has a definite set of intercaste relational values which are in the minds of the actors in the form of knowledge about caste rites, duties, privileges, immunites, entitlements and position in the social order.
Caste society is complex in structure and it creates discrimination. The interrelationship between castes is not a simple one. It is not only horizontal or vertical, tangential and cross as well as diadic, triadic and multiplex. At the organisational level people belonging to different castes appropriately sort out their own level of and nature of interaction with members of other castes. A caste or sub-caste is homogeneous, but the caste society is heterogenous with complex structure. Social and economic interrelationship between castes is based on age-old norms and values. At the integration level higher castes are privileged, particularly the Brahmans who get all the required services from castes of Shudra Varna and protection and economic patronage from the Kshatriyas and Vaishyas. Right from the inception of the caste system they have appropriated for themselves the most prestigious and intellectual activities, leaving all onorous, profane and strainuous occupations for others.
Manu and Yajnavalkya, the ancient law givers and authors of caste system have delineated caste norms, rules, ethics and code of conduct for various castes. This they have done keeping in view the totality of social order or caste system. The hierarchical order of Hindu caste society is not uniform all over the country. There are regional variations in the hierarchical order, but so far as the Varna order is concerned it is uniform all over the country. Lack of uniformity in the hierarchical order is evident and conspicuous among the castes of the Shudra Varna. The problem here is, for example, the vocational castes are not the unanimous with regards to their hierarchical positions. Each claims superiority over others with justification. Others also provide counter-justification for not accepting a particular vocation caste as socially superior to their’s.