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American Heritage Dictionary:
Vais·ya |
[Sanskrit vaiśyaḥ, settler, homesteader, from viśaḥ, house.]
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Vaishya (Sanskrit: वैश्य Vaiśya) is one of the four varnas of the Hindu social order. According to Vedic tradition, this caste primarily comprises merchants, farmers, cattle-herders and artisans.[1][2]
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According to the sacred Rigveda text in Hinduism, this caste represents the thighs from the sacrifice of the mythical creature Purusha.
According to the Hindu texts, the duties of a Vaishya, as described, are Vāṇijyaṃ (trade), Vaiśya karma (work) and Vvabhāvajaṃ (born of his own nature). The Vaisyas eventually became land-owners, money-lenders and influential traders and are often credited for the evolution of capitalist ideologies in India.[3] The Vaisyas, along with the Kshatriyas, claim to be of the 'twice born' (dvija) castes of the classical theory.[4] Indian traders were widely credited for the spread of Indian culture to regions as far as southeast Asia.[5]
Historically, Vaisyas have played a much larger role in Indian affairs apart from trade and commerce, according to many historians Gupta dynasty of the Gupta Empire was a Vaishya dynasty, according to historian, Ram Sharan Sharma, Guptas were a Vaishya dynasty, "who may have appeared as a reaction against oppressive rulers".[6] A.S. Altekar, a historian and archaeologist, who has written and several books on Gupta coinage,[7] also regarded the caste of the Guptas as Vaishya on the basis of the ancient Indian texts on law, which prescribe the name-ending with Gupta for a member of the Vaishya caste. In opinion of famous art historian Dr. R. A. Agarawala, "Guptas" are said to be of Agrawal Vaishya community, as their Dharana Gotra is one of the gotras among the seventeen and half gotras of Agrawals. The historian H.C. Raychaudhuri, also holds that the Guptas belonged to the Dharana Gotra. According to Raichaudhuri, the Guptas were related to queen Dharini of Agnimitra, wife of the son of king Pushyamitra Shunga. Raychoudhuri drew this theory about the pedigree of the Guptas based on the Riddhapura copper-plate inscription of Prabhabati Gupta, daughter of Chandragupta II. In her records she claimed herself to be a descendant of the Dharana Gotra.
Historians claim King Harsha of North India to be of Vaishya caste.[8][9]
The Vaisya community consist of several jātis, notably the Agrawals, the Barnwals, the Gahois, the Kasuadhans, the Patwa, the Khandelwals, the Mathurs, the Oswals, Aroras, Rastogis, Lohanas and the Maheshwaris of the north; the Arya Vaishyas of the south, the Vaishya Vanis of Konkan and Goa and the Modh, Beesa Neema, Dasa Neema, Dasore, Parekhs and Patidars of the west. [10][11]
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 | American Heritage Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Read more |
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| Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. © 1994-2012 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. All rights reserved. Read more |
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Rhymes. Oxford University Press. © 2006, 2007 All rights reserved. Read more | |
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| Wikipedia on Answers.com. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article Vaishya. Read more |
