Caste and Race in India c7.29

c7.29

Besides the four orders are mentioned in the Rigveda, occupations like blacksmith, leather-worker, barber, physician, goldsmith, merchant, and chariot-builder. We do not know which of these occupations were comprised in any of the four orders, nor can we say that each of them constituted a separate class. We know for certain that the status of the Rathakāra—the chariot-builder—was high enough to preclude his being classified with the Śūdras. The formulæ for placing the sacrificial fire include one for the Rathakāra, indicating his high status even in religious matters.