[Pramāṇa](https://indike.org/pramana/) › [Studies](https://indike.org/pramana/ins) › [Polity, law and society](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.polity) › [History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India)](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.polity.kane-1930) › v2.c19.66 # History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v2.c19.66 History of Dharmaśāstra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v2.c19.66 - **Language:** English ### [v2.c19.66](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.polity.kane-1930.v2.c19.66) The Tai. S. says that 'the vaiśya indeed sacrifices, being desirous of cattle' and that the gods having been defeated were reduced to the condition of being the vaiśyas or '\*viś\* of \*asuras\*';¹⁰⁰ 'the vaiśya among men, cows among beasts, therefore they are to be enjoyed (to be eaten, to be subsisted upon) by others; they were produced from the receptacle of food; therefore they exceed others in numbers'.¹⁰¹ The Tai. Br. says 'the vaiśya class is said to have been born from ṛk verses, they declare the Yajurveda as the origin of the kṣatriya, the Sāmaveda is indeed the source of brāhmaṇas '.¹⁰² The same Brāhmaṇa further says 'the viś go away from (reside separately from) the brāhmaṇas and kṣatriyas'. The Tāṇḍya Br. says¹⁰³ 'Hence the vaiśya, though being eaten (i. e. subsisted upon) by others is not exhausted, since he was created from the \*prajanana\* (from the sexual parts of Prajāpati); therefore he has numerous cattle, he has all the gods (as his patrons) and was produced with the Jagatī metre, his season is the rains, therefore he is to be eaten by the brāhmaṇa and the rājanya, since he was created as lower (than those two classes)'. The Śat. Br. (S. B. E. vol. 26 p. 335) says 'He thus assigns to the Maruts a share therein after Indra, whereby he makes the people (viś) subservient and obedient to the nobility'.¹⁰⁴ According to the Ait. Br. 35. 3 the vaiśya is one who is the food of others, who pays taxes to others. These passages show that vaiśyas were entitled to sacrifice, reared cattle, were far more numerous than the other two classes, they had to bear the brunt of taxation, they lived apart from brāhmaṇas and kṣatriyas and were obedient to them. - [Previous: v2.c19.65](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.polity.kane-1930.v2.c19.65) - [Next: v2.c19.67](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.polity.kane-1930.v2.c19.67) - [Up: v2.c19](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.polity.kane-1930.v2.c19) ## Linked texts (5) - [Taittirīyasaṃhitā](https://indike.org/pramana/in.veda.samhita.krsnayajur*taittiriya) — Sanskrit - [Taittirīyabrāhmaṇa](https://indike.org/pramana/in.veda.brahmana.taittiriya) — Sanskrit - [Pañcaviṃśabrāhmaṇa](https://indike.org/pramana/in.veda.brahmana.pancavimsa) — Sanskrit - [Aitareyabrāhmaṇa](https://indike.org/pramana/in.veda.brahmana.aitreya) — Mahidāsa Aitareya, Sanskrit - [Śatapathabrāhmaṇa](https://indike.org/pramana/in.veda.brahmana.satapatha) — Yājñavalkya & Śāṇḍilya (Vedic teacher), Sanskrit --- Source: [https://indike.org/pramana/ins.polity.kane-1930.v2.c19.66](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.polity.kane-1930.v2.c19.66) · Pramāṇa