Shudras in Ancient India: A Social History of the Lower Order down to circa A.D. 600 c8.238

c8.238

Obviously the crafts mentioned above were practised by the members of the Āryan community (*viś*), and no social stigma was attached to them. A later passage from the *Ṛg Veda* describes the carpenter as one who usually bends over his work till his back aches.¹ This may convey some idea of the difficult nature of his work, but implies no contempt for it. That the carpenters were a low caste, or formed a separate class of the people is certainly not true of Vedic times.² But the smith (*karmāra*), the carpenter (*takṣan*), the tanner (*carmamna*),³ the weaver and others, whose occupations were quite dignified in the *Ṛg Veda* and apparently practised by respected members of the *viś*, came to be reckoned as śūdra in the Pāli texts.⁴ It is likely that non-Āryans also pursued these crafts independently,⁵ but there is no doubt that many descendants of Āryan artisans, who stuck to their old professions, were relegated to the position of the śūdras.