Vedic Index of Names and Subjects v2.c4.s7.188

v2.c4.s7.188

2. Varṇa (lit. ‘colour’) in the Rigveda¹ is applied to denote classes of men, the Dāsa and the Āryan Varṇa being contrasted, as other passages² show, on account of colour. But this use is confined to distinguishing two colours: in this respect the Rigveda differs fundamentally from the later Saṃhitās and Brāhmaṇas,³ where the four castes (varṇāḥ) are already fully recognized.