Where do butchers and prostitutes fall among the four varnas – are they outcastes?
Answer Podcast
Where Do Butchers and Prostitutes Fall Within the Four Varnas – Are They Outcastes?
Question: Where do people like prostitutes or butchers fall within the Varnashrama system? Do their actions place them outside the four varnas because they go against the principles of dharma?
Answer: There is no intrinsic guarantee that every person within the Varnashrama system will naturally uphold the four pillars of dharma. For instance, kshatriyas are traditionally warriors. While some kshatriyas may fight to protect dharma, others may fight merely to seize power, thereby harming dharma.
This brings us to the core question: can professions that appear intrinsically opposed to dharmic principles be accommodated within Varnashrama? The Varnashrama system can be understood at different levels. At one level, it categorizes people based on innate propensities and the contributions they make to society. At another level, it considers whether individuals possess the culture, discipline, and virtue to make those contributions in a manner that benefits both themselves and society.
Take the example of those with a propensity for control or physical aggression. They could become protectors of law and order — aligned with the kshatriya function — or they could become criminals, such as members of a mafia. The activity itself doesn’t automatically place someone inside or outside the varnas; it is also about how and why the activity is performed.
If someone does not have the training, discipline, or moral grounding to contribute constructively, they may be considered an outcaste. However, this label reflects their disconnection from the spirit of Varnashrama, not necessarily from a birth-based identity.
In terms of societal contribution, the four varnas align broadly with four domains:
- Brahmanas – Those who contribute intellectually and spiritually (through wisdom, teaching, rituals).
- Kshatriyas – Those who contribute in governance and protection.
- Vaishyas – Those who generate resources (through trade, agriculture, commerce).
- Shudras – Those who offer functionality and artistry to society (craftspeople, service providers, laborers).
Professions such as butchery or prostitution can be categorized within this fourth group — the Shudra varna — based on the functional and artistic services they provide in society.
- Butchers fulfill a functional need in societies where meat consumption is prevalent. Their role is based on providing food that some segments of society consume.
- Prostitutes, in societies where such services exist, offer sensual pleasure, which may be seen as an expression of artistry or service linked to physical beauty and desire.
So, from the perspective of function and contribution, these roles can be included within the Varnashrama framework — specifically under the Shudra varna.
However, traditional scriptures often assess professions not just by their utility but also by their alignment with dharmic values. Professions considered to promote uncontrolled indulgence — such as indiscriminate meat consumption or commodification of sexuality — may be viewed as contrary to dharma. As such, practitioners of these professions were sometimes classified as outcastes due to their perceived lack of cultural refinement and discipline.
Over time, as Varnashrama degenerated into a rigid caste system, these functional distinctions became ossified into birth-based labels. This led to presumptions — for instance, that foreigners or people outside the Indian subcontinent, due to different dietary or cultural practices, were automatically deemed outcastes. Similarly, someone born into a Brahmin family was assumed to be a Brahmana, regardless of actual qualities or conduct.
In reality, if we return to the original spirit of Varnashrama as a system based on personal inclination and social contribution, it is far more inclusive. The four varnas represent the different ways people can meaningfully serve society — through knowledge, governance, resource generation, or functional/artistic services. Everyone has a place within this framework if their work is done ethically and contributes to societal harmony.
Thus, even professions traditionally seen as controversial can be understood within the Varnashrama system when viewed through a lens of function and contribution rather than ritual purity or birth-based hierarchy.