| Scholars like Adi Sankara affirm that not only is Brahman beyond all varnas, the man who is identified with Him also transcends the distinctions and limitations of caste. |
| Traditionally, there were four main varnas, plus one group of outsiders. |
| The four distinct Varnas or castes that are mutually exclusive, hereditary, endogamous, and occupation-specific are the Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaisyas, and Sudras. |
| Hinduism recognises four varnas based on occupation and ancestry. |
| While the jati system shares many similarities with the varna system, the jatis are not clear subset of varnas. |
| It became increasingly agricultural and was socially organised around the hierarchy of the four varnas, or social classes. |
