Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun A member of the second-lowest of the four major castes of traditional Indian society, comprising farmers, herders, merchants, and businessmen.
- adjective Of or relating to the class of Vaisyas.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun A member of the third caste among the Hindus—that is to say, of the main body of the Aryan people, as distinguished on the one hand from the priestly and noble classes, the Brahmans and Kshatriyas, and on the other hand from the subjugated aborigines, the Sudras and others, and from degraded outcasts. In modern times they are divided into many sub-castes.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun The third of the four great original castes among the Hindus, now either extinct or partially represented by the mercantile class of Banyas. See the Note under
caste , 1.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun Alternative form of
Vaishya .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun a member of the mercantile and professional Hindu caste; the third of the four main castes
- noun the third of the four varnas: the commoners or yeoman farmers or mercantile and professional category
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
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Examples
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It happened on the morning after the festival of Mahashivaratri-the Great Night of Shiva-when, weakened by fasting and loosened by a kind of spiritual hangover, Navin revealed to Kudra that he adored horses and that during his youth had entertained the impossible dream of miraculously transcending Vaisya, the merchant caste, and ascending to Kshatriya, the warrior caste, so that he might ride.
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Buddha's fault was he preached a casteless society which challanged brahminical Manu Smriti-the four tier Varna System (which placed the brahmins on top of the ladder-Brahamin, Kshtriya, Vaisya and Shudra) -- As somebody said here brahmins made an attempt during British Rule to call themselves Aryans-brahmo samaj-Arya samaj were organanizations estbalished for this purpose-the British rejected this-so began India's freedom struggle-led (to give the devil its due, by brahmins).
Why are South Indians so smart? Steve Sailer 2002
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The park (containing the whole) was the space of ground which the (Vaisya) head Sudatta purchased by covering it with gold coins.
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Ghochira was the name of a Vaisya elder, or head, who presented a garden and vihara to Buddha.
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The Heads of the Vaisya families in them establish in the cities houses for dispensing charity and medicines.
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In the city there are many Vaisya elders and Sabaean8 merchants, whose houses are stately and beautiful.
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As you go out from the city by the south gate, and 1,200 paces from it, the (Vaisya) head Sudatta built a vihara, facing the south; and when the door was open, on each side of it there was a stone pillar, with the figure of a wheel on the top of that on the left, and the figure of an ox on the top of that on the right.
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Vaisya: The third caste of farmers and stockbreeders in the Aryan system.
Buddha Armstrong, Karen, 1944- 2001
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If one, who is a Kshatriya or Vaisya, lives in the practice of those duties that are assigned to the Brahmana, after the manner of a Brahmana he becomes (in his next life) a Brahmana.
The Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa, Volume 4 Books 13, 14, 15, 16, 17 and 18 Kisari Mohan [Translator] Ganguli
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Kshatriya, he has to take birth in his next life as a Sudra, a Vaisya, or
The Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa, Volume 4 Books 13, 14, 15, 16, 17 and 18 Kisari Mohan [Translator] Ganguli
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