Vaishya

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See also: vaishya

English

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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From Sanskrit वैश्य (vaiśya).

Noun

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Vaishya (plural Vaishyas)

  1. The third caste of traditional Indian society, comprising merchants and landowners.
  2. A member of this caste.
    • 2006, Karen Armstrong, The Great Transformation, Atlantic Books, published 2007, page 307:
      To perform successfully in the marketplace, vaishyas had to be ambitious, to want worldly goods, and to compete aggressively with their rivals, and this "desire" bound them inexorably to the cycle of death and rebirth.

Translations

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Further reading

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