Varna change

brahma-xatra movements

  • Generally, transgression of kShatriya-s into brAhma tends to have a subversive tendency (bauddha, jaina, sikh matas). Transgression of (non-fallen) brAhmaNas into kShAtra (as in shunga-s, kadamba-s and marATha-s) generally tended to produce conservative rulers.

Routes

  • Marriage route: It was theoretically possible to rise in varNa in a few generations by means of a series of a series of marriages. But there is nearly no evidence of this happening in practice.

Ritual and reincarnation route

  • Possibly from ritual success: SB 10.4.1.10 [SB, SB_tr]
  • AB 7.29 [sAyaNa] speaks of offspring of a kSatriya sacrificer becoming brAhmaNam/vaishya/shUdra due to ritual errors.

Fall in varNa

  • It was relatively easy to fall in varNa (though not encouraged). The dharmashAstra-s allowed each varNa to take up the profession of the varNa following it, in case of trouble or inability to sustain oneself and one’s dependents using one’s own permitted avocations; though one was required to return to one’s profession when the trouble was past. Within 3-4 generations, this change would be permanent.
  • kShatriya-s and brAhmaNa-s taking up the profession of vaiShya-s.
  • brAhmaNa-s taking up the profession of kShatriya-s.

Ascent to brAhmaNa-hood

  • kApAlika-s, supposedly founded by a vaishya and his shUdra student, attempted significant subversion of the varNAshrama-dharma - as attested by rAmAnuja. [MT]

युगक्षय एको वर्णः

Nāgeśabhaṭṭa in his Vrātyatāprāyaścittanirṇaya quotes Matsya Purāṇa to say that in Kaliyuga there shall be only one varṇa, like there was only one varṇa in Satyayuga.

अन्त्या मध्या भविष्यन्ति
मध्याश्चाऽन्त्या न संशयः ।
ब्राह्मणाः क्षत्रिया वैश्या
न शिष्यन्ति जनाधिप ॥
एकवर्णस् तदा लोको
भविष्यति युगक्षये ।

इत्युक्तेः ।
युगक्षये कलाव् अन्त्याः शूद्राः मध्याः क्षत्रियाः वैश्याः
शूद्रास् तत्सदृशाः,
स्वधर्मं सर्वथा त्यक्त्वा तिष्ठन्तीत्यर्थः ।

तत्र क्षत्रिय-वैश्य-नाशो मात्स्य-वैष्णवयोः स्पष्टम् एवोक्तः सर्वथोच्छेद-रूपः ।
ब्राह्मण-नाशस् तु स्व-धर्म-हान्येति बोध्यम् ।
विप्राणाम् अपि शूद्राचारत्वाद् एकवर्ण इत्य् उक्तम् ।
यथा सत्ययुगे सर्वेषां धर्म-निष्ठत्वाद् एकवर्णत्वं मात्स्यादिषूक्तम् ।