Caste There are four social groups in the Indian caste system: Brahmins , Kshatriyas , Vaishyas and Shudras. In general , a caste is born and cannot be changed. The four letters indicate what profession a person can practice: Brahmins are priestly castes , Kshatriya warriors and ruling castes , Vaishyas are traders and landowners and Shudras are farmers. In Hinduism, each caste lives according to its own social and religious rules. Roughly the letters are seen as "main cabinets" , " sub-cabinets" but in reality there are many exceptions. The castes which are not born in caste are called casteless or Dalit and they are a step below the traditional hierarchy of Indian society.