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Advocates of the varnashrama dharma claim that we should follow the varna professions listed in the dharma shastras. For example:

10.47 - For Sūtas, the management of horses and chariots; for Ambaṣṭhas, the art of healing; for Vaidehakas, the service of women; and for Māgadhas, trade.

10.48 - For Niṣādas, the killing of fish; for Āyogavas, carpentry; and for medas, andhras, Cuñcus and Madgus, the killing of wild animals.

But there is no mention of "software developer", "IT specialist", "engineer", etc. The implication then would be that Indians should not do these jobs, and thus India should not have a modern infrastructure or use modern technology.

But rationally we can understand that these jobs are not mentioned because the dharma shastras were written in the bronze age (3000 BC+) by pundits who were not aware of changes in society that would take place in the future such as modern technology and modern jobs. They assumed that people would still ride horses, chariots, fight with bows, arrows, and swords, etc.

So, we can see that material duties change with time, but spiritual duties, like service to one's parents, do not change.

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    A computer is just electricity (vidyut) through semiconductors (sand). If any brahmin, vaishya or kshatriya used these combinations in the past, and any shudra helped them in this endeavor, then "software engineer" is covered by shastras. Did you possibly wonder that Shastras know, but still, do not care about these mundane modern technological terms ? You think Bhagavan/rishis who wrote rules for Krita Yug are incapable of writing rules for Kali. Well, they did. That rule is nama sankirtan and/or surrender. The rest, they left upto people cos they know people wouldn't listen to rules anyway
    – ram
    Feb 20, 2023 at 20:41
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    @mar "how do you know that's not the intention ?" - Because when "sand" and "vidyut" are used in the shastras, they are not describing computers. Plus electricity was not harnessed until modern times. Shastras assume people will still be using horses, chariots, and bows/arrows, not cars, airplanes, or machine guns. Drinking from river rather than having modern plumbing system, etc. There are so many examples.
    – Ikshvaku
    Feb 21, 2023 at 0:23
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    See. The traditional Shudra professions include things like pottery, shilpa (sculpting), shoe work, the sort of laborious service work that aids the dvijas. Here too, the people are putting in labour to produce a product that would aid the dvijas. Hence software developer is a Shudra. If he codes an ERP, it would serve Vaishyas for their business. If they made a Jyotisha software, it would serve Brahmins. If they produced something general like YouTube, it is for the benefit of all classes similar to actors entertaining and serving the entire society and being classified as shudras.
    – Adiyarkku
    Feb 24, 2023 at 7:43
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    now your question should be, among the existing categories of Shudras like potters, actors, sculptors etc, can we create new categories of Shudras called software developer, and if yes, then from which traditional lineage must such people be procured? Is it correct to make potters software developers and tell them to leave their hereditary business and so also for the other cases. Should the be taken from kayasthas who used to do traditional coding and documentation work?
    – Adiyarkku
    Feb 24, 2023 at 7:45
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    @Adiyarkku Fair points. "Is it correct to make potters software developers and tell them to leave their hereditary business and so also for the other cases. Should the be taken from kayasthas who used to do traditional coding and documentation work?" - Yes, that's a possibility. Also I think Indian society did 100-200 years ago when India was becoming modernized and technologized.
    – Ikshvaku
    Feb 24, 2023 at 13:14

2 Answers 2

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From Varnashrama dharma;

Manu - "The fourth Varna can easily perform their Dharmas. They can worship God in their homes (Applicable to every body), should do service to Brahmins and produce things which are required by others."

Artisans and the like, who produce articles for others, among which the software developer's trade is categorized, is a sudra's occupation.

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    – Pandya ♦
    Dec 27, 2023 at 6:50
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As the name suggests "Developer", Software Developer comes under the category vaishya varna. Because mainly vaishya varna creates, develop, grow and produce.

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  • For vaishyas, only profession is vegetable farming (social websites wrongly mention trade as duty of vaishya ; trade = shudra + mixedcaste
    – ekAntika
    Feb 21 at 13:57
  • No, Vaishyas are not only vegetable farmers, there are many other occupations that comes under vaishyas, In present times those who Vishwakarma(carpenter, designer), Prajapati(clay worker) and others also comes under this category
    – Sam Jam
    Feb 24 at 6:04
  • I am not referring to present day situation of vaishyas. I m referring to vaishya duty as per scriptures.
    – ekAntika
    Feb 24 at 8:43

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