What is the literal meaning of antyaja, a term used for certain social categories in medieval India?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → Born outside the system
Option (1) Serving the twice-born — Incorrect. Service to the higher varnas was the duty laid on the Shudra. Antyaja names people born outside the system.
Option (2) Born of mixed varnas — Incorrect. Mixed varna origin is a different idea. Antyaja means those outside the varna order altogether.
Option (3) Living at the end of the village — Incorrect. The term marks people placed outside the caste order. The place where they lived in a village is a different matter.
Option (4) Born outside the system — Correct. Antyaja literally means born outside the system. Such groups faced social oppression yet were included within economic networks as cheap labour.
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