Yatis and Vratyas

Summary

The article “Yatis and Vratyas” investigates the origins and social character of the Vratyas and their relationship to Yatis (Jain monks). Drawing on Vedic texts such as the Pancavimsa Brahmana, Atharvaveda and various Upanishads, the author argues that the Vratyas constituted a distinct non‑Vedic society in eastern India. They possessed their own language, customs and behaviour and were not initiated into Brahmanical rituals. The Atharvaveda and other sources describe them as uninstructed in Agnihotra and ignorant of Vedic sacrificial rites. The article notes that they opposed Vedic customs and renounced violent sacrifices, as indicated by the Atharvaveda. They were therefore excluded from Vedic sacrifices and were described as urdhva‑medhira yogis. Archaeological parallels suggest that the Vratyas may have been related to the Indus Valley civilisation. Originally the Vratyas are said to have been divided into two groups: Arhant (holy men) and Yaudha (warriors). Later sources mention three classes – Vratya Brahmana, Vratya Kshatriya and Vratya Vaishya – indicating that the community had its own internal hierarchy. They were described as “uninitiated and unperformed by the Vedic customs” because they had no Brahmanical discipline. Their lifestyle included wandering, wearing black garments, carrying wooden swords and practising austerities. The author points out that many of these traits resemble those of Jain yatis. Both groups advocated ahimsa, rejected animal sacrifice, practised meditation and possessed knowledge of yoga. Some Vratya groups went naked like later Digambara monks, while others wore simple garments and observed celibacy. By comparing the terminology and practices of Vratyas with passages in Jain canonical texts such as the Acaranga‑sutta, the author suggests that the Vratyas represent an early stratum of the broader śramana tradition that later crystallised into Jainism and Buddhism. This perspective provides a bridge between the pre‑Vedic ascetic cultures and the fully articulated monastic orders of later centuries. The article also surveys the use of the term “yati” in various Indian contexts. In Jainism the term denotes ascetics who observe the five great vows, whereas in Brahmanical literature yatis are sometimes depicted as heretical wanderers. The author argues that by the post‑Vedic period the Vratyas became increasingly associated with Jain and Ajivika communities and eventually assimilated into them. The classification of Vratyas into Brahmana, Kshatriya and Vaishya echoes the three divisions of Jain householders and monks. Thus, the study sheds light on the fluid religious landscape of ancient India and shows how the marginalised Vratyas helped shape the ascetic ideals embodied by Jain yatis.