Asvaghosa - a great champion of casteless society

Asvaghosa was an eminent poet of his time who is associated with the reign of Kaniska-I, the Kusana ruler. The society in the times of Asvaghosa was traditional consisting of four castes viz. Brahmanas, Ksatriyas, Vaisyas and Sudras. Brahmanas seem to have dominated the society unabated even upto the time of Asvaghosa. The prevailing caste distinctions did not satisfy his rational mind. Through his work Vajrasuci which is a clever piece of polemic arguing against Brahmanas claims of superiority, he laboured to establish the principle of equality of all human beings. He puts the arguments based on the Vedas, the Epics, and the Law books in a convincing manner and concluded that the four Varna systems depend on virtuous conduct not on birth.