Unlock Elite Access: Level Up Your Preparation with Exclusive Content

Sociology Optional PYQ Solutions · Model answer

Write short note: Varna-asrama dharma.

  • UPSC 1996
  • Caste System

Varnashrama dharma is the normative architecture of the classical Hindu social order: duty (dharma) is not universal but varies with the group one is born into (varna) and the stage of life one occupies (ashrama). Codified in the Dharmashastras, it is the textual charter that the book-view of Indian society takes for social reality.

You are reading the opening of the model answer. The full answer is part of Sociology Optional PYQ Solutions.

What the full answer covers

  • The two axes
  • Dharma as svadharma
  • Its sociological function
  • The critique, and what survives
  • Conclusion

Unlock this answer and 1,500+ more

  • 1,500+ solved UPSC Sociology PYQs from 1985 to 2026, Paper-1 and Paper-2
  • Topic-wise across all 25 syllabus units, newest exam year first
  • A full model answer for every question, shaped to 10 or 20 marks, with thinkers and Indian examples
  • Read online on lotusarise.com, plus PDF download

₹1,499₹2,50040% off

Get Sociology Optional PYQ Solutions @ ₹1,499 →

One-time payment · 12 months of access · Instant access · UPI, cards, RuPay

See every Caste System question (92 solved) →Already enrolled? Log in