Warriors and rulers belong to the Kshatriya varna. Historically, this varna has contained most of the political leaders and kings, and it closely resembles the noble class of medieval Europe.

The third varna, called the Vaisyas, somewhat resembles the modern American middle class. Merchants, farmers, and artisans make up the vaishya varna.

The Sudra varna is the lowest of the four. The people who do hard work and labor are part of this varna, which very closely resembles the medieval European peasant class.