Kshatriya (from
kshatra, "rule, authority") is one of the four
varna (social orders) of the
Hindu society. The
Sanskrit term
kshatriya is used in the context of
Vedic society wherein members organised themselves into four classes:
brahmin,
kshatriya,
vaishya and
sudra. Traditionally, the kshatriya constituted the ruling and military elite. Their role was to protect society by fighting in wartime and governing in peacetime.