Short answers, pulled from the story.
Vaishya is one of the four varnas of the Vedic Hindu social order, ranked third below Brahmins and Kshatriyas. The Bhagavad Gita assigns Vaishyas the duties of agriculture, cattle-rearing, trade, and business pursuits.
Dvija means "twice born" and refers to a spiritual second birth following a sacrament of initiation in Hindu theology. Vaishyas hold dvija status alongside Brahmins and Kshatriyas, which sets these three varnas apart from the fourth.
Indian traders, credited to the Vaishya mercantile community, were widely recognized for spreading Indian culture to regions as far as Southeast Asia. Trade routes carried not only goods but also religious practices, language, and artistic traditions.
Historian Ram Sharan Sharma argued that the Gupta Empire was a Vaishya dynasty. Sharma suggested it may have appeared as a reaction against oppressive rulers.
Many Vaishyas are vegetarian due to the influence of Jainism and Buddhism, both of which teach the concept of ahimsa, which forbids killing animals for food.
Hindu religious texts originally assigned Vaishyas to agriculture and cattle-rearing, but over time they became landowners, traders, and money-lenders. They also held the traditional duty of providing sustenance or patronage for the higher varnas.