Kayastha or Kayasth or Kayeth is a caste

Caste

Caste is an elaborate and complex social system that combines elements of endogamy, occupation, culture, social class, tribal affiliation and political power. It should not be confused with race or social class, e.g. members of different castes in one society may belong to the same race, as in India...

 or community of Hindus originating in India. Kayastha means "scribe" in Sanskrit

Sanskrit

Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...

, and has traditionally denoted members of the writer caste.

According to the Hindu scriptures known as the Puranas, Kayasthas are descended from King Chitragupta

Chitragupta

Chitragupta is a Hindu god assigned with the task of keeping complete records of actions of human beings on the earth. Upon their death, Chitragupta has the task of deciding heaven or the hell for the humans, depending on their actions on the earth...

, a deity tasked by Brahma

Brahma

Brahma is the Hindu god of creation and one of the Trimurti, the others being Vishnu and Shiva. According to the Brahma Purana, he is the father of Mānu, and from Mānu all human beings are descended. In the Ramayana and the...

, the god of creation, with recording the deeds of humanity, upholding justice and the rule of law and judging whether human beings go to heaven or hell upon death.

Kayasthas are considered a Forward Caste, as they do not qualify for any of the reservation benefits

Reservation in India

Reservation in India is a form of affirmative action designed to improve the well being of socially backward and underrepresented communities of citizens in India. There are laws in place, wherein a certain percentage of total available slots in Jobs and Education are set aside for people from...

 administered by the Government of India

Government of India

The Government of India, officially known as the Union Government, and also known as the Central Government, was established by the Constitution of India, and is the governing authority of the union of 28 states and seven union territories, collectively called the Republic of India...

.
Kayasthas belonging to different regions and ethnic groups within India claim different varna status, a topic which has been a subject of debate.