and culture. The word "ārya" had received some sanctity, and had become rather a title to be applied to properly qualified people, than a word expressive of the recently-born conception of race. Occidental scholars, who usually attach more importance to the study of Vedas than to the later Sanskrit literature, revived the long-forgotten Vedic meaning of the word, and made it once more current, although since the beginning of India's characteristic civilization (say from the close of Rig Veda) until 1800 A. D. the word had a meaning entirely different.[1]
According to our writer, any man who is not Mlechcha, Dasyu, Vrātya, Vāhya, Shūdra, is an ārya. The word is used in the sense of honorable man (viii, 395). He contrasted ārya with Mlechcha. Mlechchas were barbarians whose country was other than the country of the āryas and who spoke language different from those which āryas spoke (ii, 22, 23; X, 45).[2]
Dasyus were persons who were neither Brāhmanas, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas, nor Shūdras (x, 45). Who these Dasyus were we do not know exactly. At v, 131, the term "dasyu" is applied to "Chándalas and others."[3]
- ↑ I know of a case which occurred about ten years ago in the Maratha country, in which two young men, returning from England and Japan, submitted to a fine imposed on them by the Brahmins. The former was fined one hundred and fifty rupees because he went to a Mlechchha country, and the latter was fined one hundred and twenty rupees because he went to an ārya country, but crossed the sea, and did not observe proper ceremonial on the way.
- ↑ I do not think that the words of these passages mean languages of the Turanian or the Dravidian group. They cannot be so interpreted, unless we add a good deal of modern fancy to the statements of the original.
- ↑ I am of the opinion that at this time there was no such caste as Dasyus, but the word had become a classical term of
