2. Types of Castes
I do not care to reproduce here the dry list of jātis (castes) which our writer has supplied to 11s. Many of the castes which may have been easily recognizable at the period of our author cannot be recognized now. The castes may have changed names, and some of them may even have ceased to exist. We are not again interested in any special caste here, but in the general growth of the system. We are interested in the causes which create social differences amounting to caste. The following kinds of castes are distinguished by our writer:
i. Four original varnas.
ii. Castes which were supposed to be produced by mixture with pure and mixed caste.
iii. Castes which have lost their status on account of neglect of sacred rites.
iv. Castes due to the exclusion of persons from the community
v. Slaves and their descendants.
vi. Peoples excluded from the community of four varnas, as well as their descendants.
The question of the origin and development of the four varnas need not be entered upon here. I intend to give this question a very detailed and independent treatment in another work. Suffice it to say that our author bias simply repeated the Vedic theory of the origin of four varnas from the mouth, arms, thighs, and feet of Purusha in a different form.
they were looked upon unfavorably, much as natives who were heretics were regarded, or, again, much as Englishmen of the last century regarded Dissenters.
