Caste as an educational problem

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Caste as an educational iDro"blem.

By

/i^a^LO/m l/trn^XA^^t^ ^oocuCu^

Van • ' y ri Ir R n j n y awTL '^ Q g ■> t /

A.B. (University of California) 1921

TH:-il3IS
Lb.iitted in partial satisfaction of th-^* requirements for the de/2;ree of

MAST"^R OF ARTS

Education

in the
GRADUATTi) DIVISION
of the
UNIVERSITY OF GALIEORIIIA
May, 1922

G(bj3

iDuc. utpri

'I DEFT.

CASTl A3 A5 -BDUCATIOHAL PH0B3*BM*

Contente '

1% Introduction.

/A — 36

/ 2. India ana the Indians. '

^ ry n/

3. The theories of the older Caetti Systems. ^/ ^^

4. Color as the basis of Caste. ^7'^7^

5. The Economio Theory. 70 — ^^

6. Psyohologioal Foundation of the Caste System. S3 — 7**^

7. Educational System ol^ the Poor Ashrfimas. fi?3^l^S

8. Hinduism and the Caete System. /Sj^^*^/

9. Malt ipli oat ion of Castes and its Reeultk;. /Si^l^S

10. Educational Suggestions. /^f^fif
11* Bibliography. 1— X

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BIBLIOGRAPHY*

Author

Book

1. Dr. ^Vestermark

£» Dr. S* C. Bose

3. S. Krislina Swaml Alyar

4. Arrows Smith
6« B* B. Havell

6* Prof. Kaxrauller

7. Dr. Shrldhar t. Ketk%r

9. Shastrl R. Shama

10. Mrs. Sinolair Stevenson
XI. D. Anderson

12. J. B. Pratt

13. Sir Monier Williams

History of Marriage.

Hindus UB They are,
Thaoker Spink, Cal-
outta(ie82)

Ancient India,
London(1911)

Translation of the
Rigyeda, Boston(1886)

History of Aryan Rule

in India, F. A. Stokes^Co.,

Kew york(1918)

History of Ancient Sans-
krit Literature, (1859)

History of Oaste,

Taylor & Carpenter. (1909)

Hindaism, Taylor & Car-
penter, (1909)

Evolution of Caste,
S. P. C. K. Press,
Madras, (1916)

Rites of the Twice Born,
Oxford, (1920)

Peooles of India, Cam-
bridge University Press,
(1913)

India and its Faiths,
pages 183-136

India and the Indians,
Trubner & Co., {1687)
Chaps 2,4.8,10,11

Author ( c out inued )

14, Saraswatl Ram«^ai

16 •

16* Hamaj^ana
17* Maliabiiarata

18 « Chandogya Upanishada

19 • Bruiidarannyak Upanishada

SO. Mitra

81. Mana

22. J. V. Breltiweiser

BookCoontinaed)

High Caste Hindu V«omen.
Philadelphia, Pa., (1887)

List of instunoee of change
in gooial Rank, Journal of
Royal Asiatic iiooiety.
Page 868, (1901)

Translation by H.O.Putt

Vols 1,3,8.

Translation by Max Muller.

Hinduism.

laws of Manu( original &
translation)

Vocational Polymorphism,
Educational foundations,
(Jan. 1921) '

IBTROiiUCTIOU

"8inc6 verbal science hvis no finaj end,
oince life is short, und obstacles impend.
Let centriil facts be picked and firmly fixed.
As swans extract the milk with v.ater mixed."

(Translation from iianekrit)

Under various titles the subject of caste
has been discussed in many a book, essay, article and
newspaper column. Much has been li^ritten giving the
reader one idea or another re^.irdlng the castes that
were established ynd sustained by the Indo-Arynn
people. Eoat of the information re^i^rdin^ this soci 1
Drg-::?.nization program of the Indo-Aryans, tn^t is m'^de
available to Ihe public, v.hether in India or outside,
thr :■_}-■ vrj tin«.£-: lu: t^poeches, is almost invri'ibly
bapfid on zx biased vie^^polnt, i?nd is, therefore, so
fomtuiatsd ;-.s: to supi^ort some narro)?r, sui'jective pur-
pose. The attempt is rarely ever mide to present a
scholarly, unprejudiced analysis ^nd exposition of the
caste system, Vvhich in one form or -inother, has al-
ways been -v^ basic feature of all humm institutions.
After all the various shortcominsS that one can easily
find in the history of the human ruce, history iau;.>t
still be the source of experiences upon which v.e c»n
build for the future.

THe inveetifeutionb into tno f iiares of tne
old InEtltutionB tiave a certain valno. Ih«y present
8 eeriee of w rnlngs nA Injanoti onts* Tiieee are
neoesBtiry In tJie infancy of a civilization when the
governsnent or the et'ite h^e to r^iiee *'Bevare" el^jne
everyehere in order to drive ^^ood conduct home to the
people ?.t l^ir^e by isay of rer^riiiinds nd paniehnents.
Bat tod^iy,it Is claimed that the the tt^te of civili-
sation Ir v.nlch 7.e ire living, does not believe In
any auca "iJewnre" .signs n-ve ^radaaily been doing

aitay \^ltn negations. Today, w^e endorse ro&itive measures
in the edoc^itlon of the rnblic , instead of pro-

hibitive onee th? t hnve en r cterised the p^st* In
fact we believe In ma'^rln^' the peonle *'Avare'* of their
rltchts and responsibilities through uelf re^alizatlon
and understand ine,, r-ther than holding before tneu; tne
"^ware" signs th it inspire f e r -nd its oonsenaenoes
in the form of eliVisn reactions.

It is well to kno^ the c:^rtent of a thln^ ind
<

then speak uboat it. Vision is required to oriticit>e
or commend »inything, s id the Greek pnilosopiier.
This method h^iB not bee folloi^ed in the study of the
problem of the c -tste system, tiaperf lei ^1 examintitlons
by v,ay of noting the existing state of the caste

system or drawing parallels between the social organi-
sations of the Greeks and Eomsns, iiave often been
made. Indians iiHve a vast literature in tJie Sanskrit
language. Some of It dates back to 1500 B« C« There
is much in that anoient literature that commands respect
and admiration even to this day. This llter-^ture wis
produced, socie of it to propose plane for social or-
ganization, and some to justify, preach and establish
those plans. A careful study of such a literature will
reveal the content of the caate system and furnish
internal evidence and explanations. This will be
speaking through the words of the people who were respon-
sible for establishing; such ^^ social org-mizatlDn and
not merely expressing our present day ideas in terms
of the institutions of our time*
Boropean Attitude.

The Hindu caste system Is a great mystery
and is a hard problem for a foreigner to understand
even if he reads volumes uoon volumes on the subject,
living in India for a lon^ time, he finds it difficult
to understand what caste is. He thinks the Hindus
are a very strange peocle and oossessed of some very
peculiar conjjtitation of mind which no foreigner can
pretend to understand. Some cleverly presumptuous men
think that the unscrupulous priesthood h =ve led their

countrymen into this snare of folly to maintain their own
8upremaoy»

Whatever be the case the caste system is
always regarded as an interesting institution. It is
natural that no other feeling than that of amusement
should occur to the English mind! English writers and
speakers can afford to laugh at the defects and contradic-
tions of such an anti^aated and aomplicated institution.
The greater the foll^ in the institutions of the strangers,
the greater is the enjoyment felt. Many an Englishman
has composed a nice little tuble talk with Caste as
his tonic. The American missionary finds the subject
very useful to stimulate the charitable emotions of
his countrymen, ^nd tnut: inducer them to subscribe
money to save the souls of two hundred millions of
peoole from heathenism. His method of saving souls
is in keeping i^ith the tl es. He buys converts to
Christianity. It might ^ell be called a commercial
religion or a religious commercialism.

Other Western writers who discuss the caste
system, do not necessarily do so to bring the folly
to the ' ttentlon fo their countrymen for the j urpose
of ridicule. There jre among these foreigners, some
who look on this question with philosophic Interest,
but it is very little different from the interest

7

felt by an anatomist when he dleeects an or^-nism.

Moreover, these European scholarB Vvho study
this ouestion concentrate their attention on iincleratand-
in^ the present. Some of them formulate the origin
of castes in terms of the evolution of their own society*
That is v.'hy they never cone to any understanding isith an
educated and thoughtful Hindu, Kor have they ever been
able to propose any workable or acceptable modifications
of this much criticised system.

But the natives of India would hive to think of
castes with ouite a different feeling. They cannot afford
to enjoy the ibsurdities. To them it is serious since
it is a life problem for them. An oi^tsider would look
at the Hindu society without any feeling as an anatomist
wo!-ld examine a dead body, But a Hindu cannot remain un-^
moved. The more he thinks about the caste system, his-
toriciily, traditionally and eociologio illy ^nd compares
it with its condition and form of today, the better he
realizes his burden of resDonsibllity. He may dislike to
see the weikneeseji of his social organization, but in
view of the gradual enchroachment of foreign commercial
elements that ^re attempting to destroy caste without

any better substitutes, such a dislike should not be
entertained.

s

Tiie bliss of ignorance may be very pie Bine; bat
tixe price to be paid for it iiardly justifies the cost.
We must stady the problem ^Itii tne aim of finding oat its
best aspects and elimin^ate the shortcomings where they have
crept in.
Castes of India as a v>orld problem*

Caste was for a long time exclnslvely a oroblem
that concerned the inhabitants of India* It is nc^i longer
80. With the increase of ooBurjunioation dae to progress
in oar ^ge, the several groups of human beings are canetant*
ly being brought in touch v ith one another* The social
relit ions of the human family -re widening every day.
< If the problem of Hindu oaates is not sanely ind carefully
solved by the educators, the present chaotic complexity
into vihich the original simple divisions of society have
unfortunately calmin ted, v ill be a grave obstacle in the
path of the gradual unification of the human race. One
fifth of the human family is entan^^led by the oaste system ,
and there is no other single obst^icle of equal magnitude
that o:in threaten the desirable unity of interest md
mutual understanding of the peoples of the v.orld, if ever
it is t ossible rnd ever goin^^; to vorked out.

Europeans find this problem of caste^ that confronts
the Hindus of India, very hard to understand. They have
always had enon^h of their own troubles to attend to;
but the oeonle of the United States sre in h different

oOndition. TJiey have some glaring oaees of oaste In
their population md many suboafcjtes though not legally
or religiously defined. The conduct of these Amerioan
oastee lis pretty nearly elmilar in spirit to that of
the Indian castes in their mutual relationshlng.
Thoughtful Americans would be able to understand the
magnitude of this problem to a considerable degree.
What Americ^>n8 can Do.

It T^ould be a good thing for this Hepublic
if the scholars, nd especially the educators tere^
i^ould take a scientific attitude toward the situation
in India instead of joinln^ iwith the Europeans in
censuring them for an institution vihich due to many
causes has become corrupt and doec not function as
it uas originally designed to function by the Indo-
Aryans. Hindus do welcome Vvholesorae, friendly und
scientific advice and suggestions to modify their so-
cial organization and to set them right. They them-
selves are keenly conscious of the social disinte-
gration and degeneration that is gradually taking
pl^ce in the Hindu society. Hindu leaders in all
walks of life h^ve found themselves unable to touch
this problem of social organization and its badly
needed reconstruction. They are confronted ith
many vital problems of a very serious nature th it need
immediate attention and action to save the country

/o

from deetraction. Moreover, there is one more internal
difficulty in tiieir ^ay. Caste in India its a develop-
ment of at leafet three tjiousand years and all the social
manners and customs of the Hindus are so modeled and
interrelated as to fit the caste system. The more
highly organized a system, the h-^rder it is to change
it. The caste, system is no exception to tills rule.

There h ve been revolts against this system in .its

■ / •

modern form, from the very early period when it .'^Lsumed
a rig-id ^.?nd narrow policy. i3ut most of them succeeded
only in multiplying^ the evils.

Principles antagonistic to the system were
forced into society by the swords of the Mohammedans,
by tne bayonets^ of the Portuguese md by the orgmized
and wealthy missiont: of the Suropeani- and Araericins of
the nineteentn and twentieth centuries, but they ill
failed to make much of an impression. On the contrary
they h'vo ere 2 ted one more oatte of Christians who
observe tne same rules v.ithin their newly created
comm.unity v ith regard to marriage and other social
relationships.

How therefore, ?ifter such attemrts of -an
unsocial and unfriendly character n^ve f^-^iled, is the
time when symp'-thetic and scientific study of the

//

instittttion of oaste snonld be made to discover its
cMef outstanding fe^tureB with their psyohologioal
baoliggrounds*
B^aoational Problem*

^his ia essentially an edaeational problem.
It cannot be solved b^ politicians or economists. For
measares that tiiey would propose to adopt xO. handling
this grave problem would be looked upon with mis-
giving and susi-^icion by the natives of India. These
two a^jencies of modern civilization have culminated
in creating suspicion and at times genaine hatred
among the peoples of the world today. John Mott, the
well known American world tourist, who has spent all
his life in studying the nations of the world, before,
daring and after the War, emphatically r ointed out in
his address to the students of the University of
California, recently that the ^orld is seething with
bitter distrust, suspicion and often inhuman hatred
throughout it.^ length and breadth. "What the world
needs is not politics, economic conferences, religions
propoganda through missionaries, to eradicate the funda-
mental wrong from the world, so much as a human educa-
tion."

Edooationally this problem of the caste

/z

system Is of mighty importance , for it lias claimed
for so many centuries to administer to tite same needs
and requirements of society to which modern education
lays claim* Professor Bolton offers several, broad
and narrow deflnitionp of education in his text book.
One of those definitions exactly corresponds to the aim
laid down in th.e conetitation of the Hindu social
organization. Professor Solton say/ "Education is not
mere trainine; or int-truction in some art bat it is
living actual life. It does not, therefore^ begin
or ^n^ in the school li^alls. Every instigation, lav,^,
custom or social approval and disapr^roval are the
several a^^encies of education; and thet^e ^^hQXi centra-^
lized into one make what is called a social system."
This is the sphere of modern education and It has been
so that of the Hindu caste system. The very existence
of the caste system depends upon the proper v.orking
of all those agjencies which must run so as to uphold
this all embracing institution. Thus the sphere and
function of the caste system is plain.
Plan of Disc as si on.

The plan of discussing the topic of this
thesis consists of three main divisions :-

!• A brief study of the physical nature of
India and an ethnological description of the
peoples inhabiting it. Such an acquaintance

n

with tJie geograpliy of tlie country and the type
of the people Is sn essential prereqaielte for
any study of txiis kind.

2« An exposition of the idea of oaste and the
evolution of the caste system as €in organization
in terms of the philosophic, relig^ious and olisei-
oal Sanskrit literature.

Heading into the ancient Ij teiv.it ure of the
idea of c">ete system has this great significance.
Although the Inui.n people live in terms of their
religious lavs and creeds and customs, yet in the
case of vital issnes of their individual or social
life they go back to the ancient schools of fhilo-
Bophy an(^ to the claeelcal poets for decision.
Vedio and post-Vedic literature hat- commanded great
respect and admiration of all Hindus. Therefore,
all the different creeds that arose in India have
alwayii shown gre.it car.: * not violating' tne
teachings of the philosocrxers and the poets. Only
such creeds and deviations from the Hindu social
laws hsve found a hold in the Indian communities.
Others such *:is Buddhism, that did not find an ex-
planation and justification in the i^ise teachings
of the Vedas and the i^hilosophers and poets, could
not obtain any pei-manent following in India.

/y

Thus if an edacator ever works out a nrogram of
education for the Indian people, ^hlcJi either sup-
ports the caste system in its modified form, or
proposes to destrD^v it completely, v/ill be benefit-
ed by this study* The Indian mind can be reasonably
approached through the teaohin^-s of their OT?fn fore-
fathers* All the reformer hiis to do, i^^ to justi-
fy his teachings in terms of the ancient liter-itures*
Por that purpose, there are presented the discus-
sions of a few theories of the caste system in the
second part of the treatment* These theories are
not discussed in terms of our laresent days notions
and beliefs, but are mainly expositions of the
ancient Hindu thought*

After this much background a psychological
exposition of the original castes is given. This
Is purely objective in nature and shows the univer-
sal implications of the castes. This discnssion
is followed by the Indian educational program as
was worked out by the ancient Indo-Aryans, to en-
sure the proper working and administration of their
social organization*

The degenerate \n of the TTTrda castes into the
present day chaotic social organization, is discussed
with a view to present the existing condition of

/b

Hindu society* It is out of this chaos that an
educator has to v ork a r*; con struct ion scheme,
sach -^ scheme of odacation, that it may become accept
able and practical, will have to be bailt aoon the
several educational sdaj^^^estioni,^ th^it the discussions
here, have to offer. Therefore, such edaoatlonal
suj^gestions as the problem qI caote gives rit-e to,
are put forward. This is done by i^ay of summaris-
ing the different discuss iohs in their regular
order in order to bring out in a synthetic fashion,
the caste as an educational nroblem.

There -ire then, three final aims in view in
the discussion of this tonic: -

To make the literary evidence avallfible
to ?:: student of Hindu castes vsho is interested
in the problems of India educationally.

?.* To present the present day tendencies of
Hindu society and their probable effects.

To tie up the old and the new ideas with
modern tendencies and efforts of American
educators.

/c

OHAPTEH II >
IiroXA AI^D THE IHDIAfi PEOPLE.

Asia is the biggest and the oldest of the con-*
tinents* The oenters of ancient civilisations are all to
be found within the confines of this continent, and those
too, are located mainly in central Asia, iixcept Kgypt
in Africa, all the consistent and aseful information
concerning the life find achievements of mankind since the
days of its known appearance on the globe, could be had
from the invest i^ati one and studies of things Asiatic.

Place of India in the Asiatic World:-

In ^^V^ ^hen one ^" nt=^ to make . study of
several countries and the several contributory factors
of civilization, he is required to stor in considering
India longer thm at any other nlaoe. This is beOMise,
more contributions are made by India; Because the source
of many of the oontrlbution^^ of other Asiatic countries
is found in India; and lab^tiy because all the mention ble
contributionc tn>.t India made toward the building of
the human progress as such, have been uniauely durable
and permanent in character. To understand anything
about India or about any other country it is necessary,
in the first T)lace, to ge<r «ome aoauaintanoe Vvith the
geogranhy of the country nnd the type of the people in-
habiting it. Therefore such a v. ord picture is presented
in this chapter.

tteographlo -picture of India :

India Is situated between the latitude 8 and 35fi«^
and longitude 66 and 90 £• On the north It Is separated
from the elevated tableland of 1*1 bet by the Himalayan moun-
tains; on the west the Suleman range separates it from
Afganlsthan and Baloochlsthan; on the Sast continuous ranges
of mountains and forests separate It from iJurnah; while on
the 3outh the country projects in the form of an Irregular
triangle In to the Indian ocean for about one thousend mllea
Its length from i^orth to st^outh is about nineteen hundred
miles and its breadth » where greatest , eighteen hundred
miles but the area does not exceod 1,600,000 square miles.
Variety of physical aspects:

' Uo one who travels through the length and breadtii
of this vast country, more appropriately called the continent
of India, can fail to be struck with the extraordinary varietRZ
of its physical aspects. In the Horth rise magnificent
mountain altitudes, bound by snow field and glacier In eternal
solitude. At their feet lie smooth wide spaces of depressed
river basins; either sandy, dry, 6uid sun scorbhed, or culti-
vated and water-logged under a steaety moisture-laden atmos-
phBse.

So the South spreads a great central plateau,
where indigenous forests still hide the scattered clans of
aboriginal tribes; flanked on the West by the broken crags,
over loolcing the Indian ocean, and on the south by gentle,
smooth, rounded slopes of green uplands, oome thing at least

lO

tit the throea and convuldlons of nature which aocompanled
the birth of this changeful land is recorded in the physiccLl
aspect of the mountains and valleys which traverse it ; and wl
an appeal to the evidence of rocks is answered by tne story-^
of its evolution."

India thus rough hewn by the hand of nature, had
hardly added the finishing touches to her outlines when her
beauty and her promise were recognized by man- For many
ages India was not known, even to its early inhabitants,
by any lingle epithet which would embrace all her tribes
and races* It was in fact , never a one country but a con-
tinent, in the real sense of the tenp, composed of nany
Gentries, inhabited by many tribes and races different from
one another in physical and social traits. The first recog-
nizable term for India was Bharatvarsha ( the land of the
iiharatas,a noble warrior-tribe which came in to India from
the iJorth. ) It was applied only to the basins of the rivers
Indus and vianges. and only to a part even of them. The Aryan
peoples o£ central Asia pouring through the highlands in to
India, Impelled southward by the crowd of competing humanity
in high Asia, found their progress barred by the Indus,
which must have appeared to them to be a vast expanse of
waters, even as the sea; and they called It by the ocean
name of ' 3indhu-nad, " a name that still survives in the
region bordering its lower reaches.

//

The i'erslans called It Hendu In the J^end language;
the Greeks reducea the name to Indos, but they knew the
native name aindfttis. Eastern nations equally with the
i^estem, knew India as the land of the Indus, 'i^he famous
Chinese pilgrim, Hluen isiang t 629 - 645, A.J). ), decides
that the rightful appellation is In-tu. Modern Persian, which
makes It hind has been adopted in the title of the l^raperor,
" iiaisar-i-aind, " thus giving it a far wider application
than its original significance, which was limited to a part
of the i:'imjab and the basin of the Ganges.

The Aryan people who entered India from the Korth
did not come in one stock tout in several branches. According
to some the original home of the Aryan people (who are roughly
spf-akin^ same as the Cancationo ) was some where in the ^rtlx;
region. ( ** Artie home in the ^edas*" by mr.B.G.iilak, is a
scholarly work on this sutojeot. )• Prom those cold regions
these fair skined people migrated downward in their search
of ha>>itation and settled in Asia-minor. Jio authentic ni story
of th'^lr life during this time in which they left their ^rtic
hone and settled in the Asia-minor Is available. But some
what connected account is obtainable about the further move-
ments of the Aryans who are supposed to have branched out In
to innumernhifl croups and gone in different directions; some
gronps even creasing the continent of Asia and entering the
Buropeon continent • Thus we see today the members of the

^

Aryan race spread over Europe and Asia alike.

These Aryans were pastoral people and nsed to move
from place to place with their wi/iJves and herds of cattle In
search of corofortahle habitation and life, in different seasons
of the year, i^he branch that happened to turn toward India
does not seem to have very big populatioti; moreover they did
not have sufficient number of women aaong them; these facts
ar* borne out from the study of their subsiquont life in the
Indian plains where they came in contact with several other
tribes and races of people and stooped to hybridization pro-
cess.

The members of this branch of the Aryans that came
to be Imown in the recorded history as IJIDO-AKYAUd, during
their long and difficult wanderings through the mountainous
regions of the countries on the north western borders of
India, came across various natural, phinomina. wandering
life (which is literally an unsettled lifo) is as a rule
carefree and people leading such a life, not being tied by
any property consciousness of a definite nature and left
free to enjoy nature and exploit her to the extent of ful-
filling their needs and no more, when fortunately by acci-
dent come under such conditions of nature as the Indo-Aryaaa

did, oecoHie abstract thinkers and conceive out of shBer
gratefulness, the greatnoss and glory of the creator.

XI

This may not be tme of all noisadic tribes of the
€UQCient world; for the climatic, geographical and auch
other physical conditions have ^est deal to do with the
evolution of the life and thought of the human beings. But
when these Indo- Aryans after having gone through a severe
fight with the Mature, thus leaning many things by way of
experience and evolving many of their dormont capacitled,
physical and mental and gradually developing them oy con-
stant exercise, when came up to a place where the Mature
seemea to be all merciful nd benign, lands furtlle beyond
description, beautiful nd large rivers with abundent of
clear, sweet water, lofty skylicking mountains, serving as
natural boundaries and nighty walls to protect them from
out side invasions and attacks, naturaljry their merry
and spirited dispositions caught the idea o4 settlement.

the only litarary work that we have which gives
the idea of the life and thought ofi these early Aryan
settlers before their actual occupation of the ^angetlc
plane Is the Rig-Veda. Ihis -jrork consists of ten books.
The first few books are regarded as being composed while
these people were still out side India. In the main this
Higveda, the first of the four sacred Yedas of the Hindus,
gives A clear account of the daily life of these ^ryan -
people. Acoordln/T to western scholars the Rig-veda dates

:^^

as baclr as 1500 B.C. The orthodox Hindu view carries It
still farther back In the past.

According to th« descriptions found in the Yedas
especially in the earlior portions, we know that these
wandering Aryans were Imown as Sushis ( Ru,to go ). These
goers,! .e* mlgretory Aryans were great explorers. They
moved from place to place to find out new parts of the
country that wer« habitable and thus their adventurous life
gave them the leadership of the rest of the hoard. !i?his
position partly taken and partly accorded them, made them
feel the responsibility of their vTork of leading, coun-
selling and organizing the social life of the people; hence
{7^W: ^^ i^lh I ) I.e., "Rushis are the seers of
wisdom," say the scriptures. These Rushis composed prayers
and conductei religious ceremonies which they worked out
according to their ideas of God -(these were many) for
these Aryans were Mature worshipers. AH the big manifesta-
tions of Hature from which they received the several
means and comforts of life naturally appeared to them as the
manifestation of the creator and Inorder to Inspire fear
of God and foster devotional attitudes and such other
mental disciplines that are ever desirable for making life
purposive, steady and systematic, these Rushis started the
Investigations Into the thought of the creation, ihelr
speculations are recorded nd have grown into what are
known as the Vedas and the subsiquent commentaries and
other sacred literature of the Indian people.

Al

At this period of history, while the speculative
work of the Hashi was going on, the rest of the people
were busy catting down forests, cultivating lands, build-
ing houses, establishing schools and working out social
organization program. As one would expect from the know-
ledge of history of other peoples, these Aryans did not
establish any patriarchal system of social organization
but a communal one.

There w^a jULJ^S^te eyatem at^thXs period • All
who^joame fr f:Bnout__itf India lived together as one comma-
nity. They conquered the black aboriginies but never made
slaves out of them* They were driven out into the southern
parts of the country and in the mountain fastnesses and
were kept out from coming in and disturbing the smooth
working of tne Aryan society and philosophic contemplations
of the Rushis,who as the life became more steady and esta-
blished became sages ( chiefly philosophers, forest-
meditators, educators, priests and counselors).

There is no definite proof as to when and how |
the social organization on the baais of four castes waa
established but from the reading of the Vedas one gets
this idea very redily that, as the Aryans became stable
and as their phiieeophical inquiries -eveloped and as
their population increased, the need for s(»ie kind of

^r

aOQlal organisation of an adiBinl8tt»t!tT« natitro was etrongly
felt*

$hU8 wo 800 tho ^a&i^otlo pXnjfto bolni; mado hone by
tlio Indo-'^ryana^ ^11 tho roglon starting from tbo rlYor
Indita ttpto tho rlTor ^^angaa fron #08t to Baat oame to bo
oaXXod tho Aryararta or tho abodo of tho Aryans* I'hon tho
migration dtio to Inoroaslng population again bogan« Xhoro
was a donso foroat aituatod botwoon tho Jlolrthom India and
^onthorn lndla« knows as i>andakaranya« ^hls was supposed
to bo Inponotrablo and was a rosort of tho blaok aborlglnloa
who woro always dangorons to tho whlto Aryan isvlgrants*

Also It shottld bo notod horo that, by this tins tho
Aryans had ooae in oontaot with othar raoos eapoelalXy tho
Mongolians who also wore pouring Into India fron tho Bastom
pasaes. rhoBo woro Slbotlans, Chlnoso and daraosos in tho »ain«
f ha ^oirlneea of tsaa aiid riJastai^ Bengal are full of a popu-
lation that is mainly of the mongolian stook* fho Aryan oom-
ffionity doing short of woron naturally took wItos froai among t
those various tribes* Of oourse this was necessary only on
tho part of those who were of an inferior metal, physloally
or »entaiy. ihoy tended tfiR Hilm wdth tho peoples that were
physloally and mentally inferior as a race to their own otoolr.
i'hus wo can notice time and again in tho older literaturot un»
written laws cropping out distinguishing the pure blooded

->g[ uii

]f» *

tii#«»* m^'^^ «-^'«*.-

.•V . "l*. * >

^M-£i^-

^f

Aryans from those vlxo degraded tiiemaelvea and agreed to
liftTe their personal desires gratified by forming matri-
monial relationehipa with the non-Aryans.

The natural soenery of the central Indian region
vas a great faoination for the Baehls who were always In
search of places fitted for their hermitages and philoso-
phic contemplations* A short description of the central
Indian region will give some idea of the physical and
climatic effect that it had up on the people*

Central India •

** The general lie of the ?lndhya region is so nearly
horizontal that through ont central India there is one pre-
▼ailing 1 type of scenery. The sharp narrov-baoked ridges of
the Hajpatana border^ following the strike of the AraTallis,
glTS place to broader flattereleTatlons» where the red sand
stone strata spread into nearly horizonral layers, with a
gentle tilt south wards towards the Vindhya water-parting*
The rivers occasslonally rxxn deep, with a net work of In-
tricate ravines* Snch well marked hills as that which is
sormoanted by a rock fortress of Gwallor are rare, bat they
occar with less acoentaated features farther eouth, and
with a general tendency to scatter in to Isolated groups,
leaving wide spaces of flat plane between*

fhe forest areas are restricted in this part of
the country. The climate is for the most part delightful

■OB ^r!;. 11

T;t'ft^'0 ;t.:»{!f dsitJCtLfl* '^^ad^ II

^^

in vintor and moderate in sonuner. Tlie eleyation of tJie
planes rleea to abont two tlioaaend tc&t above the aea-level^
aodi the scenery amid the broken highlande is magnifioent***

The Indian oontinent from the ef^oographloal point
of Tlew ooald be derided into three main parte: Horthern-
India, Central-India, and Southern-Indi^, or i^eccan ae it
la popularly kno^n* Northern India has been deeoribed
while disoiiesing the oocapation of that region by the Aryans.

Central India has been desoribed obove in the quotation
from the Imperial Gazetteer.lSow a short deeorlption of the
soathern India will ma'ice it easy to anderetand the peoples
of India and the doontry as a whole*

Soathern India,

Soath of the Tapti river oommences the Deooan,
that striking physioal. feature whioh shapes the whole oon-
tinent of India* The great three -cornered apheaval which
abutting on the line of th^ western-Ghats over looking the
Bay. of Bengal. Fringing this central sloping plateau on
either side is a narrow atrip of ooast land, whioh oompriees
the lowlands of Bombay on the west ooast and of Madras on

the Kast* These lowlands form the India known to the

«

mediaeval tradition* It «as on them that the foreigner pushing
forward his ocxnmeroial interests, first set his foot; and
the India known to the west for many oenturies was but the

^7

narrow margin of fertile territory which lay below the
feei of the rocuntelng known as the Eastern and Western
Ghats.

When the graat prehlatorlo sea of northern
Bajputan disappear '3d, there disappears "^ with It those
climatic influences rrhich once streaked Rajpntana with
glaciers; hut in later years the evl'lence of land
ftrffla felon has reasserted Itself and is even yet Ih
prosess of evolution. Where the saaids of F.ajputana,
shelving gently ires^ward, merge into the flats of the
Arabian sea, we find the Indefinite space of land and
water called the Eann of Cutc>, g-enerally defined In
modern maps as a gulf of sec, with the Island of Cutch
standing in its midst and the penlnula of Kathlawad
■•paratlng it from the shallow £ulf of Canby»

The western promontory of Kathlawad has yellded
•one what tot the oceon, whose waves now heat on steps
of the temple at jDwarka; and there are trfadltlons of
Islands farther south fringing the ^^oast in the days
when the slow fleet of Nearehus was piloted from the
Indusr ^^^^^'^ to Persia, which have altogether disappeare^ld

3.S

All theaa resrlona of India are populated
today by races of all colors and klnf'.B. Anthropological
Inveatlgatlona have b-een made by aome English scientists
which reveal the following ImportanH data*

Anthropoliglcal lata in India*

H8§a« form In India*

Compared with the rest of A8la» India may
be described as njainly an area of lon^ hea'^^ed people,
separate'^ by the Elmalayas pr.^ it 3 cffahoots from the
Mongolian country, where the broad healed types are
more numeroTia and more pronounced than any where else
in the world. At either end of the mountain barrier,
bread heads are strongly represent efl. In Asam and Burmah
on the east and Baluchisthan on the vest; and the saas
character occurs In vatying degrees in the lower
Hlmalays.

In the Punjab, Pejputana ana the united provinces
long heads predominate hut th^t type gradually changes
as we travel eastward. In Bihar mediuro hea^ls prevail on
the whole, 77hile in certain of the bengal groups a
distinct tendency towayd brachycephaly may be observed.
This is more distinctly Tuarired in the Kayawthas and
reaches its maximum developement in the Bengal Brahamans,

^?

South of the Vlndhyas the prevelent type seems
to be mainly long headed or rpedlum headed. The coast
population has been much affected by foreign Influence.
Kalayn or Indo* Chinese on the east ; Arab, Persian,
African, ii^ropeaa, &nd ^^^'l^s^ on ^he west; and the mixed
tribes thus profiuced canaot be brought under any general
forujula.

After sephallc index cones the nasal Index.
Under Bt)inology in the Imperial Gazetteer of India, Vol«I«
we find the following observations;* " Spealing generaly,
it csay be said that the broad type of nose Is most common
in Madras, the central provinces, and Chota Fagpur; that
fine noses in tho strict sens© of the term are confined
to the funjeb and Baluehlsthan; and that the population
of the rest of India tends to fall within the medium class*
But the range of index 1r very great: it varies in individual
cases 122 to 53 . and tho mean Indices of different groups
differ considerably In the same part of the country.

The average Rrsel proportions of the Mai Paharla
tribe of Bengal are expresned by the figure 94.5 while
the pastoral Gujars of the Punjab have an index of 66.9
and the aiklis of 68»8 •

3«

In other words the typical Bravidlen at
represented by the Mal-Pahrla, hag a nose aa broad In
proportion to its length as the Hegro , while th*8 feature
In the Indo Aryan group can fairly bear ooiBp&rison with
the nosea of sixty eight Parisian , measured by Toplnard,
which gave an jigerage of 69«4 «

Bven more striding is the curiously close
corrospondanoe between the gradations of racial type
indicated by the nasal in-lex and 'certain of the social
data ascertained by independant inquiryt If we take a
series of castes ih Bengal/ Bihar, 8he United Provinees,
or Madras, and arrainge them In the order of the asrerage
nasal indez, so that the caste with the finest nose shall
be at the top and that with the coarsest nose at the
bottom of the lis^ , it will be found that this order
substantially oorrosponds with the accepted order of
social precedeneot

Hor 1j? this the only point in which the two
seta of obBervatlons, the social and the physical bear
out and illustrate each other. Alcng with a some what
finer fora of nose groups called after the villages and
larger terTitorial areata, ere bearing the name of certain
tribal or coinnunal officials , begin to appear; and above

3/

these again we reach the eponymoufl saint a ana heroes who
In India as In Greece and in I^owe^ are asscclaled with a
certain stage of Aryan progress.

'^he comparatlYe fitness of the Mongolian face
is a pecxiliarity which cannot fall to sttike the moat
casual observ^jr • On closer e^ramlnation this characteristic
will be seen to be closely donnected with the formation
of the ch*»ek-bone8, the margins of the bony sAcketa of the
eyes, anfi the root of the nose*'*

This brings the Mongoloid people of Asain and
the eastern Himalayas within the platyoplc grpup and
effectually differentiates them from the spread headea
races of Baluchlathan, Boiabay, end Ooorg. It also separates
the Indo Aryans froip the Aryo-3>ravidlanSt

Much has been written on the subject of the
causes whi«h effect the atature, 1;he conclusion in general
saena to be that in Surope the influence *f race is to a
greet extent obscured by other factors, such as climate ,
soil, elevation, food mrply, habits of life, occupation,
and natural or artificial sele'^tlon. Most pf these causes
also coae into play in India but not ne^^essarily to the
sase extent ae In Kurnpe, The influence of city life,
which in civilised countries tends to reduce the staturs

33.

and to proau(?e physical degeneracy. Is relatively small
In India whore the greet majority of the population are
eng£;.ge<5 in Agriculture,

On the whole however, the distribution of stature
in India seoras to suggest that ra^e differences play lar^^er
part than in Europe. All this discussion of the physical
data enables us to divide the people of India Into seven
main physical types. They are:-

!• !?uri:o-Iranlan :- Represent 6*1 by the people on the

nt)rthv7e»v,t frontier province, and
the Afgans etc*

8, Indo- Aryans ;- These are found in Punjab, Raj-
put ana, K«0h!Tii'»' «nd In some sections
of Maharashjpra {Bombay Presidency)*
•Phe TTiost important point to observe
in the Indo Aryan in easur events are
the great nnifornaity of type and
the ^sry sll^:ht differences between
the higher and the lower groups.

3, Soytho-Dravidian:-

The Karnthas cf the Dcccan and
people of Coorg ana western India
represent this type. These are
short in stature, have greater
length of head, higher nasal index*
All these charsct eristics inay be
due to the intermixture with the
Dravidians.

4. Aryo- Draviaien :-

These are known as Hindusthanves*
They are the inhabitants of the
United provinces, parts of Raj-
Putana, an(? Bihar, Their complexion
varies from light brown to black.

35

5. Mongolo-Dravidlan:- These are represent e*! by

tha BtBngalles, These are
inhabitants of the lowsr Bengal
and Origsa« Th*3 Mohammedans of
western Bengal also eoroe under
this groijp.

6t The Mongoloid

7» Dravidian

:- Thes« ay« Inhabitants of the
Hlma3fcii?s , NeT>al, Assam and
BttrtRa, They have broad heads,
dark cciiiple'>t'ion with a yellow
tinge, short stature, flat fae«
and oft on oblique eyes»

:- This iijpB eirtsnis froa? Ceylon
to thfi valley of the <yan?res and
I)ervafies, Maciras, Hyderabad,
Chota-Magpur and pasts of central
provinces, Thlg Is probably the
. original type of people thst
inhabited India before the Aryans
?»aKie in.

It r»uBt b« however rlearly understood that the
areaji ocupied by these various types do not admit of being
defined as sharply as they inufst be shown on an ethnographic
map. They molt into efich other insensibly due to the long

period of historic life that . Ind^a hag lived.

In majiy respects India reeepibles Europe in its
social formatiori, i'hat is whji th© compilers of the Inr^erial-
Gazetteer olvi&ys ap^ak of indip ro h. continent, India
displays all the traits that > continent needs to possess.
Just as at the close of t- days Journey in Europe one has
his pas ports inspected by the counsels of more than one
nation so in India one passes within twenty four hours

S'^

trtysi ^ne Sthnlc tra^t to anotber. Also an observer whose
attention has been clire'^te?^ to thi« s«bje<^t woul<1 realize
clearly enough that l.he physieal ^hara^it eristics of the
people h'id undergona an appreciable change and he would
ceFtalnlt be unable to say at what partlcult^r stage In hlg
progresis the transformation had taken place.

Secondly It must not b?5 iraaglnea that any type
Is allegea to be In exclusive possession of the ^osallty
to whlf»h It Is aslilgned, SHien for example, l^adras Is
described as a Draviaian &n^ Bengal as a Mongol o-Dravldi an
trsiet, this does not mean that all of the people of Madras
or Bengal must of necessity? belong to the predominant type.
?roiE tiiuea ImiBeaorial, in Indiana stream of rsoveroent has
been setting from '^est to east anni from north to south,
a ten'5eney l«|pelling the higher types towards the territories
oceupie<^ by the lower.

In the course of this Moverreni; representatives
of the liido- -iryan type havo spread themselves all over
India, as conquerors, traders, land owners or priests,
preserving their orlginel characteristics in varying degrees,
and receiving a raeasure of social recognition dependent in

the main on the purity of their descent from the original -

\

IniTsi grants.

sr

Thirdly It may be bsIA that tks narces assigned
to the types beg the highly spaculative ^ueation of the
eleiBent2 which hs^e contributed to their formation. The
orltiolsin Is u];Afin8werable but we must have soms dlattactlve
nemes for oar types. And our biological Inestigatlons
serving as the background for ethnological surveys offer us
tho afore mentioned nai^es»

In this ^Tay ono can so^"^ tho diversified and highly
complex situation, as it ^slsts in India while attempting
to understand any vital problem regarding Indians.

To taka out any problem out yi \t^ proper setting
and discuss it to suggest a?olutions has always been the
cause of a great wastage of time and energy on the^ part
of many, 3ut more than that individual loss, it has caused
raore harmful caischief, than one is aware of • Such hasty
and presuraptious views set afloat in the vast oceon of
Inforinational literature , thiit has so uniquely characterl3«W
our age, ha^J often rendured it oxtremel^/ hard for one to
get ut & steady and sound understanding of India and her
peopl'^ ThL-t Ig v;h^ all this elaborate treatment has bean
offered and it is hoped that the un^'er standing of Elndu
caste system , as a really serious problem, will be made
easy by having this back ground in mind*

3C

Bj way of a brief suirjijary of this chapter the
follow^*ng points will >><3 nsefnl:-

!♦ Place of India in th<^ Asiatic world*

2» Kintcry of the Aryan liPir.i grants,

Z. Physiograhy of Inrlia, (Horthern. Central & Southern, )

4« Anthropological data in India.

5. Kthnolosy or the types of people in India.

6« General HerDarTrs.

i7

Chapter III
THEOKIifiS OP OiDER CASTE SYSTiSM

There seems to be no records of the pre-Aryan days
of India and the Hindu period of the history begins in the
remote and unchronicled past. Our knowledge, therefore, begins
with the l^mns of the Higveda which forms the greatest literary
m«aori?il of the early Aryan settlement. So far as we ar«
able to discern it seems that about three or four thousand
years ago tribes of tall fair men of some considerable
culture and intelligence came from a common habitat in central
Asia. These men belonged to groups of people with the
fund€Lmental features of Aryan culture.

It is believed that others of the same stock
traveled westward. One of the western offshoots founded
the Persian kingdom. Another built Athens and Lacedonia
which became the Hellenic natio^^ A third went to Italy and
reared the **City of Seven Hills* which afterwards grew into
Imperial Home. A distatt colony of the same race excavated
the silver ores of pre-historic Spain. Another went as far
as England where as Celts they settled down and fished in
Wattle Canoes and worked in the mines of Cornwall.

The tribes that entered India are supposed to have
parted from their Iranian kinsmen and traveled on foot and in
wagons with their women folks and herds until they reached
the land of the five rivers now known as "The Punjab**.

In hie "Les Castes dans 1* Inde** Mr. Senart en-
deavored to show that after the occupation of the Punjab add
a gradual spread over the fertile Gangetic plains the Aryans
began to evolve their institutions. According to Mr. Senart
the caste system is but a normal developeraent of the Aryan
institutions. It has its analogus in the Gens of Home and the
Greek PhratriaJ "Everything takes us back to the elements
of the old family constitution** says Senart, "the true name
of Caste is Jati which means birth or race." The family,
however, at the period when the Aryans entered India was not the
sole social group. It had been evolved by larger organisms,
but the clan and the tribe, what ever the names by which they
are known in different countries, are but an enlargement of
the family occupying and extending its organization. The Gens,
Curia, and the tribe of Rome correspond to the family, Phratria
aUd Phyle of G reece; to the family, G6tra and Caste of India.

In classical antiquity the slow fusion of classes
was stimulated by and at the same tioe was helped to bring
about the Civil and Political ideas which succeeded. In
India the Theocracy destroyed the possibility of any evolution
in that direction. India in the past has never risen to the
idea of the state or nation or fatherland. Instead of ex*
tending itself, the ground work of society narrowed. Isolation
8uid exclusion entered into the spirit of all the Indo-Aiyan
institutions. In the Mediterranian republics the class idea
evolved into the larger one of city. In India where the Aryan

Sf

immigrants were spread over a vast area and where too cusabitious
and extensive groupings were "bound to fail, it was narrowed
down into the distinctions of caste*

Again, contact of the Aryans with the peoples whom they
regarded as their inferior and for whose dark color and bar-
bar ism they had a natural repugnance was bound to exalt
in them the pride of rade and to increase the rigor of endogamous
rule. In a word such a color prejudice would tend to favor
the usages and inclinations which lead to a caste system.

Sir. Herbert Risley who made an ethnological
study of different provinces of India, maintanes that the
difference of color between the dark skinned Bravidian or
pre-Aryan races and the fair skinned Aryans, their conquerors,
led to a poJiicy of self protection on the part of the Aryans
which ultimately ciystallized into the caste system. This
theory is discussed under a separate chapter in this thesxsk

Although the caste system did not exist in the easly
Vedic period /et it cannot be said that it originated with
the institutes of Manu. There seems to be little doubt
that at the time when Manu*8 treatise appeared, an elaborate
and highly developed social system including tribal and
national groups of various sorts, existed in India. Class
divisions seem to have existed long before Manu. All he did
was to codify the existing clasr rules. In a code the in-
junctions are drawn from a model to which it is wished to raise

., ,J . J

f nl

ifo

the community. Its prohibitions are derived from certain
states of crime apprehended at the time/

theories regarding the origin of the caste system
seem to be many. In this paper a few important theories
are discussed at length; such as the color theory and the
economic theor:^''. There is one theory which could be better
named as "The mystic origin of the caste system,** The above
three explain the origin of the caste eastern in the form of
four all sufficing divisions of the society. There are
many theories but those do not ^pply to the original four
castes. They explain the origins of several subcastes which
will be discussed in the charter titled **Multiplication of
castes and its Hesults",

The oldest extant passage in which the idea of the
division of society into classes occurs is in the nineteenth
hymn of the tenth book of Higveda known as The Purusha Sukta.
There are many authorities who are of the opinion that this
hymn, as a whole is obscure and of an entirely n^stically
import. It describes the act of creation in the guise of
a huge sacrifice performed by the Gods, in which the central
figure and victim is the great Purusha^ who it is said is
*the whole universe, whatever has been and what ever shall be,"

mi^

The Purusha • Sukta as translated into Knglish
runs thus:

"The unbodied spirit has a thousand heads
A thousand eyes, a thousand feet, around
On every side enveloping the earth
Yet filling space no larger than a span.
He is himself this very universe;
He is what ever is, has been, and shall be.
He is the Lord of immortality.

All creatures are one fourth of hira, three fourths
Are that which is immortal in the sky*
From him, called Purusha was born Virya.
And from Yirya was Purusha produced.
Whom Gods anc holy men made their oblation
With Purusha as victim they performed
A sacrifice, v/hen tv^ey divided him
How did they cut him up? What was his mouth
What were his arms. And what were his thighs aild f eef
The Brahaman was his mouth, the kingly soldier
Was made his arms, the husbandman his thighs
The s^vile Shu^ra issued from his feet»*

ThePurusha as we are told was the embodiment of the
universe. This nysiic description does tell us beyond a doubt
that there arose at this time a four fold classification
of the Aryan people. Those Brahamans who took to prayer,
sacrifices, education and philosophical speculations

^(

ifX

naturally become the mouth of the body social. It was throug|J
these Brahamans that the social la^s, customs, aspirations^
ideals, etc*, received expression.

Those who took to a >¥ar-like career were compared
to the arms of the body social, while those who took to
Agriculture, trade, and other crafts, formed the thi^^hs of
this body social. All the conquered Aborigonies of India
were reduced to servitude, and hence compared to the feet
of the body social. The sacrifice that was performed is
a very m-^gnif icient poetic idea. The human career in
this worJ^d of action is indeed a great sacrifice. Into this
sacrifice just as individual offers the obl^ition of all
his energies and intelligence^ finally ending his life, so
does the body social embodying all the four classes into
which the );uman race (according to the Indo-Aryans) was
divided, sacrifices itself by discharging the alloted duties
respectively, toward the good of the whole and ultimately
succumbs to the will of the providence. This is the Psychologic^,
explanation of the Purusha ifymn when we tear off the figurative
and i^ystical veil in whicn it is expressed.

The institutes of Manu, however, accepting the
doctrine of the Purusha hymns as the foundation of his creed,
states that **tln the beginning of things, the pan«theos (Purusha)
produced by effort of thought, a golden egg; from which he him-
self was born as Brahma, the creator of the universe."

"fS

Then for the sake of the prosperity of the worlds,

he created the Brahaman (Priests) to proceed from his mouth.

The lis hat riy a (Warrior) from his arms; the Vaishya (trader)

from his thighs; and the Shudra (Servant) from his feet.

(Manu 1->51)

The world wide tradition of the creation of the
universe from the golden eg^ is preserved in the •Brahamanas of
one hundred paths". This is a tradition known not only in
India in the early times, but also among the Greeks. Gompers,
in his "Greek thinkers** traces the origin of the ideas
to the primitive thought that **a8 the heavens are rounded
like an egg there must have been an egg in the oeginning;
this egg burst asunder; the uppev part to form the heavensi, whe
lower to form the earth. In ^reece in the sixth century B.C.,
this idea appears in Orphic Theogan;>' under the idea of the mun-
dane egg. At about the eame period of time when the stoiy of
creation was told in Greece, it was also told in Indin
Brahamana (Commentaries on Vedas).

Thus the **mystic theory of the origin of caste ^stem**
plainly siows that the theories of creation that ^ere believed
in those early days, almost all over the world, had their
influence on the minds of the intelligent peoples of the
community and they attempted to work out a soial organization
program according to their own ideas, prejudices and the interest
of the Aryan people at large over 4h^ against the dark skinned
Aboriganies, and cleverly explained their program in terms

ft

of the theory of creation. Thus found sanction, for their

plan of social organization in the divine principle of creAion •

This need not be considered as any selfish or tricky attempt

on the part of the intellectuals of the time. Every new plan A**-^

as a rule has to be e^lained, to the people at large in terms

of ideas, principles ^nd beliefs current at the time, to obtain

universal acceptance and thus materialize the program.

Besides the program divided the population into four
groups and thus worked out a compact society in which there
was not to be any unwholesome competition and resulting
jealousies, in which proper ranking whs to be done in terms
of qualifications; intelligence being places on top of all,
as it ought to be,, physical power next since it is a part and
parcel of human nature, wealth which is a man made power comes
next, and then unskilled, purely physical labor in the form
of service last of all, being inferior to the abowe three. Thua
the plan, in its prominent out-look appeared to aT? ceal to the people
at large, when exil^jiined in terms of body social and its four
main parts, the mouth, the arms, the thighs, and the feet.
There is no mystery about it; it is indeed a biii^ conoeT>tion of
society at lar^e as a single body and the several functional
members formed into groups serving the body social in their
own respective ways and capacities. But while explaining this
"nystic theory** it should not be forg<?tten that the comrarison
of the four castes to the four parts of the body, brought with
it the sense of superiority and inferiority and pride of birth
and such other anti-social elem-nts. It is due to these that

f^

caste system defeated the uniTersal spirit of Hinduism*

Also it is worth to note here that, the Hindu theory
of caste is so similnr to the division of society into four
classes: priests, warriors, cultivators, and artisans • which
appears in the sacerdotal literature of ancient Persia. It
is not sug ested that the Iranian legend of four cl*3.33es
formed part of the stock of tradition which the Aryans brought
with them into India. Had this been so the myth relating to
their origin wauld have figured prominently in the Yedas
and would not have appeared solely in the Purusha Sukta which
most ifiuropean critics agree in regarding as a later
interpolation. ^-'^ '^

Reference

Spiegal, liraniB'<'he Alterthumskunde 111 547-670

Although the Aryan people settled in Persia and
India there are some differences between the situations
that these two groups faced. That is why one group devel-
oped a rigid caste system while the other still has a fluid
social organiz tion. India had a large aboriganal populntion
differing from the Indo-Aryans in respect of religion, usages
and physical tyue and more especially in the conspicuous
attribute of color; while Persia did not have such. These
aborigonies had 8om« how to i e brought within the limits
of the scheme and this was done by the simple process of
lumping them together in servile class of Shudras, which

is sharply distinguished from the twice^born groups (the
first three castes) and has a far lower status than is
assigned to the artisans in the Persian system. Thus the
four Varnas (Colors) of Indian caste system occupy an
intermediate position between the purely occupational classes
of Persia and Kgypt, and the rigidly defined castes of modern
India. In the Persian system only the highest group of the
Atl:^avan8 or priests was endogaraous, while between the other
three groups, as between all the groups of the Egyptian system
(excluding the swine herds if we follow Herodotus). No
restrictions on intermarriage appear to have been recognized.
Moreover, the distinction between the twiceborn and the
Shudras and the prominence given to color (Varna) implies
that Hindu caste system originally rested upon the basis
of racial antagonism of which there is no trace in Persia
or iigypt.

¥7.

00X0^ ^^^ '^^: : of ga35!E.

Is it possible tli-3t the Hindu castes hud
their origin in tiie colour distinction? Did sereral
tribea of peoples of differ«»nt complexion enter India
from different directions, come in contact with one
another, fight wfirs and settle doi^'n -^is a community,
each one taking up a profession which he v^as ible to
follow and 'nnlntain in the struggle for existence.
This Tias, ofcouree, caite likely* 'uhen people, es-
pecially immigrants of different colors, get together,
it is invariably found that the higher orofession of
a community are taken up and monopolized by those \n'ho
are superior physically or intellectually. Others
who possess capacities of a lower sort tend to sub-
mit and fall back to do a louver kind of service to
society, merely earn a liTing, and tuns survive the
test of cruel nature*

!?hus it is, that according to the vitality,
intelligence, natural incl ^ ^ ""^ -d i aoh other
possessions of mankind that these tribes of immig;rants
must have taken to different rr of ess ions. Also the
color affinity. Inviting -. n t-ar' 1 groapin^i of the
different immigrants into different walks of life,
and monopolizing those for their OTwn kind, must h ve

¥r

taken place. For example there ie the case of the
Brahamans and the Rajannya (warrior). The %^o must
hsve sustained severe fighting airong themselves, the
first trying to establish their intellectual supremaoy
over the second, ^nt the latter attempting; to dominate
by their physical saperiority. After a season they
carr;e to some under standing, and became the overlords
of the population, one taking charge of the material
welfare ^^in^ rrctection of the cominunity, and the other
educating, guiding and superintending; the moral life
of the people. Others vho did not possess in common
with these xjeople those ouallties enumerated above,
submitted to the will of these t^o groups, and agreed
to engage In manuaj ia}~or for the service and pros-
perity of the people as a ^hole. In this way they
must have gotten into an organized body called society
(Varna Vyavsstha).

The word Tarna means color or complexion.
The color of these four groups of people being different
from one another, the term ChattirvMrna Yyavastha (the
four color organizationi^} came into use.

The above idea finds sup ort in the Vedio
literature( the Eigveda excepted) and in other sacred
literature, such ^iS the iihraties and the iimrities.

*tv

In the first place, the term Varna suggests
the meaning, oolor.

In the second place, in the desaoription of
the ancient works, auoh a& the Itehabhar'ita, there
are ruferenoes to the eeveral colors of the people.

In the third place, the rellgioas scriptures,
while enjoining certain rules ^ind forras, prescribed,
according to the respective complexion of 'each, the
three different colors of clothes that vere to be vvorn

by the Br ah-J^maa cha r i e a (disciples) yRtiQn they went to

the house of their Guru for instruction. A Brah^man's
son was told to wear p^ain i^hite garments in keeping
with his fair complexion. Red garments v^ere prescrib-
ed for the son of a Kehatriya in keeping with his red
oomplexion. Yellow colored garments were prescribed
for the son of a Vaishya who was of yellowKcomplexion.
Since there was no provision made for the education of
a ^hudra, there wat no rule laid down for his garments.
However, since ancient times up to today, a i^hudra has
worn black rags known as Kanbal in keeping with his
dark complexion

Thus in this way the white, the red, the
yellow and the dark complexioned peoples having come
together, mufct have settled themselves in a community
form. The oeople of the first three colors came from

J¥-

oat of India, ancl those of i-^a. dark color irere ncttiTes
of tiie land. If tiie above idea is tenable, tJien i ome
explanation of iaovv the element of heredity- entered tiie
caste eye tern oould be revealed. Moreover, this would
throw some mentionable light on facts sach as the
difference of features, the difference of complexion
and difference of temperament as they are found to
exist even today among tne reopleB of India.

In the fourth place how did the peo le of these
four castes multiply and increase in number? Inter-
marriage i?as and is not allowed among the four castes
or four color groups. She religious scriptures point
out a strong disapproval of a male of a higher caste
or higher complexion group marrying a female of a lower
group. By so doing, he loses hie standing, vithin his
group. His progeny would not belong either to the group
of the father or to that of the mother. The offspring
would be regarded inferior to the caste of the father
but superior to that of the mother. An intermediate
position vtould be allotted to these hybrids, thus
forming a new caste. A man of a lower caste was not
allowed to marry a Aoman of a higher caste. Moreover,
the progeny of such a mixed parentage was not allowed
to follow the profession of Its father. The chief sub-
castes that are found in India are the results of such
intermarriages. All the vvorks Of the "Shrtitis" and

o ^.

"Smrites" and other sacred literature give evidence of
tills fittastl^n. Jilanii, tiie ^reat Hindu lH\^'-.-iLver,
speaks of hevent;* tvio castes formed by the inter-
mixtare of the oastee, and lays dov^n, thereby, the name
for each kind of mixture. This hybric! po] alatian
necessitated the need of a division of labor* Its
different members had to be sai^lied with eorne life vsork*
This could not be done merely by increasing the number
of trades, but had to be done by limit inj^ the sphere
of vocation of the four castes. (Thus the vocations
taken out of the hands of each one of the four original
classes, plus the vocations created by the new wants
of the increasing population^ were taken over by the
hybrid claeses. This explains the reason Thy cort in
professions received ranks, and why some professions
were regarded as honourable and others low. Thoses
followed by the hybrid element of the populat^.x v.^e
re^L^rded as of lower rank; and those followed by oeocle
of pure descent and blood were regarded as respectable.

According to this discussion the Hindu caste
system is not based on an econor^.lc foundation. It
seems to have originated from the intermarriages of the
four pure stocks of four different colors.

Parity of blood hich is not observed in the
strictest fciense in \in^ other society of the world, is

found to exist at least in tiis tiioagJit and oaltare of
the Hindu people, and it is so observed even today.
This is the ciiier cause of the strict nmrrta^e lai?8
of the Hindu cDiimanities. Inter-dining gradually tends
to cause and induce intermarriages on account of
occasional gooiai intercourse. Therefore, the latter
was also T)rohibit8d in order to stop the ever^increasi ng
hybridisation. Like measures regarding inter-dinin^
^ere never taken by any other people of the iivorld, and
are not found any %here outside of India even today.

In the fifth place, these hybrid elements
in society were not taken proper care of. This was
due to the principle of heredity 'xocepted and preached
literally - n6i dogmatically by the Hindu psyoholo^isti:.
Having followed a certain profession for several genera-
tions, it was believed that an individual was capable
and fit for that particular profession n.ore than for
any other. Thus hio birth ot heredity decided his
job in life. That the capacity of functioning in a
p^.srtioular VH.y w^ib' transmitted through blood relation-
ship, vtiia another belief of the Hindu psychology.

If there v.ere two boys born of one father,
one through mating vvith a woman of his own caste, and
the other tiiroagh mating iwith a voman of lover caste,
only the former was suproeed to have inherited all the

'- i

oaalities of iili- oaste. iie was trained for the 'profession
of hie f.'ither and vv-;' properly taken care of. 3at tne
seoond boy v»as not sappoBed not to have inherited the
tendencies and oapacitle& of his f-^tner* Tnsrefore^
nie edacatlDn v^as neglected, and as a eonseouencc he
had to resort to the nev'»ly created or of ess ions of the
hybrid popalation. Even if this same boy did show the
qualities of his fitiisr, he was not accorded the o^tte
or the profession of the latter because there ^ae no
surety of what kind of oaalities would be born to his
progeny, (l) For ini^tance '^idar, the great intellectual
figure in the epic of the Kahabharata, v.'as born of
Vyasa and a TROinan of the Kshyratrfya caste. He dis-
*''l-:yed the raialities of hit f';ther \ioX did not receive
his status, althougjh he took to a profession similar
to that of his father. (2) Vishivamitra was a Kshatriya
by birth but dlsolayed Srahair.anic qualities. (3) Para-
shuram was a 3rsiiainan by birth but displayed the natare
of a Kshatriya. Many such stories are to be found, and
the storivK. ^- u....;:^e ,"-•"*" figures relating to their
birth ^md life are told in the Mahabharata in order to
expose this very oint of contention.

Moreover, aiLon5 tne nunierous references that
can be foun'. in the vast epic literature of India,
\ivhere tne character sketches of the several sons of a
king, born of different wives, are given, one can very

■O Vf

i^ell notice tii: t th* '^^"^or of tiie same sketciies,
attributes oaalities ana propensities to these sons
on tiie assumed theory of mental inheritance* i'or
example there are the character sketches of :.ama,
LaTiaan, ^harata and Shatrughna the four eons of JDas-
haratha in the ©Die of Ramayana. Ofcoarse, being sons
of a kin^ they were not reouired to follow different
professions, bnt the dualities spoken of as displayed
and posse^ssed by thete four princes, tell the same
old story of heredity.

In the sixth place, we find aiitii^rity for
the colour theory of caste even in the Upanishads, which
are tne great and learned oomnentaries on the four
sacred Vedae, and which also embody the highest phi*
losophioal sreculationt of the ancient Indian sages.
For instance in the Ghando^ya Upanjshada there Is an
account of the creation of the v?orld. Therein we are
told ho^ 3 11 the differencee in things have arisen out
of the three original colors, iffhite, red and black.
Ho?< one is superior to another in 'uality is also
described, i^eople of yellow complexion ^ere few in the
beginning and seem to have \iQ^n absorbed among the
blaclcE. Later coming- under the common designation of
Pra ja (coiamon people), they vsere counted among the
dark complexloned section of the population.

33t

fain throaj^hout the Upani shade ^^nd in the
Hindu philosophy st large, the tiieory of the tnree
oiirdinal oaallties, virtue, passion and ig^norance,
is expoundei^ as the three main elements of natare ^*hich,
7^h.6n conbined in different pr op ort i onij , take the form
which is known as the viorld. The \'vords which are
ased to design ;te tneae three elements of ifature, v^hon
taken in their literal and root meaning in iaanskrit,
denote the three colors, white, red and black resuectlve-

Life is the anoaaiified common possession of ill
the creation bat there is a difference in the natare
and behavior of all things* It ia evident that wnen the
three Qualities are foond mixed in different proportions
in different thin^ti that their behavior also should
be neoesearily diversified. The words for the three
main complexions eame to connote the three fundamental
qualities in nature. This tnrows a sidelight in what
manner the science and nhilosophy of social organization
in termtj of qualitative ranking, must have taken pi ce
according to the colors as ti^e first distinguishing
criteria, vnd wi^ ich in the course of adjattment oame
to be synonymous with the qualities dis.olayed by the
peoples of those respective colors. This may have been
a chance coincidence, yet it appears to be true; for
the white Aryiin were more intellectual, passive in

i7W

piiysloal reactions, cilm minded, dl^^nified nd ratjier
averse to bodily enjoyments, wJien compared to tnelr
brotiiers, tiie Aryana of blooming red complexion, v.ho
wore warlike, desirous to rale, 5iven to bodily pleasures,
and 7;ho vjcro spirited and kindly in tiielr attitude as
a '.vJiole.

The Braiiamans have as tlieir diBtingaishin^
character istio, the possession of virtue in the main.

The Ilshatriyaa are oh.'iraeterized by passion
in ita general sense, that is people, v.ho -ire on the
desire level, and as such rejoice in obtaining their
desires even by force.

The Shudras of black complexion, being people
descended from the original aborigines of India, who were
without any civilization ifchatsoever, are possessed of
darkness, that is, of ignorance.

It is on such references and ideas which
are found broad cast in the ancient and medieval
literature of India that the tiieory of color as a
basis of caste in India could be based, tt should be
noticed that beliefs, popularly entertained witnout
ever being put to the test of a consistent, psycholo-
gical and logical explanation, do not h'^ve my value
from a scientific point of view. ::oiii!Don prudence

^f

should prevent anyone from embracing a fad without
making a rational inquiry into its tru character.
Color, from eaperfioial observation, is often spoken
of as the basis of Hindu caste. But for our psycholo-
gical investigation, the references in the literature
of the land do give us a sound basis of the theory,
by means of an integrated and careful exposition.
Ofoourse, more investigations and intensive researchs
??hich are being m^de by different associations of
India^will reveal to the i^orld the chief factors
underlying Hindu caste, the soundness and psychological
nature of which rendered it durable for so many centuries

^v

Summary of tJtie principles accepted by the
Hindu sociologists^

!♦ The qualities und nature of the different
groabfi fVarna color) are hereditary*

£• ^y Intermarriage between the castes, or by the
Inter-mixtare of colors^ subcastes isere created.

3« The castes created by intermarriage led

to the evolution of several professions v^iiich the
different members followed*

4* Such blood amslgamation which Increases the
hybrid popuXaiioa, cau&es thd multix^licatto n
of professions, produces a people of mixed capa-
cities, tendencies, lifees and dislikes; generates
a promiBcnotts competition in life, ^nd vi^^ill
result in n unstable social organization; and
if not checked in time will cause the collapse
of the laf^ei:* J'or this sociological reason,
purity of blood and the consequent purity of
inherited capacities are regarded essential and
extremely important for the efficient functioning
of the social organization*

Theory of evolution and other beliefs:-

Ae the Indian philosophy and religious thought
developed and expanded to first gave birth to the
doctrine of action, and secondly to the theory of the
transmigration of souls • The latter have been the
two cardinal doctrines of the Hindu religion. They
are enthusiastically taught in the Upanishada , and
are afterwards fully developed in the code of Manu.

The faith of the Indian people for nearly two
thousand years has been built largely upon the theory
of evolution. This theory of evolution is not express-
ed in the same fashion as in the western worl3, but
in terms of lon^ po«*'»'ic metaphors, after the mystic
fashion of explaining things. A s.^ne minded and
unprejudiced approach to the study of this theory will
Biake this fact clear.
The theory runs thus:-

A being passes through 8,400,000 lives.
Those creatures through v-hich a being passes
are supposed to consist of 2,300,000 qaudrupeds,
900,000 acquatio animals, 1,000,000 feathered
creatures, 1,000,000 creeping insects, 1,700,000
immov&ble forms, such as trees and stones, and
through 1,400000 human beings. All the stages
mark a gradual development of the being which oulmi-

mlnates into the iitman form, ^t is in this
hi^est evoliitlDnary type that final emancipa-
tion^.^ Interms of self rea^lz^tii^nm^ bf ^ gaJLjaed.

This is a brief and eimple etatement of this
fiindu theory of evolution. It, ofooiiree, was purely
based on the keen thinking and speculative genius of
the ancient Indo-Aryans v.'ho ^^■e^e so ^»ell knoiin the
world over for their marvelous anticipatory guesses.
PByohol05ically ST^eaking, this belief ^ae nothing but
an attempt to conoaten- te the vast creation, so diver-
gent to the Luperficial observltion, ^ith the' dim ox^
presenting to the rational mind a synthetic picture,
and thereby revealing to it the legimate position it
occutries with reference to other forms. Moreover, such
a presentfition of the cosmic phenomena as a integrated
whole, makes an understanding of it and a sharing in it,
easy and r^ractioal. The figures given, need not be pat
to the test of scientific scrutiny, for they merely show
the rough proportion in which it was sapposed thut the
whole creation stands dlBtrtbated. Horeover, it is a
psychological exr)erience that things laid down in de-
finite language h'lve n more firm effect on people than
when given in indefinite hesitating .statements.
Someone h ts humorously said, to illULtrate this idea,
that it is better to tell -t definite ind nrecise lie,
than to tell an indefinite nd hesitating truth.

(T^

Tile abOTe belief was exceedingly necessary in
those timee vijien human intelligence h^id already started
the inquiry regard In^j the fruit of action^ if the
fruit were limited only to this one life, then an indi-
▼idaal could infringe upon the manHnade laws of this life,
and indulge in all sorts of vices, immoralities in thought
and in deed, in order to attain the worldly comforts and
haopiness in general • To check the adrent of such a notion,
which is inevitable with the rank and file of a poou-
lation, fear for and obedience to the institutions of
man were preached and extensively discussed in the litera-
tar« of the land. The Indo-Aryans were not slow to
formulate, simultaneouely, their theories of the law
of Karma and the transmigration of souls, for both of
these are mutually co-exibtent and keep a proper balance
in tho influence of contending ideas. This was in the
age when signs of intellectual scepticism began to be
seen all over the country. With the increasing popu-
lation, the inter-roixture of groups began to take place
on a large scale, and thinking minds began to challenge
the reasonability of the caste system, ^ew forms of
religion took birth, new creedt and social organiza-
tions were worked out. Buddhism took its birth Jt thie
time and was principally fostered by the then extant
chaotic condition of the caste system. The chief effort
of Buddhism was directed toward introducing new ideas

a** .

'd^^Xt

^'^-'}ai.

{0^

and prlnclpl€>8 in the life of tiie people, aad toisard /
reTevilln<5 the w«alr and anjai.:tlf lable teaoiilngs and /
oraotl868 endorsed by the Onste iryetom> and s mctlonY
ed by the script ares and Hindu literntare. Kven the I
Hind a philosopher 8 hid i-^orked oat hair splitting di»^
otts»ioa on all issues of homan life, and i^ere almO&'t
on the point of openly ^ivin^j up the- injunctions of
their saored books. Buddhism took up the work openly.
Buddha , himself, begL<im0 a TadJLQal _i«fc1l;»g.ftjnlst of HlA^aisa,
or tathex^^ftptcllloally speaking, to Brah&maniem* Bat
in the Intellectual warfare that vas wa^jed betterly, <ind
for a lon^ time, the ^aha^mduxa c^iae out Tiotors. ts
a jepnsequenae they or^aniaed the f ortif loatlQh, M
religions creeds and teachings In such a fashion,
that Boddhies was f^ps^piilled to leave the land of its
birth forever. Thus with t-ome few modifioatiDns
Brahamanism fiind the caste system were ?e«e8tablished«
this time it became «*tro»ger than before and the vistory
brought untolu oredlt f»nd authority to the Brahamins.

Eeligious vjiti^ social Seoonstructlon:-

Like all victories, thi^ great success of
Brahaoianisni over Buddhism, strengthened the hold of the
Brahamans over the rest of the popalation* This the
great Brahamun champion, Shankaracharya, came on the
scone and displayed wonderful organizing capacity,
Shankar is the famous exponent of the Vedanta philosophy.

Btalu ha

^

•j- a-e-s

€^lSiQ

ma:

fe^

the last school of transcendental philosophy that India
produced. His works, especially his commenttirles on the
'•Bhagvadglta" and his other "writings on the social
and religious life of man, re exceedingly profound.
These have lie en studied very intensively and v.ith oniqae
interest by the great German scholars at the Berlin,
Leipzig and Heidelberg universities.

H leas this "Sharikar", the intellectual ^.iant
of India of the fourth century, who established four sacred
monasteries at the four corners of India* The aim and
function of these monasttcries was to expound the prin-
ciples of the Vedanta philosophy, to send preachers
all over the country, to distribute and disseminate the
old and the ne^ thoughts and ideas amon^ the people at
large, and to guard the bulwark of JB(rahamanism from
attacks of any outside religious creed or dogrna.

These monast^nriee were well established viith
enough financial income and permanent land »r*»nts.
The latter were obtained from the rulers of different
provinces v;ho belonged to Brahamanisro. Brahamanlsm
at this time, due to its wide sphere of administration,
beaame what is known today as Hinduism.

i>chools were established all over the country
in order to impart education to the members of the three

Ins*!

^T

oaates according to their vocational needs. The main
object was to teaoh the rising generation the important
doctrines, beliefs ^nd rales of oondaot as worked out
and sunotioned by Hindaism.

All the enthaslasm that could be oommanded
was utilized and displayed at this period* The litera-
ture produced daring this period of Indian hifctory is
voluminous. Some of it is highly intellectual, force-
ful, and commands a genuine respect even today from
highly educated scholars all over ti.e world •

For some considerable time this strict and
well organized rule of reli^^ion progressed very nicely
and produced Yory v. onderful results, ^t was success-
ful because every act sanctioned by Hinduism was care-
folly provided vith a lOgiical and phllotophioal expla-
nation. This was done vvith two motives, one to equip the
priests and eduoators.who were the guides of all social
and religious life of the people, ^!th - cogent and
rational explanation of every thing they taug^ht, ind
secondly, to f^ice the fault finders, who were moL^tly
foreigners and exponents of other religions, with strong
arguments.

During this time, when the Brahamans were
busy at their reconstruction program, the members of
other castes attended to their respective 'duties, took

Ui bn 1

*^9

£1 i'JAtJier retiring attltade and folloi?.ed the diotatee
Of tiie BraJiamane , in religions, social, educational und
spirltaal mt^ttere. TJius wei/eee that the theories of the
tranamigratlon of soals and Karma strongjly established
and extensively expounded. This naturally led to a period
of blind faith. This is v^hat always happens ^fter a
stiff struggle of any kind. Certain people be^sin to
predomin te, nd the masses cease thinking for them-
selves v.hen somebody else assumes the entire responsi-
bility to do it for them*

The stories told in the old Puranlc literature,
be^an to find popular oirGulation. Ihey preached the
theory of mental evolution, showing the several stages
in the creation, arr^inged in their ord«r of merit ranking;
and they ased it in two different ways. I^iterally it
meant a very rational order of merit ranking, but popu-
larly, it made the masses believe the superiority of one
caste over another. This was a hereditary superiority
which determined the social status of an individual^
right from the time of his birth. This was the most
absurd and anscientlfic step taken by the social or-
ganizers. The theory was a confused combination of
biological and social inheritance ideas, ^t is stated
thus:-

«» Among the existin5 things, those that possess

f^b

life are higJier in rank." (organic creation
over the inorganic ) .

'^ Among tiie organic creation tjbio&e tliat possess
reason are superior."

**Amon5 the animals that possess reason, man
stands on a higher level."

"And among the humans » one who is an intellec-
tual, i.e.^i Srahaman, is superior."

"Among the ^rahamans, those that are learned;
are super ior#"

"Among the learned, those ^^ho possess ripe
Judgement (wisdoml, are superior."

"iUmong the wise, those who are practical, I.e.
those who fonction, are superior."

"And among those who are Dractical,l.e. those
who function, those ^ho think and oontempltte
over Brahma . the eternal principle behind the
universe, are superior."

These vorees, ^fihen unfjerytood literally, lay

:il 3Jit

6^

^hese ▼erses.v^Jieii anderetood literally,
ley down exactly i^iiat modern social science iiioald
endorse. TJie trouble arises ^Jien tiie word firaJiaman
is understood to mean a person iviio is a -^aiiainan
by the mere accident of birth, whether he is possess-
ed of the attributes of hiB class or not* This inter-
pretation mixes the pure biolOt^ical and psychological
evolution v^ith the social evolution of mankind. The
word Brahaman becomes synonymous vith the word intellec-
tual in its "denotion", and once this is accepted in
practice, then the same fallacy is extended to other
oastes anci their social status i6 determined according-
ly.

It was the white oomploizion that led to the
making of all these fallacies, "hite is not a specific
color but it is a united manifestation of all the colors.
In warm countries where the white complexion gradually
tends to become red, brown and dark, the general crav-
ing for a fair complexion is very noticeable. Also
the changes of white to red, brown and dark in this
particular seauesce, unconsciously determine in like
manner their order of merit.

People in India prefer white garments. The
latter h&ve come to be a sign of wealth, greatness, and
dignity. Highly Intellectual and learned i?r*ihamans «re

^5

Invariably eesn wearing plain, white clothee* In most
of tlia rellgioaa oeremoiiies and eoclal fnnotlans, viiite
18 regarded Qlh tne most ausplcioa^ of the oolors* A
saored fire le charoteri&ed with a white flame* ^8
has been said before, the n^imeo of the three esaln ele*
ments of natare are also, white, red, and dark standing
respect ively for Tirtae, pa&eion and ignoranoe*

In this way the theory oame to be understood
as thls:*

After having gone through all the evolutionary
stages of the lower forme of life, the being dae to good
oonflact and attitudes, reoeives birth in the homan family ,
However, it will be in the leiwest oaete, that is,
Oftong those haman beings who are on the lowest plain
of mentality and behaviour* Their oomplexion in this
stage will be of necessity dark* inen after living a
Tlrtuoas life and serving those %ho are mentally superior
to them; and thus contracting good associations and Im*
press! one during this life, they obtain In the next life
birth in the higher caste* if their store of merit be
short and the store of demerits great, they descend into
lower stages of organic life,ond so goes the cycle of
the world* This app:^es to all the castes* ^rahamaae
vhe are on the top morally and intellectually, if they
lead a life sli> enjoined by the laws of their caste.

■ v: \ -■* 5* j:,-*.v # \3r,»

:ii r

^7

reoeXve birtJi c BruiaamaxkB again and again «itli superior
mental levels ant 11 self realization la attained* 9li«
latter 18 the same ae dalTation of intellectual eman*
olpation froa tlie bondage of life and deatix«

til tills «a8 originally st^^rted by tiie oolor
distinction and tlie saperiority on that score uliioh
gradually In the oourse of social staballzation beoase
a matter of faith and blind following* faith in the
rebirth theory vas os much intensified by the moral and
intelleotaal philosoohers that eren the cold Intelleo*
tnalistfi, thoogh scertical in the beginning, coold
not maintain that attltade before the weighty argumeAte
of the philosophers, roots and the educators* This ^as
the effeot of anlting faith and reason which made th«&
almost insolnble*

S«maiary«

1* %w color led to caste distinct ions*

S* Beferenoes in the sacred llteratore of India
sapport this theory*

3« Castes become endogamoas, hovv and ^hy*

4* A* oereiity two aiii»tott oTen In the time

of Mana*
B# How they oarr.e Into being*
0* She treatment offered to hybri ,^> a-

Itttion*

y^o

6. Principles accepted by the Hindu eooiolo-
^iate, sommarized.

6. Evolation theory of the ^oranas explained*
its attenrpt to reconcile several contending
ideas and beliefs.

?• Advent of the theory of transmigration of
souls and the ■*^rma a theory.

6« Ocmflict of Buddhism v.ith Brahmanlsm and its
effects*

9« Shankor icharya becomes the master of the
situation and orj^anizes the caste system
and transforms Brahmanism into Hinduism.
Hinduism is a federation of several indepen-
dents ohools of thou^^ht, beliefs, creeds

10. The social ladder in terms of mental levels
explained. This confounded t*''^ biological
and snoial stntuB of beings nd led to the
creation of blinci faith and taboos o^ all kind

/r

CHAPTEE V>
mS SCOHOMIC THEORY.

Authority for this theory is found In the
diso ass ions that figure so extensively in the Upan-
ishadas. #urin^ the Upanishad age philosophioal think-
ing was very common and extensively Indulged in. Phi-
losophy el often in keeping with extant form of social
llfe# For example, today in this age of material
civilization, our philosophy and all other abstract
sciences express their investigations and truths in
terms of natural sciences.

All these social institutions of today are
commended or critisized in li^ht of the achievements
and approvals of science. In like manner in the
"Brihadarannyaka Upanishada'* two kinds of creations are
discussed:-

1. Creation of humanity*

E. Oreation of function or duty.
The discuBsion runs in this form:-

The whole world was created out of the un-
qualified, eternal, infinite Brahma. Originally all
was Brahma but the ^orld could not get along with
it alone, so the Brahma (Collective for Brahamans )

11^

I

er^atvd <mt of It salt, KaliAtrlyaa (Warriors) to attend to
the ne da of order and preterit ion and thas leaTe the
Bx^taa frae to follow Invest igatlona Into the cayatery of
the creation. Still the world couia not get along, so they
created the Valshyas (Agriculturists.) froE amongst thesu
ThAa the provision for subsl stance was effected and paople
])lTed In peace and prosperity* Bat the result of such peace
and prosperity was that the human needs begflua to Increase*
The three groups were able to admlnlstar to the Intellectual
aspilr^tlonal and physical needs but could not t&ke care of
the selieral material functions that required pure physical
and mechanical labor. 3o they created the Shudras.

Up to this stage, the creation was confined to
the production of hniaan beings, varying In their sental
levels and capacities and as such Inclined to take up
functions suited to the different neets of the world.

But even all of this creation did not h^lp the
world to get along eompletely satisfactorily. Than the
creation of duty or function was started. Several
functions were formulated according to the needs of the
world. Then these were elasslf^sa Into groups .These
groups were four In number and exhaust el the floli of all
the functions that wera assentlal for the saraoth running

^•Xb^

K-> f-

n

of th« world.

Then came the assignment of these ftin<?tlon grottpt
To the grpape of human beings aeeotdlng to their quail fleatloas
ana inclinations* Thns all of the people receive 1 work to ao.
fhls beacme their duty toward the world* Also the several
needs of the world were taken care of« In order to l|ware
certainty and order the lron~rod of DahrsA (eternal law)
was created* Srery one was responsible to the Bar of this
eternal law In the form of duty, Tory strict and clearly
deflhed rvles were formulated and all these constituted
the Iron^rod of Dharma* Brery one was ccnnpelled to live
within the precepts of this rod* Then It was found that
sTsry thing vent smoothly and well •

This is the train of thought. In brief, in the
discussions of this Brlhadarannyika Upanishada* In this
their social organisation program Is explained not on
the basis of birth or caste but It is worked out according
to the economic *eeds of the world; and as the needs
Increased, the nuraber of duties 1* e. vocations had to
be Increased and this led to the four divisions of the
hunmn family. In this Upanlshada the word ( Varna ) "color''
Is not aoci* ^Iso there Is no trea^oeat of 'Jatls" ♦••*

/if

birth cAstes , and th«ir analgWBation ana emit 1 plication
etc* The whole theme is eharaeterizetl by the econoiTiic
aspeet of the world ana the functional administration
it the spirit of the whole thought.

On the basis of this thou|^t, in the
Upanishada^ several referenceo are available in the great
•pic of Mahabharat • In this epic while disctissing the
social evolution it was said that, at the beginning all
were Brahaoana bat in the course of long ages, according
to the worldly neids, they were divided into Kshatriyas,
Yaishyas and Jhndras •

It is curious to note that, in spite of this
•Gonomle back ground of the Hindu caste syst^i , though
found in one of the most sacred Upanishada it could not
gain any wide and strong mcoeptance in the Hindu society.
the color distinction alon^ is the only origin universally
accepted*

However the authors of the Puranaa ( a very
eumberaoroe literature that was produced to formulate new
ideas and theories and ©ainly to reconelld the various
traditional belelfs and theories that wore opposed to
one another and as stioh unfavorable to the social
organisation* )

\ -::?*•

19'

have m&4e use of this l^#a of soelal «Tolatlon as found
la th« Opanlshada i ^J4f7^^ ,) In a totaly aiff«raiit way.
In order that , thsre may nit arisa any lnt«rzial Qostra*
diet ions erij^ thus shaka the ball of s of the people the
Purardkas seem to haTa frmsulated the thaory of four ages.

this idea of four ages is a Tary asoient idea
hut Tery little is known about its origonal fonn, the
pureanikas c)M^«^ 1^ ^^^ S^*^ 1^ publicity in the following
fashion • This thaory is to a great e^ctent i^at is known
in the vrest as the ]>ootrine of Kousaaav • The naaes of
these four divisions of time are:-

1. satya ( TTIPT )

Z. Trata ( ^^TcfT )

3, Dwapar( ^/^/<^ )
4. Kali ( ^# )

1^ 3atya( literally means truth*) • this is the
truth age and stands at the beginning of all the other ages.
In this age all was truth; there was no vioe or falsehood
known. All was perfeetly natural. Hana nature had not
eontr acted or ^^valved any thing artificial • ^People d*d
not doany thing unjust or erilb an<3 hence their was no need
of law eourts. There were no kings to protect the people,
for all were good an<^ no protection was needed.

,m:

7^.

Th«r« was no dlstlnetlon of raiik or blrtli^
that is no eaate or class eonseloasness exist ea but tSbl
llvsd In man to man ralatlonshlp. It was tba brotherhood
of man In the true sense of the term« Everyone was his own
law aaker and abided by it^fben set in the Treta age.

E^Trata -Yuga: In this age artificial life
appeared, people began to loolc and live fifferently
from what they really we^e. Such a difference led to a
deviation from the pore and aiiBpl# natural life*
falsehood ea&e into existance, This made the institution
of monarchy nece8::ary« But the kings were good men aaA
the population as a whole was good, TTlms with the
establishment of manarchy and courts etc, the few m—n
members of the society were taken care of and all went on
nicely as before. Only this marked the fall of man
from his real nature,

3, Dwapar-Yuga : After the gradual down fall
of nan the human rave became organized into aeperate
groups or societies, iSach one had seperate kings and
armies and all such agencies of order. They lived pretty
snoot h and vte^ous life within their own connunities
but when one sc^iety came in touch with another they
clashed on selfish interests*

n

Th«y fought wars « mad« eonqutsta, and did not
tak« pleasure In 11 f« without leading arml<9s at least onea
In a graat while just for the sake of cpoiitoslty «ti« fun.
They did not annex any thing to th#lr own posaosaloas
but theycare<5 to bo recognised as the superior power.
Ambition for faioe an^ name was all that the ktngs of this
ago eare<? for* Otherwise th«lr usu&l life was tenparata
and norfBal* Thay aid not fight aroong themselves but
malntaned good order anf justice within their own boundrles*
The societies as a rule beoai&a vary progressiva in tha
modern sense of the term. Thay made discoveries and
Inventions, They built all kinds of Institutions to meet
the huRSii needs .The spirit of roirpetetlon waa eharactar-
Istlcslly fostered,

4« Kall»-Yuga •(^uarral) This waa the fourth
division of the tlma, An^ th1« ««?# 1*^ still In ^ro^%B9
We are llktnr — ^^^ -^ ' -«, This age Is characterized as
the l^?r?j5t aX all the preceadlng ages In all respects:
life In this age It Is prophaelsad^ will be most
artificial aisd shallow. Man will not live with his fellow
beings on the human i^afio , but he will ba crooked
in his deal unless checked by the strong hand of law.

m mim-'

»— »!• Jk <Mi J "^"'"-..Ts-fir* -' «?•

!.i,^«

■it f#£'

^is^ssr

7?.

All lH«iglnabl6 kla«s of ^li«f?ks tin tli« (^onAnet
of man will be Institute^!. ^Tr&th will be^^ome a rar^ity*
Vlrtu« will axlBt In name only. GooA la the obJectlTe
senao of the term will be absent. All will ba relative •
Kot only large groups of men will flg|it one another
bat the world will be aivldea Into InanHierable nsall
factions &n^ gronps and wars will be(*oma a oosmon thing
of life. These will no longer be objects of fear and
hatred but will be centers of great interest. All the
h^man Intelligence and resottrces will be spent on the
injprov«Bent of the science of war. All culture will c(»nw
forward to aid and Jastijey human quarrel St

Again within the society there will be no peaea*
All eosjpetetion , Jealousy, unjust dealing and vice will
prevail. Han will not live tn man to man relation but
suspicion and hat wed will sapei^te them • Immorality of
all kinds end forms will flourish, ^n will go farther
and farther from the right knowledge and will become
matter mad. Body will take the place of mind aa Idol takaa
the place of Gods. This will be the culmination of
Ignorance and discontent^ individual and social will ruin
the world.

..-f:#- *^ %

Itern-^^'

#r««^ wmm will hm fought ana In that way tha
hnmaM r&ea will aestroy itsalf and thus close this aga»
Thaa again the cyel« will begin to revolve ushering In
the truth aget There fore thos-t who will lead virtuous
lives In this age will tak# birth In ths human farally
torlng the truth age. And thus the ©yele will go on.

The time limit of each one of these four ages
Is also given by th« Puranlltas but all that is of no
educational \alue# This shows how the human beings
have always regarded and every where that the time
before thepi was better and the time that Is to follow
them Is sure to be uhdeslreable. Scientifically this
helelf Is not borne out by facts. But the reach *f
science In social and thought wirld Is not yet very
coawlndog • from the bindings a scientist drains Inference
absnt the mode of life and thought of people, ^^hls Is
not a very sound method • Suppose for Instance that after
a thousand years when all the things that we now consider
graat and regard as s^bols of our cl%lllzatlon will be
destroyed anii when due to sany cosmic ^nd physical uphesvals
which change the face of the earth so radically , our
Bjonuraents of progress and Intelligence will shattered to
pieces and thrown broadcast, then In that condition of things

?•

if a 8f?l«fitl3t of that r«Biot« faturlty w«r« to find th«
pi«e«8 of ffioderm machinery aueh as , th« phonograph,
•Itctrle lighting systaiss , or pl«c«a of a wlralaaa 89t^
i^at will ha aay ? Will ha ha aibla to prasant any raliabl<«
plctsra of oat tima on th« basis of this fragmantary
aTidaaoa?

All that ha will say with that kind of fragmantary
aTidanca ta^an ont of its aattlng, will ba as good a
material in his hands, as the findings of our scientists
toAay who attaiapt to rea^^. social and intalla<!»tiial attain^
mants of oor prehistoric ancestory. Kowevor it is worth
our while to see how by producing; such kind of literature
and dl fusing it broadcast the Hindu Puranllu^ attesipted
m seeming reconciliation of the philosophical ideai of
the Vadic and post- Vadic times and succeeded in bringing
•11 of that to the establiahment of fatilisis.

All the long ana flgaratlTe atoriea that filled
the Furanie literature ^llsplay inffiiansa capacity of the
Furanikaa In advertising their work ana carrying on a
litaraly propaganda not to over throw the thoughts of the
ancients but to uaa them to thMr own adTantage« Ifo
educator of to^ay, who wants to work among the Hindus can
afford to connive at thla fact* he must understand
the teachings of this voluminous literature and tiMn

mel F:f

if

ecr«ftilly sow th« soeas of his n«w eaucatloaal pr^graa
to «radlf*at« th« blind faith eauaad by tha aeconnta of
tlia IStranaa and connect tha rcodarn aspirant dlractly
with the unsalflsh, cont«iplatlvt, straight thinking
ancestor of his, of tha Vadle aga« this Is tha only
way In which tvary Indian can get tha rich harltaga of
his ancestral thought which h« should gat.

Moreover by msklng such a study of things.
It is possible to lead the sodern Indian society out
of the chaos ana guard it from blindly falling Into
the lElstakes of th^ western clrlllzatlon* 7ha aln should
be to offer them the bast that the wast hai to glTs aad
also to make available to theic the rich heritage cf their
glorious past*

l&ast systei&s as it exists to day could hot
be defended It Is doomed to ruin and Is fast disinter-
grating but without ntx^ good aubstltutst Ihat Is tha
Irony of fata , The old four fold classification of
tha hasian race , leaving out the elements of pride or
prejudice sense of superiority or Inferiority could
be reinstated* Tha several thoerles of it origin offer
. gre&t ittformational data and by iftsing our modern experiences
and thoughts It is tfuite possible to wox% out a sound

d^:i^(t-"

^06i*1Pl?

?^

and fluid program of slodal r«co]i8trQetloiu A dlaeassloa
of tMs is xirosftnt^d lat«r on while making •duc&tional
m^astions. Saaeationall^ it is of interast hara to nota
tba elaznants that lad tha Hindu o&ata s^^stiSQ to its
prasant corrupt and claganeratad oondition* Tha aoeount
and infon&ation aa diaeussad herain is not found in aiqr
historical invastigation but tha psyehologiacl traatnant
of tha thama has lad to tha laying bara of thasa fav faets
of i star est and import asf^ at

Tha aeonooaic b&sia df casta syetasi is diseussad
by soma guropaan writ are but that is done puraly on tha
assuinption that what was true of thair social aYolution
must haT4^ been true of other social aTolutiona* Bduoational
apposition of casta system requires all the internal
aridenf^es. Therefore att'sropt haft been cmda in the preeee*
ding pages to present what the ancient Indo- Aryans thought
with regard to caste systen which was their social organi-
sation program*

mi^^m

y^

Ca^PTEE

PSYGHOLOaiCAL FOUBDATIOH OP THE CASTE SYSTEM

Tlie caste system at it was ori^in-illy formu-
lated by the remarkably intellect aal Indo-Aryans was
not merely a program of m idealist's dream, or, like
Plato's Republic, a laliiloeopliioal picture of an ideal
social state, or tJie "City of God" of Saint Augustine,
or More's "Utopia. It was the actual v.orking plans of a
a great number of social reforms of intense vitality
and unbounded enthusiasm. Even this does not fully in-
dicate the stren5th of the system. It is in the spirit
of the age; it io in the unquestioned drift of events.
So unbounded waiB the faith of the Indo- Aryans in the
supreme value of their program of the c^ate system,
that to attain it they believed any price was not too
great to pay. Their whole literature, Ye4ic and pot;t
Vedio, of all sorts, is as plain an evidence of this
conviction as the sun is the evidence of the day.

Neither is it proper to criticise their pro-
gram because it wus Utopian. Too many Utopias are be-
ing realized in this marvelous age to borrow any trouble
on that account. Mor is it here the purpose to criti-

r

Slf-

else it on the ground that the ends set forth v.ere not,
according to our ideas of today, the supreme ends which
society should try to realize, or were they the things
in which they were most deficient. Conceivably it
might be argued that there never was a time in the
world's history v.hen there was so little real suffering
from want of the necesi^lties of life, nor so many en-
joyments and comforts by every class in the community,
nor so much freedom and opportunity, nor so little in-
temperance, nor so many privileges, opportunities snd
rights for women. V omen vere writers of the Ved?is.
Lilavati was the greatest mathematician of the a^e.
Women Hire Gargei and Maitreyi and others figure very
hi^h in the ancient literature.

It might perhaps be re ironed further that
while we are still deficient in those things, we are
vastly more deficient in no leas vital or still more
vital things, such for instance as art, morals, rational
manners, culture, brotherhood, cooperation, religion,
temperance in the sente of moderation, thrift, health,
racial integrity, organized intelligence, rational
system of education, an integrated community life,
social stability; conservation of human needs and an
underijtanding of racial values. One can vvell imagine

,r: ^ -V r-^-^u^^. r

<<» 'T *» ■

^7

that the whole Drogram of social reconfctr action at the
present time v^ould be open to tucn criticism, were one
honest enough to vievv it from this angle. There is no
program of social construction or recont traction that
could be qaite free from criticism. Therefore it be-
hooves us to sympathetically consider all such programs,
especially when they belong to a remote past*

The trouble today is, that all the plans for
social orgonization h^ve been v^orked out too much from
the political and economic standpoints, r^ather than from
the tisychologlcal point of view. We are living in an
economic and political age aci our minds are obsessed
by economic ^-nd political ide^s. When we turn to study
and understand the programs of the social organization
of the Ancients, we are apt to interpret them only
in terms of economic and political reactions. We are
apt to neglect the human motive that permeated the
plans of those ancient people.

Ho society has itny Cii.ix^c of snceos^-t^ which
is not planned with immediate reference to the material
of which thnt society is composed. A bridge builder
has to give ouite as much ttention to the strength
of the material, as he hss to the use and beauty of his
structure. Human beings are the material of our sooial
order. In short one cannot ^ifford to disregard the

ye

vital and all important peyciiolo^ical factors. It is dae
to these that the mighty bulwarks of all soaial organi-
zations coald survive throughout the long ages.

Let us therefore see the oure and straight-
forward psychologic?il motives that vvere fundamental to
the Aryan oaste system. Let us for a ^hile be unpre-
judiced by after effects of that system due to its mal-
administration 'nd abuse at the hands: of later generations.
Such a study confined only to the psychologic'<l impli-
cations of Caste will be of great educational value.

All will be unaminons in thf^t no two human

beings are alike in their mentality. Everyone displays

different degrees of intelligence. This difference is

visible in their ohysioal behavior which is so divergent.

The mind controlij the body and is in turn J^usceotible

to the influence of the physical tenses, "xrom the
physical forms, movements, meaningfttl gestures, con-
versation, facial excression, changing hues due to the
intensity of the emotions of any kind," soys a Hindu

Psychologist , "we read the minds of people in general,"

If this inference regarding the mind content of an

individual is not oorroberated by the mental expressions,

it is given up as a superficial estimate and is not given

any value by schol-irs. But if the desires, pro, ensities,

aspirations, ideas of good and evil, ideals of life

and general reactions of an individual to the physical

as well as to tiie social stiLUli, v,hicli are the chief
^avenues of mental expression, do not support it, then
we have a scientific justi fioation to classify peoples
in different groaps in terms of their mental expressions
and physical behavior. There might be an ii definite
number of such groups, but for establishing a certain
system, they may be reduced to as few as poseilile and
those the essential ones.

The Sociologists h-'ve this problem before them
of organizing their society on some such basis as vsould
do justice to the inborn nature of man plus the acquired
capacities throa^h environment, as well as administer to
the several needs of society oy proper division of labor
and assigning of functions. In the history of peonies
we see several plans of soci^ 1 orgJini2.ation, none of
them free from fault. Still an effort is made to ap-
proximate the justice, v^hich ofcourse is almost invtri-
ably -. ffiitter of relativity. The Hindu Caste system is
one of these carefully v?orked out plans, though -aot
without incongruities.

Their first division was, as is always the
case, tile distinguishing of their Aryan stocic frcan all
the rest of the human race; th^t is, Aryans fro^ non
Aryans. Since they were to be responsible for the
proper organization of their own people, they first
divided the Aryan community into three distinct groups.

?t

these groups were arbitrarily divided but were not quite
so hard and fast as they gradna;Lly tended to become.
People of their free will and by the force of circum-
stances had already taken to different functions.
These functions as we all know are three:-
!• To produce the means of existence and sustain them

for the maintenance of the society.
2. To protect the community from external attacks and
exploitations, and to re5Ulate the life of the
members of society in order to avoid and check the
conflict of interests within the i^ociety.
3« To perpetuate peace and prosperity and build a
dynamic force in terms of philosophy in order to
generate ideas and ideals; to give meaning to^ life
and functions, and to rel^ite thiis life with some-
thing in the hereafter in order that ^^^^^ on the
ground of hope may not be bewildered by the inevit-
able phenomenon of death ind separation.

The above three are the chief reouirements
of '^ny soc' 1 group and resolve thom^o"?^'^-^ ^vntn innu^-^er-
able subdivisions of function. Now to attend to these,
the society had to be divided into three main divisions.

n

i'anction is apparently the cJiief compelling cause of

suoh division bat it must be borne in mind that the

Hlnda Caste system did not assign functions for their

\/ own sake, but according to natural tencencies and

actual behavior, they allowed people to ohooee their work»

"According to the pos-
session of oualities and their actual expression in
action" the society v^ae divided into four Varnas, says

the^'Bhagvadgita'; The latter is the recognised iiible
of India but unlike the Sible in that, this sacred work
is not only religious, but chiefly philosophical in cha-
racter.

The three groups known in the English Ian-
as Castes ure:-

1. iiirahaman.

£. Kshatriya.

3. Vaishya.
^he functions assigned to these three are those that are
cnamerated before ay the three essential functional
requirements of society. They do not belong: to the
threo Castes in the order in which they are at i ted but
in the reverse order, that is, the first Caste IfSrahaman)
undertakes the function numbered "three"; the second
Caste follows the work numbered **two"; and the third
Caste take£ care of the duties enumerated in t^^^^P
one.' Having thus divided the important functions limong

the three groups of the Aryan society, tJie problem of
tJie Hon-Aryans was taken ap«

TJie Hon-Aryans were of Dravidlan origin, ex-
tremely dark in complexion, ugly in tiieir makenp, un-
civilized A^nd were living a primitive barb^irous life.
Katurally the Aryans, like any other human bcJngs of
the world laboring under the same feeling of biologi-
cal repugnance, did not like to admit them to a place
in their society nd simply left them out by driving
them away into the foretsts and mountain regions. We
do not hear of four castes in the earlier literature.
The Aryans did not, however, make slaves^ of these abori-
gines, as many peoples -have done. They did not make
themselves blind enough to believe that these ugly,
dark people did not come under the category of human
beings. Though their aei^thetio sense and narrow vision,
in the practical sense of the v. ord, did not permit them
to get over the physical prejudice, they dia not re-
gard them as animals. As they became stabalized and
f oun^ their social administration more or less in a
good working order, they did not wish to shut out the
aborigines from their social plan. They wished to
ntilise this native element in order to put a stop to
the occa6ion.-vl clashes, fights -J^nd other troubles which

<^t

used to croo out botTneen the viJaites and tJie blacks.
B6ing aesthetically and mentally on a lower level,
they were given the lowest rank in the Hindu social
order. Their function vias to discharge all the menial
services for the upper three castes, and thus maintain
their place in the social order of their conoaerors.
No mentionable rales or restrictions were laid down for
the guidance of these people who were designated by the
term Shadra(This means "Servitors.'*)

Having thus seen the organization of the first
three Castes of the Aryans, and the Incorcoration later
on of the Aboriginies into the social system, Tive hive
the well known four-fold division of Hindu society.
The psychological characteristics that distinguish these
four groups from one another are as follows:-

!• The most fundamental and initial level on
which the human mind is found is that of mere enjoy-
ment (t>hudr a) ♦ All the activities and endeavours, physi-
oal as well as mental of an individual on the initial
stage are confined to the enjoyment of things that
exist in nature. He does not go any further in the use
of his brain than to obtain his needs, but lives simply
n/ as a dependent on the favor of nature, ^e is at the
level, commonly c illed . Barbarism. He lives in forests

aoes not baild u house to live In, but makes use of the
hollows in trees; nor does he anderstand how to protect
himself from the attacks of harsh nature in cold or in
heat. He is almost on the animal level, but is capable
of being improved. He needs trainln^; and guidance to
evolve the latent can: cities of man. He is satisfied
with his daily bread and does not think of the tomorrov?.
Thus by accepting his services of a manual nature, if
he could be fed and protected from nature, he ea£ily
lives a satisfied life. In short people displaying the
"eat, drink and be merry" attitude, and people who are
always content to live within the favors of nature, be-
long to the Shudra Caste. This was the exact stsxte,
psychologically, in which the Aryan conquerors found the
primitive aboriglnies of India.

Moreover, there \Aere other races that entered
iMdia from time to time in those days and those which
mixed with the Aborlginies, displaying the same tendencies.
Since they chose to associate with rtiem, they were class-
ed with the natives and oame under the common name of
Shudra •

2. Above this Shudra stage we find a higher mental
level where the deoendence on the gifts of nature and the
cnrrying of her favor all the time, is not acceptable.
Man learns from nature by the dint of his eoecial powers

10iiL\[

hi

i AfQ'i

a« fil

'0

how to conserve nature's gifts to meet his wants of to-
morrow. He is not anymore content mlth his needs of to-
day but craves to store the me^ns of subsistence for
future use. He evolves the ability to control the means
of his subsistence to r)roduce the comforts of this life
and sustain them by artificial devisee. In short the
storing of the me^ns, whether obtained from nature, or
produced by art, ch^r cterises this mental level.
Here the man is not content with the s.^tisf action of his
needs of tod'ty, nor with those of hit own individual
self, but desiree to perpetuate the comforts of all
kinds, by all means, for himself, und his fellow beings.
This is obviously a higher sta^e in the mental and eo-
oial evolution. It could be termed an organization
level. She people among the Aryans who displayed such
tendencies, and took to orgj^nized activities, such as
agriculture, crafts of different kinds, comr:;eree, -.nd
fcJl thuit is concerned r ith the production, distribution,
-ind conservation of material wealth, came to be called
"Yaiahyas.**

3« The possession of material Drosperity by

means of production and 'iccurnWl^ttion does not give full

satisfaction to all minds. The desire to control such

a material prosperity ma command it, rather than beg

or buy it , arises in certain minds. They want the mastery

of saoii materi il mealtJi, by dint of tiieir regnal j ting
prowess in arms. Phyeioal and mental i:trengtJi dominates
all of their capacities tnd siicii a biological richness
of physloae tends to make peoole posseselig' it, desiroas
of rule ind fighting. They are the kind of people who
could brtcome kln^s ^nd soldiers^ Thej conld defend society
from outside att'>c''^s and dminieter to the material life
of the ijeople at large. ^ pov.erful body, indomitable
courage -^nd v*lll to conquer, take the place of wealth.
They do not want to bay comfortL - ^ the vealthy merchants
do, but like to command thorn in .. tead« t'eople displaying
these traits in varying de^rce^:, took to warrior life,
and according to their cap cities obtained their station
in life isithin the limits of the "Kshatriya" Caste.
A class with duties ranging from thOBe of a king to the
I.... of the average soldier in the army, is ouite
essential for the maintenence of every social organi-
zation. The rights of tne weak are to be defended against
the aggress Ivenees of the strong. Law and justice
cannot be administered unless there is back of them
some such power to support them and enforce obedience.
This mental s'ta^-e could be styled the control level.

4. The social evolution theory of the Indo-Aryans
having come thus far, ushers in a ybt^ rich and highly

fj

complex level of mentality • On this level the human
mind does not cr.ve for the enjoyment of objects like
the Shadras, conservation of tne means of comfort like
the Vaiahy^s, or the mistery of things T/sorldly and the
power to rule the lives of peooles.like the Kshatriyas;
but the daisn of a superior intelligence, highly moral
attitudes, a strict and disciplined life nnd broad per-
spective, characterises tj3ie stage of the social order.
Knowledge is everything that is to be craved for by
men on this level. It is the tonowled^e that reveals
the pl'iCe of man in this world 'and ultimately the uni-
verse. Knowledge (Gnana) means, not simply abstract
thinking or the hiir splitting investigations in any
field, but It is a complex combination of wnat we call
theory and practise. v>uch cure knovtledge in r<reference
to all Physical pleasures is the only thing that he any
fascination or attraction for oeople on the understand-

if.ej level.

« — 2 — «

It must be understood that all other Castes
need intelligence to discharge the duties that have come
to their share respectively, •'business as vee know in our
own age today, requires ^reat intelli>-ence and knowledge
of a very high kind. But ufter all wh'it is fill this
knowledge? Is it not a mere multiplication of the imple
things of everyday life turned into or converted into

7

a clieotio complexity by the so called intelligent people,
under tiie ^aise of simplifying the dealing of Jtiaman
beings? Who can &eny that this simplification, as we
are taught to call it, requires thst hundreds and thou-
sands of Intelligent people spend their precious time
learning the methods and procedures of running these
everyday dealings o- men and making it impossible for the
lay minds to unci er stand anything i^hat soever of that which
they ou^t to know regarding their own affairs.

Secondly, granting that this chaotic complex-
ity is desirable for the management of the progressive
business of today, after all is it not' the sume thing
that the people in ancient times used to qo , namely
adminifcitering to the bread and butter side of humm
life? Our business methods require great intelligence
when oompired to those of old, but it is in the same line,
only of a hi^-her amplified kind. We cannot, therefore,
blind ourselves to believe that the achievements made
by modern business men, by exercising great intelligence,
could be made eoual in value to those of an intellectual,
( i. e. Brahanian ) of today.

Knowledge which consisted of worldly wisdom,
coupled viith the wide vision and higher thoughts of the
grave problems of life, ere t i on and the end of tnings,
was whcit the l^ahamanL craved. They were administrators.

7'

oounselors and minlKtars at tiie courts of the kin^«
They were law-g,ivprs, lawyers and edacatora. They ^ere
priests attending to the religious and social ceremonies
of the people at lar^e. i'hoy wore moralists and Phi-
losophers to ^uide and lead humanity, not by mere r>re-
oeots, bat by =^ctual example.

Thus a Brahaman never cared to amass wealth
or the comforts of life but on the contrary, he ^as
ouite indifferent to such material thln^^s beyond the
plain, simple needs of a thin'k:in5 mind.

We have seen the psychological implications
that characterised such a four-fold division of the
Hindu society in the ancient days. We might also note
the several incentives that brought satisfaction to
theae different groups and kept them contented vtithin
their social order for several oeax.>^TiQ&.

The Sjiadra bein^ a man of very lo\. inentality,
is not susceptible to rtn^ incentiv^a except those of
pure physical gratification. Thus to leave him care-
free regarding his maintenance ::xni living, is enough
incentive to keep him contented. He sings in merri-
ment \^hile doing the manual labor for one -who protects

r

him. Those v.ho have seen the colored slave v^orking
merrily on the farme of his master and sinking son^e
Tvhile doing the v^ork, oan imagine hov. the mere incentive
of an assured subsistence is enough for them.

The Vaishyas hnd the incentive of wealth and
the conse^aent pleasures that cvuno in the tr.iin of riches.
Though they nad to be subordinate to the ruling class,
yet in their private *.nd social life they had all that
money could buy, and thus the^; led a contented life.
If anyone of them had intellectual aptitude he was able
to develop the same, and to use it in becoming a business
man of a high order. Moreover, the study of any litera-
ture was open to him. If he chose he could become a
highly educated person and give up his oaete profession,
bat in order to protect the members of other castes and
not to cause any interference with their professions,
he was not allowed to hold public positions that viere
reserved for the Brahaman cai^te.

This was in spirit a kind of guild union
system. In the case of the Kehatriyae the incentive
w s power, to rule. The Kshatriyas were given the same
edueationaJ Tirivi leges that the Branamans or the Valphyas
were given but they Tvere advised to train themselves
in the seience of government ana were given intensive
military training 1x3 order to become vqx^ efficient rulers

7/'

or soldiers ai: the case demanded • To protect themselves

within their ov.n c iste and to protect the corresi^onding

fur.ctions nnd nrlvi le^es from competition on the part

of the people of the Brahaman or Vaishya oaste, certain

restrictions %ere laid down. No person, even if he be-

oume Drof Lcient in a profession other than his own, was

allov-ed to hold or rather encouraged to hold any office

of rank in that professlor. The Kshatriya was allowed

to aof aire a& much learning xb he chose. It was his own

affair. ^og^^P^ ^& 3.J^Usn 01 1, ftjj^e^^lg r e Jiey f r mQnop o 1 i z e d ^

by aj5y sLn^ile caste, but were the "orooerty of anybody l^'^^ \^^

and everybody. Only the members of the Shudra^qaste

werenot all owedto read or study the sacred literature

for fec-r of their misusing it • They were not allowed

for the Yery same reason which led the Americans to

prohibit the colored children to study in the s^ime school

with the white children and which led the Americans

to allot^ separ ite o^rs to the v.hites and the blaclcs in the

Southern States even today. It was generally felt and

believed that the unclean life that a Shudra usually

led, due to his lover level of mentality, as v;ell as due

to -the meni.il work tnat he did, brod unclean habits

and unrefined manners and attitudes; and as such he co'-ld

not be reasonably and safely c^uraitted to the study of

the sacred and philosoph- oal works. This was perhaps

primarily due to a physical repugnance and prejudice

T

\J\v

on the part of the Aryans toward the Shadras. Other
reasons were naturally Invented or sophisticated as
we h'ive done and still do in many oasea^

The incentive in the case of a iSrah'^TT^an was
honor or respect paid by all of the three catJtes to him.
He did not have the ruling power in his hands, nor the
wealth J.Ike the merchants to meet his needs and desires.
irom the standpoint of money and power he was the poorest
of the first three Aryan castes. Yet the duties he v. is
discharging toward the betterment of the society were
more nomeroas, more difficnlt ^nd involved greater
responsibilities. All that he did was in the main a
sacrifice without any adqaate material return whatso-
ever.

But the bigness that comes through intellectual
superiority does away with all of the desires of a lower
order, Tt is the very nature of sacrifice, self denial
for the ^.ood of othert;, that brings untold satisfaction
and happiness. Plain living and high thinking In the
real sense of the terms have a singular charm and
hiopiness of their own. Wants ot any kind cannot make
a person of such a tendency, whether born or acnuired,
miser^^bl© or discontented. He only needs one legitimate
thing to hold on to his duties and to lead a contented

y-r

life. That is HOI^IOH: Take tliie.away from him and nothing
is left him to remnin virtuous. He is sure to follov^
in the footstens of other kindtj of people and cease
doin^ hi^ unselfish duty. Brahamane are described in
the Sanskrit literature by hi^h sounding and glorifying
epithets. They are called TTpT^^T^TTi (those vsh0i>e
wealth is honor), ^^^j^x (earthly gods) etc. All
this is quite psychological, as even today the kings
and emperors are addressed ^Ith like epithete , thoa5h
they mean very little in reality*

Moreover, it is remarkable to note that it was
not irvealth or physical power that was respected more than
anytning else. It was the pure^ simple, tself denying,
intellectual life that was respected. To speak in more
popular terms, it wat: not the Kaiseriem of Germany be-
fore the War, or the Almighty Dollar of Americi before
and after the War, that was held as the object of wor-
ship, but it w?is, as the true and ratLon^.i christians
will put it, Christ, tne ictuai living virtue, reason
and service th it- was respected and worshiped by the
Hindus of old times.

Tnis wai5 the psychological evolution of the
Hindu Castes, ^^e shall see Inter tiic?
causes of the degeneration and the en i otic condition

into vsiiicii the caete system has degenerated. At tiile eta^e
ne are only concerned to not^the psyoholo^loal Implloa-
tione in the or^^^nlzatian and admlnietration of the
all-safflolng four cifetee. Having seen thaij far the di*
Tleion of the Hinda society into o fetes, v*e shall take
up in the next chapter = disoaesion of the measures adopt-
ed by the Indo-Aryane to sastain the c it^te sjtstem .^a^
render it a practical program*

Sosomary*

1* Character of the oa8t« aytstem.

(C'j-cjtes are not idealistic Dictures of
social or^anlzutlone but they are actual
¥»or}flntv; pl^ae.)

£• iJotivee underlying socie.1 claeslf ieatl on;

a. Aryans vs. iion-Aryms.

b. Division of labor ic cording to
nature and behavior.

c. Tl,q three function il > •:.-;£ .md
their dcsi*jn'^t? one.

-.entai evolution and the oorrest^ondin^
social stattis of the different ^^roi ps.

4. Incentives for entisfaotion ^hich exist
within ones caste.

CH PTER VII.

Jttst as the soci ..- life vaas divided into
foor c^eteB, bo ^ileo tiie life of tiie individual was
divided into orders* Tiaeee orders, knovm In anskrit
ae Aaiiramus, v. ere deelf^ne.- c . -t<=- the life of an

indivldaal.as well r-a to re^al-f.te tiie ^rou^a of in-
dividual in the form of castes* The division of orders
was nurely educational in oh^raoter. For Individ uale
as well ae groups of individuals ?^ere considered the
material of which the social structure was built.
I'has the training of theL-e individuals ooT^elpted ,
not only of school In© in their early years, but also
in an all around development dtirln^ their ifehole life.
It mi^ht be well to feive a few definitions of education
ac f&rriUl&ted by the ancient Aryan educators.

!♦ Education is that process which has the

povver to '^^U-'^-'ne the future of n oerson.

£• Eduoatlon is the wisdom tftat enables indivi

dualB to uiake 8ati»5f^>ct^ry ^id,1uetraont to
their enviroxKient.

3. Education iB not training or in^jtruction in

some art but it is living actual life.

SducatiDn Goet; not, therefore, be^ln within
the school v,alls or end there, but it be^^ins first ^t
the house of the Guruf teacher ) ^^nd ends with the
close of life. Nature i^ .^^ ^reut school or; in

IV

f

her ecliool tjie iiaman race has learned innomerable leseans

aad tiiese lessons have proven to be Hiore flrro -md last-
ting than the leasons learned %'itiiln acixsal vtallB.
Spenoer*8 Iclea thnt f^auoation la a TjreiD^.ration for
for oomplete life may be true in eo far as all learning
18 confined to the eohoola an^l t.. .jhOv^l .ge; but the
Aryan ooncoption "was deeper. John Sewej, the great
Ainerioan eduoator of oar time, voices this Bide concep-
tion of the ancient Aryans ^hen he says that education
1b not a preparation for Boaethlnt^ to come, bat all
•dacation most begin rith the ciiild and lead into human
plvllls€'ti -^n. Ill education must start froiB the tra-
ditiDnal path and be adaptec to the enviroisBent of the
child of today. It is actaal living and partaking of
life, leirninfo all the ^hile the traths of life as we
paee thrgu^vh the corridor of experience*

Sttch an education of an all around nature kae
to be baised on the plan that ^111 suit the social structure
aad ut the same time be iisychologically adapted to the
nature of the human organism* ^hQ higher the mental
level of an educable orj^anism, the more oompliciited,
greater in content and stricter in discipline, should
be the form of education designed for it* Higher
mental level, after all» means the j^reater cerebral
development with Intricate connections and convolutions
of the aBeociation fibers, finer motor and sensory dis-

/ 1/-"

eliarges and Quicker reception and trfcinaxnifcsion of the
stimali through several end or^^ns of iienee* According-
ly the Aryan educiitore who ^ere not mere i.e .ielaiss,
bat eocial lendere, lav. makers and fidminiatratore of
all kinds, Icld dovfn thie orderly Bystem of edacatlon,
dividing the life of on Indlvldufil !nto fonr parte.
This division was b&eed on the complex foundation of
biologioal^poyoholo^ioal, eocial. economic and reli-
ejioae, political and spiritaal conslderst I Dns% It will
be evident to one v.ho hfis onde.rstood the eocial eoheme
as described in the previous chapter, hovj all thece
several scientific considerations were given to the
fonaolation of these orders that are an essential com-
llraent to the four -fold system.

The division of the society, into four all
sufficing functional groups ooald not be complete and
practical unless some measorei; are taken to limit the
functional powers of individuals of one genera ti oil
from interfering, overlapping and continuing these
functions during the whole life time of the second or
third generation. Selfishness is one of the primary
instincts of man, and the desire to nold on to ones
function and to the attendant authority and honor, is
invariably strong in all human beings. Thus in the
interest of the yoanecr te^^^ratlon, measures have been

IUW>

laid domn on a pare payotiolo^lcal baeia wiiioJi dlviao
the life of an Individual into parts. Sacii part is
to to be devoted t ortaln line of pnrsiilt wjalch is
in turn, u cart of the v.liole fonction and aim of the
life of thiit individiml*

This not only enables the indivldaals to ad-
qaire different kinds of trfiinlng as reqaired and pos-
sible from the biological ^;nd physiological growth and
development of hie organism, but politically, md es-
T)eoiall.T economically, it eaves the conflict of interest
beticeen the old and tne nev^ geEeration, there bein^ a
continuous stepping in and oat of functions and offices
on the part of every individual. This is known at the
Aahrama system which is an integral part of the Indo-
Aryan caste system. It may be observed In passing,
that violation of the la"WB of the Ashrama system, due
to various causes on the part of the people of India,
oltimately led to the chsos and Inefficiency of the
caste system, culminating in the preeent day abuse
and disintegration of the Hindu society.

Ashrama life is the very root of the Hindu
culture. Whatever of idealism has been developed in
India, has been very l^irgely due to this a^-e long
system irhlch froa. the very earl. - y^ ol iiindu oivili-
nation has made it possible for !i Hindu to reallae

ffjY

and balld ap an ideal for his Individual life. This
may be. psyciiolOgiicaliy termed a eystem of indlvidaal
©iiaracter training interms of tke approval and dis-
acT^roviil af the o alt are of tiie land»

Besidei^ it hxiB one far-sigtited aim of ©afe-
gaarding the cafate 8y&teiu» ^hm necessary diYieione of
caatee may liot breed pride of roeition or conceit of
personality. The individual is made to go tiirookh a
eevere trsinlr*^ and discipline to develop a i^rirlt of
eelf letaciurient in tJtie four stages of life*

A. Br a bmao h.ar ya slirsm (The Kdutcation Period of a Celibant)

The ^shraias procsdureile ae^fiJ^llows*-

The tiiiildron of tiie f Iret three ©atstes of tJW
Aryan ^.na be^i-^Aryan ^roape, li-hen tiiey iiave flnisiied
tiieir 6igiitli year go tiuroiigii a oerenionial lnown as tlie
UpanayanaC translated into i!*tt^lieii ae tiie eaored thread
ceremony ). !2iie «ord Upacayana literally means initia-
tion or^tHkin^' near" to tiie preceptor for educ^»tion.
After tiiis formal cereinonyffor a d^^talled description
of wjDioh, t'ee Dr. dose'a "Hindao as tney are**) the ooy
enterB tiie house of his Gorafteaehor) who takee full
oh:^rge of him, not for the aake of money bat for the
sake of impi.rtlne^ knowi©d«;e urn iKisdoc;, un(x thua ful-
filling his o^n duty ajs has come to him by reason of
his C'itJte and Aahrama.

n^

V'

The first fita^e af life is o^lled the
\a which meane the period of oeXlbioy and
dlBcioleship* The three vovs thtt a boy haa to take
are»
"Poverty,
'"Ohaatity,
"and obedience."

It ooiild be seen how theise yov^s ire solenti*
fioally aaited to the organic » mental and physical}
derelopment of the individual ^^t that &tu^e«

The houBes of the G ur as ( t ea oher a ) « as are
all homeB of holineea in India, re very plain and
eimrsle. They probcibly live with their wives and ^hil-
dren« nd there receive the yoon^ diaoiole who cornea
^^ them to be made fit for the different poaitlona he
will oocttpy in life.

The firet and foremost less on that thie boy
learns from his (rorn is about the ^reatnese of God ae
manifested in this vsonderfal creation of His* All
know the peycholo^ical juetificatlon of this initial
training. It aims to foster good attitudes and check
man from running wild like animals in the sheer porsait
of nhysical ^^ant8 .nd their gratifications rit uny cost*

/ •^

r

It Is Important to note tiiut in the Jiotise of
the teacher, vhloh le u hermitage, no caste le observed.
Stadents oomln^^ froa all of the three catites are lodged
and bOi>rded together. ^They 50 throagh the same training
and diaoipline ap to the '^ige ^f thirteen ^nd fifteen.
Daring this period of the plasticity of the nerroae
system* a oouBBon training, physical as veil as mental,
was deemed hl^ly eaeential* For in this period the
indlTldoul ie capable of beln^ infloenoed by sarroondinge
more than at ''"i^ti^ oth<?r time, find as such commnnal In-
tercets, felloi? feeling, brotherhood of castes etc.,
if cult ivci ted in the mind of the "S'yxxn^ boys by re-
oe lying ^ common education ant> living the common life,
woald ensore the solld-^rlty and s^ifety of the society
at large when these beys beeome the functional members.

IThe rank of the parents is not considered it
all. These hermitages of the Gar as vvere in the forest
where great Indian Universities were conducted.
Forests were turned over to such institutions of learn*
In^ as land grants for their maintenance by the state.
The theory of establishing schools s^nd oollegee awsiy
from the nolee and rush of the city life, was staunch-
ly adhered to, thus creating almost a new world for the
young boys, where they could learn by living, the
practicul problems of the different Wcilds of life.

/7-

Th» wlLO^e x>rep^r?i%ion is for th« forth-oomln^ ooiB^ujile*
tic life, for i5lilcli India iins been so famoaa all over tue
world •

This ABiirama-eystem of trulnlJD^ Individ aals
in efficient oltizenaiilp islth the ideal of eommonlgitic
life i^ '^^n outcome of tlie age lon^ experience of the
civilised Indo-Ai-yun aocietler^ Inanolng of tiieee
foreet nniverfcitiee and tne boarding of tkc teaoiier and
tile taoght nt the hermltfigee, m&B done partly throu^jli
the oroduoe of the land grants $^n^ r^artly throa^ the
pobii<» funds and individual contrlbitione isvhlch «ere
voluntfiry. If the oarents of the pu 11 could send
anj money, tnec.weil and i^ood, if not, his expenseg were
met through the public funds of the institution* The
public finnnclni^ of tho instltntee of learning was based
on the Hindu iaea of sscrednees of learning* It is the
lure of the material civilisation of today on the ocie
hand^ and the consec*nent al^^ckneee of noble idees and
Ideaie ol life, due to the want of directive force oir
power on the other, that is gradoally drawing India out
of her orcfoundly homan ideas*

The nmses i>f these four orders are:-
1 • Cel 1 fcft; oy • ( isr ujuaiiia-ciiiirya )
t. Fumll'H^'Qf conjo^a life (Garhisthya)
3. i»art!^it; r^^tlrement ( Vanapraatha )
4« Hen uncial; ion (Sannyae)

m

1* Members of tlie Sraliai&aii oaate were supposed

to ^0 tarou^Ai. vi^xX tiie four of the abore meiatloned orders*
f lifts «e ean see tJie pressure of dlselpllBe^ self oontrol
and varlagated experlenclal ordeal tiiroctgh ^nloh the most
honored of the eastes had to puss* It was permissible
for certain individaals of early intellect ual ripening
and depth, to tkiae fraa the order of Gellbaoy rfght en
to" the order of l^enonclatlon (^annyas) s^tlppici^ over the
tmo intermediate orders* Bat as a

rale Urahamans neat throti^ii the foar orders, learning

all the while several lessons from this kind of '^ * -
gated experience and oooasional self oontrol v.hlch was
aatnrallj called forth to oe exerci«5ed v,iilie quitting
one order an(? paeei^i^^ Ai.wj ^iiother ^>^ u.x*,^ - new nature*

S* The Xshatriyae were enjdlned Oj on by the first

three orders and Tsere not reouire^-to take the row of
complete renunciation of all they once possessed ^nd
enjoyed* f sychoia^ioally it ie? bat reasoriable, not to
expect too much of a iCshatrya wnoee life is spent In
conqaering, mastering; and enJoyii%: the thlni^s of life*
Partl«3l retirement, . ,, v^^^ ^.^flce in

favor of other E who 'were ?>rep«irect i.:> . in Bnd merely

claim the tseans of honor ;s«i«=*tence, iike the mo-

dern penfcion»«, Vf^^s almost a las*- seif-aeni al that a
warrior can be expected to do*

11^

a* Por the l^alsiiy .e(iiierchants and ^rionltarlete)

only the firtt tr * -^^ 'lerB were ©s^Din- ' *.-»
dnrlnfe' tJie pleistio a.ii^ pro^adoleeoent period and uiter
tJlfit family life, buslnese life *^nd geaeral fanetXomil
life until tJie end. A Yaieiiy^i c^ ^ • li 1

retirement if he chose to do ao out the kind of life he
led all throagh hie yotith and middle age, of money
ma-'ing, enjoying laxoriea of wealth etc«, left him
generally slu^^vleh, oorpalent und incMipetent to faoe
any phyeloal pr lYatlonts or troablee. i^ven in oar time
ve L'ee this in the c ae of most of the biibinobs men,
when they reach the uge of sixty or sixty^f Ive. ^his
is due to the cMafortable mode of life, from u physical
standpoint, th^t this class of '^'»^' le leads*

Aleo in the ease of an agricaltnrl^t the farm
duties, after n vhlle, oecome almoBt Bterea^yped and he
loses all Irttere )thor thafi hi^ u«a<4l life,

Moreor . , the other two orders,. - «• intellectual

and require tielf denial und detacament tvoax thlpge on€i hiS
o^ned for a long tlzne* The een&e of attachment ie n>itiir-
■^^1''^ ^•" ' -^ ^^\^ p — ^- r.? tnue^ \,,,„ ^.-Te soaiethlng

Jhii be «tt iched to. r#haaian*s life frwa r%Yj child-

v.ood iii so formulated that the eence of property hae
r roly . ohanoe to enter his mind. But a Vaishya, more
than even a X»hatriya, ie sttaohed to eo many things.
Even in the lowest etratom of hie caste he has to cul-

!lt>

tlvate th'^ 3an8« of attaf»hin«nl' thfl thlxiga that hf5 might
progrf5S3.

Whetherrpbe an agriculturist, a -^rafti'.man or a buGlness
man, he '^eala In material objects mora than any bc^y else,
Aa such to ^ajoln nnv j^trir»tnr rM Helpline on hliK than the
fnlfllTr«'^^- oft th" ^^T ;...o OT'lorf--. woul?1 .'reari to Gtreteh.
the virtue beyond its lirs^it. Also his family life w^s full
of in<!^lvidual , social, coinirerplal , anl aajional <1utifls«
Fin 'iiro tl:'* TT'o-iorol; of rhf.T- i ty, .11 other c""--^'^- in one way
or another rlapea^le'l upon this <»a8t9. Kings, e^lucators as
K^ell Gi? the laboring classes need the cb.3tf» that handles
ti^.Y'i r-ulture i: :•' ■ ': 'i^^-^ia, pr-^. -'^ --i nr;^ diati i -u . ing, and per-
petuating the propperi^y. of the soGlety»

4t Shudras lihs the colore'^^ peojilr; it «'^. jtates

were negiicted* I/uc to tho '--l y'' ■ r"k. th^f. •^ere doi i-

for the society, there ^as ae\'i?'iT a '^hance left bo let them
oat of it and io so^nethlng ©1b©, Thise v/ho serve others
knc *" ■■ ■ -.T ; i.-j :'nvr>.r an '-!n'i to it-. . iiere Is always a

demand for manu^il labor and the lower kinds of service,
moreover as the life of the Aryans, that is, the members of
the first ^ hrno castes, wor f '^rrntilized end or-^-^ni^ed in a
definite fashion as describe'^ before, their growing population
and increasing needs required a greater number of Bervants.

//r

Boal'ies the pursuits of life for the AryHna, ^i'^ not
terminate In the acquiring of education, livlag a f^onjugali
life producing and enjoying the needs of the wotld, as
we see toda^? in our rriodern noTniTionitios, but the orier
system endorsed and encouraged the removal of the functioning
members of the society for something srpposed to be higher
and nobler beyond mere function of living^ This had much
to do with the negler>t of the ohuora caste. They Lad no
time left to attend to this class of the Aboriginles and the
people of low intelllgnecet

vVe q.lso seo the same thing in our American history
of Hducation, The state laws passes from tim.e to time
modifying the conditions of e-iuc^itlonal opportuaity for the
population ae a whole shows clearly how for a long time
no care r^- s taVen of the colore^ population. The gradually
!=iome 8tut.;g sho^^ed u liberal attitude but d4d not approve
of putting the r^ol^red children in the samo schools with
the white children, ] oreover the courses of study offered
for the colnT<b'\ pupils we-^e much inferior In r»ontent •
Until very recently a colored man was Indirectly barred
froiTi making free use of educational opportunities. Kven today
th'^ro are ttm ny dif Iculties in the way of e colored boy
getting a satisfactory education as compared to those of a
whit 3 lad%

fn

This Is true every where, ( whether we like to adrr.it it or not)
where the relation of conqueror and the conquere^l, superior
and inferior, white an- the black ot* yellow exists, Aryans
were no exception to thid deep rooted trait of the human
nature. Still in those old times they did what they could
by admitting ths ohudras in thoir 30L?lal jyatein and recognising
thorn as human beings who possessed the same kind of sould ,
though on a very low level, of evolution.

Y Educational iige as a rule was from eight to twenty-
five inclusive. The initiation cere.mony (thread -"f^remony )
was performed at the jHge of eight, as has been said in the
fore poi'ip: pag-es, in the case of all the first threo wastes,
^''roffi the @§e of eight to thirteen there was y'ompulsory primary
education des'?ribed for all . The r»urriculum during these
primary grades was uniform and common to all, his was the
gannral rouada^.ion for ell 3rinds af branching out of studies
which took place in the next stage of education, according
to the needs of the pupil in termu of his caste. His -^aste
simply decided the line ho waa to take up4 but in that line
he was perfectly at liberty to choose his special interest,
For exampl» a Valshya boy will be direct d to inter the
vocational and agricultural lin^s; then within the limits of
.that line th«re are innumerable branches of study and training.
He colli ^ take up any one or more of those .iev*3ral trades
that he liked. Also there v/as some few courses that were

//«>

compulsory accor'^lng to the nature of the main liae of stu^y.
J'or Instance, a boy of the Kshatrlya <»aste r»oul(3 talre up
ploltical sr»ien'>e, economics, philosophy or any subject he
chose to npeelallze In or ^ o stu-ly as far ar, he could, but
military training was coppulaory for him nnfior any condition.
In times of war he was to be draft^* first, whether he was
actually living a sol'^lerly or kingly life or not and as
such he was required to have thftt sort of training eompulsor*
lly as a rule.

From the age of thirteen to sixteen or seventeen
the curriculum laid greater emphasis on corapul^Bory r^ourses
and elect Ives were compsirltlvel:;' fe-??. For this was the age
when conscious education stepped In and here was the time
of habit forniijrion and creation of 111c es and dislikes,

Teach'^rs were as a rule from the Brahaman caste
and they being assent! ^7 ly responsiblj* for the authorship
and especially for the perpetuation and smooth running
of the caste system, advised bki^ instructed the students
in such a way that the students would forma habits , likes
and dislikes, that ?;ould make them effecient citizens of
the societ;^ in terms of their respective castes.

It must be noticed that, Inditxn educatt^< was ^
not directive in nature as the e-^uccitlon in ^rnerica is
but it was purely instructive. On that ground it must be
admitted that the Aryans ^vere not so very liberal in their

//7

social views; rathor on the contrary W6 have ever:/ reason
to Infer psych ologlcalj^y from their social ani e^Jucational
theories an«5 practise that they were a conservative people
In the main. Their progressive attitudes in many respe«^ts
may permit their orthodoxy to be called an Knllghtened
conservatism »

^h'!: vige limit of compulsory e^pcatlon was fifteen
after whl'^h u boy was tillowe'"' to leavn ih^ s<^hool that Is
the hcjrmiitAcre of his Guru (teacher) If he chose to do so
or 6f his parents 30, 'lesired, to take up actual part In
the vocation of ll^e. In many ^ases, especially la the case
of princes, the boy was required to leavf? the S'^h6o^
right after the compulsory ago , to succeed to the vacant
•uhrono. A1'3 0 ^"he poor people of th'^ Brahaman , Kshatrlya,
or Valshya r»Bstes n*^^'^-*^'^ their boys to tal^e up some
remunerativ; crlT r ''' support their par-^nts even from that
early ago*

Froir. flfte-^n or seventeen on to twenty five
regular specialization v,orV began, f-ne had to choofee his
major ana some few allied electives and do Intensive study
in that particular line, This specialization program
liowever, was not so much of an intsmive resear<»h style.
Education was mainly cultural. Though we do find the s^^ier--
of Medicine, Astronomy, Mathematics, and Grammar very highly

//^

spceialisji^a. Each one of tho30 r^^qairod full twalva years
of Acntlnuous study tr - • -.■' , ^v^ work. The last namily
gram»nar may app -ar rather atruQge to bo group©'! with the
other aocepto-i s^len<?QS of roodern tirr.eo. but. due to th«
highly f1e"velop2d nnci complicat o'l form of the ianakrit
language, the then spoken language of India, grammar was
30 elaborately ^orlted out that often it could be substituted
in tie upper division work "f^or rri?ithematl?^s.

All the curriculura was so organ! 55 ed that a ^outh
coull normally finish hi« spocialiKation as ell as the
general eduratlon by the twenty fifth year. Then the period
of family life set 1 n^ A student '^me sent out ^vith blessings
by his teachers to go to the rity or twsn and get married
and start actually parti ripa"^lng In tho problems of life,
as >x family man. Marriage w,qs not romjynlsor's on gither of
the :^exf;s but it vfps highly rec^orrir^ended, A detailed "esf^ript ion
of this will DC given Tvhile treating the second order of the
caste system.

H7

Family 1 If e( GruhasthashraTna)

This OT'ler Is Instituted with two fundemontal
psychological reasonj:

1. To take care of the sex Instinct,

2. To perpetuate the human race.

Thus the timo for siEirrla^e anfl the forms of marriage
are laid down in the v/orVs of kanu, the Kindu law giver,
accor^itng to the physical and mental levels of the people,
Since the first threo castos i.r^ base^l on this V(»r3' consider*
at ion Menu speakg of ^ight forrns of marriage with a detailed
description of each and that description tells us how those
different forms of marriage are acceptable to peoples on
different phy:iical --entrA:! levels. Also the tim? for

marriage varied in different castes. This was also due to
the social end educational 'differences among the castes,

A Brahamfn had to undergo a comparitively period
of celebicy then a Kshtriya or a Vaishya, He was supposed
to ac^lre greater self control and gravity of learning
to filnction efficiently without any neterlel power at his
comrr-and. All he could do V7a8 to inspire awe and reverance
in the nlnda of the people at large and on the strength
of those two keep up his social statAs • Thus norm.ally

~>

a Brahaman was suppos ol to get marriacl froir twenty on.
Highly educate-^ Brahairans married at the '^loso of their
education or about th-i age of twenty fl-ve.

The Kshatriayas , due to their physical e^^ucatlon
and naturally robust frame used to become physically matured
and the age of fifteen* Thus ,they were supposed to get married
from fifteen on to twenty according to their social needs.

Similar was the case with the Valshyff3( Cornrnon
people). ;5ome times they married as late as a Brahaman
and sometimes ev<^n earlier tihan bhe Kshatriya. The later
case of early carriage was due to two reasons: 1.

1, In the hot climate of India sex naturlty was as
a rule earlier.

2. Very eloaely \nlt farnlliy system In India BMlies It
Yjp..^^., ^. .- ] , . *. -f fVr -fe^ -^lles to get a girl
in the family circle at an early ags^ so that
during the liupresalonable age she could be Instru-

'-t -^^ ii th-'j fa.Tiily trs'litioas aa'l could be so brought
up thttt she would not iook upon the merabers of this
new family of her husband as strangers , but will
gradually get n^^f».^ t^ ^.^'*t^\ anl learn to regard
them iia^ Iotc* thoni as her own people.

fj^r

TMa eonslderatton la var^ important ana eould not
b« anderstood by thoso who have not oxparloncod a family
lifo in tha widar sansa of the termt Wa notica in the animal
kingdom tliat^ tha m^lo and tha famalo form a raal family unit*
Tha yoang onea ara mambars of tho family only during tlioir
infanoy, j3o aoonar do tha^' gat atrangth anoug to stand on
thair own lags for thair support and protaetion tluui they la
laaya the par ants and wit>slR pi ^^or ti^rja forgat thair
ralationships* v^^ti to tha axtsst that the young starts the
propagation of his ra<?a throwgh hid own mother*

tfa human balnga are blaasad with reason and our
power of remembering things is Inflnatedty greater than that
of any emlmal* f he only thing that difttinguished us from
other lower knigdomes is onr TatlonaT behavior whieh malrec
us n&t merely gregarious but our gregarlousness is highly
seleotiTe end systematie. Primitatlva sian with the dawn
of reason came to understand the Be:s differeaoe but with
the develo^^ement of reason-^raroe to i9r©t#<»t and raspeet
his companion of the opposite sex* Here also in the human
kingdom we find at tha beginnlgg vs& aougugaa xi£a ^sband
and wife , only two constituting a i'aaiil^* -ut as the
social assosiatlon fibers bee*»« to increase in number he
ooald not saggregate himself from his parents Juat ta win
a wtfwfor his paraoiial irratlfl^^^xi on uuii eempalled his mates

//^A-

to come ana live with him anfi his pa-^-ents. Thvs he learhed
to bind the past with the present, ?»lien children were born
the s4nse of future relationships evolved and he did not like
to let his chllfren go away from him leaving him and his
wife by themselves. So he brought up his children In such a
way that they learnet^ the same lesson that he had learned
through sheer experience.

Thus with the advance of natural civilization
man began to live In larger groups called family. This
developed Into the trlbe^ society anf nation. One who Is
able to live such a life of larger and wider association
came to be regarded as t, truly human and civilized person.
This was In brief the psychological evolution of human
mind from the social point of view. ?rom this view of
natural civilization of man , early ihatrlage with the aim of
educating the girl In the traditions of the family and making
out of her a worthy mistress of the group, who would enhance
and propote the name of the family and add to its glory by
her kind, loving, respef»tful, human, and sociable conduct
towards all, deserves all ■prt.ize.m

The critics must remember that In these early
marriages there Is no plase for even the thought of sex
relationship. Older people who have a vision for the future
choose a good natured, healthy girl from a family that is

/A

socially arid morally equal to their own. Par ant a
and other elderly relations af both sides get together
and think out the desireablllty of stLc^ a union and then
contract the rlationshlp*

ilarriage la a mere forroal ^eremony so far as the
young brife and bridagroom are concerned* • Grett care is
exerted by the older members in the family of the bride-
groom to superintend the behavior of the brl^e^room towards
the brlda. ?or the first year of this nominal married life
aoioe elderly woman from the brides fwnlly for whom tha
youag girl has great love and attachment , is sent to live
with her at her husbands family. Thus the serapation is
mnch ffiitigmted and the young girl gradually gets used to the
new environment. Alsot the people of the bridegro<Mas family
are always exceedingly kind and loving to this new member
of the family.

When the girl attains the puberty age the mother-
in law attends to her and a public announcament Is Bade
of the day for the honey moon. From that day they become
husband and wife in the eugenic sense of the term.

Thus we see that In the case of rich people or
in the oaaa of families that have rich heritage of traditions
child marriage becomes a necessity from a social point of
vl ew.

l^^

If a young woman of fifteen to twanty y^ars of age
iJlio under warm Indian climate has practically become a
matured woman, 'Ahose ideas and ideals are formed, ifhose
character is built up and who due to her long association
with her own people during the impress! onaMe age, finds
it difflcnlj? to readily understand and appreciate the views
ipanners and treat m'^nt of the pwople at her husbands home,
be brought into the family, in nine cases out of ten family
factions crop out ana the only solution available under
that situation is to go back to nature, that is to take
to your wife and leave those who brought you up who under-
went all kinds of sufferings, physical, social and pecuniary
for you, behind to their own fata and enjojr the life in
the company of your newly acquired friend as animals and
birds do*

s

Early marriages In poor families are not socially
commended at all tAlso the religion does not permit early
Biarrlage in th« eugenic sense either. This much in favor
of the rational earlym marriage is enou|!h for those who
can understand the underlying conditions and social implicatlonSi
For those who cannot understand the true slgniflcence of it
will never do so eVen if volumes should he written to eaqplaln
the theme*

/ X/^*

In th« dlscusaiojQ of this ser^ond order of the
eas^e system It will b© proper and essential to give a
general psychology of marital relations among the Indo-Aryans,

Marriage Institutions

According to the religious and social law of
InAla marriage is not regarde-^ as a matter od merely choosing
a companion of the other sex. If that were allowed, that
is, if free choice were to rule the ilatrimonlal affairs it
would make the social life individualistic and. with it the
caste restrictions would be much shaken • The feeling of
love would have ber»orae an incentive to break the rules
but as the marriages came to be arralnged by the parents
in the majority of cases, the force of this feeling does
not avail even now,

The feelings, information, ideas and calculations

of th?? parents being the control*ng factors in Indian marriage

the custom of marrying within the caste is retained. The

theory of marriage purity as preached in Indian scriptures

w*ll reveal the reason why the Hindus hild to this form of

marriage. It is thus:" A really falthftil woman or man
ought not to feel affection for a man or woman other than
the one vith whom she or he is united. For a superficial
observer physical purity or pollution stands for morality

/ ;*- ^

ana Its opposite. But ps; <?> ^ " ly the objective standards
of morality acscoraing to t. are montal attitudes

towaT<5s the other sex. "

On this point the Bhagvadgita says"

"He nho controls all the physical senses but keeps thinking
of the objects of senses , mehtally, that fool is said to
ba an immoral person^

This is not whet the Hindus alone preached
or belelved^ It is admitted by the thlnkAng minds of the
world* It is indeed a very difficult and perhaps extra
normal doctrine for the average human being emd can only
be practised by the super men* But on the whole the ideal
that is to be placed before the society and inculcated
in the minds of the people for practice is with the aim of
helping the evolution of mankind to «^ulroinate into a super-
man society, ill the great souls recognized this thot;
opportunltists, due to their narrow considerations, have
oftan condemmedlt as unpractical and purely idealistic.
Christians will do well to recall what their prophe^has
said on this point and consider how far It approves the
love marrlaga as in vogue today. Jesus said:

"Ye have heard that IdfTwas aald, thou shalt not commit

adultery , but I say unto you, that -ivery one that

looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed

adult ory with her already in his heart. And if thy right

eya causeth you to sjrumble, pluck it out and ^ast It from the*?.

4 '^f* y-j^' h .r-t 1".^A-

l^

for It Is profit aT)le for th-s-j that one o:^ thy members
should j^erish and not thy whol« body be oast Into Hell*
And If thy right hand caaseth thee to stu«ble fnt It off,
ana cast it from thee, for it is profitable for thee that ona
of thy members should parish and not thy whole ^dy go into
Hell, It was said also, who evp^r shall put away his Wife
let him give her a writing of devoreement. But I say unto
you, that every one that putteth' away his wife an' saving
for the oause of fornication , maketh her an adult erest
and whoever ahull ij^arry her when she is put away committeth
adult ory • "

Such purity is compulsory not only after marriage
but e^en before marriage, for that is the only correct
ideal of ehastity, No maiden cooild be considered pure if
she feels love for a man other than the one to whom she
night get married. As she does not know whon sha is going
to get marriad to she must not feel affection in the passionate
sense for any man at all, before marriage. If she does so
it 13 a 3ia. So it is Setter for a girl to know whom she
has to love, before any seijmal consciousness awakens in
her*

The eight forms of marriage of which Mami spaaka
so much seem to have been the forms that were in actual ex
•xistencti in those days among people in different parts
of India, Manu approves of the first four forms and calls
tham clTrilized marriages. While the ramaining four forms
are not approved because of the low mentality, unciviled
condnct, barbarous methods and low tastes characterized
them t

/^y

These last four fonrs were practised by the aborlglnles
as well as by those wild tribes that enter India from time
to ttir.e«

The form of nusrriage useri for the Brahaman caste
Is known as "The Brahma Vivah %in this form the young
scholar after completing his educatloA or leaving the school
Is supposed to go back to the society and with the help of
the elders, parents, iriends, ect. ,gatner iiiXorj^tioii
about certain marriageable girls of hly caste in regard to
their physical , mental, enucational, social family,
and lastly moral statiBs. Then he was to call on the parents
of those girls whose descriptions appealed to him and ask
the favor being Introduced to their daughter. 3y way of
conversation for some days with such young girls, it was
easy for an educated Brahaman boy to find out whether the
party was suited to his nature and education and such other
considerations.

The boy would not be introduced to the girl
until the parents of the girl got full information about
his family, education, social stititus 9itii* If all of these
were found to be satisfactory^ he would be permitted to
know the girl and then if both the palrtles feel satisfied
and inclined toward each other the boy was to go to the father
of the girl and beg of him his daughter in marriage.

m

1

ill this was not very Intricate procedure for the aiip^^le
life of the Brahemans of those ancient tiroea and their
high eaucatlonal standing rather made matters quite
slmfle and straight forward.

The form of marriage used by the KahatriFas
was known as " Gandharva Tivah'. This was exactly similar
to the love marriage in the west* A kingly Eshatriya
whether he was a prince or an ordinary soldier » naturally
took pride In wining the lady by his chivalrous conduct
and heroic deads. The faisous drama "Shakuntala " written
by the greatest of the Sanskrit peets. 2:alidas,is a master
piece and is real to the letter depiction of the Kshatriya
marriage and its whole procedure,

T?eference ; Dr. Arthdr W, Ryder? translation
of 3ha3aintala is the best to read, Sver:froans library series.

Love marriage was called " G^dharva Vivah"
because It was belelved by the Aryans to be the form of
marriage used by the Gandharvas or the pleasure seeking
guardians of the eight quarters, of Indian !^hology»

It must not be Inderstoc^ even for a moment
that the religious orthod03cy of India was completely void
of all feelings and considerations of love.

' D

Lov« marriage was regarded as a very noble typw of anion.

but It was nf^y^iT allowed to confine itself to the physical

sl(^e of the problem; It had to bo linked with the aim of

life as a viiole. The wife was regarded essential for

participation in any sort of religious ijeremony. Gods

it was said, would ne^er be pleased with the services and

offerings of a mail who was singlet The religions position

of a woman , which was greater than any position ever

offered her in any society of the world, made marriage

mor^ than mere physical gratification concern or propogatlon

duty,

Divorces in the Kshatriya caste were permitted
due to the nature of love m&rrlage. People are likely to
commit mistakes of choice and repent of them later. But
socially divorce was condemned or at least not looked upon
as respect li^lble.

In the case of the Vaishyas (common people)
'•Dalva Vimah'* ( determined miprrlage ) was used. This
was the kind of marriage spoken of at lengUi before.
Parents of the briie and the bridegroom are responsible
for contracting unions of their 'Children, Also it may be well
to recall all the reasons and considerations shown before
to explain the psychology of this pra<»tlce. It Is called
Dalva or determined form of marriage, because the bride

i'bf

or the t)rldegroom has no choice In It,

It is strange to say that , as the Indian society
grew bigger and bigger In population and the consolidation
of It under the Brahaman guidance, tenrled to maiie It
intensely conservative the Valshya form of marriage namely
marriage contracted by par'^nts, got the better of the
upper two forms anri today among the upper castes this form
Is common and deep rnoted.

This second orcler of the Hindu caste system

stands In the main for the attainment of the three ends of

the worldly life namely Dharma ( duty) Artha (wealth)

and Kama ^ desires), Duty sonsists of helping the malntanance

of the other three orders, Wealth means producing and

perpetuatiiig the prosperity of the conanunlty. Desire means

satisfaction of personal longings as human beings , that

la, making use of the worldly things towards ones physical

wants an'l needs,

I

It Is plain from what has besn pointed out in

tha fore going papes as well as In the previous chapters

that there are two important elements in Hindu caste system,

1, Endogamy and II , Hierarchy, The classes, ra<»es and

occupations have a combined effect of exclusion of one

group from another^ Also due to the life work and the

attendant ment^ul level and the degree of delf sacrifice

there is an understanding that, one group is superior to

I ^A^

•nothar group* Of th«se two eldraents, in this story of

marriage, it is better to single out the element of

endogamy for psychological considerations. Wastemalek

could be quoted here with snfflcient propriety since ha

has done great study along thsi line. He aays*:

"Affaction depends in a very high 'iegree upon syiupathy*
Though distinct attitudes, thasa two clasaas of
emotions are roost IntAately connetfeed* Affection is
strangthanad by sy^athy and sympathy is strengthened
by affection. Community of Interest , opinions,
santiments. culture, mode of life, as being essential
to '•lose sympathy, is ther-s fore to warm affection.
If love is excited by contrast it Is ao only within
certain limitw. The contrast cannot be so great as
to exclude sympathy. *•

Human affection is generally restricted to those
who are similar in these respects. People differing in raca
religion, civilization and customs are also different in
those es'^entials of close sympathy, and human affadtloB is
always guided by race and religion, customes or social
positions. All these considerations explain why people tend
to become endogamus and then castes ar classes arise out
of that. This was not or is not pacullar to India alone.
If or is it characteristic of prlmatlve people only.

Let us tel:e the case of the clvlllzad nations
of Europe. In Sweeden in the seventeenth century marriagea
out aide of the class were ptnished. According to the German
civil law the marriage of a man belonging to a high
nobility

13^

nobility with e woman of Inferior birth vuq regarae-l fiatll
before the great wa» at least <11sparafiing and the woman
va£ not entltle'l to the rank of her husband, uor was the full
right of Inheritance possessed by her or her children.

This period of family life extended over twenty
five years; that is at the age of fifty amn and woman were
expected according to the or'^er system to relinquish in favor
of their successors all theor material possessions, make
arralngements for their suppoBt ana leaa a life of partial
retirement*

Partial retirement (Vana Prastha)

,By lihis partial retlr^^ment order was meant that
in most of the ordinary affairs of the family life, the elders
were not to be much 'concerned* It was the duty of the young
]»«^le of the family to loolr after tho<^e details. The respon-
sibility of the hotjg* hold together with the social duties
were to be discharged by the active members of the family*
The retired people were to assist the younger generation
by way of ktmely advice ans such other help which they
could afford to render. But the main purpose of this partial
retirement was tvo fold:

/ c^

1« To teach the next generation tc function ia
place of the olfler one by handing over +'»* ^ -^--^ v-,^
responsibilities and privlliges to them.

Z9 To learn self control , r!etachment from the
worldly poasepslons fnd attractions, to the end of
ultimately renouncing all the material connections with
the world •

This was a gradual training in learning how to
participate in the activities of the society without any
personal selfish interacts what so ever. Teople during this
stage have made very r«rMLtta^le contributions , especially
literary and philosophical, to th« , culture of India.

Unselfish interests *n the one hand ani on the
other the desire to do something beneficial for the sociaty
bafore taking the complete vow of renunciation, .spurred the
people to e^tert their best efforts. Consequently the results
were often highly beneficial to the comrcAnity as a whole.
While the older people were passing their days through this
partial retirement order, the younger people also learned
to become self reliant and to gradually loosed the ties
of attachment to the older generation^ whl'^h often retards
the rogresslve march of the youths.

This ordsr lE3t«a for twenty flvs yeftre,
physiologically speakliie this 1b th, normal time whne p.opl,
•hcnia gat o4t of «ctlv« or ev<,n partial participation In
the affairs of the worli for eTentually It becomes and
obatlcle m the problems of the society rather than otherwla..

Smayaa ( Rennnelatlon)

This is the final order* T he individual stoppiag
Into this order has to go through a certain religious e
ceremony in which he takes the vow of complete renunciation
of all worldly possessions* He becomes a citizen of the
world and is no longer a member of any caste* i411 castes
are alike to him. All the restrictions of inter dining^
touchability etc* vanish in his case^ He lives in the
spiritual kingdom and recognises God alone as superior to
him. He is subordinate to none in the world. ,He gives up
aid of his hard earne^l possessions, comforts, human ties,
in order to embark on that austier phase of life in which he
is supposed to attempt communion with the almighty principle
that creates, sustairas and destroys all the universe.
His is the life of thought* Merged in high abstract
philosophy, living on the- highest inteller»tual plane he
learns to manifest the supreme virtues of piety, truth.

•^ ^T^<^^ ?••

/^J»

Ja8tlo« and knowledge*

As has baan said bafora, ha is a^solTad from all
of his worldly obligations in the lagal sensa of tha term.
Ha ehangas his nama an*^ takes a new one which has a universal
implication*

Tha whole creation is alike to him slnea on this
mental level he is supposed to sea the spirit of things
and not the mere external form as he did during all of his
praTlous years*

Oeeassional meditation on abstract principles*
plain simple life out side the attractions of worldly noise
and struggle, brtng on his a certain gravity, .Constant
communion with nature makes him a pure lo^er of Gods creation
and deep thinking, a study of philosophy and chaste life
malre him rise above the normal plain and attain a unique
physical and mental stage of dignity, awe, and reverence.

The great ' Shank ar' who reconstructed the dwindling
Hindu society and religioa when Budhism began to rise in
India, was a 3annajrasln ( Renouncer) » He spent all of his
life without ever owning anything but all the while doing
most unselfish servlcet to the human race.

I^^n -MOT*^ fm'^.^-:'''-

t^rs f<'f

In modern times the affairs pf the world hav«
radically changed the nature of human life. The needs of
humanity are different to day from what they were in old times
Hence one taking the tow of 3annyaa (renounclatlon) has to
lead a somewhat different typw of life than was customary,
Dr. Kurtakotl » who Is one the representatives of the great
Shankar In India to day has taken this tow and has be'^n
busy all these years reorganizing the social and religious
life of the Indlah people. He Is the first of his order who
has taken actlTe part In the modern educational programs
of the count ry. He has been recently elected as the chancellor
of tl^e " Tllak Mahavldyalaya ", a new university lately
established by the Indian nationalists In memory of late
Mr* Tilak» the founder of Indian nationalist party.

Dr. air, Subramhanyam Alyar , who held high public
an'i goTeonmental offices during his life, stepped Into this
order and Is now rendering most unselfish serTlce to the
•oelety In bringing about the economic and political uplift
of indla , He no longer <5lalms any of his titles, ,

Mahatma Gaftdhl , after all of his brilliant
career as a scholar in England and a Tery highly paid barrlate ?
Barrister in India and in South Afrlva, entered this
Ashram and is now leading the masses of India toward their
political emacipatlon«

■I/Ci'^ r

/C?i)

Aeeording to Christian missionaries and Colonel
Wedgewood a British officer , Gandhi la th>^ only living
person wh* is leading a real Christ-like life. No political
leader in any country enjoyed Gandhi's fame • Even his enemie^a
have nothing to say against his personal character* Love»
truth and piety are his weapons « He does not beleive in
physiaval force as the Instrument that a human being should
use* in obtaining anything that Is good and righteous*

Young educated Indians have great reverence and
admiration for this order and for the people entering it.
They all aspire to enter it some day when they could realize
the bliss of universal attitude , vision, and experience*

This order closes the drama of human life in
four acts.

© at #(»«a

r*#*r«iV-^'t" vSi'b'^'^. 5V?t?f 5*41 -■ 'f A.'> '" 'ort/j f^r-

i3y

HIHDUI3M AND THS CASTS 3Y3TKM,

V«ry oft«a a question Is asktd' What Is tha
relation of Caatt aystaro to Hindu rallglon?" It la aaay
to ask aueh a question, but to answar It Is a vary dlffleplt
mattar. Ths difficulty Is not dua to tha ln<»oiBprabanalblllty
of tha Phanonana thriicsalTas but to tha false Ideas whlah
exist as a reault of the present eourren^^y of a wrong
system of thought* Tha study of social sr^lences In Europe
Is new, and new as It Is, It has re(*el7e4 a very one sided
deTelopement*

The students of social silences had not a good
knowledge of civilizations other than occidental*
Moreover their Ideas have been fettered by the ^Imitations
of their own languages, and In ray opinion this fact
prevented them from studying their own 'Civilisation In: a
manner sufficiently objective.

The first point Is whether ^asta system Is allowed
by the Hindu religion or not. This nue^tlon sounds reasonable
to one who understands th# word religion as It Is under*
stood In occidental countries.

-%■

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d^ Tf

fT

The ooeldental society was formed on pre-existing
eonstitation. A certain taaster and his teaching existed
and those who joined the Theophratry and followed its
teachings became members of the trible^The members uhder*
took to follow the teachings as they are» Thus it became
an important matter for every person to find out whether
any particular dogma or doctrine can be found in the
religion, that is, in the original constitution^ which ha
tm suppoded to follow.

If anything is approved by the master it is
to be followed; if it is disapproved, it shoul be
abondoned. In this case it is perfectly natural to ask
whether a certain thing is allowed by the religion or no
Just as the members of the legislature while voting for
any law, would cansider whether the particular pr ode dure
is allowed by the constitution.

Thus Religion, that is, Christianity became
the backbone of every Institution in the western world,
IRome became the central power of all the Suropean Polities,
3y the time when reformat ion came, religion did not
C6ase to dominate. The king had to call himself the head
of the church and as such an administrator of religion.

^ii:

y*fr

S« did aot *et religion aalde but took over the charge
of adffilalaterlng it ana thus nsea It as a shield of
defenee

This was possible because of the nature of
religion as the occidentals got. They took what the
genius of a single Individual offered them, though they
Bade wome changes, chose some portions that suited their
purpose and formed seiveral creeds, still In the main
they had the savior as the central unifying force, whose
word and wisdom they did not challenge nor could claim
to 8urp€iS8 publicly. While on the '•ontrary the situation
In India was quite different; there religion was not any
revealed constitution bat It was a growth* It was built
up gradually by the several contributions by men of high
Intelligence, pure life, and philosophic vision. There Is
no savior as a common, central figure. In Hindu religion.

In fact there are many If one wants to call
then 80. It was a pschologlcal evolution of religious
thought, according to the changing and complex needs of
the pvople and according to the rise or decline of
mentality.

03

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-i,i.r7..o '"•*■» .5. ^^Ti*.

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Then the laws of Hindu lam came to be formal at ea.
It was In faat never conceived as an Independent entity
hut It was regarde*^ and la still so regarded, as the
Institution which regulates the human thought and conduct »
to suit first to the betterment of human life in this
world and then to tj:a It up with the life hereaftsr
according to the doctrine of Immortalltyt

Therefore there are several definitions of Hindu
religion, and ear*h one expresses the gradual growth of
religious thought, la tsrani of the philosophy of the time.
In short philosophical Investigations were the raoulders
of religion of India, This situation led to the natural
logical result of roaJcing Hinduism not a religion but a
system of religions.

People were free to choose their beTlefs and
doctrines according to their individaal mental capacities*
although differing ru'lleally from one another In their
beliefs yet they all remalne'l under the common catigory
of Hinduism, In spirit this was the most democratic
attempt of allowing Individual freeaoro in matters of
religion and still federating all such divergent er49^m
into one central or^anozation«

zfi

ruuB0i!

* Ism ^-^- «^

Bhe^Tf

ITir

The Sa»askrlt word for religion Is Dhanaa
and It Is derived from the root Dhra (to hold), "Dharaa
Is 80 called because It hiblds this world together, ■
This Is one of the old definitions of religion.
( ^/i^^//^HJJ><^/l: W^^TFTrToTTrTQ. This definition
shows the universal charsf^ter of dharma whl(*h was designed
for holding together In a unifie<1 form the whole world.

The second progressive character of dharma is thfts:
i^-J^^?^/^^^<V/(|^/% ^^^^). . Tiiat Is rsllglon
by means of which one conia have a auccessftil accomplish-
went of an all round prosperity an^ the attainment of
Hlrvan or salvation • ** This definition Is accepted as
the standard definition of Dharma by Hindu scholars of
ancient and modern times.

This Is not opposed to the worldly prosperity
as some other definitions are. It doss not regard the
world as Illusion but on the contrary It recognises Its
place and endorso-l the attainment of an all 31*1 e*^
profperlty, Man Is encourage^, by this character of
Hinduism, to realize his citizenship of this world ftrst,
as efficiently as he can and then connect It with the

n-- -

■»f4

ir-^

asptrAtlons ana life after aesth. This Is the greatest
of optimism that any religion can preach. It Is needless
here to quote several other minor aeflnltlons of Hinduism
found in the saered books of Inila. These t^AO are the
moat prominent ones and they clearly state the two fold
character of Klndulaia^ namely:

!• Universality .and

2« Worldly and 31 ritual scope,
ThuB Hindu Dharma la not the setme as the religion of the
western people. The essential difference between social
systems Hire ahrlstlanlty and Mohammedanism Is that tn
one case there Is no conversion ,that Is adoption of one
group or Individual by another, while In the other case
there Is*

In one case the uniformity of manner, customs
and beliefs Is trusted to Geofraphloal proximity and
which leads to social Infetrcourse and the Increase of
Intercourse is left to time. While in the other, that is
In the <»ase of society enclosed In** Hellglon** an att«Bpt
Is made to make the candidate believe what other members
believe and disregard all that he has that may be different
from their beliefs, then he Is , Indftvldnally permitted
In the social group enclosed by that religion.

L" -- ■- i, C^. .r .^M -

ItS*^

:mliy'^^

iJi;s^t:$/cn

/ ' •

Hlndulam Is \>y no means "national" because all
tribes In India were not completely Hlndulsed, but many
nations like Burmah and Siard were brought under Hindu
influen'»e, ?or example, even to day In Slam not only
Bud&a Is respected and revered, but Indian heroes like
Baaa are aleo revered.

Hindu philosophy which is the back bone of
Hinduism does not ianction conversion from one religion
to another. It preaches that all religions are for the
good of humanity. If people follow ^fhat ever Is good in
their liiarma they will attain all ^ hat they desire to
accomplish, No conversion can bring any good but It will
simply "divide the human energy and understanding and thus
render difficult the attainment of truth.

Controversies aai scepticism enter the mind
of the convert and he is usually render 3d Incapable of
thinking in a straight line. Moerover possibility of
changing ones IJharma leads to the abuse of such a
conversion,, ffen will tend to use conversion as a means
of avolflng the duties that have come to them according
to their own Dharma, ilso ideas of conquest and conversion
by force are sure to enter the minds of the followers
of a religion, that endorse* and encourages conversion.

-9:1^ ^ • aiS^nSiJ, 'USXJ3XU. »?-

JSO.H:

?V.v

* cj! ttr* ^.i %/'

JliO

r-^'zotar

/^I>

Boh««ijffisaanl8h U8«d military for*?« and th«
Ohrlat1aa« u««d Mlssioaa back^'^ by e^onomie aad military
power. The earlons thins ig that sll these ftggresslTe
religions forget the essential <»hara^ter of their faith.
1?h^ proceed to clvlllie the people by using aaolvlllsed
meatts, Ttiay do aot follow the good j^riaolples aad teaehlngs
of t|ielr own religion, do not exert their beat in reflnlag
their own population whleh llTee a life qnlte opposed to
the teaf»hlngs of their religion and they set out to ssts
the soQla of heathens* l^at eould they e^^^peet to glTe
to these heathen oonTerts who have been cinder a totally
different social and religious environment when their own
population is not able to follow their a(»<»eptea ereed?

It is a very ridiculous effort made under the
name of religion and truth. It is a silent form of
BllitariSB^ It has led to Milltarlstlo iaaoes every time
when the siissioas met with a gesuiae opposition. In short
lt***eaough for our purpose in thi^ paper to note the three
•sse^itlal ffharaeteristi^s of Hindui^ira over and against
the teachings of other religions of the world, i -^ ..

X. It is universal and cosmopolitan In spirit as it

la regulated by philosophy*
2. It is opposed toall forss of coa^juest in the form
of conversion; whether ly force, fraud ,or money.

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3, It recognlsea the validity of all the religions
lnf»ludlng Itself, as the means to an end ^d
preached that salTatlon could be obtained by
following the righteous teachings of ones own
Dharma«

Tbsfle thr«e optstandlng characteristics of
Elndttlsni should have made it a worl^ religion admitting
under it the several religions and creeds. But the fact
was that It unfortunately faced the attacks of Kohamms-
danism and suddenly ^hanged Its course of teaching.
Self defense made It become narrow and exclusive^ Heed
of strong stabilization of Its teachings among Its
follov7ers , who were ever open to attacks and conversions,
made It turn the same wide and universal principles Into
mere theories. They cj^alked out a strict and feflnlte
program of religious practliie. Thus religion which was
originally a systematlsed compilation of philosophical
doctrines, principles and modern tes^chlngs, became an
independent Institution and worke' out rules and regulations
to maintain religious union of the Indian people alone.

It was here that the code of MannC Iganava Dharma
Shastra) 1, e. ,the science of human Bharma was worked out.
The author was a very highly learned roan and he exerted

,pne>ir.

I'T^

great Influence over the social raind of Ms time.
fie construct c^ a very compleix compandlnm reconciling
the teachings of Vedic literature, post-Vedlc
fMlosophlcol doctrines, and the several existing forma
of social organlzationtThua the Hindu caste system In
the form of four all sufficing divisions of the Indian
population was Introduced Into the pale of Hlnduisra.

But this caste system did not appear this
time In Its orlgftaal form. It was split ap Into several
subcastes according to the various needs of the people.
The main reason, as it appears » for the Incorporation
of castes Into Elndul«n, was the badly felt need of
amintainlng order in the society and preserving the
population as a homogenlus consaunlty. The attacks from
the foreign thought and lilfe Ileitis, were very great
and the Internal cosmopolitan organization was not
atr#Bg enough to stand them.

?or this reason the soclollglsts of the time
represented by Manu, Introduced caste system Into
Hinduism and thus we n&^^r fin4 castes, in their organised
form, apart from it. In fact caste system came to be the
chief corner st6ne of Hinduism.

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But Hlndnlsm does not mean simply caste system. It must
bs definitely understood, for future pupposes.that castes
are merely one part of E^ndulsro, though a very Important
part. Hinduism as a ^hole In its orlglonal as well as
present form and spirit is essentially objective.
This point is ot great signlflcace to the e'lucators, whose
job it is to reconstruct the social organization. It is
not Jtirscessary to hurt the religious feelings of the
Hindus while att erupting to Introduce a new social
program or modifying the old one.

The educator therefore had better understand
th fundemental doctrines and beliefs of the Hindu com-
Branlfy, Such a psychological insist into and acquaintance
with the Hindu mind will make all educational and social
programs practical and practicable.

One of the basic teachings* as expressed by a
poet, is this:" The sole eternal one self is always in
conflict with Maya , iiyhich causes all the delusion, and
makes one thing appear different. ?«lio will stop this
conflict? It is knowledge alone v.hi'^h leads to renunciation."
In this verse the poet speaks of two important beliefH:
1. Knowledge as the liberator from all bondage of
ignorance.

C'^'n^ . ?i:i UVi.

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8« Renanclatlon; self denial or saTlfl^e, expresse'l
In terms of service that '5oes not '^opent upon the r
Is tho ultimate raanli^estatlon of Irnowleflge,

Suppose a man of Chrlfctlsn caate goes to a Hindu
teacher for spiritual elevation, tho teacher wouia then
tell him hovv different Is the re&l Christ from the Christ
whom he really adores. The teacher would persuade the
studeat to IgAore the historical Christ as the later Is
only a partial manifestation of the real flhrist, omniscient
and everlasting ^incorporated in human form and acting in
human ways, iie is a mere living (historically) symbol
like an idol through which the devotee <^d savours to
picture and understand the eternal truth. Thus the teacher's
ehlel object is .ot to create a change in the object of
worship but in his Ideas and phiposophy, leaving the old
paraphernalia unchanged.

Another characteristic of Eindu cosmopolitanism
is the reoognltion of the propriety of various forms of
worship. In this way the^' got over the differences which
the disslmarity of worship may have cauaad among the
various tribes and sects. Above the practice of the variety
of worship they had a philosophy which di scour aged the
oppositions and reconciled contradictions.

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Dharma (duty) la another cosmopolitan agpoct
of EindulSB* Whether a roan is a thelst or an atheist,
lie has to follo^^ his Dharma, ?hls Dharma Is eternal
and Infinite. To whatever a religion a man may belong,
whatever school of thought he may follow, of whatever
class he inay be a member, he has to follow Diiarma*
Such a Pharma or duty was separated f^ora worship and
conceptions of God« According to this theory of Dhama
they demanded of a man not worship ITat falfllraent of
his dntyt

The moral of this philosophy ii this. It is not
• matter of importance as to what God a person worships,
what doctrine he believes, what path he follows, rprovided
he follows Dharma, the duties of man, as a man, and
those of his position assigned to him either as a teacher,
a warrior, or a trader, Svery man la expected to be
Dharraika, that la , dutiful, this is the general attitude
which brought all the castes and tribes , their worships ,
their beliefs, under one system.

This philosophy is capable of universal
expansion; it was Intended to be so* According to Hindu
idea, it is perfectly proper or even neceasary for a
Christian to follow his tribal customs , provided he

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folloiva liai^va Bhraaa. hid duty 9M suua»

Thus while fli trussing the i^lae© of «aate aystegi
In Hlnanleia wq fina the trae spirit ana for® of that
religion is eoamopolltan an4 anlTersal, Caste system in
its poptalar sense haa no place In that religion. It
enaorsea only the orlgonal four Yernas, These aivialons
of society aeeording to Hia^ti religion ana philosophy
are not rneanf oily for iTi^lian society but that they are
essential for all sof?letles of the woria. They are to be
fonn^ sTery where la the worl*! linger one name or another
an^ in one font or another.

This dofjtrtne of four Varnas was a veiry dcminent
soelal doctrine which has shaped the Hindu thought for
nearly two thousand years . According to this doctrine
a society is to be dlvl'^o^ into four classes a«d all
social occupations should be distributed among these
four divisions* This distribution of the Tarlous positional
in life is to b^ on the basts of merit and accompli shmentt

This doctrine of four Varnas , if properly
understood, is a very healthy doctrine for any people.
This doctrine whlt^h is discussed at length in the chap%*r
entitled** Psychological foundations of Caste iystems* is
not the sanie as the caste system in vogue today.

'C*-"' h^'

r^vm^i

t^fm

/ ^

The Brahamant who Introduced this doctrine did It with

the beat alms. Thoj' did not mean to tq^uoq the 80<»lety
to whe condition that 1« pwv^valent today. ^Uthough It
1« necesaary to change this original four caste plan yet
It coulti be rao^fled and the underlying thoery, at
least » of this aocleil x>3J*ogram could be made use of while
making plana for ths reconstruction of the Hindu social
organlaation.

Hot on.Vj the Varaa doctrin does not Indorss
present c&ste of India but even the Dherma ihilosophy
d088 not support lt« However the Idea of the division
cf fiocioty In the four groups, dititi ogulSiilng the
aembora of one from those cf enot} er, on the* ground of
tholr differoneoo. In terms of rcerita( Intelligence),
natural incllnatlonu, capacities and actual behavior,
all of thoBe taken 'collectively, ts deep rooted in
the Hindu ralnd.

A Hindu when askc^d wheth6<r he likes the casts
system or not may be found to answer off hand negatively
but on cloBer scrt^tl ny, one can readliy notice in the
dlscusaion and analysis that he offers, th&t the all
sufficing four fold classification of hlfe fiociety
appeals to him more, than any other classification in
vogue today, in jdther countries of the world.

Th^ reason c&nnot be said to be an affinity
gor ones traditions anl social instltutlona; for the
almpl3 reason that the Hindu of todaj^ is so far removed
from the past in which sueh a pathological division
of society axlstr-^ •* i his country and so many long
centuries have lntervlene'3 which have changed the socled.
plctnre of his country almost to newness.

A majority of Hindus are not even aware of the
facts that lay in the foundation of their present easte
system. But the only appeal that such a division of society
Bakes is its rational and psychological character. This
not only permits but requires the intelllgend* to lead,
physical strength and fortitude to protect, capacity for
mat'^riel developement to produce , and proaote the
prosperity, and lastly the ttnakllled, unrefined and the
unintelligent, to serve the society as a ?.'l]Ole In terms
©f manual labor.

India nee a 3, more than anything else, a strong
social revolution that will eleralnnte all the degenerating
elements that have enetred the Hindu life, whether through
religion, puranic teachings, or foreign aomination. The
social life of any people is subject to all such influences
fluid once certain docterines of a low type find acceptance

^

in the erti atoms cmd manners ^nd thonglit of a people then
no llteratore, of whateTer sort , hovvoeTer so great,
and IntelJeetnal it wKg be, can do any goo4 to the
actual life of thesii people •

fhe Hintus haYe perhaps, a bigger and very
highly philosophical literary heritage bat all that is
aseless fros the stan<1point of pra'^tical atility.lt is
merely a thing of talk and adairation often culminating
into Tain pride and hypocratical character lilcs sons
Missionary osoliements in India* In one han^l they hold the
Bible and connive at the Bottle that gradually creeps in
and with the slightest opposition to soch itndesirable
foreign encroachments , call forth Bayonets •

These three B's iM^ve alwsgrs gone together
and therefore have created a genuine hatred in the minds
of the educated Indiana* Horeever this shows the depth
of under «t analog and spirituality of the faith of the
siissionarlee in the teachings of Christ. A Hindu lives
in one wa;^, recocts to the sateriel stisoili like all
other people, shows meger fore sight , and is indifferently
aware of his like and ideals while on the other hand he
admires, loves, and worships the high ideals, thoughts,
an^ teachings of his Aryan ancestors.

I ^ V

Stt^ a coMltioii la moat daplorable and
vmsy TTcaild feel aAiioyea for giving It publicity , but
the proper und erst and ing of thia Innate situation la tha
Tery.kay to all e^ursattonal plana an^ prosraiBs«
aT^ry country It waa ^nuf^atlon that brou^t light ta
the maasaa, an In India etluoatlon slona will bring tha
renalaaanco • It la a ^ell concelTe'^ program of adueatlon

that. will brtjig about a aoelal ravolutlon , shake the
traditional dogBfts to the foundation^ rai^aal the true
aeoreta of th^lr rich literary- heritage and ahow them
the flasy » auperflclal and vitally degenerating nature
of the e'^ui^ation th<^t haa been introduced and Impoae'^ on
theifi under the foreign rule*

Indian people as a whole ware never ao wide-
awake aa they have become today aUd it la at this tlna
that the eaucationel probleraa of all aorta ana doscrlptiona
will arlaa* i^dueatloniata ogiat understand tha Hindu
nature before they proceed to preaerltoe adueational
nurture. The nature of the Hindua, 1 • e, the Indian
aoclal mind will be properly underatood if unprjudlead^
ayapathetlc and unaelf lah at tempt a are made to atudy
India, phyal colly, socially , hiatorically. politically,
and economical ly«

/5y

All these are the chlelT avemies of Inforifiation
€uid ft auffi total of their study will give a good reliable
foniid&tlon to build a sonnd reconstruction program. This

Is the field of education which has become the all->
enbraclng agency of our tl&^e* Education today » plays the
sami part in the life of the people » that philosophy
in ancient India and religion in Mideaval £^rope playeA.
This paper , as has been said time and agaln» primarily
Intends to present the Indian social odnd as it was» is,
and perhaps will be. All the social Influences created
by the social orftsclzation plan, form the haeh.-ground
for any educational acheae*

This bacl^«ground is the sain problea of
education^ the understanding of which is highly essential
to work out any scheBf»e of elucetion for the new India*
For this reason the title of thts paper ** Caste as an
educational problem " has ^een select 9d«

I'^^'d

CHAPTER IX >
MtTLTIPLICATlON OF CASTES AHD ITS ES3ULTS.

Aa lias been pointed oat in the preceding
pages, the original program of the all sufficing four
Varna s (colore) was tyi-ioally Aryan. Later on ats the
society increased in population, as the territorial
expansion took place, causing the segregation of the
people for want of easy means of communication, and as
the stabilization of such agregated groups in different
provinces of India took place and led to the estaolishment
of local traditions, customs and manners, castes began
to multiply. This multiplication of castes was caused
by various reasons. The first in importance was vo-
cation. Authority for this is found in the Epic of the
"Mahauharatai" In -i dialogue, the sage Parashar in ans-
wer to a caestion asked him,s j.ys, ''To begin with there
were only four family groups! namely,

1* The family group of the cage Auhuj ■}, .

£• 2he fdmily groun of. thfi_S3g€f An^iu. - •

3, The family group of the iSage Vaaistha.

4. The family group of the oage ^^iuxu^u.

But Other family ^loiips, besides tnese original four,
arose >:tooording to vocution, and their numes ^i^o^
were derived from the n^me of the work they took to.

/ ^ */

Mr« K«sfieia, vvho ^arrltfl his restarchts in \
the unlt«a provlncts of ladla In regara to the origin of
tht mo3«rn castas cam* to this Tary eoaclusloiu Ha aaye,
JFanetlori sna function only^ aa I think, was tha foundation
upon which tha whol« casta system of India was built up."
Tha ordar of tha groups Is datarmlnad by tha prlnelplaa
that aach casta or g oup of castas rapresants ona or othar
of th*se prograsslva atagas of cultura which have marked
tha Industrial daTalopaoiant of mankind, not only In Indla^
but In every other country In the world. Tha rank of any
caste as high as low depends upon whether the Industry
represent aa bp tha casta belongs to an advanced or backward
stage of "ulture; sn-^ thus the natural history of the human
Industries affords the chief clua to the gradations as
well as to the formation of modern Indian castes*

At the bottom of the seal a ar^ wore or lass
primitive tribes, the last remains ana sole survlnlng
representatives of the aboriginal Indian savage , who
was once the only Inhabitant of India, Than came tha
hunters, boatmen, and fishermen, the pastoral ihlrs and
Gadarlas, and the great mass fo agrlculturlstst Than
the artisan castes^ These are subdivided with reference
to the supposed priority of the evolution of their crafts.

»&7'

/#^

Th% basket •ffi8^c«T » th« w&yr, the potttr ana the oilman
fall with In th« mora prlroltlTa group antlfiedent to
metallurgy, whlls the hlnckoislth, goldainlths, tailors and
eonfaetioners art plsca-l In th« grpup eoaval with th« uaa
of metal 3,

Above these eom^ the traflng an^ serving onstes
flU'^h as th^ gena«loglsts(Bhfita} and the Kayasthas, «ho
are estate snanagers an<l clarhs* Then eome the prli^eiy
faffiilles, Hiany of these are soldiers an<? servants but their
ancestory being royal, they figure hlghtr than those
aentloned above. The BraltaKans, ana religious orders eoroe
oa top of all and thus 'complete th*? ^?hole scheme.

Sow all these f^sste groups are again subdivided
within the group Itself* Thus there are hundreds of e&stea
according to the census reports. According to soiae
writers, these Innumercble castes that are fcund today In
India are the outcome of the crlgonal four castes. Many
sociological reasons are given to back this thesis but
a earef^l study of the Sanskrit literature of those ancient
times sliows that tha Yamabheda (color distinct Ion) irtilch
was based on raclatl and th^ corresponding cental charac-
teristics is quite different from th« functional classify
1 eat Ion of the society.

nax^ilt'

■y-.^f^^'r-ni f5;f'"

iskttq^

^?*5K*s;rr

Itw

^^ *" ' Ditw Kttkar in his "History of th« east* syat^Biw
maintains this point v«ry strenuously while proposing tha
original fowr east a plan for nnlveraal accaptaneat

Raf«reu(?a : Dr. Shriahar V, Eetkar

History of easts , Taylor ana Carpenter '09»

It Is not safe to apply the principals of our
time to formulate the origins of an(»ient institutions,
80 long as literature of thiae times la available* It mast
ha studied and evidence to support the hypothesis be found
from there* One can explain the Hindu Castes by relying
upoft the general parallelism that may be traced between
the soci&l organisation of the fiiudus and that of the
Greeks and EomanB in the earlier stages of their national
developement. This has be^n done in this thesis just for
that pappose but thttt cannot be used to decide the origin
of the modern bewildering multitude of castes and subcastes*

They cannot b^ ^'onsidered as the logical sequence
of the Varnabheda# But the reason for this multiplication
of castes seems to be , as said at the out set of this ehaptilr
the aeggegation from one another during the territorial
expansion* Lack of communication led to local traditions,
customs, and beliefs and local institutions took birth thus
stabillKlng the spaclal characteristics of these several

Ih'^

groups and making them f«9l <iffer«iit from one another.
But the Brfiham&nlc influenr*^ whi<?h XLt^^r oeaaed to
doffiljaate over &11 thi»se groups «1«e to their religious and
intelleettiftl leadership, did not allow the Hlniu people
as a whole to feel foreign toward one anothtr. They always
were coner*iou6 of the religioue unity among them* The main
principles of their social institutiona were common though
the forms became div«r5:ent.

This segragetlon due to territorial expansion
led to the establishnient of now '•ustoms, manners and beliefs*
Alsotha Increasing population necess5tated the Increase of
▼tcationSf Contact vith peoples of different races led tc
group limit at lens on the hand and lnt<?rf>iiTtur« of races
on the other. All this repulted into the elaborate social
fabric of c'stes* The Brahamans whersver the^f went took
great care to protect their racial purity and became a
strietly eddogamus class* This example of the Brshnoans
w%s gradually followea by the other castes and intermarriage
came to be looked upon as anit social end irreligious.

Moreover the Idee of class superiority entered
Into the society no sooner rl^ld endogasais groups were
formed. This gradually led to group isolation. One cast«
learned to restrict all its social, religious and such
other activities to its own group.

feKO. : ~m ^A ©-'ii'lOX^

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i^i;

M«!nb«r8 of other castts or sabeastes afa not allowed to

participate la their eereiTiOnles and this led to the strict
Bocial restrictions on Inter dining. One caste will not
dine with the members of another and so on« This did not
canst any serions conflict in the society bee: use the
popalatlon ^as Terj large and each caste could have all
its fnnotlons and ceremonies propwrly performed within its
own groupt

This isolation and eicclnslon polled took a
deep root in the Hindu society and In tha course of time
was carried to a ridiculous logical extrerao. It did not
stop with the prohibition of interiDarrlage and int tr-
aining but led to the loctrlne of untou^hability.
A man of the hi^ihwr caste will not eat or drink what la
touted by a mamber of the lower castes •

All the fortigaers who -entered India during
modern times whether from the oxident or the orient ,wtrt
rtgarded by the Hindu society as persons fit to be claastd
with the 3hudras« Thus all thtae rules of exclusion
Including nntouchabllity irere exercised against the
liohttBBtdana and the Suropeans* If a BllsahaiBaa of an orthodox
type accident aly touched the person of an HJuroptan or
any other foreigner he would take a bath »n rttarning homt«

l^Jf

Fbyeleal toueh came to^We T«gara«(1 as & eaust
of g«nuln« polutloiu This is obserTer! inore fanatically
by the womtn of ortho'lox families. There is no state law
prohibiting a meffiber of oae easte from following the
profession of another easte, but social disapproval made
It hard for a person to deviate from his traditional
vocation evsn if he had capacities to do so. This worked
In this way up to very recent years and still in inany
parts of India lihere illiteracy rules, it is to be found
strictly followed by the people.

In large cities where competition is keen
and opportunities to exercise ones powers are many,
the Hindus hav given up this vocational restriction
and one takes to any vacation he may deam fit and
beneficial to hiniBelf» Thus today the numerous castes
according to some as ntany as fifteen hundwed In lumber
are merely In name*

They hawever have some significance in villages
and a4ong ignorant and Illiterate peoples* But gradually
political and economic pressure that Is being laid on
the country as a whole, is aiding the rapid dlsintergration
of th'ise bewildorlzig castes.

iiStmim.

I^TI

Tli« religious >i«aas though nominally a«kaowl«dg«d
by tht p«opl9 do not aisouat to any thilig Important in th«
actual run of 11 f« of th« p^oplt^ Polltleal l«a4«Ts laaan
to th« population mor« than any bo^.y *j1s«, Thus the
political sltactlon in India has almost angulfafl tha castas.
Paople obs«TV«, raughly spsa^lsg^ easts rulss ana rsgtrlatlons
In thalr own privata lifs, hut In puhlle a«?tlTltl«8 It has
no place,

Hehataa 6snahl/th<!! great Rlnau Pacifist »
lsa<5ar of tha Inaian Kational Jarty » daclarad tha othar
day whlla launching his ^r<:i%rwsi of non-cooparatlon
vith the British GoTermient that one of the oaths his
followers nnst taVe is, that of not balelving in tha non-
touchsbillty of castes • He characterize'^ thet element of
untouchaLility as the greatest curse of the Hindu aasts
sy st em.

It is isost inhuman ani irrational to trat one
meyuber of the huraan race with such s '»ont«i75pt. Mr Ckmdhis
program has b^en unanimously accepted by the Indian National
Congress and all the Hin-^us ^o hare caaght the fire of
national eongcluusness have '^eci'led not to regard afiy one
as as tsintouchibl^ •

/6#

At th« pr«8«iit tlm« though th« fftstta In all
thtlr nmltlpharlous forms tio axlst In India y«t
politically an(^ educationally thay have ^eased to
exert any lnfluea<»e whatsoever long since# Except in the
untouchable clasa meinbers of all other eaates hav« be'^n
going to the same school and receiving their education
la the fashion and in the saime room* No distinction of
caste, creed, color or race is made* In giving state
positions, whether in the British India or in the native
states, no such distinction is observed, A isan from tha
lower easte, if he has the qualifications, becomes and
officer and a Brahaman of inferior qualifications wowks
under him • Socially or rather religiously thetr
relations ma: ^« In the reverse order but practically
in the actual life ther* is no such policy of birthrights
and privileges observed any more*

This is,iB short, a history of modern castes,
their bewildering multiplication, gradual corruption and
final disintegration. Thus educationally there is a very •
great signifcance of this Information, for It furnishes
the prospective educators with the matter of fact s
situation of Indian social life and of the part that castes
play.

» ' V'^

r^ r

/6/

Thns wMlt fonaulating any •ducatloaal prograa
•na attfinptijag to mattrlallza It, one must attand to two
Important pointa, nam«ly :

1» Hot to hurt tht faellngs of tha mambtrs of the
upper castes by emph« sizing the undesirablllty of tha
casta system whieh is uneonscloualy dying out and treat
tha problem of education from aA (JaiTersal or national
poilit of Tiew because all castas are talring enthusiastic
interest in it ali>e,«

2« lAdia is no longer a country where the accident
of birth can determine irrevocably the whole course of
a Bans social and domestic relations* This being the
condition it is up to the educators of today to formulate
a plann whereby they can best attend to the ne^ds of the
country as a whole* They hare the opportilnity of designing
a program that could substantiate the best heritage of
the ancient institution of caste system and bring up tha
younger generation in such a way that would not frustrata
the aims and idials of modern e'^ucation an*^ modern treni
of life.

"f*^.--

/^9

Mortov«r gmat ear« has to b« t uktn to guard th«
young India from falling Into th« same mistakes that
tlielr for«fath«rs ooinmlted ana save tham from facing tha
sama problems that tha weeterri p«opl«8 ' hav« t)a«n eontanding
with all of thesa yaarst

Chapter X

EDUCATIONAL SUGGESTIONS

The discussion so far presented offers three
conolusions as follows:

Past:- LVolution of the Hindu caste system,
disclosing several misconceptions and mis*
interpretations. Also the evidence of the Hindu
literature, Vadic and Classical, speaking for
the Hindus and their social institutions.
And the geographical and an anthropological
picture of India and the Indians. This furnishes
us the physical and social backgrounds by way
of information.

Present:- The Psycholoi^ical fotindation of caste
system and the *'Gurukula" educational system in
the form of four Ashrimas explains the socio-
religious and cultural influence of the old in
the moulding of the present Indian life. This
revealed the fondness and admiration of the
cultural classes of India for their literary,
philosophic and moral heritage. Moreover, it
suggested the undesirability of introducing and
implanting something new and intrinsically foreign
on the soil of India where it is not likely to
take root for good but is sure to cause division

If"

and factions in the social life of the people.

Future:* The present bewildering multitude of
castes which cannot be explained or supported
by the Hinduism or by any culture of India but
which is on the contrary declared as a curse by
the political leaders^ prophesies the irapenuing
future.

Indian political guides, all without
exception, turn out to be men of unchallengable
moral character and philosophically inclined.
TViis makes the social ?ind religious problems of
the country fall in the hands of these political
leaders. Thus the future of the Indian people
in all respects, lies in the hands of these self
sacrificing men; these men have thought of several
means of India's awakening and the foremost of them
all is the universal education for the peoples of
India. Thus they propose to meet the problem of
caste system that otares them in the fact at every
progressive step, by eniightning the public mind with
education.

These three factors are of immense importance and
one realizes thetr vaie as he seriously begins to think
of the situation in India today from all points of view. There

n$

are several influential agencies at work today in India
attempting to remove the social, religious, economic ^md
political disease from which the country is constantly suffer-
ing. All these ^Agencies are unanimous on one point; they
realize that the internal clarification of the society
leading to a sane organization of coramunity interests of all
kinds is absolutely essential to fight and cope with the
national, political and economic crises that India is facing.
They differ in the method of rrocedure to effect this social
clarification,

1, The "Arya-Samaja" with its wide spread
propaganda and influence is attempting to teach the people
to discard every social institution, thought and practice
which does not find support and approral of the Vedas,
They preach to the people at large that India must go back
to the vedic life if they wattto regain their lost glory and
lead the world once again. This organization is strictly
opposed to all present castes and endorses only the original
four divisions of society, in their fluid form. They are
not opposed to any foreign accomplishments. They believe
in converting and reincorporating peoples of other religions
and creeds into the Hindu social organization. An European can b
become a member of the Arysamaja and share the universal brother-
hood. They believe in the intellectual superiority of the
classes but do not recognize birth as the criterion of distinctia
They have established schools and colleges for the education

n%^

of the people and in the *'Guru Kula** at Kangdi they have
etarted an experiment of combining the most n,ncient und
the most modern cultures.

This school is regarded as a laboratory which
aims to produce an ideal educational system for the world.
They receive students in this school at the age of eight
and keep them there until they become twenty five, Th^
are taught the cultural subjects of the ancient Indian type
and are introduced to most modern scientific studies as they
come of age. They have obtained a very good staff of teachers;
some of these teachers are well read in the ancient culture
of the Aryans and others are educ?jted in foreign countries
of Europe and America. The school is situated at the foot of
the Himalaya mountains on the bank of the river Ganges. This
institution is free of government aid and is supported solely
by the public funds.

2, Dr. Tagore, the famous poet and philosopher
who is well known in the west^ has established a school in
Bengal. This is known as "Shantiniketan** (abode of peace.)
Dr. Tagore gave all of his wealth to the support of this school
and he spent almost all of his time there. The teaching force
is very carefully chosen and men of high moral and educational
standing only can get access to this scViool. Children are
admitted at a very early age and are brought up like those of
the "Guru Kula* at Kangdi.

/7;J

Dr. Tagore has made an extensive study of the
educational systems of the -vorld and he has come to m
concl ision that, no education can ever do any good, to
any people, in the real sense of thts word, unless it is
a comTDination of the old and the new, culture and science.

There are many nationa-1 schools and colleges
opened during the last five years to imp»art national education
to the younger generation. Self-sacrificing Hindus have
given up the idea of holding government positions and have
volunteered their lives for the education of the masses.
Th^ have organized Corps sending these enthusiastic youths
to the villages to live among the poor agricultural people
and impart education to them and thus raise the literacy
among the Indian people.

Several social organizations "besides the '*Arysamaj"
are zealously at work pulling down the Darriers of the castes
and establishing new creeds and forms of worship of a universal
type.

Thus India today is busier than ever, earnestly
preparing for a strong social revolution or evolution. This
is the greatest need of India for, that will remove all the
petty grudges and factions within the different social,
religious and provincial communities and bring about a social
unity to support and strengthen the national unity that has

/7f

been effected by the great national leaders such as Messers.
B.G» Tilak, Lala I»a ji&aifcrai, and Mahatma Gandhi. The picture
e;iven here which shows how In'iia stands today in spite of
her several languages, religious cree<3s, different racial
types and provincial traditions. Political agitation
alone, hiS brought this all about but to perpetuate this
unity of a typically heterogenious population like that
of India, education must step in and take care of the
coming generations.

In big cities like Bombay and Calcutta and many
other industrial capitols, vocational opportunities are
bringing all kinds of people together. Keen competition,
crowded condition of housing and such other factors of
growing industrial life are doing away with the restrictions
of caste and provincial or family traditions. i3ut India
is an agricultural country and mere industrial nature of
the new ere will not be enough to unify the social life
of the people in all parts of the country. Education that
is r.eeded so very badly will have to be so administered that
it will not turn the Indians into a matter-m?id people
nor regenerate the curely abstract philosophical past but
make a wholesome combination of the old and the new.

It is not possible to destroy castes completely
nor is it desirable. It is in the very nature of living
beings to live in mutual relationships according to the

IIT

mental and physical capacities. There is no country under the
sun today that has no caste syBtem of one kind or another.
England has her royalty, nobility, gentry and slums. Germary
had all of these before the war, Japan hes all those artificial
classes and the United States of America, are all the while
laboring under the inequalities of labor end capital, racial
prejudices and affinities to the ancestral nationalities
of many citizens.

There are all kinds of social taboos to be seen
in the actual life of the American people. Of course these
castes of other countries arc not the same as those that
exist in India. India is not able to handle \\qt problems.
She has no power to do so, even if she has the will, jfiven
after having removed all this bewildering multitude of castes
is it wise and desirable to throw the human race into an
open competition without the least regard for the mental
differences of the people^

American educ^itors are working very earnestly
on this problem, iivery society needs pe'jce and that could
be had only by bringing satisfaction to the raemoers of the
society. Promiscuous competition can only breed discontent
and strife. Moreover, prosperity of a society very largely
depends upon the efficient functioning of its members,

American educ-ition primarily aims at producing
efficient citizens and that aim alone can explain why

m

America is the most prosperous country of the world. To
insure efficiency of function, American psychologists have
"busied themselves, for the last ten years, in developing
intelligence tests that aire to discover and measure peculiar
power of humans.

If these powers may be neasured it becoraes the
duty of society to tr^din these respective human beings
in the peculiar kind of vocation for which they are best
fitted. As society becomes more complex it will be necessary
that this specialization take place earlier and that the
period of training be extended over a longer tine. This
longer period of preparation will result in the impossibility
of choosing another vocation, once having stairted to pre-
pare for a certain life career. The result is that man
will be forced to enter into a certain kind of activity,
vocation or occupation in terms of those capacities with
which they can best serve society.

This is quite in keeping with what nature ordains.
Manis a rational animal. Reason places him over other forms
of animals but there is something fundamentally common
between man and the rest of the creation, th^t makes it
necessary to compare t^e human evolution with the evolution
of other beings.

Among the invertibrates certain insects have
gone farthest along the road of social and mental evolution

/79

bees, ants, social wasps and other highly complex insect forms
illustrate this.

We know that these insects live in large communities
Boinetimes numbering, it h-is t)een estiraated hundreds of
thousands of individuals. A veiy highly developed evolu»
tionary form of animal life is represented by these in their
social relationship.

It is fair to assume that they have In their
organization certain lessons that are applicable to human
intelligence. Professor J.V. Breitwieser in his article
on vocational Polymorphism says The first thing to note
is the morphological of anatomical polymorhysm which
characterises the ant. By this polymorphyam ^e mean that
there are different actual anatomical or morphological
forms that serve different purposes in the insect society.
This morphological or anatomical polymorphysm results in
a division of lai-or that cannot be overco;ne by training.
This is, a certain insect is born to do a certain tning and
cannot perform ar^y other duties in the insect society.

Educators cannot afford to loose sight of this
important lesson that the animal kingdom has to offer.
Kspecially in the case of a country like India where the
population is so great and where the division of labor
is developing intensely in terms of intelligence.

11%

This was the cause coupled with many other causes
that led the eacient Aryans to divide their society into func-
tional groups in terms of "merit and behayior*. They P6«
stricted the functions to produce specialists and efficient
workers. Such an heriditary institution to functional
groups led to certain physiological differences, or to
certain anatomical polymorphic peculiarities. Thus some
became in the course of time fitted to do certain things
vhile others vere fitted to do other things.

This is true all over the world even today. Our
modem social lives are becoming highly complex and
specialization more intense. Promiscuous corapetition
is wrecking the hearts of many an asuirant c?iu3ing immense
wastage of time, energy and money individually as well as
socially. Therefore, it is becoming necessary for men to
do the thing for which they are best fitted.

It is the recognition of this fact on the part
of the educators in theOnited States that has led to
recent development of vocational! and occupational guidance*
Psychology as a science of human behavior has busied itself
in developing teBts to discover peculiar powers of human
beings, oocial organization is thus become a very important
problem in the educational system of America. This has
got to be 80 in the case of India too. The reconstruction
of lndia*'s social organization cannot be left to the religious
heads but educators must t^ke th-^t up to prepare the rising

/^f

l^eneratlon for mef^ting the rcquire-rcnts of the new age*

"Thtt rapid development and standardization of
tests promises to enable educators to determine the capaci|r
of an individual comparatively early in life» When capacities
are determined preparation in the vocation recommended will have
to begin** says Dr» Breitwieser*

This situation suggests that such tests no sooner
they are standardized could be used with inmiense benefit
in India when the social reconstmiction program will bo
handled by the educ»,tor8. This will save the chaos that
is likely to ^ri&e on the dwindling ^uOd abolition of castes.
India need not go through all the hard experience through
which the people of the United States have Rone. Their
experience could be advantageously utilized by the heterogenous
population of India«

ilducators cannot deny that the societies of human
beings are tending to become polymorphic and that taey
have to become so if human^bemgs desire progress, order»
and peace* Contentment must be the ultimate aim of all
social progrcu&s. Sduc^tion has to pave the way to content*
ment by providing what individuals need in terms of their
capacities and the capacities are to be so developed that
they would need what they should have*

Much of the present human misery that we see today
in different civilized countries of the world is due to the
fact that we do not recognize a human polymorphysm or
occupational polymorphysm in human beings. A ipan having,
certain capacities will usually find himself happiest in
activities that make use of these capacities. Psychclogically
speaking the chief source of agitation, irritation, discontent
in human society is the result of their effort to work, in
terms of reactions for which they are not fitted.

Mal<»adju8tment is the source of all activity aAd
organic life mainly consists of a struggle to make admustments
to the environment. An organism, to he hapniest must have
the minimuxL of mal*adjustment. It is not the removal of
mal-adjustment that is happiness; as a Sanskrit poet puts it
•People have a strange notion that a remedy for a disease
is a poritiv<^ happiness in itself.** It is the absence of
mal-adjustment th^t can le^d to human happiness «ind education
must needs train the human beings in such a way th^t each one
will get '^n own.**Tb each his own" should be the watch word of
all psychological education.

The recover) it ion of "occupational polymorpliysm*
to use Hr. hreitwieser's phrase, will being greater happiness
to all individuals in the world. Moreover, it is not anti-
democratic. Democracy does not mean that all men are born
equal but th^t every individual should oe free to realize

\-

/5/

himself or herself in terras of his or her highest capacities^
It meatis finally, from the ethical point of vfew, the greatest
amount of happiness for the greatect numlaer, for the gre^itest
length (ftime» This ethical ideal vhich is esseriti-^lly
democratic, is poscible only when ^e determine y^hrnt the individual
capacities are, then adequately train in terms of those capacities.

This means that, in the reconstruction of Indian
social life and in organizing an educational scheme for the
young Indians educrtional tests and measurem^^nts will be
necess';ry. These are needed in organizing the ultimate
democracy thnt all Indian people desire*

Young India needs a functional society, in which
erery individual, who is the unit of society will be per*
forming to his fullest capacity without any perog-itives
of descent or caste. Here we are to recall the advice of
Soloman -^nd obey it for our benefit, ''Go to the ant thou
sluggard, consider her ways and he wise."

The caste system of India in its present form
is a very grave problem before educition. The arbitrary
social approvals rind disapprovals need to be substituted
by tests and measurements. Many a man, in India, is helpless
to realize himself unless he shows a great moral courage of
leaving hishome, relations, and going to an industrial town to
follow a tr-i^e Tor which he has special apptitude. There too

/ o

he is purely following his inctinct of earning money and
takes to h. voc^ition thf^.t pays beet* But to standardize the
human choiee of life work it must be "based on scientific
knowledge of indiriduals physical and mental capacities.

The strTig<=;le for existence among the peoples of
Indi& is becoming more serious every dny, i^^vA it is t scorn-
ing necessTiry fo^ every individual to give his services
"back in terras of thit particular capacity of which he has
most. There is the neces; ity for the conservation of
human energy as well as the conservation of the n&tionttl
reeources. Along with this concept, the present political
and economic movements as started by the Indian nationalists
have developed a social phylogophy that competition should
give way to a philosophy of cooperation*

The vast material resources of India, the teach-
ings o^ the ancient sacred literature, the evolution of ttee
Hindu social and religious ideas, the social institatiorv
of India such as the marriage institutions, the scope and
universal nature of Hindusm and the caste system which
lies at the foundation of all the social life of the Hindus,
form the beckground in light of which all educational programs
for the India of tomorrow will have to be worked out.

Agricultural and vocational guid?ince -vill have
to figure prominently in the scheme of educ^^tion for the
new India; since India is mainly a country of villages and
growing industrial towns. Prom the early days do vn to this

X^i

/•^■ii

day India has always offered great opportunities for
agriculture. Indian people have been following agriculture
as their main vocation. The fertility of the soil^ plenty
of rain and good rivers promise possibilities for an intensive
irrig.'ition system, if modern scientific metviods be intro-
duced. The imperial f^azetteers ^nd other government reports
show tVi'it India produces even without the use of modern scientif jc
implements find methods more than her population can consume.
The lack of proper transportation from one part of the country
to the other, of the produce and the ignorance of the people
to understand and use the net! methods of distribution of
commodities is the main CQUse of occasional famines in India.
These could be very eai?ily averted or even abolished if
modern methods of production and distribution could be intro-
duced on a large commercial sc^.le. The interests of the
alien ruless are a great obstacle in the p^th of this plan.
Indian populntion dies by thousands every year, while India
exports wheat, raw cotton and such other commodities in
enormous quantities to Sngl^ind. This oould be very e-isily
verified if one wouid only cast a running f^lance over the ex-
port column of India-reports.

Industrial education is not provided in the educa-
tional system of India as it exists today. That is the first
and foremost need of the country. In order to establish
a permanent coraraunicition between the peoples of different
provinces all modern me^ms of communicution need to be intro —

/ s ^

duced. This will break down the narrowness, provincialism
and exclusive policy of the present bewildering multitudes of
castes and foster unity aiaong the people,

India has six types of people:

1. lillongoloid

2. Dravidian

3. Aryan

4. /^racian

5. European
6« Jewish

The ethnological picture as rjresented before
showed different distinct races and their remarkaLle fusion.
This brings up the serious problein of race amalgamation. It
has tail en place ali*eady and that is why we h^ive so maqy types
of people th-it could be hardly distinguished. But the caste
system v>iich insists on endogauious social relations is the
main instrument in the hands of the people to avoid such an
intermixture. Educators while explaining the desirability of
non* sectarian social groups, if they remember the need and
propriety or keeping four distinct types or races separ'ite, can
hope to eliminate the ever increasing niimber of Indim castes
and preserve the four racial groups which, as diown before,
approxim-i tely correspond to the original four soci'il groups
or "Vernas".

This is said to the educators because all the present

7^5^

deviations from the social lawc, especially in t>iiB regard
of intermsrriB/iie i& made by the educted young men. They hear,
read, and study literature from outside coutries, social nnd
natural sciences, material philosopViy, etc., and as a rcnult
of that inforniition occaBionally show the moral courage of
defying their social custom and la>».s, They get married in
the castes different from their own. Many hive married English
and American girlo. This lyhange is in one sense for the better
as it breaks down the exclusion policy basedL on prejudice
and ignorFince while on the other hand it sug/3;ests the need
of scientific selection and cv.reful preservation of the
intelligence levels of higher groups. Ji&ducetion is the only
agency th- t dcils ^vith "The minds in the making**, and hence it
is © rroblem of educf^tion.

The whole Hindu culture of the past has nade Hindus
feunily lovers. This humnn feutire of Hindu society shoul'' bS
presenred. The individuMlistic life which is l-ecoming so very
common in theUnited States has shown its social dr^w»backs,
Kducation should rather strengthen the habits of social
affinity of people.

It is not the aim of this paper to propose to
the educators that thay should eaoourufi;e and reestablish
the ancient form of caEte system. The peycholofcicnl
exposition of th-^t ancient form has made cle?=ir to us h*--t
certain elements of caste as such are not undesirnble even

under the present condition of human llTe and progress* But
for that reason it need not necessarily be exactly wh^^t it
vas in ancient days, Uodem needs of India, the Metamorphised
life of the Hindu and the general social, religious, econoraio
and political condition of the country mist be considered* The
ixi^ortsnt sugjs;etition is thni, the inevitable c^j^stes th^t vill
result out of the modif ioatioas and rec^onstructions of new
India, should not be after the fashion of the western countries*
In the vest some countries place physical power above all other
human cap?icities, other place diplomacy and scares :::ivenes8
above every thing else, while some worship material wealth
ueyond all; Intel lifi^ence, plain living, fine morality,
unselfish service, have no publio recojs;nition or reward*
India should not ue Jiade to lose this speci&l charactt*ristic
of her social organisation*

Under modern scientific civilization and
democratic aspirations of the human race it is irnpossible to
cling to the hereditary possessions and prerogatives* That
element of heredity ooild be eliminated from the institution
of caste leaving it open for ai^ body and every body to realise
himself by the dint of personal capacities and personal
accomplishments* Then «:ra4 ially according; to the nature of
education th»it the people will receive, all other minor
differences will vanish* Voc^*tional guidance is gaining
ground in all the countries of the world, as it is in the
United S tntes. Th^t will help democratisation of the human
race but it should not be allowed by the educators to exalt

/?7

wealth or power over intelligence, learning, plain living Find
self-sacrifice,

Gaste system of such a fluid nature is absolutely
necessary. It serves as a ladder of social evolution on
which individuals can find their status in terms of mental
capacities and accomplishments. JSociety becomes an enlight-
ened judge of the individual contributions and the social
approval and disapproval no longer remain subjective in
character but the set scheme of classes makes them objective
and definite.

Such a caste system would naturally do away witi
all the incongrueties and defects in the Indian society
and would render it fit for the handling of modern scientific
means of prosperity. This will preserve the good heritage
of her ancient glory and will make possible for India to have
her place in the great nations of the world.

In conclusion it must be said that India with all
of her past glox^, present cosmopolitan population and future
democratic aspirations of her young men is the country, that
can offer greatest opportunity for the much desired universal
education. There we have on^fifth of the whole human race and
it is in a transition period of its history. The greatest
need of the world today 1^ the establishment of some sane
educational system, all over the world, that will remove the
present gross misunderstanding sunong the different peoples

/^f

of the globe*

The purpose of such universal education was
beautifully summarized at the close of a public address
by Dr» Breitwieser in the following words, "The conferences
that have been held so far have been attempts on the part
of conferees to come to an understanding with one another^
all the while keeping their local interests in the fore front.
Large portions of humanity have never been consulted.

Our American attitude, in theory at least, has
been quite different. Our freedom of religious attitudes and
oui^ tolerance for the opinions of others so long as they have
in them elements that can help contribute to the happiness
of humanity, have led us to harbour in our population qiany
religious and political organizations.

Our American educational system is also tending
more Bind^more toward broader outlook ^nd wider social content*
Ve have the tradition of pioneering in the cause of physical,
social and religious emancipation of humanity and what we must
do next, as a logical step, is to take up the program of
universal education for the unification of the human race*
This is the gres^test need of the world today. The human r**ce
is s^etiiing with discontent and misunderstanding of all kinds

b*

I Si

and the only solution of the whole trouble is education;
education of an universal type that will do away with the
narrow, dogmatic, local and selfish institutions and
beliefs and foster better understanding among the different
races, widen the community of interests of the human beings,
broaden the sympathies of people for one another, and last
but not least, bring home to fill the desirability of give
and take, of what good we have, understanding the absurdness
and futility of exclusiveness, isolation, self-sufficiency and
presumed superiority of race color and ranft.**

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