88 S. C. Vidyabhusan^ — The Vt atya and Samlcata theories of Caste. [D EC, 



have been described as mixed castes. Thus in the Brahma-vaivarta 

 Purana the Karana is mentioned as having been born of a Vaifya father 

 and f udra mother, the Paundraka from a Vai9ya father and pun^i 

 mother, and the Mai la from a Leta father and Tibara mother. The Kirata 

 mentioned in the ManU'Samhita as Vratya Ksatriya has been described 

 in the Ballala Chaiita as a mixed caste born from a Vai9ya father and 

 Brahmana mother. The Sarakas returned in the Government Census 

 ns a Jain or Buddhist sect have been mentioned in the Brahmavaivarta 

 Purana as a Hindu caste born of a Jola father and Weaver mother. In 

 reality Saraks were immigrants from Serike and Saiogie the same 

 people as Sorgae that lived at the mouth of the Indus. The Kols who 

 are evidently an aboriginal wild people of India have been designated 

 in the same Purana as a mixed caste born of a Leta father and Tibara 

 mother. The Kaivartas who were perhaps the original inhabitants of 

 Bengal have been described in the Manu-samhita as a mixed caste born 

 from a Nisada father and Aogavi mother, but in the Puranas as that 

 born from a Ksatriya father and Vai9ya mother. The Andhra, Chola and 

 Pandya tribes of the Dravidian people became in course of time reckoned 

 as pure Ksatriyas. The Tamila tribe of Dravida made several inroads 

 into Ceylon and in the 5th century A.D. five Tamil Kings successively 

 reigned in the island. The Tamils came towards the north too and the 

 Tambuli caste of Bengal was perhaps formed by them. 



From what we have found here it is evident that the traditional 

 Samkara process of birth exists in mere theories, but does not correspond 

 to actual facts. No caste ever came into existence in the way presup- 

 posed by the traditional theory. It is, however, undeniable that there are 

 some rare instances of the father and mother being of different castes, 

 but in those cases the children get the rank of either of the parents. In 

 Darjeeling I met with several men of the Chatri caste whose father was 

 Brahmana, but mother Chatri, but I never met with a single instance 

 in which a Brahmana father and Chatri mother gave birth to a child 

 that produced a third caste. Though the Samkara process of birth is 

 an absolute myth it must be admitted that the theory of Samkara castes 

 expounded in the Brahmanic fastras is indeed very grand. The 

 Brahmanic legislators by tracing the original four castes from the 

 different limbs of Brahma the Supreme Being and then deriving all 

 other castes from a mixture of the four thoroughly established the unity 

 and common footing of all the members of the Hindu society. All castes 

 from Brahmanas to Candalas are shown to be directly or indirectly 

 connected with the Supreme Being and the gradations of honour existing 

 among the members of different castes are also duly maintained. But 

 it should be observed here that the Vratya theory was very much simpler, 



