Holmes County Republican. [volume] (Millersburg, Holmes County, Ohio) 1856-1865, 1857-10-22
The Hindoo Castes In India.

Il
The following brief account of the Hin
doc castles, taken from "MilPs History oil
India," may moi at this time be unaccept-
able to our readers -
Although in Hindostan there are many
descedants of the Mogul Tartars, by whom
India was conquered many years ago, and
who by religion are Mohammedans, and
the population principally consists of Hin
docs, and these BY their religion are diyi-
ded into four seperate castes or classes:
The Brahmins, or priests; 2. The
Cshatriyas, or military classes; 8. The
Vaisyas, or tradesmen and farmers; The
Sudras, or laborers.
lst. The Brahmins have acquired and
maintained most extensive and powerful
authority over the other castles. Accord
ing 10 their "Vedas," or sacred books, "as
great distance as there is between the
deity and Bahmins, SO great is the distance
between the Brahmin and the rest of man
kind" The sacred books are exclusively
his. He is lord of all other classes. The
first duty of all magistrates, whether su-
preme or subordinate, is to honor the Brah-
minis, and the slightest disrespect to one
of this sacred class is the most atrocious Of
crimes. For contumelious language to a
Brahmin, Sudra must have an iron spike
ten fingers long thrust into his mouth
From his high birth alone, Brahlnin is
an object of veneration to deities, and if
any man, even of the upper castes, should
strike Brahmin, though even with blade
of grass, or oyerpower him in any argu-
ment, he must soothe him by falling pros
trate. A priest who knows the law need
not complain to the King, for by his own
power he may chastise those who injure
him. He may use powerful charms, for
speech is the weapon of a Brahmin with
which he may destroy his oppressdrs. Let
not the King provoke Brahmins to anger,
for they, if enraged, can destroy him. A
Brahmin, whether learned or ignorant, is a
powerful divinity and, though they are oc
cupied in mean occupations, they must be
honored, for they are divine. A king shall
not slay Brahmin, though guilty of all
possible crimes. Let him Danish the often
der from his relm, but with his property
secure and his body unhurt. A king must
not take tax from Brahmin learned in
the Vedas; and il is an essential part of
expiration and sacrifice to present gifts to
Brahmins. They are so much superior to
king that the meanest Brahmin would ac-
count himself polluted by eating with him,
if not of the same caste or religion. Their
proper business is to read the Vedas, and
to teach them to the younger Brahmins,
and TO perform religious exercises and sac
rifces.
The I'd class, or Cshatriyas, become sol
diers when they can obtain such employ
| ment.
The Sd, Vaisyas, are employed as mer-
chants, or in tending cattle, or cultivating
the soil. t
The 4th, Sudras, are employed in servile
labor, and are as much the objects of con-
tempt as the Brahmins are of veneration,
to the castles above them. If this class
commit crimes, they are more severely pun
ishel than delinquents in the upper castles,
and Brahmin may at any time compel
them to perform for him any kind ofservile
labor, since they were created for the pur-
pose of serving Brahmins. No Sudra
| may accumulate wealth, even if he has the
means of doing so, for servile man who
accumulates wealth gives pain 10 the Brah-
minis; Brahmin may at any time take the
goods of his Sudra servant, for such SER
wants can have no property. Adultery be-
tween Sudra and a woman of higher
caste is expiated by burning to death on a
bed of iron; nor is the Sudra in a better
condition with respect to future state
''For Brahmin must not read the Vedas
in the presence of a Sudra."
"Let not Brahmin give advice to Su-
dra, nor what remains from his table. Let
him not give spiritual counsel 10 Sudra,
or inform him of the legal expiation of his
sin. Surely he who declares the law to a
serviIe man, or who instructs him in the
means of expiating sin, sinks with that
man into the hell called "Asamvrits."
Although each class was bound by reli-
gion to adhere to the particular employ
ment assigned to it, the upper classes might
in cases of necessity adopt the employment
of the classes below them. Thus Brah-
min, when he is not employed in his own
proper business, may become a soldier or a
tradesman. but must never engage in the
servile occupations of a Sudra. Thus
Brahmin has open to himself the occupa-
tions of the respectable classes, and can
overload them in seasons of distress. He
may enlist into the armies, or engage in
traffic and merchandise.
But although the Hindoos are by their
laws divided into four castles only and the
different castles are only permitted to mar
ry in their own, yet Irregularities take place
and children are born who belong to no
class; such children are deemed infamous,
on account of the violation of the sacred
laws which gave occasion to their birth;
but, although they are regarded with con-
tempt and adherence, they are divided
into no less than thirty-six different branch
es; the highest is the offspring of Brah-
min and woman of the second class; and
the lowest is the offspring of Sudra and
woman of the sacred class. These last
are called "chandals." Nothing can ex-
ceed the degradation to which they are
subjected; they are condemned to live in a
sequestered place by themselves, least they
should pollute the very town in which they
reside, and if they meet man of the
higher castles they must turn out of the
way, lest he should be contaminated by
their presence.
Mr.. Mill. in conclusion of the chapter