Indische Palaographie von circa 350 a. Chr. – circa 1300 p. Chr. c48.s1.2.3

c48.s1.2.3

In every linguistic group, moreover, there are certain classes which, though called Brāhmans by the public, and enlisted to perform some of the ceremonial functions of the Brāhman, are either not recognised by other Brāhmans, or are relegated by them to a degraded position, inferior, in reality, to that to which many of the non-Brāhman castes are admitted. The acme of subdivision in combination with ceremonial exclusiveness, is probably reached among the Kanaujia, of whom it is said in their native Province, “Three Kanaujia, thirteen cooking-fires”. The Gurjara Brāhmans, again, are popularly credited with 84 divisions, but this being a popular expression of multitude in general, the number actually found, viz. 79, may be taken as fairly correct, especially as all the larger items in that lengthy list have their respective sub-castes. The Brāhmans of the Dekkan are perhaps as little split up into sections as any, but on the coast-strip of the Konkan the subdivision is more minute, owing, probably, to the foreign strain introduced from time to time. The Brāhmans of Bengal and Madras, where the system is of later introduction, hide a complicated interior under a comparatively small number of main divisions, especially in the latter, where caste has been affected by the doctrinal schisms of which the clouth since the days of S'aṅkarācārya and Rāmānuja, has been prolific.