The Cambridge History of India, Vol. I: Ancient India v1.c15.223

v1.c15.223

The institution is essentially Brāhmanical, and it has spread with the spread of Brāhmanism. It either does not exist, or exists only in an imperfect state of development, in countries where Buddhism has triumphed, such as Burma and Ceylon. It would indeed appear to rest ultimately on two doctrines which are distinctively Brāhmanical—the doctrine of the religious unity of the family, which is symbolised by the offerings made to deceased ancestors, and the doctrine of *sva-karma*, which lays on every man the obligation to do his duty in that state of life in which he has been born.