The Cambridge History of India, Vol. I: Ancient India v1.c21.40

v1.c21.40

Before speaking of the Dharma Sūtras in particular it will be necessary here to settle the question as to what is meant by the Āryan, so often mentioned in all the Sūtras. While not lacking in moral connotation, so that as a common adjective *ārya* meant noble in heart as well as in race, it is only in the democracy of religious philosophy that such a person as an Āryan slave or barbarian was conceivable. Practically Ārya was synonymous with 'reborn' and indicated a person of the three upper castes in good standing, antithetic to Çūdra and other low-caste or out-caste persons. Yavanas (Greeks) are the most esteemed of foreigners, but all Yavanas are regarded as sprung from Çūdra females and Kshatriya males. Gautama says that sundry authorities hold this view¹. Such rules as that given by Gautama (XII, 2) in the case of the violation of an Āryan woman by a Çūdra, when compared with Āpastamba, *Dh.S.*, II, 26, 20, and 27, 9, prove conclusively that Ārya is 'noble in race' as distinguished from the 'black colour' (*ibid.* I, 27, 11, with the preceding 'non-Āryans'). Mr Ketkar in his *History of Caste in India* (p. 82), is rather rash in stating that there was no racial discrepancy felt between Āryan and Dravidian. It is true that those who were out-caste were no longer called Āryans, but no Çūdra was ever regarded as Āryan, any more than he could be 'reborn.' Ārya indicated racial distinction from the times of the Rigveda onwards.