The Cambridge History of India, Vol. I: Ancient India v1.c24.6

v1.c24.6

Most commonly, though not invariably, the narrator is Lomaharshaṇa or his son, Ugraçravas. The former is called ‘the Sūta,’ and the latter ‘Sauti’ or ‘the Sūta’s son’—titles which clearly indicate that the traditional lore, out of which the Purāṇas have been fashioned, was of Kshatriya, not of Brāhman, origin; for the Sūtas, its custodians, were a mixed caste who were entrusted with various important functions in royal households. In the Brāhmaṇas the Sūta is the royal herald and minstrel, and possibly also ‘master of the horse.’ He is one of the king’s ‘jewels’ (*ratnin*) and ranks with the commander-in-chief of the army and other high officers of state; and in his character as herald he was inviolable. In the law-books he is described as the son of a Kshatriya by the daughter of a Brāhman. The Purāṇas say that he was born to sing the praises of princes and that he was entrusted with the care of the historical and legendary traditions; but they state definitely that he had no concern with the Vedas (*Vāyu Pur.*, I, 1, 26–28). In later times he appears as the king’s charioteer; but he still retains his exalted rank, and in the dramas he speaks Sanskrit—the sign of high birth or education—while the inferior characters speak some Prākrit dialect.