Intercourse between India and the Western World from the Earliest Times to the Fall of Rome c8.67

c8.67

We now turn to the very interesting account given by Megasthenes of the organization of the Government, where again we see the work of the master-mind of the great Maurya¹. Megasthenes gave a minute account of this elaborate system, which has been copied by many subsequent authorities. Unfortunately, he mixes up the traditional four castes of Hindu society² with the official bodies created by Chandragupta, and he becomes confused over the sub-castes, with their perplexing distribution of functions in the state. The mistake was not an unnatural one for a foreigner to make. He is also led astray by the fact that the Egyptians, according to Herodotus, had seven castes. Egypt and India were frequently confused by the Greeks, and Megasthenes comes to the conclusion that there are seven " castes " (γένη) in India also³. He arrives at this number as follows. He divides the Brahmins into two castes—philosophers and statesmen. The Kshattriyas or Military form a caste by themselves. The Vaiśyas and Śūdras are divided into three castes by Megasthenes—farmers, herdsmen, and artisans, and he adds a seventh caste of "Inspectors and Overseers"—the confidential officers in the service of Chandragupta¹. These officials were probably recruited chiefly from the Brahmin caste.