History of Mediaeval Hindu India (being a History of India from 600 to 1200 A.D.) v1.c8.14

v1.c8.14

To return to our subject, in the days of Hiuen Tsang, agriculture had ceased to be the occupation of Vaiśyas and had become the occupation of the Śūdras, a fact that need not therefore compel us to look upon many of the so-called Śūdras of the present day as Dravidian in race nor treat them as Scythic in race as European scholars are disposed to do. This change in the occupational aspect of caste differentiates the time of Harsha from the time of Manu. Another important change in occupation can be gathered from another statement of Hiuen Tsang. At page 170 Watters Vol. 1 we find, "sovereignty for many successive genarations has been exercised by Kshatriyas alone. Rebellion and regicide have occasionally arisen other castes assuming the distinction." In the old caste organisation of Manu's days Kshatriyas alone could be kings. And native tradition asserts that this barrier was first overthrown by Chndragupta who destroyed, with Chanakya's help, the line of the last truly Kshatriya kings, the Nandas. Since then Sūdras, Brahmins and Vaiśyas have often become kings in the history of India. But even if they become kings their status in society or their caste does not rise. They still remained what they originally were and retained their caste by their own opinion and the opinion of the people. It is hence we see that Hiuen Tsang mentions the different castes of the ruling kings and his remark always should be looked upon as neither haphazard nor erroneous. When he says a particular king was a Kshatriya we must accept the word in its true signification. For he does not make even the great Harsha, his own benefactor and patron, a Kshatriya, but states clearly that he was a Vaiśya, a fact which is also indicated by the suffix Vardhana assumed by many kings of the family and also the suffix Bhūti* in the name of Pushya-Bhuti, its founder mentioned by Bāṇa. We will presently enumerate the suffixes usually taken up in their names by the different castes, but here this instance of Harsha itself will suffice to show the corectness of the information of Hiuen Tsang, as also the fact that notwithstanding his kingly position, the caste of the ruler remained what it was. We will now proceed to describe each caste separately and detail its characteristics during this period, as can be gathered from the evidence available.