History of Mediaeval Hindu India (being a History of India from 600 to 1200 A.D.) v3.c39.9

v3.c39.9

But the most injurious result of this rigidification of caste was the vast dimunition in the fighting strength of kingdoms. Even now this evil of the caste system in India is not adequately realised. It is often wondered how a nation consisting of 33 crores of inhabitants can be ruled by a nation of four crores. But it must be remembered that the fighting people in India scarcely number four crores while the whole British nation of four crores is the fighting reserve of Britain. In India, excepting the Panjab, the people are divided firstly by race into Aryans and Dravidians and secondly by caste into fighters and non-fighters. The Dravidian section of the Indian population is nearly more than one half and chiefly consists of non-fighters. In the Aryan section of the population again, only the Kshatriyas are by heredity and present occupation inclined to fight. The result is that in India about 10 per cent of the population is fit and disposed to fight, while the remaining 90 per cent by nature and heredity is not fit to fight and is, therefore, ready to accept the rule of any strong nation which happens to be successful. As we will explain elsewhere, the idea of a nation did not develop in India and the people as a whole never thought of opposing foreign conquest. Especially at this time by the rigidification of caste the number of those who fought for independence was owing to internecine fighting limited and as soon as these viz. the Rajputs fell, the country as a whole submitted without demur to the foreign yoke.