War in Ancient India c7.s1.15

c7.s1.15

It would be interesting to trace the relation of the charioteer to the Knight, and the status he held. There are different terms like rathin, sūta, and sārathi used to denote the charioteer; and of these sūta is the most misunderstood. As I have said elsewhere,²² it is a fundamentally wrong theory to identify this sūta with the celebrated Sūta paurāṇika. The latter is a sage and ayonija. The charioteer sūta belonged to one of the mixed castes who became horse-trainers, physicians, charioteers, etc. He occupied, in epic times, a place of