[Pramāṇa](https://indike.org/pramana/) › [Studies](https://indike.org/pramana/ins) › [Polity, law and society](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.polity) › [The Social Organisation in North-East India in Buddha's Time](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.polity.fick-1897) › c7.9 # The Social Organisation in North-East India in Buddha's Time c7.9 The Social Organisation in North-East India in Buddha's Time c7.9 - **Language:** English ### [c7.9](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.polity.fick-1897.c7.9) ¹ It is beyond the scope of my problem which is only concerned with the condition of a particular period, to examine in detail the question of the origin of the castes and especially, of the influence which the institution of family has upon the building up of caste. I refer the reader to the article of Senart, \*Les Castes dans l'Inde\* in the “Revue des deux mondes” (Vols. 121, 122, 125), which I consider the most sensible and acute thing that has ever been written about the Indian castes. In particular points the statements no doubt stand in need of proof before they can be regarded as scientific facts. Especially, the proposition which is to be looked upon as the cardinal point of his theory, namely, that “caste is the normal development of the ancient Aryan family conception” seems hardly to meet adequately the objection that no traces of this development of the family into the caste are to be found in the Vedas, with the help of the following statement: “The development might have taken place too slowly, it rests upon too instinctive, too primitive elements to give us much evidence of this element in a literature such as that of the hymns.” - [Previous: c7.8](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.polity.fick-1897.c7.8) - [Next: c7.10](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.polity.fick-1897.c7.10) - [Up: c7](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.polity.fick-1897.c7) --- Source: [https://indike.org/pramana/ins.polity.fick-1897.c7.9](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.polity.fick-1897.c7.9) · Pramāṇa