Caste and Race in India c11.8

c11.8

As an important constituent of the Brahmanic culture in connection with the sacrificial ritual there arose very exaggerated notions of ceremonial purity. Not only the correct wording and pronunciation of the sacred formulæ but also the strictest adherence to the minutest details of the ritual procedure were essential for the proper performance of rites. Distinctions began to be made between things pure and things impure. Whatever was unclean was of course impure. But with the change of outlook on the animal world even some of the formerly honourable occupations came to be looked upon as degrading. How fastidious the Brahmanic ideal of ceremonial purity had come to be by the time of the Sūtras is best illustrated by the meticulous rules laid down in them for purification and for general conduct.