Caste in India: The Facts and the System c6.s7.53

c6.s7.53

I have spoken up to now as if this private justice were exercised solely by the caste itself or by its authorized representatives, in the name of its traditional usages. The facts, indeed, point to this conclusion; but these customs have been incorporated in the religious code of Brahmanism and are applied in the name of a religious authority which finds its power, if not its origin, in written tradition. Thus it happens that a Brahman often directs the procedure; the caste or its council makes its decisions with the help of his learning and intelligence. Sometimes even the Brahman appears to act alone; in fact, a more or less tacit delegation takes place.