Caste in India: The Facts and the System c8.s6.2

c8.s6.2

Everything brings us back to the elements of the old family constitution ; the true name of the caste is *jāti*, which means ‘ race ’. Here again we must be precise. The family was not the only social organism at the time when the Āryans of India separated in order to follow their own destinies. It was included in larger bodies : in the clan and the tribe. Its existence is certain, although it is not easy strictly to define the facts, which are variable and doubtful.