Shudras in Ancient India: A Social History of the Lower Order down to circa A.D. 600 c10.411

c10.411

The early Pāli texts often mention the five despised castes of the caṇḍāla, the niṣāda, the veṇa, the rathakāra and the pukkusa.⁶ They are described as having low families (nīca kula)⁷ or inferior births (hīnajāti).⁸ The enumeration of low trades, crafts and castes seems to be broadly true of pre-Mauryan times, for the Buddha argues at length with the monks that they should not create such distinctions in the order by insulting speech referring to the former jāti, the sippa, the kamma etc. of the monks.⁹