Shudras in Ancient India: A Social History of the Lower Order down to circa A.D. 600 c11.237

c11.237

Normally the castes were endogamous during this period. Arrian informs us that the husbandman could not take a wife from the artisan class and vice versa.⁵ But some marriages also took place between the members of the higher varṇas and the śūdras, as is evident from Kauṭilya’s law of inheritance and his list of the mixed castes known as the antarālas. He repeats the brāhmaṇical theory of the origin of the niṣāda, the pāraśava, the caṇḍāla, the pulkasa, the śvapāka, the kṣattā, the āyogava, the kuṭaka (kukkuṭaka of the Dharmasūtras), the rathakāra, the vaiṇya etc.¹ Kauṭilya states that the function of the vaiṇya and the rathakāra are identical.² He further declares that members of these mixed castes should marry within their own castes.³ The king should see to it that they follow their respective avocations.⁴ He enjoins the king to recognise these orders and guide his subjects accordingly.⁵ It is also laid down that among all the mixed castes there will be equal shares of inheritance.⁶ According to him the mixed castes (antarālas), with the exception of the caṇḍālas, can live by the occupations of the śūdras.⁷ Hence only the caṇḍālas are regarded as a despised caste, and the rathakāras, veṇas, pukkusas and nesādas of the Buddhist list are left out.