[Pramāṇa](https://indike.org/pramana/) › [Studies](https://indike.org/pramana/ins) › [Polity, law and society](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.polity) › [Shudras in Ancient India: A Social History of the Lower Order down to circa A.D. 600](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.polity.sharma-1958) › c13.258 # Shudras in Ancient India: A Social History of the Lower Order down to circa A.D. 600 c13.258 Śūdras in Ancient India: A Social History of the Lower Order down to circa A.D. 600 c13.258 - **Language:** English ### [c13.258](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.polity.sharma-1958.c13.258) In the judicial administration the old discriminations generally continued. Bṛhaspati provides that witnesses should belong to respectable families and regularly perform religious rites as prescribed in the Vedas and the Smṛtis.⁴ This naturally excludes the śūdras. The provision that śūdras should appear as witnesses only for śūdras is repeated by the lawgivers of this period ⁵ Kātyāyana lays down that the case against the accused should be proved by witnesses who are similar to him in caste. A litigant of a lower caste should not establish his case by the evidence of witnesses of higher castes.⁶ Nārada's list of false witnesses includes jugglers, public dancers, sellers of spirituous liquors, oil pressers, elephant drivers, leather workers, caṇḍālas, śūdra peasants (\*kināśas\*), sons of śūdra women and outcastes (\*patitas\*).⁷ But Nārada also moderates the old provision regarding varṇa witnesses by providing that members of all the varṇas - [Previous: c13.257](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.polity.sharma-1958.c13.257) - [Next: c13.259](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.polity.sharma-1958.c13.259) - [Up: c13](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.polity.sharma-1958.c13) --- Source: [https://indike.org/pramana/ins.polity.sharma-1958.c13.258](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.polity.sharma-1958.c13.258) · Pramāṇa