Shudras in Ancient India: A Social History of the Lower Order down to circa A.D. 600 c8.152

c8.152

Of the passages which represent Paṇis as niggards, and condemn illiberal people in general, some may have been inspired by greedy priests eager for gifts, but on the whole they seem to reflect the tendency among certain Āryans to accumulate wealth at the cost of their fellow tribesmen, who naturally expected some share in their acquisitions through sacrifices made to Indra and other gods,³ thus providing frequent occasions for the common feasts of the community. Failure to check this process was bound to give rise to economic and social inequalities.