A Classical Dictionary of Hindu Mythology and Religion, Geography, History, and Literature c5.1990

c5.1990

The first three castes were called dwi-ja, “twice born or regenerate,” from their being entitled to investiture with the sacred thread which effects a second birth. The Brāhmans maintain that their caste alone remains, that the other three have been lost or degraded, and it is generally believed that there are no pure Kshatriyas or Vaisyas now existing. The numerous castes which have sprung up from the intercourse of people of different castes or from other causes are called Varna-sankara, ‘mixed castes.’