Vedic Index of Names and Subjects v1.c3.s16.190

v1.c3.s16.190

Jāti, which in the Pāli¹ texts is the word denoting ‘caste,’ does not occur at all in the early Vedic literature; when it is found, as in the Kātyāyana Śrauta Sūtra,² it has only the sense of ‘family’ (for which cf. Kula, Gotra, and Viś). For the influence of the family system on the growth of caste, see Varna. To assume that it was the basis of caste, as does Senart,³ is difficult in face of the late appearance of words for family and of stress on family.⁴