Page:History of Mediæval Hindu India Vol 1.djvu/88

68 no reference to the distinctions now known as Gauda, Dravida and so on. Then again the word is Gorā and not Gauda. Of course the family name of Brahmins or what is now called the surname is rarely given in ancient epjgraphic [sic] records, and this mention of the family is somewhat strange. But that there is no reference here to the provincial divisions of Brahmins is beyond question and we may believe that upto [sic] the end of the seventh century A. D. such distinctions had not arisen. Brahmins formed one caste throughout India and knew no distinctions except that of gotra and Charana or Śākhā. It is difficult to know if marriages took place then between Brahmins of different countries. But there is no reason why they should not have. Smritis do not prohibit such marriages. Even the present restriction of marriage within the same Śākhā is more a matter of custom than of Sāstric provision. For asamatterof factmarriages between Rigvedis and Yajurve- dis do take place even at present among Maratha Brahmins. Kanojiyas and other subcastes. The mention of the Sakha,, therefore, in early epigraphic records does not import any divisions for prohibition of marriage. The Veda and Sakha were perhaps important as indicating fitness for performing particular worship or religious service. The Atharvavedi Brahmins were, for instance, considered fit to perform the worship of the sun. It may be noted en passant that the words then used to indicate the Veda or Sakha of a Brah- iiiin were in some respects different from those now used Bahvrieha was usually used then instead of Iligvedi and Chandoga instead of Samavedi; Yajurvedi being indicated by Vajasaneyi &c. And it may further be noted that Bharadvaja-sgotra was the usual expression then instead of Bharadvaja-gotra now used. The second thing to remark about Brahmins is that their names generally ended in particular suffixes only. It appears that in those days particular suffixes or epithets were added to the names of individuals to indicate their caste. These suffixes are mentioned even in Smritis. Sarma was the principal sui^ix indicating the Brahmin caste. Besides Sarma the other suffixes or affixes were