Page:The history of caste in India.pdf/100

 and culture. The word "ārya" had received some sanctity, and had become rather a title to be applied to properly qualified people, than a word expressive of the recently-born conception of race. Occidental scholars, who usually attach more importance to the study of Vedas than to the later Sanskrit literature, revived the long-forgotten Vedic meaning of the word, and made it once more current, although since the beginning of India's characteristic civilization (say from the close of Rig Veda) until 1800 A. D. the word had a meaning entirely different.

According to our writer, any man who is not Mlechcha, Dasyu, Vrātya, Vāhya, Shūdra, is an ārya. The word is used in the sense of honorable man (viii, 395). He contrasted ārya with Mlechcha. Mlechchas were barbarians whose country was other than the country of the āryas and who spoke language different from those which āryas spoke (ii, 22, 23; X, 45).

Dasyus were persons who were neither Brāhmanas, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas, nor Shūdras (x, 45). Who these Dasyus were we do not know exactly. At v, 131, the term "dasyu" is applied to "Chándalas and others."