Page:The history of caste in India.pdf/113

 This can be easily verified by paying attention to the various speculations regarding Ambashtha caste. The work of Baudhāyana holds that the sons of Brāhmanas by Kshatriya and Vaishya women, respectively, were Brāhmanas and Ambashthas. The works of Vasishtha and Gautama differ from it. The two latter works were separated from the former by nearly two hundred years, but they are older than our text by about five hundred years. These two works give as their opinion that the Ambashthas are born of Brāhmanas by Kshatriya women. This kind of speculation involves in a way a denial to Brāhmanahood of the claim of the sons of Brāhmanas by Kshatriya women. Thus a blemish against such a son is of considerable antiquity, but our author docs not like the idea of putting them into a different varna. I need hardly add that the Brāhmanas were at the top of society.

Now let us turn to Kshatriyas. I have shown else. where that Kshatriyas never formed a caste. The royal families of several tribal kingdoms were doubtlessly