Page:The history of caste in India.pdf/136



The caste system was supported not only by theological doctrines like Karma and the Transmigration of Soul, but also by ideas like those regarding purity and pollution which had a practical bearing on life. The precedence of caste is always manifested by ideas of purity and pollution, and for this reason the ideas of the period as they are reflected in our text deserve careful examination.

Our work reveals the ideas on this subject in its various relations. The articles of food were divided into pure and impure by degrees. The various sections of the country differed greatly in sacredness and impurity. A principle that actions that are holy and sacred ought not to be done with impure associations appears to have been well recognized. Purifying agencies and ceremonies for purification existed. Purity was closely associated with good omen, i. e., Those things which were pure were supposed to bring good result or fortune, by their association, as good omens do, and impure things would bring misery. Various substances were graded on the principle of purity. But how far the various castes were graded is less clear.

The most conspicuous field in which the Hindu notions regarding purity and pollution manifest themselves is their treatment of the important question of food. In order to determine whether anything is eatable or not the first question to be answered is, How