Page:The history of caste in India.pdf/139

 regarded as an offense somewhat like defamation, punishable with fine (viii, 273). But besides this there is not much in our text where purity or impurity of the country is made a matter of any consequence. The writer had a good opportunity to do so had he wished. He could have said that Dravidas, Shakas, etc., lost their status as a Kshatriya because they lived in Deccan.

Let us now find out if there was anything else to which purity or impurity was supposed to be attached. The part of the body above the navel was considered pure and the part below it was considered impure. Some animals were pure, while others were impure. Those which were impure were not only not fit to be eaten, but even their touch or look would make other things impure. Death or birth in the family would make the relatives and associates impure; and a long, elaborate code of rules existed which governed these matters. A menstruating woman was extremely impure; her touch, her look, and her voice carried pollution along with it.

Side by side with impure articles there existed two other kinds of articles, which may be called pure and purifying. Pure are those which are somewhat sacred in themselves but which would be polluted by associating with impure. Purifying are those which could not be polluted themselves and had the capacity of purifying others which may have been polluted. Also there were some things which could never be polluted, although they had no capacity for purifying others.

Pure actions ought not to be done with impure associations. For example, the study of Veda should not be done on any evil day or during the days of impurity due to the death or birth of a relative; nor should it be