Page:The history of caste in India.pdf/35

 My own definition of a caste.—A caste is a social group having two characteristics: (1) membership is confined to those who are born of members and includes all persons so born; (2) the members are fobiddenforbidden [sic] by an inexorable social law to marry outside the group. Each one of such groups has a special name by which it is called. Several of such small aggregates are grouped together under a common name, while these larger groups are but subdivisions of groups still larger which have independent names.

Thus we see that there are several stages of groups and that the word "caste" is applied to groups at any stage. The words "caste" and "subcaste" are not absolute but comparative in signification. The larger group will be called a caste, while the smaller group will be called a subcaste. A group is a caste or a subcaste in comparison with smaller or larger. When we talk of Maratha Brahmin and Konkan Brahmin, the first one would be called a caste while the latter would be called a subcaste; but in a general way both of them might be called castes. Maratha Brahmins in their turn would be called a subcaste of the southern or Dravidian Brahmins.

These divisions and subdivisions are introduced on different principles. In this way two hundred million Hindus are so much divided and subdivided that there are castes who cannot marry outside fifteen families. On the other hand, there are some castes in which the process of division and subdivision has not been carried to its logical extent which can boast of five million.

These three thousand castes with their subcastes put together make Hindu society. There is no intermarriage, and very little of social intercourse in its proper