Page:An Essay On Hinduism.pdf/121

Even the formal exclusion of a person is rarely done or even attempted. Thus excommunication is practically not resorted to. The function of formal excommunication has given place to ostracism. The nature of this ostracism can be best illustrated by describing the present condition of some caste.

Let us take the caste of Chittapāvana^[1] (pure-hearted) or Konkanastha Brāhmaṇas to illustrate the matter. The home of this caste is Konkan, or rather the district of Ratnāgiri in Konkan. This caste is spread all over India, and holds at present leadership of the Maratha society.

Now if any member of the caste commits any infraction of the customs, say, eats meat, drinks liquor, or marries a widow, then in order to take action against him or even to exclude him from the community, it is necessary to have a council or some kind of government to pronounce a judgment. Some authority must pre-exist to take any action. At present there is none. In the days of the Peishwas the Peishwas themselves were such authority, not only for this caste but to a certain extent for all castes. Any question relating to religious observance or to social customs used to be discussed or decided in the court (durbar) of the Peishwas, or by the authorities of justice or by the college of Brāhmaṇas recognized by the Peishwas. The decision which would be given by the Peishwas' council in such matters would go undisputed from "Benares to Rameshvaram," i.e., all over India, and especially in the

1. ↑ Some persons pronounce the word as chit-pāvana, and claim that the word means "purified by the funeral pile." There is a very interesting story regarding these Brāhmaṇas, explaining their origin from the corpses of fishermen, made alive by Parashurāma.