Page:An Essay On Hinduism.pdf/137

The cases in which a number of castes or men belonging to different castes join together to excommunicate a man and to make his condition wretched necessarily occur within a very small area, i.e. in a village. When a whole village excommunicates an individual, the people in the village would refuse him any kind of mutual help, and would refuse him service as well as patronage. In former times one of the principal things which were denied to such a person was fire, but nowadays with the introduction of lucifer matches the force of this measure is not available. These excommunicated persons may not get the Brāhmaṇas in the village to perform sacerdotal functions in their homes. They may not get even barbers to shave them, or washermen to wash their clothes, or even a cobbler to mend their shoes. Sometimes even the village shopkeeper is warned to refuse to sell them anything.

This social or complete excommunication is possible only in small places. In cities it is not possible to enforce any such excommunication, as people do not gather together easily to pronounce any judgment. On this account, and for many other reasons, manners in the cities are more lax.

This system of village excommunication takes notice not only of "religious" offences, but also of some other misdeeds, entirely unconnected with worship, ritual or ceremonial and social observances. I have known cases wherein some families were excommunicated by the villagers simply because those families did not pay their debts to another person in the village. Again, this system of excommunication is directed to control not only the so-