Page:An Essay On Hinduism.pdf/23

ruling family disappeared Kshatriyas also disappeared. Brahmana varṇa was composed of those who were de- scended from the same stock. They migrated and thus became different castes. This varna did not contain many intruders, and so their body was definite and had a communal consciousness. But this was not the case with the Kshatriyas. The Kshatriyas were tribes and families of heterogeneous origin of various races entirely unknown to each other. Those families or tribes whom the Brahmaņas made into Kshatriyas knew that they were Kshatriyas but did not know who else did.

The Kshatriya consciousness never developed a communal feeling because the class of Kshatriyas in each locality did not know the Kshatriyas in other localities. A family, for example, in a certain caste (jāti) would be regarded as a Kshatriya while the rest of the people would be considered as Shudras. The constitution of Kshatriya varna differed from that of the Brāhmaṇa varna in two respects, Kshatriyas were not a federation of castes. They were not again of the same origin. They did not have even a tradition of the same origin, excepting the allegorical and mystic verse from Purushsukta.

When the Brahmaņas migrated in different parts of India and abroad, they helped to create a unity of civilization. The process by which this unity of civilization was created is described in the further pages.

Caste System and Hindu Theology and Social Philosophy.—To the question as to what relation the caste system bears to Hindu religion a reply may be given as follows:

There is no "Hindu religion." "Hinduism," which means the Hindu society and its tradition, is not a religion, but is akin to tribal or national culture. Hindu society