Vol. 7 · pages 396–400

THE UNTOUCHABLES : WHEN DID BROKEN MEN... 377 The rays of her anklets, rising in flame-colour, seemed to encircle her as with the arms of Agni, as though,, by his love for her beauty, he would purify the strain of her birth, and so set the Creator at naught. Her girdle was like the stars wreathed on the brow of the elephant of Love; and her necklace was a rope of large bright pearls, like the stream of Ganga just tinged by Yamuna. Like autumn, she opened her lotus eyes; like the rainy season, she had cloudy tresses; like the circle of the Malaya Hills, she was wreathed with sandal; like the zodiac, she was decked with starry gems; like Cri, she had the fairness of a lotus in her hand; like a swoon, she entranced the heart; like a forest, she was endowed with living beauty; like the child of a goddess, she was claimed by no tribe; like sleep, she charmed the eyes; as a lotuspool in a wood is troubled by elephants, so was she dimmed by her Matanga birth; like spirit, she might not be touched; like a letter, she gladdened the eyes alone; like the blossoms of spring she lacked the jati flower; her slender waist, like the line of Love’s bow, could be spanned by the hands; with her curly hair, she was like the Lakshmi of the Yaksha king in Alaka. She had but reached the flower of her youth, and was beautiful exceedingly. And the king was amazed; and the thought arose in his mind, ‘Ill-placed was the labour of the Creator in producing this beauty! For if she has been created as though in mockery of her Candala form, such that all the world’s wealth of loveliness is laughed to scorn by her own, why was she born in a race with which none can mate? Surely by thought alone did Prajapati create her, fearing the penalties of contact with the Matanga race, else whence this unsullied radiance, a grace that belongs not to limbs sullied by touch? Moreover, though fair in form, by the basenness of her birth, whereby she, like a Lakshmi of the lower world, is a perpetual reproach to the gods, she, lovely as she is, causes fear in Brahma, the maker of so strange a union.’ While the king was thus thinking the maiden, garlanded with flowers, that fell over her ears, bowed herself before him with a confidence beyond her years. And when she had made her reverence and stepped on to the mosaic floor, her attendant, taking the parrot, which had just entered the cage, advanced a few steps, and, showing it to the King, said: ‘Sire, this parrot, by name Vaicampayana, knows the meaning of all the castras, is expert in the practice of royal policy, skilled in tales, history, and Puranas, and acquinted with songs and with musical intervals. He recites, and himself composes graceful and incomparable modern romances, love-stories, plays, and poems, and the like; he is versed in witticisms and is an unrivalled disciple of the vina, flute, and drum. He is skilled in displaying the different movements of dancing, dextrous in painting, very bold in play, ready in resources to calm a maiden angered in a lover’s quarrel, and familiar with the characteristics of elephants, horses, men, and women. He is the gem of the whole earth; and in the thought that treasures belong to thee, as pearls to the ocean, the daughter of my lord has brought him hither to thy feet, O king! Let him be accepted as thine.’ On reading this description of a Chandala girl many questions arise. Firstly, how different it is from the description given by FaHian? Secondly Bana is a Vatsyayana Brahmin. This Vatsyayana Brahmin, after giving a description of the Chandala Settlement, finds

DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES378 no compunction in using such eloquent and gorgeous language to describe the Chandala girl. Is this description compatible with the sentiments of utter scorn and contempt associated with Untouchability? If the Chandalas were Untouchables how could an Untouchable girl enter the King’s palace? How could an Untouchable be described in the superb terms used by Bana? Far from being degraded, the Chandalas of Bana’s period had Ruling Families among them. For Bana speaks of the Chandala girl as a Chandala princess 1 Bana wrote some time about 600 A.D., and by 600 A.D. the Chandalas had not come to be regarded as Untouchables. It is, therefore, quite possible that the conditions described by Fa-Hian, though bordering on Untouchability, may not be taken as amounting to Untouchability. It may only be extreme form of impurity practised by the Brahmins who are always in the habit of indulging in overdoing their part in sacerdotalism. This becomes more than plausible if we remember that when Fa-Hian came to India it was the reign of the Gupta Kings. The Gupta Kings were patrons of Brahmanism. It was a period of the triumph and revival of Brahmanism. It is quite possible that what Fa-Hian describes is not Untouchability but an extremity to which the Brahmins were prepared to carry the ceremonial impurity which had become attached to some community, particularly to the Chandalas. The next Chinese traveller who came into India was Yuan Chwang. He came to India in 629 A.D. He stayed in India for 16 years and has left most accurate records of journeys up and down the country and of the manners and customs of the people. In the course of his description of general characters of the cities and buildings of India, he says 2 :— “As to their inhabited towns and cities the quadrangular walls of the cities (or according to one text, of the various regions) are broad and high, while the thoroughfares arc narrow tortuous passages. The shops are on the highways and booths, or (inns) line the roads. Butchers, fishermen, public performers, executioners, and scavengers have their habitations marked by a distinguishing sign. They are forced to live outside the city and they sneak along on the left when going about in the hamlets.” The above passage is too short and too brief for founding a definite conclusion thereon. There is, however, one point about it which is worthy of note. Fa-Hian’s description refers to the Chandalas only while the description given by Yuan Chwang applies to communities 1. Kadambari (Ridding’s Translation) p. 204. 2. Wallers-Yuan Chwang Vol.I.p. 147.

THE UNTOUCHABLES : WHEN DID BROKEN MEN... 379 other than the Chandalas. This is a point of great importance. No such argument can be levelled against the acceptance of a description since it applies to communities other than the Chandalas. It is, therefore, just possible that when Yuan Chwang came to India, Untouchability had emerged. On the basis of what has been said above we can conclude that while Untouchability did not exist in 200 A.D., it had emerged by 600 A.D. These are the two limits, upper and lower, for determining the birth of Untouchability. Can we fix an approximate date for the birth of Untouchability? I think we can, if we take beef-eating, which is the root of Untouchability, as the point to start from. Taking the ban on beef-eating as a point to reconnoitre from, it follows that the date of the birth of Untouchability must be intimately connected with the ban on cow-killing and on eating beef. If we can answer when cowkilling became an offence and beef-eating became a sin, we can fix an approximate date for the birth of Untouchability. When did cow-killing become an offence? We know that Manu did not prohibit the eating of beef nor did he make cow-killing an offence. When did it become an offence? As has been shown by Dr. D. R. Bhandarkar, cow killing was made a capital offence by the Gupta kings some time in the 4th Century A.D. We can, therefore, say with some confidence that Untouchability was born some time about 400 A.D. It is born out of the struggle for supremacy between Buddhism and Brahmanism which has so completely moulded the history of India and the study of which is so woefully neglected by students of Indian history. zzz

THE UNTOUCHABLES : THE IMPURE.. UNTOUCHABLES 381 INDEX Abbe Dubois : 314 Aghnya, definition and meaning : 323 Annals of Rajasthan : 297 f.n. Antyaja : 278-79 –communities included in the term : 319, 361-64 Antyas : 360-61 Antyavasin : 361-63 Aparaka: 313 Ashvalayana-Orahya Sutra : 326-27 Asoka, edicts : 330-32, 341 Asuras, language of: 299 Atreya Brahmana, directions on the animal sacrifice in Yajna : 334-341 Balakrishna Nair : 297 Bahyas : 360,363 Bana: 375.377-78 Bhandarkar, D. R. : 348 Beef-eating and untouchability : 31820, 379 Brahmins and Beef-eating : 328, 349 Brahma : 299 Broken Men -problem of : 274-75 -among settled tribes : 276-78 -evolution into untouchables : 31520, 350 Brihadratha : 373-74 Buhler : 373 Caldwell : 299 Chandalas : 365-66, 372. 374-75, 376-79 Chaturvarna : 306, 363, 373-74 Cow-killing : 325-28. 347-49 Damila and Damilla : 300 Dasas : 292 Dasyus : 299 Defilement –causes of: 249, 251, 253, 254-55 Notional and physical 257-58 Dom : 301 f.n. Dravidians: 296 Egypt: 253 Fah-Hian: 374 Fuidhirs : 282-83 Ghurye : 301 Goethe on historian’s duty Pref. : 242-43 Gorky. Pref. : 244 Gotra and Kula : 303, 304 Greeks conception of causes of impurity : 253 Hebrews : 255 Hemingsway : 314 Hereditary Untouchables –schedule of: 259-65 Hinas : 363 Holiar: 314 Kadambari : 375 –description of Chandala settlement and Chandala girl: 375-77 Kane –history of Dharmasastra: 319 f.n. 324, 345 f.n. Kaopoia –purificatory ceremony of Greeks : 254 Kielhom: 298 Kirate –origin and application : 297 Lichavis : 297 Lustractio pagi : 254