Introductory - Global Sikh Studies

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exceptional favours; but the one of rise to a higher caste, which the
penitent solicited, was impossible. ‘Thousands and millions of
successive births are necessary to obtain the ascent from a lower to a
higher caste’, replies Indra. 55 It was, thus, the notion of inherent
pollution or impurity which was mainly responsible for stiffening and
making permanent the social exclusiveness against the Sudras.
The concept of pollution did not remain confined to the Sudras.
As it originated in the fancy of Brahmins and was not subject to any
principle, it was diversified and extended in many ways and directions.
Human beings, animals, vegetables, article ways of food and of daily
use, occupations etc., were graded in an arbitrarily fixed scale of
comparative purity and impurity. What is still worse, this gradation
was made an instrument for fixing the social position of individuals
and groups in the caste society. The idea of pollution associated with
the after-effects of child-birth and the flow of blood at the time of
the monthly period of women had much to do with the undermining
of their social status. The peasants, who comprised the majority among
the Vaisyas, were downgraded simply because ploughing involved the
killing of worms. In the classical literature ‘the Vaisya is, first a
peasant’. 56 Arian describes the husbands man as respected and as having
his rights preserved even during a war. 57 But, in post-classical times
and at present the conception of the Vaisya as a “peasant” has
completely vanished’. 58 He has been, with a few exceptions, pushed to
the borderline of the Sudras. ‘For a man to lay his hand to the plough
or to cultivate vegetables is, … throughout the high castes, considered
to entail derogation.” 59 Similarly, honoured Vedic professions, such
as those of the tanner, weaver, smith and chariot-maker came to
be confined in later days to the Sudars. 60 Castes came to be
downgraded because they took to vocations which involved
processes or handling of articles considered to be religiously impure.
‘The lowest caste strata was considered to be absolutely defiling
and contaminating. First, this stratum comprised a number of trades,
which are almost always despised because they involve physically
dirty work: street cleaning and others. Furthermore, this stratum
comprised services which Hinduism had to consider ritually impure:
tanning, leather work. ’61 Then there were other castes