Page 166 - Hinduism

analogues in the Avesta, and the Iranian names do not suggest the idea of colour or superiority. Co- operation of all the classes was needed for administration, and a passage in the Mahabharata indicates that the King's Council included representatives of all classes of the people.
The current rigidity of the rules relating to intermarriage as also inter-dining among the Indian castes is a comparatively recent innovation. The Puranas state that the great sage Vasishta was born of a divine courtesan, but by austerity and penance he made himself recognized as a Brahmin. The transforming process was attained by self- improvement. Also they say, Vyasa was by birth a fisherman, Parasara was born in a dog-eating tribe, and we find that many born non-dvijas have attained Brahmanhood by their merit. The Bhagavad-Gita affirms: "Castes developed according to the differentiation of Guna and Karma", i.e., disposition or temperament and inherited instincts or aptitudes.
Both among the Old Iranians and the Aryans of India the original caste system of three classes based on the practical distribution of functions was in existence. The Iranians, however, did not develop another class as the Hindus did - the Shudra. Clearly, the three Hindu caste divisions were not unalterably rigid.
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