Page:History of India Vol 9.djvu/287

THE BRAHMAN CASTE 239 first place among the people; and all others, of how- ever reverend race they be, gladly acknowledge that the caste of Bramines doth surpass them in excellence. The Vedam, or the law-book of these heathen, hath brought much honour to this caste, in that it, as through divine ordinance, hath commanded that no Bramin may be put to death for any fault, however evil or shameful it may be; but whensoever a Bramin so goeth astray as to be worthy of death, his eyes are blinded instead thereof. For, as they say, to slay a Bramin is one of the five great sins that may not easily be forgiven; so that the Vedam, or heathen's law-book, hath ordained that he who slayeth a Braynin must go on a pilgrimage for twelve years, and that he must beg for alms with the skull of the slain Bramin in his hand, and that he must eat and drink of what he hath begged, and that, after the lapse of the time aforesaid, he must give many alms and build a temple in honour of Eswara (Isvara, or Vishnu). Nevertheless, if a Bramin goeth to war to kill others, then is it not so great a sin to slay a Bramin; and in that case the slayer is not bound to perform all the aforesaid in atonement, but he can here make recompense (if so be that he have the means) by building a temple in honour of Eswara. The second caste in order is the caste of the Settreas, which also is a fact beyond dispute and recognized as true by all the other lesser castes. These are the nobles of the land, and there are called Rajes, whose head is the king, wherefore he writeth at the beginning of his letters: " The Raja of Rajes, the god of Rajes." In