Even Hindu epics furnished evidence against Brahmin claims to pure blood

Evidence

Based on epigraphic research, Bhandarkar uses evidence from the Vedas and the epics of the Hindu tradition, such as the Rig Veda and the Mahabharata, to disprove the ‘purity of blood’ myth attributed to Brahmins. “It may be said that after all the Mahabharata … is a conglomeration of legends, which are not of much historical importance, though they cannot be objected to by an orthodox Brahmana and consequently may be adduced to silence his pretensions to purity of origin and the consequent highest place in Hindu society” (1911, 10). — Ambedkar, B R, Annihilation of Caste_ The Annotated…, 1068

Categorization

• XREF: Relevant to the reader’s history of the annihilation project: shows an anti-caste argument could be built on orthodox-friendly sources to silence Brahmin pretensions.