1. UNOFFICIAL INDIA

They belong to the lowest stratum of Hindu society. They are untouchables. It is forbidden to touch them. It is even forbidden to let their polluting shadows fall on people. Born with everlasting insulted and polluted status, they are denied the village well water. They cannot fetch water from the village well lest it gets polluted. Utterly insignificant - traditions of two and half thousand years - small time! And pure traditions cannot be wrong! Can they be?

The grim wounds wait painfully for another harsh blow. The internal bleeding injuries wait for more internal injuries. The excruciating broken bones wait for more broken bones. Each blow is not inferior in intensity to previous one. The desperate thirst does not wait for the village well water. The insulted status does not wait for any respect. The insulted self waits only for heaps and heaps of more insults. The painful bruises wait for more and more bruising blows. The tattered clothes wait for scarce arrival of only tattered clothes. The sunken and sagging faces wait only for more despair. The still eyes expect only static and horrible life. The drooping shoulders do not wait for any upright spirit. The lowered heads do not wait for courage to raise them. The painfully lowered eyes gaze at the ground without any intent. They wait for high caste people to move so that after them, they can move. The downcast eyes remain downcast. The trembling legs do not gather any strength. The tearful eyes look carefully on the ground lest any calamity visits them. The hanged desires dare not come to life. The butchered dreams lay scattered on the ground. The throttled voice dies inside inch by inch. The death is rarely far away and dark fear is always lurking nearby. The suffocated cries expect no help. The creaking hope is ground to dust. The tears wait for more tears before rolling down, and, then they dry up altogether. The consolations received from higher castes are not worth more than the crocodile tears. The empty bellies stay ready for another night without food. The famished bodies dare face no one. The tattered dignity dares not hide its holes or raise itself from the ground. Trembling they get up when any high caste man passes them by. No aid is expected from any quarter in case of any natural calamity. The sun of hope is covered by eternal clouds, dark. No money or assets are to reach them. The food that is just enough to keep them alive is supposed to be sufficient for them so that they can serve humbly the high castes. This food is very near to starving level. The cattle deserve more - the optimum use - not amazingly – the strong cattle would not rebel. The Untouchables are the eternally insulted people of the Hindu society. A way of life!
Any humiliation is followed by another bitter humiliation, making an unbroken chain. The insulting eyes follow them everywhere. Their small thatched huts or hovels or small houses constantly lurch under the shadow of dark terror. Disrespect visits them with an unbroken stream. Scarcity of food is perpetual. The blank eyes look into dark, staring at airy nothing. Their trembling bodies hardly have any reason to stand firm. That is the lot Untouchables in the traditional Hindu society. Mind-boggling achievement! Isn't it? Not appalling at all! Is it?
Nevertheless, the Hindu society boasts of great glorious and wonderful culture, traditions and heritage. It claims a spiritual, compassionate, tolerant, harmonious and humane society going back to thousands of years; no wonder. One might as well stop counting the uncountable and glorious properties of the Hindu society and might as well bow before it. You may run out of magnificent and superlative adjectives and may never realize the stinging bottom. It is also thought to be the spiritual powerhouse of the world. Pretty evident! The things are impeccably nice! And all those who open their mouths in protest should shut them up. It is the traditional Hindu society!
  These Untouchables belong to the fifth major layer of the Hindu society. They are the people with guttered destinies. Let us now try to understand, briefly, these five layers. The Hindu System or Sanatana Dharama has Chatur-Varna system: the Brahmans are (the law makers, preservers of Dharma and priests) at the top, below them are the Kshatriyas (the rulers and upholders of Dharma), below them are the Vaisyas (the businessmen and traders) and below them are the Shudras (the servants). However, below these layers is the last layer - the layer of Untouchables. This is the stinking bottom of the heap. Or say the dustbin of the Hindu society. The lower two Varnas are completely dehumanized in Hindu scriptures. Do I see high caste people smugly smilingly somewhere in their safe caste cocoons?
Each Varna has a specific function in the traditional Hindu society or the traditional India. These functions are birth-attached and non-transferable in nature. These functions could only be inherited.
In Hindu society there is plethora of dharmic scriptures. The oldest of these are the four Vedas. The oldest is the Rig Veda then comes the Sama Veda, the Yajura Veda and the Atharva Veda. The Vedas are the most sacred of Hindu scriptures. The most ancient Rig Veda is the most sacred of Hindu scriptures. The rest of major scriptures are the Upanishidas, the Brahmanas, the Puranas, the Gita and Dharma Shastras. Then there are the epics of Mahabharata and Ramayana
How the Varnas were developed? No, no, no; how they were born? Yes, how they were born or were created, not developed? According to the Purush Sukta of the Rig Veda, the most sacred of the Hindu scriptures, in a bygone time the gods sacrificed the primal man. After the sacrifice, the Brahmans were born from his mouth, the Kshatriyas from his arms, the Vaisyas from his thighs and the Shudras from his feet. This is not a piece of fiction; it comes from the most authentic source, the Rig Veda; and stamps it with the divine authority- no mere mortal Hindu can question it. However, the important point to note is that it is the birth of the groups and not that of individuals. Now you know how the Varnas, the groups, were born! Any objections please?
Now we have a paradigm of purity in the Hindu society. According to this paradigm, some people are born good (pure), and some are born dirty (impure). Each Varna has its own degree of born purity. This born purity is the most crucial and determining factor of life in Hindu society. This purity paradigm was the creation of the Brahmans. The social position of each Varna is directly related to the purity of its place of origin in the body of the sacrificed Purusha. The mouth, arms, thighs and feet are the four places of origin here. In Hindu scriptures, the body parts above the naval are considered as pure, and those below are considered as impure. The purest part, of these four, is considered to be the mouth; so the Brahmans born from it are considered the most pure and have the highest social position. The second most pure parts are the arms; so the Kshatriyas who were born from the arms have the second highest social position. The Vaisyas were born from the thighs which are considered as impure. They were impure is also evident from their earlier manual labor occupations of cattle rearing and land tilling. However, they were partly pure and partly impure as they were entitled to the thread ceremony making them eligible for the Vedic rites. The Vedic rites include the purification rituals implying the existence of impurities. Only pure people could take part in the important functions of society. The feet are the most impure of these four, and the Shudras originating from them were considered as the most impure. They were denied the thread ceremony making them ineligible for the Vedic rites. The ineligibility of undergoing the Vedic rites is known as the state of being ritually impure, but the implications are dark, and, the implications are yet to be understood by the lower strata. It is long way out. The snail of understanding may never reach home. Over a period of time another group with impurities, more than the Shudras also emerged. This group was of the Antyajas or the Untouchables. They have the lowest and the permanently insulted status in the society.
Hindu religion is called the Sanatana Dharma or the eternal religion. This so-called righteous system is supposed to last forever - from the beginning of the Universe to the end of the Universe. That is why it is called the eternal religion. And, they have eternal untouchables, righteously.
But who is who in the eternal Hindu society? 
Who is a Brahman?
A Brahman is a person who is born in the Brahman Varna. Why was he born in the Brahman Varna? He was born in the Brahman Varna because of the virtuous accumulated Karmas of all his previous lives! The Karma Hypothesis is here to enforce the birth-attached system. The Karma Hypothesis was probably born out of necessity to attach the Varnas to birth discarding the individual merit. The concept of immortal and transmigrating soul moving through several bodies became extremely necessary to carry the accumulated karmas to the next life. The soul laden with Karmas moves from body to body, from this birth to next, in search of another body until it attains the salvation. It has played havoc with the lives of Untouchables. The concept of immortal soul has been excessively developed to justify the birth-attached Varna. In the absence of the Karma carrying soul, the Karmas become non-transferrable and the Karma Hypothesis falls apart. The Karma factor is the spiritual factor in justifying the social set up in the Hindu society. This is the spiritual link between the Varna and the birth, and between the occupation and the birth. It is the spiritual upholder of the caste system. This is the metaphysical, unquestionable and indispensable connection between the Varna Dharma and the spiritual philosophy of the Sanatana Dharma.
Anyway, we were talking about the Brahmans. The Brahmans had the exclusive birth-attached irrevocable functions of preserving the scriptures and Dharma, of making the laws and of guiding the kings. The latter aspect is rarely given the importance instead you would always hear about a poor and humble priest or a priestly class, but their underlying control over the Hindu society is grossly undermined. They had the birth-attached right to marry any girl from the lower Varnas. They had the birth-attached right to guide the Kshatriyas according to their self-created, and the divinely ordained, Dharma. They had birth-attached right to make laws for people behind the veil of God's "Word”. The veil is indeed there. Or is it not? And this gave them a pious chance to dehumanize the lower strata of the society. Did it not? This has not been made very apparent, so far; but the lives of low caste people have been devastatingly affected by the resultant dehumanization. The low caste people are still ignorant of it. Ignorance is bliss - you know. The Brahmans had the religious powers behind them because of their strong hold over the Dharma written in Sanskrit. They had the social power behind them because they enjoyed the highest social status - others followed. They had the state powers behind them because they were the guides to the kings. Thus, they had the religious, social and state powers behind them. This made them virtually unbeatable.
Then who is a Kshatriya? A Kshatriya is a person who is born in the Kshatriya Varna. Why was he born in Kashtriya Varna? Unknown Karmas man! The unknown Karmas supported by the ultra powerful spirituality! He was born in the Kashtriya Varna because of the virtuous accumulated karmas of all his previous lives but were little less virtuous than those of the Brahmans. The Kshatriyas had the exclusively birth-attached irrevocable functions of upholding Dharma, and, to rule over everybody except the Brahmans. They had birth-attached right to marry any girl from any lower Varna but not from the higher Varna. They had to protect the Dharma and not the people- note.
Who is a Vaisya? A Vaisya is a person who is born in the Vaisya Varna. Why was he born in Vaisya Varna? He was born in the Vaisya Varna because of the good accumulated karmas of all his previous lives but these Karmas were less in goodness than those of the Kshatriyas'. Vaishyas had the exclusive birth-attached irrevocable functions of doing the business and trade. They had the birth-attached right to marry any girl from the lower Varna but not from the higher Varnas.
Who is a Shudra? A Shudra is a person who is born in the Shudra Varna. Why was he born in the Shudra Varna? He was born in the Shudra Varna because of wicked accumulated Karmas of all his previous lives. The Shudras had exclusive birth-attached irrevocable function of serving higher Varnas with all the humility they could muster. They have not moved much from that position – normal traditions. The Shudras carry the birth-attached deprivation of thread ceremony. They had the birth-attached right to marry any girl only from their own Varna. The heen Jatis (the low castes people) are required to marry within their Jatis. These heen Jatis were the Shudra Jatis. Shudra was a residual Varna meant for the non-Aryan people. It is nothing very serious, just a sniff of subordination percolating down to next generations.
And who is an Untouchable? And with whom this book is largely concerned. An Untouchable is a person who is born in the Antyajs category below the Shudra Varna. Why was he born in the lowest and polluting category? He was born in the condemned lowest category because of the accumulation of the worst kind of Karmas of all his previous lives. See the spiritual link! Don't miss it otherwise how would you call India the spiritual powerhouse of the world! It should not be missed at any cost. The Antyajas or the Untouchables had the birth-attached irrevocable function of doing dirty jobs and keeping away from the society - this separation kept the society pure and clean. They could marry among their own people. They are ignominious people with birth-attached condemnation and deprivations. They are deprived of any good thing and to compound their good fortunes they were awarded the penury. The grandiose Dharmic crippling deprivations govern their lives that keep them in their place. The lawmakers led to their degradation; some people call them the vested interests. They happily maintained that the immutable law of Karma could explain the unavoidable miserable lives of the Untouchables. Surely, the people who devised this system must be simpletons. Nothing of this should assault your senses because it assaults nobody's senses. The gross expletives hurled at the lower strata refuse to assault their good senses. Why bother the senses in a stale but vicious system? Everything that is thrown at lower most stratum is received graciously. The serenity prevails.
  How does this eternally vicious system work? The functioning of eternal Chatur-Varna system of eternal Sanatana Dharma depends on the abilities and privileges granted to the exclusive people, along with, the duties and crippling disabilities imposed on the excluded people. The privileges and crippling disabilities depend on the Varna of parents of the person in question. The duties, disabilities, rights and privileges are combined into one word - function. This hides the duties and rights making them appear to be as one. There are implicit duties and implicit rights behind the thick veil of the functions assigned to each Varna.
The Chatur-Varna provides for a power structure in which the purity has the power to easily grate the impurity and remains unaffected. In this righteous game, as we will see, the impure or lower strata are the game and the pure are the hunters. The good people hunt the dirty people. The hunter and the hunted - the game is still on, unofficially and silently.
In understanding the Varnas and caste, it does not pay much to study the Vedas because any crystallization of Varna not given there. However, the study of the Dharma shastras gives one a real understanding when compared with the broad realities in the Hindu society. The broad dos and don'ts, as given in the Dharma Shashtras, provide the broad framework of Hindu society. Referring only to the Vedas at the cost of the dharma shastras would be akin to misguiding the people and there are persons with proven expertise in this area. These persons take a student to the Vedas and then to the Upanishads and the Gita and end it there. At the most, they would go to epics, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. This hides the true functioning of the Hindu society; it gives only superficial knowledge of the Hindu system. Any international discussion or discourse on Hindu Dharma does not contain any serious inclusion of caste and Untouchables. The Varnas do not mean anything in themselves until they are studied in conjunction with Dharma Shastras. The Vedas provide only the fictitious origin of Varnas. They do not provide their function or definition or their respective codes of conduct. The functioning of the Hindu society is traceable to the Dharma Shastras and not to the Vedas, though the beginning was made by the Purusha Sukta of the Rig Veda. All the functions (a disguise for rights and duties) of Varnas and their definitions are given in the Dharma Shastras which are the real commandments of Hindu religion. Repeat - Dharma Shashtras are the real commandments of the Hindu society. There are different commandments for different birth-based groups; one single set of commandments applicable to all the people. All the groups are not the objects of a single set of commandments; they are subject to different unequal commandments. These commandments can still be seen, broadly working, in the Hindu society whereas even the traces of Rig Vedic elements are missing. It may be mentioned here that the Purush Sukta is a later addition to the Rig Veda. The codes of conduct for the different Varnas (Varna Dharma) are given only in the Dharma Shastras. There are multiple Dharma Shashtras; eighteen of them are important. These are the numerous commandments for Hindus. Others have only Ten Commandments or so (poor fellows!). Hindus have full sets of books devoted to this aspect with uncountable commandments. It shall not drive you crazy. The Lawmakers, who were in control, were a trifle more serious regarding social behavior of people and controlling on them through Dharma. Dharma, incidentally, is a divinely ordained order of all the things in the world; the cosmic order, it is. The scripture composers had a devastating effect on lower strata. They worked out more details than others did. They were more systematic. They made cruelties systemic. Not at all horrible! Is it? They defined the separate codes of conduct in detail for the five groups. The rules/commandments of the Sanatana Dharma certainly outnumber the commandments given anywhere else in the world. It is hardly surprising when you have generations and generations of the pious lawmakers who are hell bent on making the life of lower strata more and more hellish to improve their own welfare. Logically, the comforts and purity of minority required more and more demilitarized, servile, deprived, socially disabled, and more and more impure servants. Deprivation makes one a better servant.
These commandments were composed in such a way that the mean and vicious thoughts of choice, equality and liberty were not allowed to breed. Do you mind it? It is a sacred eternal society.
  Which Dharma Shastra shall we chose to tally the social situation with the scriptures? Our choice is the Manu smriti. The Manu Smriti is widely acknowledged as the most important and the most authentic source of depicting the broad functioning of the Hindu society. It is awesome that a scripture two thousand five hundred years old describes the current structure of Hindu society, with minor changes, so accurately that nothing seems to have changed. The main thought behind it still works - to each according to his birth-attached Varna. Everything is to be assigned on the caste/varna or birth basis. It is truly timeless. Its timelessness is legendry unlike that of the Vedas. It beats the Vedas hollow in broadly describing the Hindu society. The Manu Smriti contains about two thousands six hundred shlokas written over a long period of time but formally compiled, probably, around 200 BC. It does not mention the temples so it relates to the situation prior to the entry of temples in Sanatana society. It largely mirrors the Hindu society with minor changes here and there. To emphasize again, it is the most authoritative text on the rules and regulations of the traditional Hindu society. The underlying thoughts of Manusmriti stand established in Hindu society. The foreign influence is taken as polluting. It contains an elaborate set of dos and don'ts for people belonging to the different Varnas and the Untouchables. The Varna Dharma, or for our purpose Dharma, regulates the lives of millions of Hindus. It also, supposedly, holds the world together like the Rta of Rig Veda, a kind of cosmic or divine order. Holding the world together! Awesome man, awesome! Now you know how small can you feel!
  The Manu Smriti has five codes of conducts (or ways of life), one each for each Varna and one for the Untouchables. The Varnas are different categories of humans who are assigned different codes of conduct. There is no underlying single human basis of deciding the code of conduct; instead, it depends on the purity of origin of a Varna. The single underlying need in the Manu Smiriti is the unusual craving for power by the highest and the purest stratum. The power of each group matches with the defined level of inherent purity/impurity for it and its relative birth-attached occupation. In the purity paradigm, the inherent purity is theoretical basis of power of each Varna. It is also a standard of measurement of social status of each Varna. The superior most purity of the Brahmans allows them to bring down the divine retribution on the people antagonistic to them or Dharma. They are the paranormal supermen. Even the kings had to make concession for their divine retribution bringing power. These paranormal supermen were not under the kings though they were bound to the Dharma created by them.
  Functions of each Varna were connected to its inherent purity. The most pure Varna reserved, for itself, the function of preserving the sacred and pure Vedas and other scriptures. They also made the laws on perpetual basis. There are multiple scriptures in which the laws are given, each stricter than the previous. They also guided the state – now you know they were unbeatable. They guided the kings in upholding the Dharma which essential meant the maintaining of Varna Dharma. This also amounted to preserving the Dharma. The second most pure Varna of Kshatriyas was given the second most sacred functions of upholding the Dharma; note it is not protecting the people. People were not to be protected but Dharma. The Brahmans were to decide the sacred Dharma; the Kshatriyas were to uphold this sacred Dharma through their force; the rest of the people were to do the mundane jobs. The partly pure and partly impure Vaisyas were given the job of trading and impure job of cattle rearing and land tilling. In a due course of time the cattle rearing and agriculture, were reduced to the Shudra level (the mundane level) and the Vaisyas' activities became limited only to the trading and business. The cattle rearing went down from being the glorious occupation in the Rig Vedic times, to the Vaisya level and then to the Shudra level. What an awful disgrace! The agriculture, the activity of the then natives of India, went straight to the Vaisya level and from there to the Shudra level. The Shudras, being most inherently impure, were given the menial job of serving other Varnas without a right to accumulate any wealth; it was a sign of their subordination. The Untouchables being polluting in nature were assigned the unclean or polluting jobs and were asked to not to touch anybody from any of the four Varnas. Their mere presence near others made the environment polluted. There were many means designed to keep them away to maintain the cleanliness of the main society.
  Most probably, the pure and impure grading or scaling of occupations started with the introduction of agriculture in the post Rig Vedic society. Agriculture was assigned a degraded status because it belonged to inferior people – the defeated natives of India. Thus, agriculture (land tilling) was decorated with a degraded and degrading status. This occupation was forced by the emerging Brahman and the Kshatriya groups on common people (Vaisya - the one belonging to Vis - the tribe - or common to a tribe) who were given the bottom place by default at that time. Later on, a Shudra (servant) Varna emerged replacing the Vaisyas at the bottom. This bottom place later came to belong to the Untouchables without any efforts. It all depended on the wise and pious law makers – the humble simpletons. These humble men of wisdom could not harm anybody. Or could they?
  The degradation of jobs had been taking place in Hindu society - a rather dynamic society. The jobs of butchering and skinning were carried down from the Rig Vedic times. At some point of time the jobs of butchering, skinning and scavenging were downgraded to the fifth level - this was the indication of rising relative purity of other jobs. This was purity paradigm in action. This most probably happened after the Vedic period when the Varna system was being crystallized. Slowly, slowly the people attached to these jobs became downgraded. In Hindu society man and his job are the same. If the job is degrading the man is also degraded. Slowly, slowly the Hindu society got purer and purer by throwing out the impurities.
  The fifth stratum of Untouchables is represented by the Chandals and the Outcastes in the Manu Smriti for whom a code of conduct is also given. This is the code of exclusion and utter poverty. The glorious way of life! Drive on, drive on! Drive on these beasts into a code of utter subjugation. The pious and pure people could not treat these people more than the animals; it hurt their compassionate nature. After all, purity and control has to be maintained eternally. And, it can be done only be keeping the impure away and depriving them of everything.
  Manu Smriti also provides civil and criminal laws, punishments and atonements. The main aim of codification of Hindu laws in various Smritis was to ensure the security and welfare of the different Varnas in the descending order. This descending order is Brahmans, Kshatriyas, Vaisyas, Shudras and Antyajas. The welfare of Brahmans takes precedence over the welfare of Kshatriyas. The welfare of Kshatriyas takes precedence over the welfare of Vaisyas. The welfare of Vaisyas takes precedence over the welfare of Shudras. The welfare of Shudras and Antyajas is simply missing. The welfare of impure people is absconding due to the fear of purity of people at the top. The impurity is afraid of purity. 
  The four Varnas contain many scaled occupational groups that are endogamous. These groups are called castes and these are further grouped in sub-castes. This division takes place until an endogamous group is reached which is not further divisible. This last endogamous group is composed of many exogamous gotras. The gotras are paternal lineages. All the Jatis are finely divided along the bloodlines. There are thousands of Jatis (castes) in India. Each Jati is supposed to follow a particular heredity occupation (its stamp for life) which is passed down from father to son (it cuts across generations). So everybody is stamped in the Hindu society; some are stamped as pure and some are stamped as impure. Each sub-sub-Jati is supposed to follow the occupation of its main Jati. A temporary change in occupation in emergency, generally, has no effect on the caste of any individual because his blood links are within his caste only; these links hold him back. The Shudras being the largest group have the largest number of Jatis. Further, these sub-Jatis are limited to a given region, and, people generally do not marry outside their geographical area. Any two endogamous groups following the same occupation are regarded as two sub- Jatis of the main Jati or the sub-castes of the main caste.
  In downward subordination in Varna system the different endogamous Jatis or castes are graded on vertical scales of hierarchy depending on their control over society and people and thus on its resources. This control is maintained through the caste effect. It is a system of exclusion in which the lowest two strata (the Shudras and the Untouchables) are excluded from enjoying the resources of society, eternally, to teach them a lesson for being born.
  Any given main Jati or caste may or may not be prevalent all over India. All the Varnas also may or may not be prevalent all over India. The Shudras have largest number of Jatis so it is difficult to give the names of their Jatis but some of them are the carpenter, barber, potter, gardener, vegetable seller, milkman, oil presser, ironsmith, goldsmith, weaver, basket maker etc. These various endogamous groups cannot be identified on the basis of Varna only. The professions within the Shudra Varna vary to a great extent. The Jati indicates an endogamous group within a Varna, which has its specific heredity occupation. These Jatis are identifiable only on the basis of their heredity occupations.
  The Antyajas or Untouchables, the condemned people, are also divided further into different Jatis which are further arranged on a hierarchical scale. These Jatis are further subdivided mainly on the basis of region or other factors. Each sub-caste or sub- Jati has the social status of the main caste or Jati only. The Jati is placed on a social scale on the basis of its relative purity and the relative purity also defines its particular power in society. It also defines the occupation and thus the economic condition of any given Jati. The people, belonging to a higher level of heredity functions, have higher social status, higher level occupations and a relatively higher level of earnings. The people are caged into different categories on the basis of birth. The disabilities increase progressively down the social scale and cruelly engulf the Untouchables totally; they are the bottom - the stinking bottom.
Varna is decided according to heredity function in Hindu society, and, caste is decided according to heredity occupations within the Varna functions. Each level of functions may contain many occupations and no occupation cuts across Varnas. Caste can actually be defined as sub-varna but people hesitate in doing so - the scriptures forbid; they do not talk of any sub-varna. Caste is usually subordinated to Varna until something terribly goes wrong like natural calamities wiping off the entire caste in the region causing somebody else to take up that function and occupation. Other factors which interfered were the Muslim invasions, the British colonization and the modern education.
    Anyway, the Varna/caste system assigns various things on the basis of caste - for example
    1. Law making - available only to Brahmans and some to kings.
2. Land - to each according to his caste.
    3. Capital - to each according to his caste.
    4. Religious privileges - to each according to his caste.
    5. Social privileges - to each according to his caste.   
    6. State powers - to each according to his caste.
    7. Social Status - to each according to his caste.
    8. Money - to each according to his caste.
    9. Justice - to each according to his caste.
    10. Labor extraction - from each according to his caste.
    11. Water - to each according to his caste.
    12. Respect - to each according to his caste.
    13. Insults - to each according to his caste!!!
    14. Karmas of past lives - to each according to his caste. 
(Wonder of Wonders - they assign something which is not identifiable. Past lives' Karmas??? Do you know that in the traditional Hindu society all litmus papers are soiled!)
Dharma Shashtras impose the disabilities on the lower strata and provide the privileges for the upper strata. However, the disabilities imposed on the Shudras were less than the crippling disabilities imposed on the Antyajas. For this, the Shudras and their present, past and future generations, should be utmost grateful to the pious Brahmans.
As far as welfare is concerned, the Manu Smriti completely destroys the welfare of Shudras and Antyajas. Their welfare is burned down and reduced to ashes in the fires of social status and birth-attached impurities. The welfare of Shudras is completely destroyed, and, the life of Antyajas' is made hellish courtesy the rules created by the pious, pure and unimpeachable lawmakers, the Brahmans. It assigns to them, the utter poverty. It enforces the penury on the Untouchables. Compassion of these sacred lawmakers is spread all over the Shastras and especially reserved for the last two strata, and it is conspicuous by its absence.
Enough of condemnation! It is not proper to condemn the traditions and the scriptures without looking at the good points in them. It imbibes the Untouchables with an insulted status at the time of birth. It fulfills their insatiable desire for the status. The elusive status is given to them without putting any efforts. How altruistic! Giving status without efforts! Without any work! It satisfies the insatiable demand for status at birth itself and forever. Who can do it? Only a very altruistic society can do so. It is a very altruistic society. Expunge all the remarks against the absence of altruism in Hinduism. However, after that you will not see any sensitivity. It dissolves itself with the spirituality in Sanatana Dharma and becomes totally invisible - the ghost, it is.
The bottom graded Untouchables are born insulted. Their status talks about it. Hatred they face in society also speaks volumes about their dignity in society. Not disgusting at all! Is it?