Among the Hindus it is considered derogatory to accept a gift from another person, the recipient being thereby placed in a position of inferiority to the donor.

Some exception to this rule is made in the case of Brahmans, though even with them it partly applies.

Generally the acceptance of a gift of any value among Hindus is looked upon in the same manner as the taking of money in England, being held to indicate that the recipient is in an inferior social position to the giver.

And the existence of this feeling seems to afford strong support to the reason suggested here for the relative status of the cultivating and village menial castes.
The group of village menial and artisan castes comes between the good cultivating castes who hold the status of the Vaishyas or body of the Aryans, and the impure castes, the subjected aborigines.

The most reasonable theory of their status seems to be that it originated in mixed descent.