As has already been seen, it was the common practice of members of the higher classes to take lower-caste women either as wives or concubines, and a large mixed class would naturally result.

Such children, born and brought up in the households of their fathers, would not be full members of the family, but would not be regarded as impure.

They would naturally be put to the performance of the menial household duties, for which the servile castes were rendered unsuitable through their impure status.

This would correspond with the tradition of the large number of castes originating in mixed descent, which is given in the Hindu sacred books.

It has been seen that where menial castes are employed in the household, classes of mixed descent do as a matter of fact arise.