India, July 2 -- By Dr. Devdutt Pattanaik - Author, Speaker, Illustrator, Mythologist

In the Upanishads, the word brahmin is about inner realisation. In Dharma-shastra, the word brahmin is about birth status and purity. The early Upanishads were composed between 600 BC and 200 BC, while the early Dharma-shastra were composed between 200 BC and 500 AD. The former is more spiritual. The latter is more legal.

Strict rules of marriage based on caste are promoted by Dharma-shastra. This idea is not present in Upanishads. In fact, as per genetic studies, endogamy in India began only 1900 years ago (70 generations ago), which scientifically proves this dramatic social shift which changed Hinduism forever. It is this new form of Hinduism that B...