ilement. But cloth or leather could not be purified
through being written on. Thus if the Brahman wished to read any book
before or at his meal it had to be bound with silk and not with cotton;
leather could not be used, and instead of paste of flour and water the
binder had to employ paste of pounded tamarind seed. A printed book
could not be read, because printing-ink contained impure matter. Raw
cotton did not render the Brahman impure, but if it had been twisted
into the wick of a lamp by any one not in a state of purity he became
impure. Bones defiled, but women's ivory armlets did not, except in
those parts of the country where they were not usually worn, and then
they did. The touch of a child of the same caste who had not learned
to eat grain did not defile, but if the child ate grain it did. The
touch of a donkey, a dog or a pig defiled; some said that the touch
of a cat also defiled, but others were inclined to think it did not,
because in truth it was not easy to keep the cat out. [433]

If a Brahman was defiled and rendered impure by any of the above
means he could not proceed with his meal.

Brahman, Naramdeo

_Brahman, Naramdeo._--A class of Brahmans who live in the Hoshangabad
and Nimar Districts near the banks of the Nerbudda, from which river
their name is derived. According to their own account they belong to
the Gurjara or Gujarati division, and were expelled from Gujarat by a
Raja who had cut up a golden cow and wished them to accept pieces of it
as presents. This they refused to do on account of the sin involved,
and hence were exiled and came to the Central Provinces. A local
legend about them is to the effect that they are the descendants
of a famous Rishi or saint, who dwelt beside the Nerbudda, and of
a Naoda or Dhimar woman who was one of his disciples. The Naramdeo
Brahmans have for the most part adopted secular occupations, though
they act as village priests or astrologers. They are largely employed
as village accountants (_patwaris_), clerks in Government offices, and
agents to landowners, that is, in very much the same capacity as the
Kayasths. As land-agents they show much astuteness, and are reputed
to have enriched themselves in many cases at the expense of their
masters. Hence they are unpopular with the cultivators just as the
Kayasths are, and very uncomplimentary proverbs are current about them.

Brahman, Sanadhya

_Brahman, Sanadhya, Sanaurhia._--The Sanadhyas are c