Indians believed that caste was inherited, what did that mean?

This actually determined the fate of a person in India. If a child was born to parents belonging to a particular caste, then, having matured, he could not transfer to another caste. If the parents are fishermen, then the grown-up son will also be a fisherman. And if the father is a raja, then the son will also be the ruler of the country – a raja. So, by birth, the future fate of a person was redefined. The servant’s child became a servant. The child of the brahmins (priests) became priests.