Maithil Brahmin

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Maithil Brahmins ( Brāhamaṇas is the correct Sanskrit term) form part of ancient Vedic Brahmins. Maithil Brāhamaṇas are a part of Panch-gauda Pañchgauḍa , a group of highest ranking castes among Brahmins, who still strive to follow rites and rituals according to ancient Hindu canons. Maithil Brahmin is a community of highly cohesive, and traditional Brahmins. They are reputated for orthodoxy and interest in learning. Most of them live in and around Mithila, which is a portion of North Bihar and few districts of South-east Bihar up to Godda and Deoghar in Jharkhand of India plus adjoining Terai regions of Nepal. Mithila was the name of capital of the ancient kingdom of legendary King Janak. Most of them are Śāktas (worshippers of Śakti) and love fish, Choora-dahi, Mangoes and discussions and debate. Maithili is their mother tongue, though many use Angika (a southern variant of Maithili) as their mother tongue.

They have four hierarchically ordered divisions: Śrotiya, Yogya or Joga, Panji (Pāinj in Maithili) and Jayawāra (which can be divided into Grihastha and Vamśa according to some scholars). They have no further endogamous divisions but observe a complicated rules for marriage, each of these four divisions may take a wife from the group below it.

Contents

[edit] Traditional Areas of Maithil Brāhamanas

The Mithila Khanda of Visnu purana defines the traditional boundaries of Mithila As Kosi in the East, Gandaki or Gandaka in the west, Himalaya in the North and Gangā (Ganges) in the south, measuring 24 yojanas (1 yojana measured 12.52 Kilometres in 550AD according to Panchsiddantika [1]) east-west and 16 yojanas north-south . But now many districts south of Gangā are also included in Mithila by dint of being the region of Maithili language as well as of Maithil Brāhamanas[2]. Mithila is the traditional region associated with Maithil Brāhamanas, but a large number of Maithil Brāhamanas have been living in various parts of Madhya Pradesh (esp. Māndla region) and Chhattisagarh states for millennia.

Mithila region comprises following districts in India :Darbhanga, Saharsa, Bhagalpur, Purnea, Madhubani, Samastipur, Begusarai, Supaul, Madhepura, Sitamarhi, Sheohar, Muzzafarpur, Khagaria, Katihar, Araria, Banka, Godda, Deoghar, Jamui, Munger and following districts in Nepal: Morang,Sunsari, Saptari,Siraha, Dhanusa, Dhanusa,Mahottari, Sarlahi,Rauthat,Bara, Parsa,etc.

[edit] Origin of Maithil Brāhamanas

Uttarakānda of Vālmiki Rāmāyana (Ramayana) gives a detailed story of the origin of Maithil Brāhamanas. The King Nimi started a great yajna in which he invited rishi Vasiṣṭha for performing this yajna. Vasiṣṭha accepted but was busy in another yajna for a long time and therefore could not come in time. In the meantime, King Nimi asked the rishi (sage) Gotama to perform the yajna. Mant other rishis were also invited. When Vasiṣṭha came and saw that the yajna was over, he cursed Nimi to live without body. Nimi retorted with a similar curse. By the blessings of his father Brahma, Vasiṣṭha was reborn in a kumbha (pither). Bhrigu and other sages asked the bodyless king Nimi whether he wanted to get a body, but Nimi refused and said he wanted to live in the 'pupils'(eyelids, Nimi) of people. Then Nimi's body was churned and a man was created, who came to be called Videha because he was born of a father who had no body (deha), and was also called Maithil because be was produced by churning (manthana). All the present gotras of Maithils are said to start from the sages who participated in the great yajna of Nimi. Yajnayalkya lived in Mithila (according to Brihadaranyaka Upanishada) and proponents of India's six philosophies also lived herew, including Gotama (Nyaya), Kapil(Samkhya),etc. Buddhism was widespread here. Later Udyotkata, Kumarila Bhatta, Mandana Mishra, Prabhakara, Udayanacharya, Gangesh, Pakshadhara Mishra, etc reestablished the Vedic religion by defeating Buddhists in debates. [3].

According to D.D. Kosāmbi[4], Śatpath Brāhmana tells that Māthava Videgha, led by his priest Gotama Rahugana, was the first king who originally lived in the land of Sarasvati crossed Sadānirā (supposed to be Gandaka) and founded a kingdom, where the people named videhas lived at the time of composition of Śatpath Brāhmana. Gotama Rahugana was a vedic rishi who composed many hymns of the first mandala of Rgveda. Most notable Rgvedic hymns of Gotama Rahugana are those which praise Sva-rājya, which was indisputably the State of Videgha which later became Videha due to phonetic change. Māthava Videgha, therefore, must belong to the Rgvedic period and must have preceded the period of Śatpath Brāhmana by a considerable gap. Rgveda also mentions hymns by Kāśirāja Pratardana in tenth mandala. Hence, Mithilā and Kāśhi formed part of the region in which Rgvedic peoples lived. Descendandants of Gotama Rahugana were called Gautama. One such sage lived near Ahilya-sthāna during the age of Rāmāyana.

[edit] Migration to Agra

Akbar always had a deep respect towards the talents & knowledge of Phalit Jyotish,so he had invited, in his Darbar, the most talented & well-versed Maithil pandits from Bihar.These pandits lived happily & respectfully in the regime of Akbar which continued and gradually decreased in Jahangir's and then till Shahjahan's rule.In the meantime, these pandits got cutt off from their basic origin i.e. Bihar.Then afterwards in the reign of Aurangzeb these once respectful pandits were treated unrespectfully and were tortured. They were forced to accept Islam by Aurangzeb. Among them who dared to oppose this were brutually killed while all the others had to fled away to distant villages to save their lives. Since then they are living in Agra, Aligarh, Mathura & distant villages and started calling themselves "BRAJASTHA MAITHIL BRAHMAN" as a new identity.Even after so many years the fear of Aurangzeb is still there in the un-conscious mind of them.Due to this fear some of the Maithils have even changed their surname to "SHARMA" which is a local brahmin surname.Brajastha Maithil Brahmans have little connections with their own origin Bihar's Maithil Brahmins.Even after changing their surname to "SHARMA" local brahmins too had little affinity with them. This migration information is also depicted in Akbar's autobiography "EIN-E-AKBARI".

[edit] Organisation

Vedas and Shākhās of Maithil Brāhamins :[5] ; [6].

All Maithil brahmins of Śāṇḍilya gotra belong to Sāmveda (Chāndoga), and all remaining Maithil brahmins belong to Yajurveda (Vājasaneyi, Mādhyandina Shākhā).

In the following table, among the organised mulas, best (uttama) mūlas have been indicated in regular typeface and medium (madhyama) mūlas in italics. Unorganised mūlas do not show such differentiation.

Organisation into gotras and mūlas :

All Maithil Brāhamins are divided into organised (vyavasthita) and unorganised (avyavasthita) types. There are 7 gotras among organised and 12 gotras among unorganised Maithil Brāhamanas.

Table of 7 Organised Gotras
Gotra Pravaras Mūlas (organised) Mūlas (unorganised)
Śāṇḍilya Śāṇḍilya, Asit, Deval. Sarisab, Paboli, Khandvālā, Gangoli(also called as Gangoulee),Sodarpur, Jajiwāl, Digho(also called as Dighe or Dighve). Mahuā, Jamugām, Karion, Suari, Sajhuār, Marārh, Pandaul, Dahibhāt, Tilaimāhar, Simba-lābh, Simh-āshrama, Karahiyā, Telhanpur, Parisarā, Parsandā, Biranāma, Uttamapur, Kodariā, Chhatiman, Barebā, Machhwāl,Gangor, Mataur, Budhaur,Brahmapur, Ganguāl, Ghosiām, Chhatauni, Bhiguāl, Nanauti, Tapanpur, Hoiār, Ahpur shākhā of Vatsa-gotriya Chhattis Karmahā mūla.
Kāśyapa Kāshyap, Avatsār, Naidhruva. Mānḍara, Dariharā, Khauār, Sakrārhi, Baliās, Satlakhā, Panduā, Bisaphi (often Oini too). Jagati, Pachāot, Katayi, Mālichh, Merandi, Bhaduāl, Budhwāl, Pakaliā, Pibhuā, Mauri, Janak bhuthari, Chhādan, Thariā, Dosati, Bharehā, Kusumāl, Narwāl, Lagudadah, dahulā, Surimahā.
Pārāśara Shakti, Vasiṣṭha, Pārāśara. Naruon, Surgan. Sakuri, Suari, Sambuāl, Pihwāl, Nadām, Mahesāri, Sakarhol, Sauni, Tilapi, Barewā.
Kātyāyana Kātyāyana, Viṣṇu, Āngiras. Kujauli Nanauti, Ratigām, Jallaki.
Bhārdvāja Bhārdvāja, Āngiras, Bārhspatya. Belauch, Ekharā. Deām, Kaligām, Bhuthari, Gorhār, Dam Katāir, Sauni, Dhanauli, Barebā.
Vatsa Aurva, Chyavana, Bhārgava, Jāmdagnya, Āplavana. Ghosaut, Tisaut, Karmahā, Budhwāl,Budhware bodhram, Baherārhi, Pāli, Hariamb, Alayi, Bambhaniam, Tankwal, Jallaki ujati, (often Phanandah & Shakona too). Tisuri, Rājorh, Jajuār, Pohaddi, Bhanwāl, Koiār, Karahiyā, Nanaur, Darhār, Marārh, Lāhi, Sauni, Mohari, Bandhwāl, Baruāli, Pandaul, Barewā, Bhandāirsom, Tapanpur, Bithuār, Narwāl, Chitrapal, Jarhatiyā, Ratwāl, Brahmapurā, Sarauni.
Sāvarṇa Aurva, Chyavana, Bhārgava, Jāmdagnya, Āplavana. Panichobh Sāndepur, Barebā, Nanaur, Merandi.

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Cf. G.Thibaut,p.71 in his English translation
  2. ^ A History of Brahmin Clans, page 125.
  3. ^ Cf. A History of Brahmin Clans .pages 121-123.
  4. ^ An Introduction to the Study of Indian History, page 123
  5. ^ Cf. A History of Brahmin Clans , pages 130-132. All data for the following table is based upon this publication.
  6. ^ Cf. Maithil Brāhamano ki Pañji Vyavasthā, pages 13-20. Data in the book A History of Brahmin Clans is based upon this earlier publication, now out of print.

[edit] References

  • An Introduction to the Study of Indian History, by Damodar Dharmanand Kosāmbi, Popular Prakasan,35c Tadeo Road, Popular Press Building, Bombay-400034, First Edition: 1956, Revised Second Edition: 1975.
  • A History of Brahmin Clans (Brāhmaṇa Vaṃshõ kā Itihāsa) in Hindi, by Dorilāl Śarmā,published by Rāśtriya Brāhamana Mahāsabhā, Vimal Building, Jamirābād, Mitranagar, Masūdābād,Aligarh-1, 2nd ed-1998. (This Hindi book contains the most exhaustive list of Brahmana gotras and pravaras together their real and mythological histories).
  • Vedārtha-Pārijata by Swāmi Karpātri,Published by Sri Rādhā Krishna Dhanuka Prakāshan Sansthan,Calcutta,1979;(Sañchālakas : Vedasāstra Research Centre, Kedārghat, Vārānasi)
  • G.Thibaut and Sudhakar Dwivedi."Panchasiddhantika",Chowkhambha,Varanasi, India,1888,reprint 1997
  • Maithil Brāhamano ki Pañji Vyavasthā (Hindi), by Pt Ramānāth Jhā, published by Granthālaya, Darbhangā.

[edit] See also

[edit] Surnames Of Maithil Brahmins

Jha (the most common Surname of Maithil Brahmins),

Mishra,

Thakur,

Pathak,

Choudhary,

Rai (also spelled as Roy, a small section of Maithil Brahmins originally from near Madhubani and Laheriasarai, who were small Kings or Zamindars by virtue of their unusual combination of strengths, intellect and acumen and were given Royal titles of Roy, RaiBahadur or RaiSahab by the British. Many abandoned their titles and donated their riches during the fight for India's Independence but were still referred to as Rai due to their several generations of royal lineage),

Rajhans,

Bharadwaj (mostly those who use their Gotras as their Surnames),

Shandilya (mostly those who use their Gotras as their Surnames),

Kashyap (mostly those who use their Gotras as their Surnames),

Parashar, (mostly those who use their Gotras as their Surnames),

Pratihast,

Acharya,

Katyayan

Singh (Brahmins who were also Zamindars and preferred to associate themselves more as Land Owners and Money Lenders),

Bajpayee,

Khan (a small section of Maithil Brahmins (originally from near Saharsa) who were small Kings or Zamindars by virtue of their unusual combination of strengths, intellect and acumen and were given Royal titles of Khan, KhanBahadur or KhanSahab during Akbar's reign),

Sharma (a small section of Maithil Brahmins who were originally from Mithilanchal, Bihar, were highly respected by Akbar and were requested to relocate by Akbar to his kingdom near Agra and Fatehpur Sikri, during his reign. These Brahmins later flew away during Aurangzeb's tyranny when he tried to force them to convert into Muslims and changed their surnames to Sharma),

Ojha

[edit] External links

Image:Vivah.jpg