Tyagi
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Tyagi (Devanāgarī: त्यागी) is a common Hindu subcaste and surname, derived from the Sanskrit 'tyag', meaning "to sacrifice" or, "one who has renounced". [1]
Within Tyagi, a number of gotras co-exist, including Vatsa, Bharadwaj, Vashisth, Gautam, Atreya, Kaushik, Vatsyayana, Kashyap, Shandilya, Dixit and Parashar. [2]
Mudgal gotra
Contents |
[edit] Historical Origins
The surname Tyagi indicates membership in the Brahmin varna of the traditional Vedic four-tier system.
Bhat records hold that the origins of the surname were found in a split between the Tyagis and the Brahmin subcaste Bhumihar Brahmin. Bhumihar are said to be direct descendants of Parashurama, the sixth avatar of Vishnu. Parashuram requested that the Bhumihar renounce all future bhiksha, and instead impart their knowledge and administration for religious functions without donation, in turn dedicating themselves to the development of agriculture in northern India. Those that obeyed Parashuram were given the surname 'Tyagi' to commemorate their sacrifice. [3]
This assertion is not without debate, however. Other sources maintain that the origins of the surname hold a connection with Janmejay, the first Hindu king during the age of kalyug, approximately 3000 BCE. Janmejay was the great-grandson of Arjuna, the protagonist of the Bhagavad Gita. [4] According to alternate bhat records, Janmejay organized a Nag Yagna, for a bloody war waged against the Nagas. Yagnas were generally performed as a ritual of purification for sins and bloodshed committed during war. At this ceremony, the most learned and renowned of Brahmins versed in performing the art of sacrifice were invited from across the northern subcontinent to administer the ceremony. According to Vedic literature, the Yajinika of such an elaborate ceremony was required to be a master scholar in scripture, mathematics, and astronomy. At the end of the Yagna, a bhiksha was offered to the Brahmins in exchange for their services. Janmejay, per tradition, offered the visiting priests wealth in the form of gold, livestock (particularly cows), houses, horse driven chariots, and clothes, among other things, in gratitude for their services.
Beyond this, however, Janmejay wished that the scholars and priests remained near his capital regions of Indraprashtha, or modern-day Delhi, as well as in Hastinapura, the older capital of the Kuru dynasty. Per records, Janmejay offered the visiting Brahmins a total of 2444 villages in exchange for retaining them near his capital cities.
While Brahmins did not traditionally cultivate land, by tradition the Brahmin priests could not refuse the bhiksha offered at the end of a ceremony. They agreed to cultivate the land, but countered that in devoting themselves to agriculture, they would have to renounce their Purohit Karma duties to give Karmkand, or religious rites. Their progeny, in turn, would never accept charity for their livelihood or act as religious functionaries. Hence, they have the same gotras as all Brahmans and still wear the yagnopaveeta (janeu or); they are eligible to perform sandhya-vandana and learn their saka, even though they may not be vaidiki Braahmans as far as occupation is concerned.These Bhumihaars were then given the surname 'Tyagi' to acknowledge their renunciation.
[edit] District Gazetteer
One of the few historical documents to record the evolution of the surname outside of Bhat records is the District Gazetteer, a comprehensive catalogue of Indian subcontinent geography and culture created by the British Viceroy during England's imperialist ventures in the early 20th century. While some academicians maintain that the accuracy of District Gazetteers is suspect, most consider them a valuable record of Indian history outside of parochial tradition.
According to the Gazetteer, the surname 'Tyagi' is equivalent to an earlier form of the word, 'Taga'. If these records are accurate, the Tagas held about five percent of the land in the state at the time--ostensibly inherited from the bhiksha of Janmejay thousands of years prior to this. The majority of this land has been historically maintained in coparcenary tenure. [5]
The records indicate that Tagas also played a considerable part in the resistance to the Islamic Crusades, most notably those of the sanguine Muslim general Timur the Lame. According to Gazetteer records, Umra Taga served as Deputy General of the Sarv Khap coalition army and Rampyari Taga served as a delegate and deputy on its counsel. The major goal of the resistance was to defend the holy city of Haridwar from desecration by Timur, as he massacred, pillaged, and raped the indigenous Hindu populace during his army's trek. Timur's ultimate goal, incidentally, was to ultimately invade the city of Delhi during the city's internal battle for ascension.[5]
Sadly, four-hundred years later, Tagas in Uttar Pradesh clashed again with Islamic imperialists, and many were forcibly converted to Islam by Aurangzeb, a descendant of Timur and sixth ruler of the Mughal dynasty.[5]
Perhaps most interesting, however, is that the Tagas of the early 20th century Gazetteer records maintained that they had originally arrived in the district from the region now known as East and West Bengal. It is of note that the British authors who compiled the Gazetteer were uncertain as to the veracity of this claim.[5]
[edit] Migration of Tyagis
Over time, the Tyagi surname changed according to geographic location, although the majority of Tyagis still reside in western Uttar Pradesh. Other surnames used by Tyagi Brahmins include Rai, Sharma, Kapil, and Sinha. At the same time, not all people of Indian descent with these last names were originally Tyagis--the distinctions have become blurred with time.
[edit] Tyagis in Recent Times
Many Tyagis held high positions during the British Raj as they were considered a martial race by the British Viceroys, and many were active during the ensuing Indian Independence Movement as well. Influential Tyagis in recent history have included Indian Members of Parliament Prakash Vir Shastri and Mahavir Tyagi, as well as Air Chief Marshal Shashindra Pal Tyagi of the Indian Air Force.
In Uttar Pradesh, many Tyagis now live in the upper Doab region between the Ganges and Yamuna rivers--one of the most fertile deltas in the world. Others have also since migrated to the states of Haryana, New Delhi and Rajasthan. In parochial regions, their major occupation continues to be farming.
Similar castes are found across India, including Bhumihar Brahmins in Bihar, Chitpawan Brahmins in Maharashtra, Namboothiri Brahmins in Kerala, Mohyal Brahmins in Punjab and Anavil Brahmins in Gujarat.
[edit] Tyagis and Kalki
According the Kalki Purana, Kalki--the tenth avatar of Vishnu--will return to earth riding a winged-white horse and brandishing a sword in his left hand to bring about an end to kalyug. Vedic text goes on to say that Kalki will be mentored early in his training by a descendant of Parashurama, who will teach Kalki to perform penance to Shivaji in exchange for the ability to wield celestial weaponry.
