Brahmin

This article is about the social caste. For other uses, see Brahmin (disambiguation).
Group of Brahmsnas, 1913

Brahman (also called Brahmana) is a varna in Vedic Hinduism and also a caste of people who are members of it. Members are subdivided into numerous communities known as gotras.

Brahman priests and teachers (acharya) were engaged in attaining the highest spiritual knowledge (brahmavidya) of Brahman and adhered to different branches (shakhas) of the Vedas. The Brahman priest is responsible for religious rituals in temples and homes of Hindus and is a person authorized after rigorous training in vedas and sacred]] rituals, and as a liaison between humans and the God. In general, as family vocations and businesses are inherited, priesthood used to be inherited among Brahmin priestly families, as it requires years of practice of vedas from childhood after proper introduction to student life through a religious initiation called upanayana at the age of about five.

Some Brahmans were also warriors. Krishna Dwaipayana Vyasa, son of a Brahmin sage Parashara and a fisher woman Satyavathi, in his Mahabharata, describes several warriors belonging to Brahmin castes/tribes, such as Dronacharya, Ashwatthama, Kripacharya, Parashurama etc., who were professors in the schools of martial arts and the art of war .

Myth of origin

Main article: History of Hinduism

According to the myth of Purusha Sukta, a Rigveda hymn, Brahmins were born from the mouth of Purusha, being the part of the body from which words emerge.[1][2]

Clerical positions

  1. Swami (Priest) - Purohita (performer for domestic ceremonies) and Rtvij (performer of seasonal ceremonies)
  2. Acharya or Upadhyaya (Spiritual teacher)
  3. Yogin
  4. Tapasvin - Mendicant

Requirements for being Brahmin

According to a Buddhist scripture, at the time of the Buddha in eastern India there were five requirements for being Brahmin:[3]

  1. Varna or Brahmin status on both sides of the family
  2. Jati
  3. Mantra
  4. Sila or virtue
  5. Panditya or learned

Communities

The Brahmin castes may be broadly divided into two regional groups: Pancha-Gauda Brahmins from the Northern part of India (considered to be the region north of the Vindhya mountains) and Pancha-Dravida Brahmins from the region south of the Vindhya mountains as per the shloka of Kalhana.

Pancha-Gauda

Statue of Raja Ram Mohan Roy, a Kulin Brahmins
Adi Guru Shri Gauḍapādāchārya, the grand guru of Shri Adi Shankaracharya and the first historical proponent of Advaita Vedanta, also believed to be the founder of Shri Gaudapadacharya Math.
Main article: Pancha-Gauda

The Brahmins from Sārasvata, Kanyakubja, Gauda, Mithila and Utkala, who with passage of time spread to North East, East and West, were called Pancha Gauda. This group is originally from Uttarapatha (Āryāvarta).

Pancha Gauda Brahmins are divided into five main categories:

Mithila Brahmins

The Mithila Brahmiṇs are a group of Brahmins typically originating from and living in and around the area that was at one time the Videha kingdom of Mithila covering part of Nepal and the Northern Indian state of Bihar. They are a community of highly cohesive, traditional Brahmins who strive to follow rites and rituals according to ancient Hindu canons. They have a reputation for orthodoxy and interest in learning. A large number of Maithil Brahmins migrated a few centuries ago to adjoining areas of South-east Bihar and Jharkhand, as well as to adjoining Terai regions of Nepal. Most of the Maithil Brahmins are Sāktas (worshippers of Sakti) . However, it is also not uncommon to find Vaishnavites among the Maithil Brahmins. Maithili is their mother tongue, though many use Angika (a south-eastern dialect of Maithili) as their mother tongue.

Saraswat Brahmins

Kanyakubja Brahmins

Gauda Brahmins

The Brahmins from historical region of Gauḍa are known as Gauda Brahmins.

Utkala Brahmins

The Sanskrit text Brāhmaṇotpatti-Mārtaṇḍa by Pt. Harikrishna Sāstri mentions that a king named Utkala invited Brahmins from the Gangetic Valley to perform a yajna in Jagannath-Puri in Odisha. When the yajna ended, these Brahmins laid the foundation of Lord Jagannath there and settled around Odisha, Jharkhand and Medinipur. The Utkala Brahmins are of three classes 1) Shrautiya (vaidika), 2) Sevayata and 3) Halua Brahmins.

Pancha-Dravida

Pancha-Dravida Brahmins comprise five categories:

Telugu Brahmins

The Telugu Brahmins of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana are broadly classified into four groups: Vaidiki Brahmins, Niyogi, Dravida Brahmins, and Vaikhānasa.

Niyogis are further divided into the following subcategories: Nandavarika Niyogi, Prathama Shakha Niyogi, Aaru Vela Niyogulu, Karanaalu, Sistukaranalu, Karana kamma vyaparlu, Karanakammulu.

Maharashtra

See also: Chitpavan Konkanastha Brahmin, Deshastha Brahmin and Karhade Brahmin

During the days of Maratha India, these Marathi/Konkani Brahmins primarily served as prime ministers or Peshwas,[4] apart from taking up military jobs and converged into the sovereign or the Chhatrapati of Satara. One of the notable Peshwa families is the Bhat family, who happen to be Chitpavan Konkanastha Brahmins.[5] They took up military jobs[6] and ended up being the de facto head[7] of the Maratha Dynasty.[8] Originally the Chitpavan held a low rank in the social hierarchy amongst Marathi Brahmins, however in modern times they enjoy the same social ranking with Deshastha and Karhade Brahmins, inter-marriages between these three communities is now very common.

Karnataka

Tamil Nadu

Statue of Sir K.Sheshadri Iyer in Cubbon Park at Bangaluru

Kerala

Gujarat

Gujarati Brahmins consist of various sub-castes such as :

Sampradayas

The three sampradayas (sects) of Brahmins found mostly in South India are the Smarta, the Srivaishnava and the Madhva.

Other sects

There are additional sampradayas, which are not as widely followed:

The Mahima Dharma or "Satya Mahima Alekha Dharma" was founded by the Brahmin Mukunda Das of present-day Odisha, popularly known by followers as Mahima Swami according to the Bhima Bhoi text.[9] He was born in the last part of the 18th century, in the former state of Baudh, a son of Ananta Mishra. He was Brahmin by caste as mentioned in Mahima Vinod of Bhima Bhoi in Vol.11. This sampradaya is similar to Vaishnavism. Although the members of this sect do not worship Lord Vishnu as their Ishta-Deva, they believe that the Srimad Bhagavatam is sacred. The founder of this sect was a Vaishnavite before founding the new order.[9] This sampradaya was founded in the latter part of the 18th century.[9]

There is also the Avadhoot Panth, wherein Lord Dattatreya and his forms such as Narasimha Saraswati and Sai Baba of Shirdi are worshiped. Lord Dattatreya is worshiped by many as the Hindu trinity – Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva in one divine entity. Many even worship Dattatreya as an Avatar of Vishnu or of Shiva.

Nepali Brahmins

Bahun is a colloquial Nepali term for a member of the Pahari or "Hill" Brahmin (ब्राह्मण) caste, who are traditionally educators, scholars and priests of Hinduism. They are also known as Barmu in Newari, Bavan in Kham. Brahmins are the second largest caste group in Nepal (12.18% of the population).

Burma (Myanmar)

Manipuri astrologers and Brahmins in Burma, 1900

Historically, Brahmins, known as ponna in modern-day Burmese, formed an influential group in Burma prior to British colonialism. Until the 1900s, ponna referred to Indians who had arrived prior to colonial rule, distinct from kala, Indians who arrived during British rule. During the Konbaung dynasty, court Brahmins were consulted by kings before moving royal capitals, waging wars, making offerings to Buddhist sites like the Mahamuni Buddha, and for astrology.[10]

Burmese Brahmins can be divided into four general groups, depending on their origins:

According to Burmese chronicles, Brahmins in Burma were subject to the four-caste system similar to that of India. Because the Burmese monarchy enforced the caste system for Indians, Brahmins who broke caste traditions and laws were subject to punishment. In the Arakanese kingdom, punished Brahmins often became kyun ponna, literally 'slave Brahmins', who made flower offerings to Buddha images and performed menial tasks. During the Konbaung dynasty, caste was indicated by the number of salwe (threads) worn; Brahmins wore nine, while the lowest caste wore none. Brahmins are also fundamental in the Nine-God cult, called the Nine Divinities (Phaya Ko Su which is essentially a Burmese puja (puzaw in Burmese) for appeasing nine divinities, Buddha and the eight arahats, or a group of nine deities, five Hindu gods and four nat spirits.[10] This practice continues to be practised in modern-day Burma.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Thapar, Romila (2004). Early India: From the Origins to AD 1300. University of California Press. p. 125. ISBN 9780520242258.
  2. ↑ Leeming, David Adams; Leeming, Margaret Adams (1994). A Dictionary of Creation Myths. Oxford University Press. pp. 139–144. ISBN 9780195102758.
  3. ↑ Govind Chandra Pande (1991-02-28). Foundations of Indian Culture. ISBN 9788120807129. Retrieved 2013-08-15.
  4. ↑ "Dictionary - Definition of Peshwa". Websters-online-dictionary.org. Retrieved 2013-03-23.
  5. ↑ "peshwa (Maratha chief minister) - Britannica Online Encyclopedia". Britannica.com. Retrieved 2013-03-23.
  6. ↑ "Shrimant Bajirao Peshwa : Great warrior and protector of Hindu Dharma - Valiant Hindu Kings | Hindu Janajagruti Samiti". Hindujagruti.org. Retrieved 2013-03-23.
  7. ↑ The Satara Raj, 1818-1848: A Study in History, Administration, and Culture - Sumitra Kulkarni - Google Books. Books.google.co.in. 1995. ISBN 9788170995814. Retrieved 2013-03-23.
  8. ↑ "India : Rise of the peshwas - Britannica Online Encyclopedia". Britannica.com. 2011-11-08. Retrieved 2013-03-23.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 "Mahima Dharma, Bhima Bhoi and Biswanathbaba"
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Leider, Jacques P. (2005). "Specialists for Ritual, Magic and Devotion: The Court Brahmins of the Konbaung Kings". The Journal of Burma Studies 10: 159–180. doi:10.1353/jbs.2005.0004.

Further reading

External links