Kshatriya
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- For the Bollywood film of the same name see Kshatriya (film)
Kshatriya or Kashtriya, meaning warrior, is one of the four varnas (social orders) in Hinduism. Traditionally Kshatriya constitute the military and ruling elite of the Vedic-Hindu social system outlined by the Vedas and the Laws of Manu.
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[edit] Etymology
Sanskrit akṣatra, ruling; one of the ruling order member of the Kṣhatriya caste[1] is the derivation for Old Persian xšaθra ("realm, power"), xšaθrya ("royal"), and xšāyaθiya ("emperor") are related to it, as are the New Persian words šāh ("emperor") and šahr ("city", "realm").[citation needed] Thai: กษัตริย์ (kasat), "king" or "monarch," and similar-sounding Malay kesatria or satria, "knight" or "warrior", are also derived from it. The term may also denote aristocratic status.[citation needed]
[edit] History
The earliest Vedic literature listed by organization of function, not of caste, the Kshatriya (holders of kṣatra, or authority) as first in rank, and the Brahmins second (priests and teachers of law), before the Vaisya (Cattle-herders, merchant-traders, farmers and some artisan castes),[2] and the Sudra (labourers, some farming castes and other artisan castes). Manusmriti, an ancient Hindu legal text, assigns cattle rearing as an occupation of Vaisya; however there are references in available literature that Kshatriyas also owned and reared the cattle and cattle-wealth was the mainstay of their households. Emperors of Kosala and Prince of Kasi are some of many examples.[2]
Movements of individuals and groups from one class to another, both upward and downward, were not uncommon; a rise in status even to the rank of Kshatriya was a recognized reward for outstanding service to the rulers of the day.[3][dubious ] Over the years it became hereditary.[citation needed] In modern times, the Kshatriya varna includes a broad class of caste groups, differing considerably in status and function but united by their claims to ruler-ship, the pursuit of war, or the possession of land.[citation needed]
The legend that the Kshatriyas, with the exception of the Ikshvakus, were destroyed by Parasurama, the sixth reincarnation of Vishnu, as a punishment for their tyranny is thought by some scholars to reflect a long struggle for supremacy between priests and rulers that ended in victory for the former. By the end of the Vedic era, the Brahmins were supreme, and the Kshatriya had fallen to second place. Texts such as the Manusmṛti (a book of Hindu law) and most other dharmashastras (works of jurisprudence) report a Brahman victory, but epic texts often offer a different account, and it is likely that in social reality rulers have usually ranked first. The persistent representation of deities (especially Vishnu, Krishna, and Rama) as rulers underscores the point, as does the elaborate series of ritual roles and privileges pertaining to kings through most of Hindu history.[4][dubious ]
[edit] Social status
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The situation has changed in modern times and Kshatriyas do not have much to gain or lose in status by their Kshatriya lineage. One area where the Kshatriya heritage has been prominent is the Indian Army.[5]
Kshatriya regiments make up a large[citation needed] portion of the Indian and Nepali Armed forces. Notable among them are Punjab Regiment,[6] 9th, 16th and 17th Battalions of Madras Regiment (Nair), Maratha Light Infantry (Maratha), Rajputana Rifles (Mainly of Rajasthani Rajputs, Gurjars[6] and Jats), Jat Regiment, Dogra Regiment, The Garhwal Rifles, Kumaon Regiment and Rajput Regiment.
[edit] Kshatriya dharma
The Kshatriya dharma is described in the Mahabharata, thus ""Have you never heard the Kshatriya Dharma: Stand straight and never bow down, for this alone is manliness. Rather break at the knots than bend!"[7]
[edit] Symbols associated with Kshatriya
In rituals, the Nyagrodha (Ficus Indica or India Fig/Banyan tree) danda, or staff, is assigned to the Kshatriya class, and along with a mantra, intended to impart physical vitality or 'ojas'.[8]
[edit] Kshatriya lineage
The major branches of Kshatriya varna are: Suryavanshi (solar line), claiming direct descent from Ramachandra, and descent from Surya; Chandravanshi (lunar line), claiming descent from Yadu, as Yadu was himself born in a Chandravanshi dynasty,[9] and descent from Chandra; Agnivanshi, claiming descent from Agni; and Nagavanshi, claiming descent from the Nāgas.
[edit] Suryavanshi
The Suryavanshi or Solar dynasty lineage claims descent from Surya. Suryavanshis also claim descent from Rama, who was himself born into a Suryavanshi dynasty. Kshatriya of Punjab, or Khatri as they are known in the Punjabi dialect hail from this dynasty. Out of the 36 major clans of Rajastani Rajputs, ten belong to the Suryavanshi lineage.[10]
[edit] Chandravanshi
The Chandravanshi or Lunar dynasty lineage claims descent from Chandra. Chandravanshis also claim descent from Yadu, who was himself born into a Chandravanshi dynasty.[9]
[edit] Agnivanshi
The Agnivanshi lineage claims descent from Agni. Clans like Bhadauria, Chauhan,Sankhala Rajput, Parihar, Panwar & Solanki are of Agnivanshi lineage.[10][11][12]
[edit] Nāgavanshi
The Nāgvanshi or Serpent dynasty is a sub-clan of Suryavanshi kshatriyas. They adopted Naga as their symbol and worshipped Lord Shiva in various forms. Nāgvanshis include most of the Nair[13][14] and Bunt clans as well as some Rajput (Saharan Rajputs,[15] Bais Rajputs, Naga Rajputs, Takshak Rajputs.[16] etc.) and Jat clans. The Nāgvanshi (or Nāgbanshi) are known for ruling Chhotanagpur.[17][18] Most important among the Jat clans which are of Nāga origin includes Bachak Jats,[citation needed] Kaliramna Jats,[citation needed] and Katewa Jats.[19][20] Outside India, the Balinese Kshatriyas[21][22][23] claim descent from Nāgvanshis. In South West India, the Naga Sendraka rulers of Nayarkhanda (Nagarkhanda) were feudatories to the Chalukyas.[24] The Sindas of Bastar were also of Nagavanshi origin.[25]
[edit] Others
- Marathas, the warrior class of Maharashtra claim themselves as Kshatriyas of Rajput descent.[26][27][28][29]
- Velirs/Vellalars, Tamil gentry, ancient feudal landlords.[30][31][32]
- Chera/Chola/Pandya, Tamil royal lineage linked to the Velir/Vellalar caste.[33][34]
- The alien hordes that did not follow priestly customs or traditions (Shakas, Kushans, Indo-Greeks, Hunas and Parthians) were stated as Vratya Kshatriyas in Manusmriti.[35]
- The Meitei of Manipur were recognized as Kshatriyas by the Bengali and Assamese Brahmins as they are thought to be the descendants of epic warrior Arjuna.[36]
- Gurung and Magar ethnic groups are recognized as Kshatriyas in Nepal by the Bahun, along with other Kshatriya groups such as Thakore and Chhetri.[37]
- Shrestha subdivision among ethnic Newar is recognized as Kshatriya in Nepal.[38]
[edit] See also
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[edit] References
- ^ Turner, Sir Ralph Lilley; Dorothy Rivers Turner (January 2006) [1962]. A comparative dictionary of the Indo-Aryan languages. (Accompanied by three supplementary volumes: indexes, compiled by Dorothy Rivers Turner: 1969. – Phonetic analysis: 1971. – Addenda et corrigenda: 1985. ed.). London: Oxford University Press,. pp. 189–190. http://dsal.uchicago.edu/cgi-bin/philologic/contextualize.pl?p.4.soas.198140. Retrieved October 23, 2011. "kṣatríya 3649"
- ^ a b Arun Kumar (2002). Encyclopaedia of Teaching of Agriculture. Anmol Publications PVT. LTD.. pp. 411–. ISBN 9788126113163. http://books.google.com/books?id=fhWZNMlzHewC&pg=PA411. Retrieved 4 July 2011.
- ^ "Kshatriya." Encyclopædia Britannica. 2008. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 5 June 2008
- ^ Encyclopædia Britannica Online
- ^ http://www.jstor.org/pss/2943173
- ^ a b Gautam Sinha, Valour and sacrifice: famous regiments of the Indian Army. Allied Publishers. 1990. p. 137.
- ^ Mahabharata, as retold by William Buck, University of California Press Berkeley Los Angeles London 1973
- ^ Reflections on Resemblance, Ritual, and Religion; Brian K. Smith
- ^ a b Sinha, Purnendu Narayana (1901). "THE LUNAR DYNASTY (SKANDHA 9)". A study of the Bhagavata Purana; or, Esoteric Hinduism. Freeman (Benares). p. 229. http://www.archive.org/stream/astudyofthebhaga00sinhuoft#page/n229/mode/2up.
- ^ a b Rajasthan, Part 2 By D. K. Samanta, S. K. Mandal, N. N. Vyas, Anthropological survey of India p.786
- ^ Rajasthan & Gujarat handbook: the ... - Google Books
- ^ Memoirs on the History, Folk-Lore ... - Google Books
- ^ Downfall of Hindu India By Chintaman Vinayak Vaidya. Page:278 "and Nāir (Nāgara) Kshatriyas sent out a religious invasion under Sankara which subjugated the whole of India. The history of Kerala goes hack to the"
- ^ The origin of Saivism and its history in the Tamil land By K. R. Subramanian, K. R. Subramanian (M.A.) p.21
- ^ Punjab district gazetteers: reprint of Phulkian states (Patiala, Jind, and ... By Punjab (India). Gazetteers Organisation (Punjab Govt. Press, 1909.) Page 243
- ^ The American journal of archaeology ... - Google Books
- ^ The Nāgvanshis of Chotanagpur By Sudha Kumari Sinha
- ^ Encyclopaedia of Indian tribes By C. Sahu p.123
- ^ Rama Shankar Tripathi (1987). History of ancient India. p. 344. ISBN 8120800184.
- ^ Naval Viyogi (2002). Nagas, the ancient rulers of India: their origin and history. The History of indigenous people of India, Volume 2 (Illustrated ed.). Originals. p. 67. ISBN 8175362871.
- ^ Warta Hindu dharma, Issues 140-150 p.021
- ^ Kamus agama Hindu By I Wayan Musna p.32
- ^ Widya Dharma Agama Hindu SMP kls 9 By I Wayan Midastra, I Ketut Maruta p.8
- ^ The origin of Saivism and its ... - Google Books
- ^ The origin of Saivism and its ... - Google Books
- ^ Maráthas and Dekhani Musalmáns - R. M. Betham - Google Books
- ^ Creative pasts: historical memory and identity in western India, 1700-1960 - Prachi Deshpande - Google Books
- ^ A pageant of India - Adolf Simon Waley - Google Books
- ^ A study of Holkar state coinage: by P. K. Sethi, S. K. Bhatt, R. Holkar ... - P. K. Sethi, S. K. Bhatt, R. Holkar - Google Books
- ^ Ancient Indian History and Civilization By Sailendrda Nath Sen Page 205 & 207: "... the Vellalars were the aristocratic classe and were held in high esteem..."
- ^ The Harappan civilization and its writing: a model for the decipherment of the Indus Script... By Walter Ashlin Fairservis 52/53 pages: " The relationship of vellalan (Tamil) and vellalar (Malayalam) to terms for ancient chiefs velir, etc., provide us with a term for the system of chiefs as a whole, vellalar"
- ^ Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain & Ireland, Volume 19 By Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland (1887) page 582: "The reason why Manu styled the Drâvidian Vellâlar as degraded Kshatriyas was doubtless owing to the fact that the first Brahman settlers found them almost in exclusive possession of land..."; [1]
- ^ The Tamils Eighteen Hundred Years Ago - by V. Kanakasabhai - Tamil (Indic people) - 1904 - 240 pages; page 113: "The Chera, Chola and Pandyan kings and most of the petty chiefs of Tamilakam belonged to the tribe of Vellâlas."
- ^ Tamil studies: essays on the history of the Tamil people, language, religion ... By Muttusvami Srinivasa Aiyangar page 63: "No traces of the Tamil kings are to be found at present in this country, and it is highly probable that they should have merged with the Vellala caste..."[2]
- ^ Magumdar, Raichaudhry. Notes of IGNOUDelhi University, Allahabad University, Banaras Hindu University, JNU, Jamia Milia Islamia (Irfan Habib)
- ^ Encyclopaedia of North-East India: Manipur By Hamlet Bareh p.274-277
- ^ Sociology of Indian tea industry: a study of inter-ethnic relationships By Khemraj Sharma (Education officer.) p.54
- ^ Fatalism and development: Nepal's struggle for modernization By Dor Bahadur Bista p.59
[edit] Further reading
- History and Culture of Indian People, The Vedic Age, p 313-314
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