Brahmin

This article is about the social caste. For the moth family, see Brahmaeidae. For similarly spelled words, see Brahman (disambiguation).

Brahmin (Brāhmaṇa, ब्राह्मण) is a class or caste in the Indian continent, generally considered to be the highest or priestly caste of the Varna Shastra or classification of Hindu Society which comprised Brahmins (priests), Kshatriyas (warriors), Vaisyas (Merchants) and Shudras (Labourers). Brahmins were known for performing religious duties as priests in Hinduism and preaching Dharma as "one who prays, a devout or religious man, a Brāhman who is a knower of Vedic texts or spells, one versed in sacred knowledge", see: MW, pp. 737-738.</ref>. The Brahmins were also the exclusive authors of India's best-known spiritual texts like the Vedas, Upanishads and Bhagavad-Gita.

The English word brahmin is an anglicised form of the Sanskrit word Brāhmana; (Brahman also refers to the supreme self in Hinduism). Brahmins are also called Vipra "inspired", or Dvija "twice-born".

Due to the diversity in religious and cultural traditions and practices, and the Vedic schools which they belong to, Brahmins are further divided into various subcastes. Not all Brahmins are priests, but only a subset of brahmins are involved in the priestly duties, with vedic learning, ascetic and humble living. They also have been practicing other professions since late vedic ages like doctors, lawyers, engineers, warriors, writers, poets, landlords, ministers, etc. Many parts of India were also ruled by Brahmin Kings. In the last decades of the previous century, a sizable number emigrated to other parts of the world, particularly to the USA, UK, Canada, Australia and other countries.

Brahmin Buddhists have also played an important role in all sects of Buddhism and were among the Buddha's closest disciples. He speaks of them in superlative terms in the Brahmana Vagga of the Dhammapada. However Brahmin Buddhists were experts in Buddha-Dharma which differentiated them from Brahmin Hindus.

Discrimination against Brahmins and non-Brahmins are both widespread. Even in modern India today, it has been reported that Brahmins have experienced reverse discrimination.

History

Main article: History of Hinduism

The history of the Brahmin community in India begins with the Vedic religion of early Hinduism, now often referred to by Hindus as Sanatana Dharma. The Vedas are the primary source of knowledge for brahmin practices. Most sampradayas of Brahmins take inspiration from the Vedas. According to orthodox Hindu tradition, the Vedas are apauruṣeya and anādi (beginning-less), but are revealed truths of eternal validity. The Vedas are considered Śruti (that which is heard) and are the paramount source of Brahmin traditions. Shruti includes not only the four Vedas (the Rigveda, the Yajurveda, the Samaveda and the Atharvaveda), but also their respective Brahmanas, Aranyakas and Upanishads.

Brahman and Brahmin (brahman, brahmán, masculine) are not the same. Brahman (bráhman, neuter), since the Upanishads, refers to the Supreme Self. Brahmin or Brahmana (brahmán, brāhmaṇa) refers to an individual. Additionally, the word Brahma (brahmā, masculine) refers to first of the gods. The brahmins were actually tribesmen who had come in contact with Alexanders armies and with their help they started dominating the very facet and the caste structure of India

In 1931 (the last Indian census to record caste), Brahmins accounted for 4.32% of the total population. Brahmins even in Uttar Pradesh, where they were most numerous, constituted just 12% of the recorded population. In Andhra Pradesh, they formed less than 2%, in Tamil Nadu they formed less than 3%. In Kerala, Nambudiri Brahmins make up 0.7% of the population. According to 2001 census, Brahmins constitute less than 4.1% of Indian population. Specifically, Saraswat Brahmins constitute less than 1% of Indian population.

Brahmin communities

See also: Brahmin communities

The Brahmin castes may be broadly divided into two regional groups: Pancha-Gauda Brahmins from Northern India and considered to be North of Vindhya mountains and Pancha-Dravida Brahmins from South of Vindhya mountains as per the shloka, however this sloka is from Rajatarangini of Kalhana which is composed only in 11th CE.
कर्णाटकाश्च तैलंगा द्राविडा महाराष्ट्रकाः,
गुर्जराश्चेति पञ्चैव द्राविडा विन्ध्यदक्षिणे ||
सारस्वताः कान्यकुब्जा गौडा उत्कलमैथिलाः,
पन्चगौडा इति ख्याता विन्ध्स्योत्तरवासि ||

Translation: Karnataka (Kannada), Telugu (Andhra), Dravida (Tamil and Kerala), Maharashtra and Gujarat are Five Southern (Panch Dravida). Saraswata, Kanyakubja, Gauda, Utkala (Orissa), Maithili are Five Northern (Pancha Gauda). This classification occurs in Rajatarangini of Kalhana and earlier in some inscriptions

Pancha Gauda Brahmins

Panch Gaur (the five classes of Northern India): (1) Saraswat, (2) Kanyakubja Brahmins, (3) Maithil Brahmins, (4) Gauda brahmins (including Sanadhyas), and (5)Utkala Brahmins . In addition, for the purpose of giving an account of Northern Brahmins each of the provinces must be considered separately, such as, Kashmir, Nepal, Uttarakhand, Himachal, Kurukshetra, Rajputana, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Ayodhya (Oudh), Gandhara, Punjab, Bengal, Orissa, Bihar, North Western Provinces and Pakistan, Sindh, Central India, Tirhut amongst others. The originate from south of the (now-extinct) Sarasvati River.

Assam

In Assam, out of many sects of Hindu people which include Brahmins (Assamese: অসমীয়া ব্ৰাহ্মণ, Hindi: आसामी ब्राह्मण or Hindi: असमिया ब्राह्मण or Hindi: असमी ब्राह्मण), Kalitas, Ahoms amongst others, the Brahmin community is comparatively small. Assamese Brahmins are found mostly in Upper-Assam and surrounding areas. Assamese Brahmins are believed to be having their origins mostly from Uttar Pradesh but also from far off Rajasthan to that of Karnataka. Brahmins in Assam are same as per their faith and customs with that of any other Brahmin community across India. Each Brahmin family within the community carries specific Gotra(Proper Brahmin Identity Surname) which is specific for each family thereby indicating their origin. Barooah, Goswami, Sharma, Chakravarty, are few of common Assamese Brahmin surnames amongst many others. (See, Assamese Brahmins)

Bihar

In Bihar, majority of Brahmins are Kanyakubja Brahmins, Bhumihar Brahmins and Maithil Brahmins with a significant population of Sakaldiwiya or Shakdwipi Brahmins. With the decline of Mughal Empire, in the area of south of Avadh, in the fertile rive-rain rice growing areas of Benares, Gorakhpur, Deoria, Ghazipur, Ballia and Bihar and on the fringes of Bengal, it was the 'military' or Bhumihar Brahmins who strengthened their sway. The distinctive 'caste' identity of Bhumihar Brahman emerged largely through military service, and then confirmed by the forms of continuous 'social spending' which defined a man and his kin as superior and lordly. In 19th century, many of the Bhumihar Brahmins were zamindars. Of the 67000 Hindus in the Bengal Army in 1842, 28000 were identified as Rajputs and 25000 as Brahmins, a category that included Bhumihar Brahmins. The Brahmin presence in the Bengal Army was reduced in the late nineteenth century because of their perceived primary role as mutineers in the Mutiny of 1857, led by Mangal Pandey. The Kingdom of Kashi belonged to Bhumihar Brahmins and big zamindari like Bettiah and Tekari belonged to them.

Maharashtra

According to the Census of 1931 the population of the Brahmins in Maharashtra was 7,81,448 which constituted 2.39 per cent of the total population. Maharashtra Brahmins have several sub-castes. The Census Report of the Bombay Province of 1911 lists, all the sub-castes of the Maharashtra Brahmins which are as follows:

1. Chitpavan Konkanastha Brahmins
2. Deshastha Brahmins
3. Devrukhe
4. Golak or Gowardhan
5. Jawal or khot
6. Kanva
7. Karhade Brahmin
8. Kuwant or Kramavant
9. Maitrayani
10. Palshikar
11. Samavedi
12. Savvashe
13. Tirgul or Trigartha etc.

Mrs. Irawati Karve has recorded a sub-caste namely Charak Brahmins around Nagpur,belonging to the Krishna Yajurved branch. However, these several sub-castes are broadly grouped into three main divisions namely Deshastha, Konkanastha and Karhade Brahmins. The Saraswat Brahmins of the Pancha-Gouda group is said to be the fourth branch. Unlike other Maharashtra Brahmins Saraswats traditionally eat fish and meat. Devarukhe and Kramvant Brahmins inhabit in Konkan but originally they were Deshasthas. They are the priests for the lower castes. The Kramvant Brahmins migrated to Kokan from Paithan in historic times.

In Maharashtra,Panch dravid Brahmins are dravids from Maharastra. They are classified into five groups: Chitpavan Konkanastha Brahmins, Gaud Saraswat Brahmins, Deshastha Brahmins, Karhade Brahmin, and Devrukhe. As the name indicates, Kokanastha Brahmins are from Konkan area. Gaud Saraswat Brahmins are from Konkan region or they may come from Goa or Karnataka, Deshastha Brahmins are from plains of Maharashtra, Karhade Brahmins are perhaps from Karhatak (an ancient region in India that included present day south Maharashtra and northern Karnataka) and Devrukhe Brahmins are from Devrukh near Ratnagiri.Bagda brahmins

Daivadnya is another caste,claiming its descent from Maga Brahmins is found all along the west coast of India.Though Sringeri Shankaracharya recognizes them as Dravida,this claim is not always accepted by other orthodox creeds.

Gujarat

Anavil Brahmin • Audichya Brahmins • Bardai Brahmins • Bhattmewada Brahmins • Chauriyasi Mewada Brahmin • Khedaval Brahmin • Modh Brahmins • Nandwana Brahmins • Nagar Brahmins • Sachora Brahmins • Sidhra-Rudhra Brahmins • Shrimali Brahmins • Sompura Brahmins. Kapil Brahmin (known to be heiretted from Kapil muni) originaly resident of KAVI village in Jambusar taluka, now most of them residing in Bharuch,Vadodara and Surat.

Madhya Pradesh

In western madhyapradesh, especially in the "malwa" region there are many "shrigoud" brahmins.

Nepal

Brahmins are the second largest caste group in Nepal, Chhetri(Kshatriya) being the first. Brahmins were inhabitants of Nepal from the prehistoric time. There are references about brahmins of Nepal in bansawali and purans. Brahmins and kshetriyas are portrayed as outsiders, who migrated from India by the armed political groups mainly maoists for recruiting the members of other ethnic groups in Nepal.

Punjab

The Brahmins of the Punjab region are chiefly Saraswat Brahmins. They have a special association with the Punjab since they take their name from the river, Saraswati.

In Punjab, the Saraswat Brahmins are further divied into following main sections.

1. Panja jati (six families), the highest subgroup of Punjabi Brahmins whose surnames are Jaitly, Trikha, Kumoria, Jinghan, and Mohla.

2. Barahis (twelvers), who marry among twelve castes only[1]. This group belongs to the Shakadweepi Brahmins/ Maga Brahmins.

3. Bawanjais (fifty-twoers), who marry among fifty-two houses only.

4. Athwans (seven families/seveners) and include Joshis, Kurals, Bhanots, Sands, Pathaks, Bharadwajs, Shouries. These eight families marry among each other.

5. Mohyals- the warrior brahmin race. They are a distinct category of Brahmins who combine military knowledge with learning, they strictly refrain from performing priestly duties, often to the point of excommunicating anyone who violates that rule. They are a group comprising of seven clans (Balis, Bhimwals, Chhibber, Datts, Laus,and Vaids). They generally own lands,and are mostly involved in military and administrative services, they eat meat and are not very strict in the observance of religious taboos. They also marry within the seven clans.

6. Bhaskars Gotra Vashisht originating from a place "Badu ki Gusaiyaan" now in Pakistan.

Jammu & Kashmir

There are lots of type of brahmans in Jammu & Kashmir.The Brahmans of Jammu Province are known as Dogra Brahmans(or Dogra Pandit) where as Brahmans of Kashmir are Known as Kashmiri Brahmans(or Kashmiri Pandits. There is also Brahmans known as Kishtwari Brahmans, Bhaderwahi Brahmans,Poonchi Brahmans, Mirpuri Brahmans, Punjabi Brahmans in small numbers in Jammu & Kashmir. +

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Dogra Brahmans

The Brahmans of Jammu are known as Dogra Brahmins. Some popular Dogra Brahmans are as Prem Chand Dogra (Mr Universe 1987 - Bodybuilding), Pandit Prem Nath Dogra,Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma, noted Santoor Player; Padma Sachdev(Noted Writer, Lyricist),Pandit Prem Nath Shastri(Noted Writer)

Uttar Pradesh

In Uttar Pradesh from west to east: Sanadhya, Gauda & Tyagi (western UP), Kanyakubja (Central UP), Sarayuparin (Central Uttar Pradesh, Eastern, NE,& SE UP) and Maithil (Varanasi & Agra region), Suryadhwaja Brahmins (Western UP), the South western UP, i.e. Bundelkhand has thick population of Jujhotia brahmins (branch of Kanyakubja brahmins: ref. Between History & Legend:Power & Status in Bundelkhand by Ravindra K Jain). On the Jijhoutia clan of Bhumihar Brahmins, William Crooke writes, "A branch of the Kanaujia Brahmins (Kanyakubja Brahmins) who take their name from the country of Jajakshuku, which is mentioned in the Madanpur inscription." Mathure or mathuria Brahmins 'choubeys' are limited to Mathura area.

Bengal

There are many sub-casts including Rarhi, Barendra, Saiba(Rudraja), Agradani etc. Some of the gotras are Savarna, Sandilya, Bharadwaj, Kashyap, Batsya etc.

Pancha Dravida

Panch Dravida (the five classes of Southern India): 1. Andhra, 2. Dravida (Tamil and Kerala), 3. Karnataka, 4. Maharashtra and Konkon, and 5. Gujarat.

In Maharashtra,Panch dravid Brahmins are classified into five groups: Chitpavan Konkanastha Brahmins, Gaud Saraswat Brahmin, Deshastha Brahmin, Karhade Brahmin, and Devrukhe. As the name indicates, Kokanastha Brahmin are from Konkan area. Gaud Saraswat Brahmins are from Konkan region or they may come from Goa or Karnataka, Deshastha Brahmin are from plains of Maharashtra, Karhade Brahmins are perhaps from Karhatak (an ancient region in India that included present day south Maharashtra and northern Karnataka) and Devrukhe Brahmins are from Devrukh near Ratnagiri.Bagda brahmins

Daivajnas of Konkan are recognised as Panchadravida by Shringeri Shankaracharya.

In Andhra Pradesh, Brahmins are broadly classified into 2 groups: Vaidiki Brahmins (meaning educated in vedas and performing religious vocations) and Niyogi (performing only secular vocation). They are further divided into several sub-castes. However, majority of the Brahmins, both Vaidika and Niyogi, perform only secular professions.

In Tamil Nadu, Brahmins form two groups, Iyers, who follow the Advaita (Non-dualism) philosophy and Iyengars, who follow the Vishistadvaita (Qualified non-dualism) philosophy.

Burma

Template:Burmese characters Historically, Brahmins, known as ponna (ပုဏ္ဏား) in modern-day Burmese (Until the 1900s, ponna referred to Indians who had arrived prior to colonial rule, distinct from the kala, Indians who arrived during British rule), formed an influential group prior to British colonialism. During the Konbaung dynasty, court Brahmins were consulted by kings for moving royal capitals, waging wars, making offerings to Buddhist sites like the Mahamuni Buddha, and for astrology. Burmese Brahmins can be divided into four general groups, depending on their origins:

• Manipur Brahmins (Burmese: မုနိပူရဗြာဟ္မဏ) - Brahmins who were sent to Burma after Manipur became a Burmese vassal state in the 1700s and ambassadors from Manipur
• Arakanese Brahmins (Burmese: ရခိုင်ဗြာဟ္မဏ): Brahmins brought to Burma from Arakan after it was conquered by the Konbaung king Bodawpaya
• Sagaing Brahmins: oldest Brahmins in Burmese society, who had consulted the Pyu, Burman and Mon kingdoms prior to the Konbaung dynasty
• Indian Brahmins: Brahmins who arrived with British colonial rule, when Burma became a part of the British Raj

According to Burmese chronicles, brahmins in Burma were subject to the four-caste system, which included brahmanas (ဗြာဟ္မဏ), kshatriyas (khettaya), vaishya (beisha), and shudra (thottiya). 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 (ကျွန်ပုဏ္ဏား), 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 ဘုရားကိုးစု) which is essentially a Burmese puja  (puzaw in Burmese) of appeasing nine divinities, Buddha and the eight arahats, or a group of nine deities, five Hindu gods and four nats. This practice continues to be practiced in modern-day Burma.

Gotras and pravaras

See also: Classification of Brahmins

Brahmins classify themselves on the basis of their patrilineal descent from a notable ancestor. These ancestors are either ancient Indian sages or kshatriyas (warriors) who chose to become Brahmins. The eight major gotras that trace descent from sages are: Kanav, Jamadagni, Bharadvâja, Gautama, Atri, Vasishtha, Kashyapa and Agastya gotra. Two gotras that trace descent from kshatriyas are Harita and Vishvamitra gotra.

In general, gotra denotes any person who traces descent in an unbroken male line from a common male ancestor. Pāṇini defines gotra for grammatical purposes as ' apatyam pautraprabhrti gotram' (IV. 1. 162), which means 'the word gotra denotes the progeny (of a sage) beginning with the son's son. When a person says ' I am Kashypasa-gotra' he means that he traces his descent from the ancient sage Kashyapa by unbroken male descent. This enumeration of Eight primary gotras seems to have been known to Pāṇini. These gotras are not directly connected to Prajapathy or latter brama. The offspring (apatya) of these Eight are gotras and others than these are called ' gotrâvayava '.

The gotras are arranged in groups, e. g. there are according to the Âsvalâyana-srautasûtra four subdivisions of the Vasishtha gana, viz. Upamanyu, Parāshara, Kundina and Vasishtha (other than the first three). Each of these four again has numerous sub-sections, each being called gotra. So the arrangement is first into ganas, then into pakshas, then into individual gotras. The first has survived in the Bhrigu and Āngirasa gana. According to Baudh., the principal eight gotras were divided into pakshas. The pravara of Upamanyu is Vasishtha, Bharadvasu, Indrapramada; the pravara of the Parâshara gotra is Vasishtha, Shâktya, Pârâsharya; the pravara of the Kundina gotra is Vasishtha, Maitrâvaruna, Kaundinya and the pravara of Vasishthas other than these three is simply Vasishtha. It is therefore that some define pravara as the group of sages that distinguishes the founder (lit. the starter) of one gotra from another.

There are two kinds of pravaras, 1) sishya-prasishya-rishi-parampara, and 2) putrparampara. Gotrapravaras can be ekarsheya, dwarsheya, triarsheya, pancharsheya, saptarsheya, and up to 19 rishis. Kashyapasa gotra has at least two distinct pravaras in Andhra Pradesh: one with three sages (triarsheya pravara) and the other with seven sages (saptarsheya pravara). This pravara may be either sishya-prasishya-rishi-parampara or putraparampara. Similarly, Srivatsasa gotra has five sages or is called Pancharsheya and are the descendants of Jamadagni. When it is sishya-prasishya-rishi-parampara marriage is not acceptable if half or more than half of the rishis are same in both bride and bridegroom gotras. If it is putraparampara, marriage is totally unacceptable even if one rishi matches.

Sects and rishis

Due to the diversity in religious and cultural traditions and practices, and the Vedic schools which they belong to, Brahmins are further divided into various subcastes. During the sutra period, roughly between 1000 BCE to 200 BCE, Brahmins became divided into various Shakhas (branches), based on the adoption of different Vedas and different rescension Vedas. Sects for different denominations of the same branch of the Vedas were formed, under the leadership of distinguished teachers among Brahmins.

There are several Brahmin law givers such as Angirasa, Apasthambha, Atri, Bhrugu, Brihaspati, Boudhayana, Daksha, Gautam, Harita, Katyayana, Likhita, Manu, Parasara, Samvarta, Shankha, Shatatapa, Ushanasa, Vashishta, Vishnu, Vyasa, Yajnavalkya and Yama. These twenty-one rishis were the propounders of Smritis. The oldest among these smritis are Apastamba, Baudhayana, Gautama, and Vasishta Sutras.

Descendants from Brahmins

Many Indians and non-Indians claim descent from the Vedic Rishis of both Brahmin and non-Brahmin descent. For example the Dash and Nagas are said to be the descendants of Kashyapa Muni. Visvakarmas are the descendants of Pancha Rishis or Brahmarishies. According to Yajurveda and brahmanda purana They are Sanagha, Sanathana, Abhuvanasa, Prajnasa, Suparnasa. The Kani tribe of South India claim to descend from Agastya Muni.

The Gondhali, Kanet, Bhot, Lohar, Dagi, and Hessis claim to be from Renuka Devi.

The Kasi Kapadi Sudras claim to originate from the Brahmin Sukradeva. Their duty was to transfer water to the sacred city of Kashi.

Dadheech Brahmins/dayama brahmin trace their roots from Dadhichi Rishi. Many Jats clans claim to descend from Dadhichi Rishi while the Dudi Jats claim to be in the linear of Duda Rishi.

Lord Buddha of course, was a descendant of Angirasa through Gautama. There too were Kshatiryas of other clans to whom members descend from Angirasa, to fulfill a childless king's wish.

The backward-caste Matangs claim to descend from Matang Muni, who became a Brahmin by his karma.

The nomadic tribe of Kerala, the Kakkarissi according to one legend are derived from the mouth of Garuda, the vehicle of Vishnu, and came out Brahmin.

Brahmins taking up other duties

Brahmins have taken on many professions - from being priests, ascetics and scholars to warriors and business people, as is attested for example in Kalhana's Rajatarangini. Brahmins with the qualities of Kshatriyas are known as 'Brahmakshatriyas'. An example is the avatara Parshurama who destroyed the entire Haiheyas 21 times. Not only did Sage Parashurama have warrior skills but he was so powerful that he could even fight without the use of any weapons and trained others to fight without weapons. The Bhumihar Brahmins were established when Parashurama destroyed the Kshatriya race, and he set up in their place the descendants of Brahmins, who, after a time, having mostly abandoned their priestly functions (although some still perform), took to land-owning. Many brahmins took up the profession of medicine. They are Vaidya brahmins called Baidya Brahmins of Bengal [gupta, dasgupta and senguptas] are descendents of dhanavantari , the god of medicine and father of Ayurveda.

Today there is a caste, Brahmakhatris, who are a clan of the Khatris, however this is suspicious since Khatris are a business caste/community of Punjab and belong to the Vaishya caste. Khatri has often been misinterpreted as a variation of the word Kshatriya, meaning warrior, however there are no records of any Khatri kingdoms or empires in Indian history and this claim to Kshatriya is recently made in the 20th century.

Perhaps the word Brahma-kshatriya refers to a person belonging to the heritage of both castes. However, among the Royal Rajput households, brahmins who became the personal teachers and protectors of the Royal princes rose to the status of Rajpurohit and taught the princes everything including martial arts. They would also become the keepers of the Royal lineage and its history. They would also be the protectors of the throne in case the regent was orphaned and a minor.

Kshatriyan Brahmin is a term associated with people of both caste's components.

The Pallavas were an example of Brahmakshatriyas as that is what they called themselves. King Lalitaditya Muktapida of Kashmir ruled all of India and even Central Asia.

King Rudravarma of Champa (Vietnam) of 657 A.D. was the son of a Brahmin father.

King Jayavarma I of Kambuja (Kampuchea) of 781 A.D. was a Brahma-kshatriya.

Brahmins with the qualities of a Vaisya or merchant are known as 'Brahmvyasya'. An example of such persons are people of the Ambastha caste, which exist in places like South India. They perform medical work - they have from ancient times practiced the Ayurveda and have been Vaidyas (or doctors).

Many Pallis of South India claim to be Brahmins (while others claim to be Agnikula Kshatriyas.) Kulaman Pallis are nicknamed by outsiders as Kulaman Brahmans. Hemu from Rewari, Haryana was also a Brahmin by birth.

Practices

Brahmins, Vedic priests, adhere to the principles of Brahmanism, Sanatana Dharma, and can be found in any of the different religions of Hinduism, such as acceptance of the Vedas. Brāhmaṇas have six occupational duties, of which three are compulsory—namely, studying the Vedas, worshiping the Deity and giving charity. By teaching, by inducing others to worship the Deity, and by accepting gifts, the brāhmaṇas receive the necessities of life. This is also confirmed in the Manu-saḿhitā:

ṣaṇṇāḿ tu karmaṇām asya

trīṇi karmāṇi jīvikā

yajanādhyāpane caiva

viśuddhāc ca pratigrahaḥ

Of the six occupational duties of the brāhmaṇas, three are compulsory—namely, worship of the Deity, study of the Vedas and the giving of charity. In exchange, a brāhmaṇa should receive charity, and this should be his means of livelihood. A brāhmaṇa cannot take up any professional occupational duty for his livelihood. The śāstras especially stress that if one claims to be a brāhmaṇa. Brahmins believe in Sarvejanāssukhinobhavaṃtu—Let the entire society be happy and prosperous and Vasudhaika kuṭuṃbakaṃ—the whole world is one family. Many Brahmins are reformers. Brahmins practice vegetarianism or lacto-vegetarianism which has been a custom since several centuries dating back to B.C . Following this custom is mandatory in brahmin culture. However, some amongst the Brahmins inhabiting cold regions of Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Nepal, and coastal areas like Bengal, eat fish .

Sampradayas

The three sampradayas (traditions) of Brahmins, especially in South India are the Smarta sampradaya, the Srivaishnava sampradaya and the Madhva sampradaya.

Shaivism

siavism means worshipping lord siva as the supreme god. infact siva is the first god. saivism contains many sections. in which there are rudra saivas, veera siavas,parma saivas ect. in all these lingadaris are very famous persons. they tie lord siva in linga rupa on their body through chains.they are the true devotees of lord siva lord siva is the supreme god.

Miscellaneous sects

There are additional sampradayas as well which are not as widely followed as the rest.

The Mahima Dharma or "Satya Mahima Alekha Dharma" was founded by the Brahmin Mukanda Das of present-day Orissa, popularly know by followers as Mahima Swami according to the Bhima Bhoi text. He was born in the last part of 18th century in Baudh ex-state as 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. This sampradaya was founded in the latter part of the 18th century.

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.

Brahmins in other religions

Buddhism

The Buddha redefined the word "brahman" so as to become a synonym for arahant, replacing a distinction based on birth with one based on spiritual attainment.. In the Brahmanavagga, the Buddha describes Brahmin Buddhists in glowing and superlative terms as true masters of Dhamma not merely by birth but more importantly by their deeds and knowledge. In Verse 422 the Buddha states "He, the Noble, the Excellent, the Heroic, the Great Sage, the Conqueror, the Passionless, the Pure, the Enlightened one — him do I call a Brahmin Buddhist".

Many of the Buddha's closest disciples from Sariputra to Kashyapa were Brahmin Buddhists. Furthermore, the majority of Buddhism's most celebrated icons were Brahmin Buddhists. They include the Buddha's successor Vasubhandu and his key disciple Sariputra, the founders of Mahayana Buddhism Nagarjuna and Asvaghosa, the great reformer of Theravada Buddhism - Buddhaghosa , the founder of Vajrayana and Tibetan Buddhism Padmasambhava; Shantideva -- the author of 'the Way of the Bodhisattva'; the founder of Zen Buddhism and Kung Fu Bodhidharma and Kumarijiva both of whom brought Buddhism to China and beyond; the great debater of Milinda Panha Nagasena the mentor of Ashoka himself Manjushri and the one who brought him to Buddhism Radhaswamy; and the great scholars of Nalanda like Aryadeva and Shanta Rakshita -- one of the acclaimed Kashmiri Pandits who regularly taught the best of both Buddhist and Hindu doctrine together.

Peter Masefield writes, "The canonical texts show the early Buddhists seeking their sustenance mostly from Brahmin families, and the dhamma-cakkhu (the insight into the Four Truths) that led to liberation was given almost exclusively to men of Brahmin descent."

However it is important to note that the notion of ritual purity provided a conceptual foundation for the caste system, by identifying occupations and duties associated with impure or taboo objects as being themselves impure. Regulations imposing such a system of ritual purity and taboos are absent from the Buddhist monastic code, and not generally regarded as being part of Buddhist teachings To the contrary, the early Buddhist scriptures defined purity as determined by one's state of mind, and refer to anyone who behaves unethically, of whatever caste, as "rotting within", or "a rubbish heap of impurity".

Jainism

• The first convert of Mahavira, the 24th Tirthankara of Jainism was Indrabhuti (aka Gautamswami) the Brahmin, who headed a group of other Brahmins and converted them to Jainism. He was from the village Gobbar (also called Govarya) near Rajgriha. It is said that at the sight of Gautama, the tapsas who were competing with him to reach the top of a hill once, by seeing the winner Gautama at the top, achieved moksha.
• Sajjambhava was another born from Rajgriha and was elected the head of the Jain temple. He is famous for his composition of the "Dasavaikalika Sutra."
• Acharya Vidyanand is a Brahmin of the Dhigambar Jain sect and compiled in the Sanskrit language, "Ashta Shahastri" with eight thousand verses.
• Acharya Shushil Kumar, known better to Jains as "Guruji", was born a Vaidik in the Shakarpur village of the Haryana province. At the age of 15, he took Diksha (became a sanyassin) into the Sthanakvasi, a Swhetambara sub-sect.
• There is also a story about a wealthy Brahmin named Dhangiri in the town of Tumbhivan, who, when heard the sermons of the Jain Acharya Sinhgiri, while he regularly listened to but later lost his interest in wealth and decided to take the Diksha.
• Umasvati was a composer who was so loved by Jains that he is considered by the Dhigambar sect to be a Dhigambar member and the Svetambara sect to be a Svetambara member.

Sikhism

Many writers of the Guru Granth Sahib are of the Bhatt surname. The Sikh composed Mathura Bhatt's fourteen verses are seven each in praise of Guru Ram Das and Guru Arjan.

There are also several Mohyals (Brahmin warriors) in the Sikh community.

Contributions to society

See also: List of brahmins

Politics

During the Indian independence movement, many Brahmins, including Samrat Hem Chandra Vikramaditya also called Hemu, Mangal Pandey, Nana Sahib Peshwa, Rani Laxmibai of Jhansi, Tatya Tope, Baikuntha Shukla, Chandrashekar Azad, Yogendra Shukla, Womesh Chandra Bonnerjee, Swami Sahajanand Saraswati, Adyakrantikarak Vasudev Balvant Phadke, Chaphekar Brothers, Anant Kanhere, Vinayak Deshapande, Vishwanath Vaishampayan (famous as "Bacchan", worked with Bhagat Singh, Chandrashekhar Azad,sri satyanarayana shukla,Basawon Singh (Sinha),pandit bhola shukla, Balgangadhar Tilak, Gopal Krishna Gokhale, (Rajguru, Ramprasad Bismil, Chandrashekhar Azad, Vanchinathan, Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, Ganesh Damodar Savarkar, Prativadi Bhayankara Venkatacharya "Bhayankarachari", Tanguturi Prakasam, C. Rajagopalachari, Laxmi Raman Acharya, Sri Krishna Sinha, Gobind Ballabh Pant, Kamalapati Tripathi, Sheel Bhadra Yajee, Ravishankar Shukla, Kailashnath Katju, Sir Tej Bahadur Sapru, Motilal Nehru, Shyama Prasad Mukherjee and others were at the forefront of the struggle for freedom and later Indian politics. Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India and Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan, the first Vice President of India, were also Brahmins. Communist leaders like E.M.S. Namboodiripad, Hiren Mukherjee, S. A. Dange, P.C.Joshi, Acharya P. K. Atre and many others were Brahmins. Presently finance minister Pranab Mukherjee, Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee, Chief Minister of Paschim Bangal West Bengal Budhadev Bhattacharya, Union Minister for Rural Develeopment C. P. Joshi and President of National Commission for Women of India Girija Vyas are brahmins.

Brahmins who became Prime Ministers of India include Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Morarji Desai, P. V. Narasimha Rao and Atal Behari Vajpayee. Brahmin Presidents of India include V. V. Giri, R. Venkataraman, S. Radhakrisnan and Shankar Dayal Sharma.

Military

Medieval period Hindu kings such as King Porus of the Punjab, Samrat Hem Chandra Vikramaditya, also called Hemu, who had established 'Hindu Raj' in North India after defeating Akbar's forces at Agra and Delhi, and had his coronation or Rajyabhishake at Purana Quila in Delhi on 7th Oct. 1556, after winning 22 battles continuously, without losing any, was a Bhargava and Dhusar Brahmin.

Several chiefs of the Indian Army have been brahmins, including General Krishnaswamy Sundarji, General T.N. Raina, General Bipin Chandra Joshi, General Sundararajan Padmanabhan, General V. N. Sharma.

In the Indian Air Force too, brahmins have reached the apex rank of Air Chief. Among these, are Air Marshal Subroto Mukherjee, Air Chief Marshal Swaroop Krishan Kaul, Air Chief Marshal Srinivasapuram Krishnaswamy, Air Chief Marshal S.P. Tyagi. India's first and only cosmonaut, Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma is also a brahmin.

In the Indian Navy, Admiral A.K. Chaterji, and Admiral J.G. Nadkarni are brahmins who rose to the heights of their service. Captain Mahendra Nath Mulla, a Kashmiri Pandit, commander of the INS Khukri received the Maha Vir Chakra during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, for his gallantry at the helm of his stricken ship.

Scholars and Writers

Among Brahmin scholars and writers are Pāṇini, Satyabrata Nath, Patanjali, Kalidas, Satya Sandhani Haridutta Dash Chanakya, Banabhatta, Goswami Tulsidas, Sur Das, Keshav das, Behari Saint Dnyaneshwar, Eknath, Samarth Ramdas. Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore and others like Mahapandit Rahul Sankrityayan, Ramdhari Singh 'Dinkar', Jiddu Krishnamurthy, Hazariprasad Dwivedi, Sumitranandan Pant, Subramanya Bharathy, Tarashankar Bandopadhyay, Ramvriksh Benipuri, Caitanya MahaprabhuSuryakant Tripathi Nirala, Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Bankim Chandra Chatterjee, Srilal Shukla and Manohar Shyam Joshi. Other Brahmin scholars include Pandurang Vaman Kane, Ram Sharan Sharma and Debiprasad Chattopadhyaya. Modern writers include R. K. Narayan, as well as the famous cartoonist R. K. Laxman. Well known journalist Indra Kant Mishra.

Sciences

Scientists from the Brahmin fold include Varahamihira, Brahmagupta, Nobel Laureates Sir C.V.Raman and his nephew Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar, the agricultural scientist M. S. Swaminathan, Prof. A K Joshi(Molecular Plant Breedar. the ethno-sociologist M. N. Srinivas, and the modern genius of mathematics Srinivasa Ramanujan, Shakuntala Devi and C. P. Ramanujam. Raja Ramanna, who was instrumental in making India a nuclear weapons state, was also a Brahmin. PVN Acharya (1924–1993), a "Sri-Vaishnava" Brahmin received his PhD in Biochemistry with highest honors from the University of Paris-Sorbonne, and published papers with his professor, the famous French scientist Edgar Lederer. As a student in Paris and later as a biochemist in Madison, Wisconsin, PV Narasimh Acharya conducted groundbreaking work in Tuberculosis and was the first scientist to propose that "Irreparable DNA Damage" is caused by low dose ionizing radiation, environmental pollutants and the food additives nitrites and nitrates and such damage to the DNA is a causal factor for pre-mature aging and cancer.

Sports

In sports,Cricket major names include Sunil Manohar Gavaskar, Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly, Prakash Padukone, Dilip Balwanth Vengsarkar, Ajit Wadekar, Srinivasan Venkatraghavan, Erapalli Anandrao S Prasanna,Bagawath Subramania Chandrashekhar,Gundappa Vishwanath, Laxman Sivaramakrishnan, Chetan Sharma,Parthasarathy Sharma, Ravi Shastri, Krishnamachari Srikkanth, Anjali Vedpathak, Vangipurappu Venkata Sai Laxman, Anil Kumble, Javagal Srinath, Venkatesh Prasad, Ajay Sharma, Dinesh Karthik, Murali Kartik, Rohit Sharma, Ishant Sharma, Amit Mishra, Subramaniam Badrinath, Suresh Raina, maneesh pandey, Sadagoppan Ramesh, Ajit Agarkar, Hrishikesh Kanitkar, Sunil Joshi and many more.the world chess champion Vishwanathan Anand, Kirti Azad (Criketer & M.P.), National Tennis Champion of the yesteryears(1890s) Stylish Narumanchi Narayanamurthy from Tenali, Andhra Pradesh

Arts

Saint musicians include Thyagaraja, Purandara Dasa, Vyasatirtha, Raghavendra Swami, Muthuswami Dikshitar and Shyama Sastri. In entertainment, Vishnuvardhan, Usha Uthup, Mithun Chakraborty, Kavita Krishnamurthy, Hrishikesh Mukherjee, Hema Malini, Basu Chatterjee, Sudhir PhaDke, Balgandharva, Dr. Vasantrao Deshpande, Ashok Kumar, Kishore Kumar, Mukesh,[Shreya Ghoshal],Udit Narayan, Shantanu Mukherjee, Abhijeet, Kumar Sanu[kedarnath bhattacharya], Alka Yagnik, Madhuri Dixit, Amrita Rao, Sharmila Tagore,, Deepika Padukone, Aditi Govitrikar, Gayatri Joshi, Sonali Bendre, Rani Mukherjee, Kajol, Vidya Balan, Sonali Kulkarni, Sadhana Saragan (original surname is 'Ghanekar') are prominent names. Tansen, Baiju Bawra the musician of Akbar's court was born a Brahmin.Rati Agnihotri, Apurva Agnihotri, Sunil Dutt, Sanjay Dutt, Hrithik Roshan, Kamal Hassan, Mausumi Chatterji, Chunki Pande, Rekha and Meenakshi Sheshadri,Mani Ratnam are also Brahmins.

Several notable names in Indian classical music belong to the Brahmin community, such as Bhimsen Joshi, Pandit Ravi Shankar, Veena Doreswamy Iyengar, Mangalampalli Balamurali Krishna (popularly Dr. Balamurali Krishna), Pandit Jasraj, Shivkumar Sharma,etc.

Saints

Brahmin saints include Adi Shankaracharya, Madhwacharya, Mandana Mishra, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, Goswami Tulsidas, Surdas, Vallabacharya, Dnyaneshwar, Ramakrishna Paramhansa, Ramana Maharshi and Shree Kripalu Maharaj.

Business

Modern business leaders include the founder of Infosys, N. R. Narayana Murthy, Vijay Mallya, Dr. Gururaj "Desh" Deshpande, the founder of the Deshpande Center for Technological Innovation at MIT. and also Jaypee group

See also

• Rajpurohit
• History of Brahmin diet
• Varna in Hinduism
• Brahmin Communities
• Bhumihar Brahmin
• Brahmanism
• Forward Castes
• Social cycle theory
• Bramins of Nepal, Bahun, Brahman-Hill (to be merged)
• Brahma Kumaris
• Vaisnava

References

• Swami Sahajanand Saraswati Rachnawali (Selected works of Swami Sahajanand Saraswati), Prakashan Sansthan, Delhi, 2003.
• Baldev Upadhyaya, Kashi Ki Panditya Parampara, Sharda Sansthan, Varanasi, 1985.
• M.A. Sherring, Hindu Tribes and Castes as Reproduced in Benaras, Asian Educational Services, New Delhi, First ed 1872, new ed 2008.
• Jogendra Nath Bhattacharya, Hindu Castes and Sects, Munshiram Manoharlal, Delhi, first edition 1896, new edition 1995.
• E.A.H.Blunt, The Caste System of North India, S.Chand Publishers, 1969.
• Christopher Alan Bayly, Rulers, Townsmen, and Bazaars: North Indian Society in the Age of British Expansion, 1770–1870, Cambridge University Press, 1983.
• Anand A. Yang, Bazaar India: Markets, Society, and the Colonial State in Bihar, University of California Press, 1999.
• Acharya Hazari Prasad Dwivedi Rachnawali, Rajkamal Prakashan, Delhi.
• Bibha Jha's Ph.D thesis Bhumihar Brahmins: A Sociological Study submitted to the Patna University.
• M. N. Srinivas, Social Change in Modern India, Orient Longman, Delhi, 1995.
• Mahavir Prasad Dwivedi essays.
• Apte (1965). (Document). New Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass. {{cite document}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters: |isbn=, |volume=, |editor-first=, and |editor-last= (help); Invalid |ref=harv (help); Missing or empty |title= (help); Unknown parameter |edition= ignored (help).
• Apte (1966). (Reprint 1997 ed.). New Delhi. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help); Invalid |ref=harv (help); Missing or empty |title= (help).
• Macdonell (1924). (1966 ed.). New Delhi. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help); Invalid |ref=harv (help); Missing or empty |title= (help).
• Monier-Williams, Monier (1899). Delhi. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help); Invalid |ref=harv (help); Missing or empty |title= (help).
• Sontakke, N. S.; Rājvade, V. K., eds. (1972). IAST (First ed.). Pune: IAST. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help); Missing |editor2= (help).

External links

• Topics on Brahmins
• About Kerala Iyers, a.k.a Pattars, the brahmins who moved to Kerala centuries ago from Tamil Nadu
• List Of Andhra Brahmins And Surnames
• A Long List of Brahmin Castes and Sub-castes
• Online Shakdweepiya Community
• Online Shakdweepiya Community
• Shakdweepiya club
• Information by Gujarati author
• Marriage and Matrimony for Brahmins - www.marryAbrahmin.com