Brahmin

Who is a Hindu? Are Brahmins a single, homogenous group? Published on 25th April, 2021, in Mumbai Mirror. Brahmins have to be distinguished from rishis, who actually ‘saw’ the mantras and transmitted them in the Vedas. They were different from tapasvis, sanyasis and sramanas who meditated, practiced yoga, and performed tantric rites. In theory, they were aware of “brahmana”, the impersonal divine that animates the cosmos. In practice, they were men who memorised and transmitted Vedic chants and Vedic rituals. Killing them was akin to destroying a library as writing was unknown in the Vedic times, and all chants were passed down by word-of-mouth. So, ..

Brahmins as Kingmakers: A glimpse into the political scenario in ancient India. Published on 11th July, 2020, in Economic Times If you read Indian history, you would often come across stories in which a king, wanting to coronate himself, or an ambitious warlord, wanting to transform himself into a king, would invite Brahmins from a particular region to consecrate him. The reason (more often than not) was that the local Brahmins would not support him. Unless he got Brahmin support, he could not legitimise himself as a king. This role of Brahmin peaked from the 3rd Century onwards, marking the rise of the Gupta kings ..

Published on 17th February, 2019, in Mumbai Mirror. In Hindu scriptures, killing a Brahmin is deemed the worst of sins. It is called Brahma-hatyapaap. And he who kills a Brahmin is considered the greatest sinner. Yet, Hindu scriptures are filled with stories in which gods kill Brahmins. In the Ramayana, Ram kills Ravana, who abducted Sita. Ravana, though the king of rakshasas, is considered a Brahmin, a great scholar of the Vedas, a devotee of Shiva, a composer of many Shaivite hymns and astrological texts. Therefore, in many parts of India such as Rameswaram and Rishikesh, temple legends state that Ram atoned for the crime ..

Published on 2nd August, 2017, on www.dailyo.in . Many people say that India’s caste system is simply a rational division of labour to promote efficiency and effectiveness. Those who say this usually associate themselves with the top two tiers (Brahmin and Kshatriya), less commonly with the third tier (Vaishya) and hardly any with the fourth tier (Shudra). If anyone says I am proud to be a Shudra, it is more from a sense of rebellion than wisdom or affection. And if people are proud to be Brahmin and Kshatriya, it has more to do with the desire to be dominant and less to do with ..