Many shades of Brahmins — From religious preachers to custodians of Faith
Who are brahmins? Can we become Brahmin by virtue of our birth or by virtue of our deeds? Can a Shudra become a brahmin and a brahmin become a Sudra? There are more questions and no clear and definite answer. People are often confused by religious dogmas which are often circulated through random beliefs. My attempt here is to cut through the clutter of beliefs and understand what religious texts have mentioned.
Who are Brahmins?
As per Dharmasutras, Brahmins are the people who should have knowledge of Vedas and they were trained in conducting rituals as per Vedic and other religious requirements. Dharmasastras have defined the various characteristics of Brahmins. The most descriptive explanation is given in Vajrasuchika Upanishad. It poses several questions and gives the answers. In the end, It defines who should be eligible to call himself a Brahmin. It negates the theory of the varna system by birth and attaches competency and attributes to the role of Brahmin. It defines those principles like — One who is devoid of hatred, devoid of evil, consider himself part of every living being, contended, full of empathy, cheerful and happy, free from anger and reaction, free from lust, bias, and attraction, free from ego and expectation can become a Brahmin. Anyone who can attain this state can become a brahmin. Hence the knowledge of Sanskrit, knowledge of Vedas, and other religious texts like Puranas, and the ability to perform rituals is not sufficient for a Brahmin. Anyone who attains this knowledge and characteristics can be a Brahmin and that there is no limitation. Chapter IX of Gautama Dharmasutra, one of the most detailed of all, defines the obligations to be performed by brahmins. After going through them, it will be hard to imagine that one will be ready to play the role of a brahmin, nor will it be possible in the modern era.
Caste System
Rigveda, the earliest Hindu text RigVeda, does not identify any caste. I can say with utmost sincerity that there is no evidence of it. One particular portion is introduced out of context in Purusa Sukta and then it says nothing about it. The Mandala 10, Sukta 90, Hymn 12 says — “The Brahman was his mouth, of both his arms was the Rajanya made. His thighs became the Vaisya, from his feet the Sudra was produced”. This has been referred to in Manusmmriti but Manusmiriti used this to expand the caste system. However, Manusmriti has compliance requirements for Brahmins that are too hard to satisfy. Manusmriti defines the role of Brahmins as “he (lord) assigned teaching and studying (the Veda), sacrificing for their own benefit and for others, giving and accepting (of alms).” [1.88]. Similarly, it assigns the work for all varnas.
Single Born and Twice Born (Dvija)
This is the most controversial part of so-called Hinduism and an unresolved mystery. As per scriptures, the creation happened from a cosmic egg. Even Sudras are part of the cosmic egg. Higher castes like Brahmins, Kshatriyas, and Vaisyas, as per Manusmriti has to go through some Vedic rituals (upanayana) and take the second birth to be recognized in the caste. Sudras cannot go through the rituals. But what about women? Frankly, I am yet to know what Manusmriti will say as the rituals are for men.
Upanishads also refer to a cosmic creation, do not make that distinction, and do not subscribe to Dvija. Most Upanishads I have referred to so far have discussed atman (self) and Brahman ( cosmic universe) and the connection between them. Rigveda has not stated anything of this kind. This only indicates that this concept was later introduced during the compilation of Manusmriti and may not have been the original part of Hinduism. As Sudras are part of the same cosmic egg, the distinction was needed and a rule was introduced that those who were born above the naval of the purest part of the body have the privilege of Dvija. Hence, it will not be hard to conclude that Manusmriti deviates from basic tenets from the so-called Hinduism which considers everyone like same.
Skanda Purana Vol.18 Book VI, Nagar Kanda, Chapter 239, however, has referred to Dvija and stated that everyone is born Sudra. By accepting Samskara (Purification) one becomes Dvija and by the study of Veda one becomes Vipra and the knower of Brahman is Brahmana. (जन्मना जायते शूद्रः संस्कारात् द्विज उच्यते | वेद–पाठात् भवेत् विप्रः ब्रह्म जानाती ब्राह्मणः). Going by the definition of Skanda Purana, this is by deeds and not by birth. The same thing has been stated in Vajrasuchika Upanishad. Hence, we can safely conclude here that Manusmriti can be overruled using Vedas and Upanishads who do not align with certain parts of it. Moreover, Manusmriti in its original form does not exist today and can be considered as another reason why we cannot rely on it.
Brahman, Brahma, Brahmana and Brahmin
This is for the sake of clarity of the four words. Brahman is the cosmic omnipresent universe that cannot be imagined but realized through deeper meditation. Brahma is the creator god within the Trimurti. Brahmanas are the instruction embedded in Vedas as a secondary text for Brahmins to understand and execute the rituals (call it standard operating procedure) and Brahmin is the Varna which we discussed above. This is being provided for clarity purposes as these terms of often referred to in various texts.
Shades of Brahmins
A Brahmin is called Vipra if he becomes a thought leader, a poet, is able to enhance the body of knowledge and a theologist. This category is very rare for example Adi Shankaracharya was one who can be considered as Vipra. Adi Shankaracharya understood the concept of so-called Hinduism which is more of a way of life and not a religion. Adi Shankaracharya promoted Advait Vedanta which is derived from Upanishads as true knowledge and philosophical view. Many Brahmins followed the harsh principles of a humble lifestyle and high thinking but some manipulated the scriptures and transitioned themselves from preachers to proprietors of religion thereby causing injury which ultimately impacted the evolution of Hinduism.
Rise of Buddhism
The period of the Gupta dynasty (4th Century CE — 6th Century CE) is also known as the Golden Age of India because of the considerable achievements of Indians in the fields of mathematics, astronomy, science, religion, and philosophy. During this period, Buddhism flourished in India and it paved the way for cultural changes as well as the revival of Hinduism. Prior to Guptas, the rise of Buddhism between the 6th to 4th centuries BCE brought considerable challenges to Brahmins and they became redundant. According to Abraham Eraly, “Brahmin as a varna hardly had any presence in historical records before the Gupta Empire era”. The revival of Hinduism by Guptas created opportunities for Brahmins to win back their lost ground. Later successive rules destroyed Buddhism and Brahmins were back on the center stage.
Conclusion
In this study, I have tried to resolve the contradictions and perceptions about Brahmins. These are sometimes selectively discussed. Hinduism in its true form as mentioned in Vedas and Upanishads does not discriminate or differentiate. When the religious preachers mutate into custodians of faith and power, the rot begins. Anyone wearing a sacred thread or performing rituals cannot be Brahmin. We are all Sudras by birth and Brahmin, Kshatriya or Vaisya by deeds.
