Viswamitra and Menaka
Compiled by by London Swaminathan;
Post No.848 dated 18th February 2014
I have already written how Ramanuja converted lot of people from non Brahmins to Brahmins. I have also written another post ‘Who is a Brahmin?’
Now see what Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan, a great scholar, philosopher and former President of India, says about non Brahmins becoming Brahmins:
“Caste divisions are based on individual temperament, which is not immutable. In the beginning there was only one caste. We were all Brahmins or Sudras. A Smriti text says that one is born a Sudra, and through purification he becomes a Brahmin. People were divided into different castes according to social needs and individual action.
The Brahmins are the priests. They should have neither property nor executive power. They are the seers who constitute the conscience of society.
Viswamitra and Menaka
The Kshatriyas are the administrators, whose principle is reverence for life.
The Vaisyas are traders and craftsmen, men of technical ability who aim at efficiency.
The routine workers, the proletariat are the Sudras. They take no interest in their work as such, where they carry instructions and contribute only a fraction. They lead a life of innocent impulse and adopt traditional ways.
“Hinduism has a bewildering variety of racial elements at all levels of development. The four orders supersede the original racial elements. It is a classification based on social facts and psychology. The recognition of the spirit in man is the essential feature of Hindu religion, and in this respect all men are equal.
Brahmin Poulation of India Map
In the Mahabharata , we are told that the Yavanas (Greeks), the Kiratas, the Dardaras (Dards), the Chinas (Chinese), the Sakas (Scythians), the Pahlavas (Parthians), the Savaras (Pre Dravidian Tribes) and several other non Hindu peoples, belonged to the one or the other of the four classes. These foreign tribes were absorbed into the Hindu society.
“The great empire builders, the Nandas, the Mauryas and the Guptas were according to the orthodox view, low-born. The Gupta emperors married the Licchavis, who were regarded as Mlecchas.
The basis of the Varna dharma is that every human being must try to fulfil the law of his development.
Non Brahmins who became Brahmins:
“While it was the intention of the scheme to develop the requisite spirit and tradition in the members of the classes by a proper employment of the forces of heredity and education, it was not viewed in a rigid way. In special cases individuals and groups changed their social class.
Visvamitra, Ajamidha and Puramidha were admitted to the status of the Brahmin class, and even composed Vedic hymns.
Yaska in his Nirukta, tells us of two brothers Santanu and Devapi , one became a Kshatriya king and the other a Brahmin priest.
Kavasa, the son of a slave girl Ilusa, was ordained as a Brahmin priest at a sacrifice.
Janaka, a Kshatriyas by birth, attained the rank of a Brahmin by virtue of his ripe wisdom and saintly character.
The Bhagavatham tells us the elevation of the Kshatriya clan named Dhastru to Brahminhood.
Jatyutkarsa is provided for. Even though a Sudra, if you do good, you become a Brahmin. We are Brahmins not on account of birth or the performance of rites, not by study or family, but on account of our behaviour. Even if we are born Sudras, by good conduct we can raise ourselves to the highest status.
“The human being is always becoming. His essence is movement, not arrested movement. Megasthenes gives us a division different from the caste groupings. He puts the class of statesmen and officials at the top and hunters and jungle men as the sixth division.
Patanjali refers to Brahmin kings, and Manu to sudra rulers. There were Brahmin soldiers in the time of Alexander, as there are today.
“Manu’s unfortunate references to Sudras were perhaps motivated by his opposition to Buddhism. Manu limits the right to study the dharma sastras to Brahmins, while Sankara holds the members of all castes can read them.
A famous verse of Mahabharata makes out that we are all born Brahmins, and happen to belong to different classes on account of our conduct and occupation.
The Bhagavad Gita points out that there are only four Varnas based on natural aptitude and vocation, and two classes of persons, divine (Deva) and demoniac (Asura)”.
From the book Radhakrishnan Reader- An Anthology, published by Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan.
Picture of Present day Brahmin
King Baliraja’s wife was Sudeshna. Bali persuaded her to produce a son through Dirghatama. She had five sons named Anga, Vanga, Kalinga, Pudrya and Suhya. Each of them started a separate dynasty and ruled over different parts. This anecdote describing how Kshatriyas kings were sometimes born of Brahmana fathers, was related by Bhishma to Satyavati to support his suggestion that a Brahman be invited to produce sons in the wives of Vichitravirya who had died childless (MB 1/104)
Yajur Veda prays for all the Four Castes:
“Give lustre to our Brahmanas
Give lustre to our Kingly men
Give lustre to our Vaisyas and Sudra” (Y.V. VS 18-48)
Buddha and Asoka on Brahmins:
Buddha has one full chapter on Brahmins in The Dhammapada. That was the last chapter, probably to emphasise their importance. He admired the ascetic virtues of the Brahmanas. Buddha talked about building a new type Brahminhood irrespective of one’s heredity.
Emperor Asoka showed respect to Brahmins by mentioning them first and then other sects like Sramans etc. in his edicts. (E.g Girnar Edict No-13).
Buddha had two Brahmin Teachers :
Gautama’s search led him to become the disciple of the Brahmin ascetics Aalaara Kaalaama and Uddlaka Raamaputta who instructed him in their own doctrine and discipline.
Picture of Brahmins at present.
Brhad- aranyaka Upanishad
Knowing him, the atman, the Brahmins relinquish the desire for posterity, the desire for possessions, the desire for worldly prosperity and go forth as mendicants (bhikshacaryam caranti)iii-5
Brahmins in Ancient Tamil Nadu
There were two types of Brahmins in ancient Tamil Nadu, those who followed the Srutis (Vedas) and Smritis (Law Books) and others who did not follow the Vedic strictures. Prof. V R RAMACHANDRA DIKSHITAR in his commentary on The Cilappatikaram (Purancheri iruththa katai lines 37,38) adds the following details:
“A community of Brahmanas , but coming low in the social hierarchy. They are said to be ‘ambanavar’ who took to the profession of acting and dancing. As they did not pursue their swadharma society regarded them as inferior. The position which the Brahmanas held in the society in the age of the Cankam classics is clear. There was the Vedic Brahmana engaged in reading and teaching the Vedas and also in performing Vedic sacrifices. He evoked respect from every one. There was the laukika Brahmana who strayed from the prescribed path and took to professions other than those enjoined by the law of the land.
“In the Akananuru (24) we have the expression ‘velaparppan’ meaning Brahmana engaged in making bangles. Among the laukikas come the ‘ambanava’ also. The term ‘ur parppan’ in South Indian inscriptions is another reference to the laukika members of the Brahmana community. This only shows that in addition to the Vedic Brahmanas there also existed Brahmanas who took to worldly professions, and to whom society did not give the same status as that enjoyed by the Vedic Brahmanas”.
My comments: Nakkirar was a well known Tamil poet of Sangam Age. Though he was a Brahmin ,he did not follow the Brahminical customs. He was making bangles cut out of white Chanks (conches). When he questioned another poor Brahmin by name Dharumi in the Royal Court of Pandyas, Shiva himself came in support of the Brahmin poet. But Nakkirar challenged even Lord Shiva. When Shiva laughed at his challenge, he asked him “At least I belong to the sect of Bangle makers. You don’t even have a clan, or caste or creed.”
(Sangu Aruupathu Engal Kulam, Sankaranaarkku Ethu Kulam? In Tamil)
This shows that there were a s group of Brahmins doing other types of jobs. This historical incident was referred to in Thevaram by Appar and in Tiru Vilayatal Purana by Paranjothi.
Quotes from Katha Sarit Sagara (Largest Story Collection in the World)
On Brahmanas:–
Brahmanas are always soft hearted (Story of Vararuci)
Brahmanas can accomplish all things in the world by means of ceremonies in accordance with the scriptures (Story of Devasmita)
Brahmanas who live by chanting Samaveda are the home of timidity, boorishness and ill- temper (Story of Vidusaka)
Contact swami_48@yahoo.com
My previous posts:
1. Ramanuja and Non Brahmins; posted on 15 May 2013
2. Who is a Brahmin?; Posted on 4 June 2013
3. No Brahmins! No Tamil ! (posted on 14 January 2012)
4. Foreign Travel banned for Brahmins (posted 26 November. 2013
5. Who are Dravidians? Posted on July 17,2013
6. Brahmins deserve an entry into Guinness Book of Records (26 January 2012 in this blog and earlier as a series in a Tamilbrahmin site)
Contact swami_48@yahoo.com
Pictures are taken from various sites.Thanks.
Tamil and Vedas 
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