Brahmin
Hindu priestly caste. The word is related to but not to be confused with Hindu religious conception of the transcendent and immanent supersoul (not God or a god) "Brahman"; the word Brahmin literally means One who has realised/is attempting to realise Brahman. According to the Purusha Sukta, the lyric sung to the glory of Vishnu, Brahmins are said to have come from the mouth of the Purusha. According to the Vishnusmriti (2-1.17), "A Brahmin teaches the Veda...A Brahmin sacrifices for others, and receives alms...Duties common to all castes are...reverence towards gods and Brahmins."
In India and Nepal, Brahmins, being members of the highest caste, historically enjoyed high social status - notwithstanding the degree of their economic affluence. Culturally, most Brahmins are known for practicing strict vegetarianism, though the practice is today based more on region; Brahmans acting as actual priests, but for few exceptions, are vegetarian. According to certain adherents of the Aryan invasion theory, Brahmins are descendants of the Aryans, who displaced the Dravidians from the northern areas of India. The religion practiced by the early Aryans derived from the Vedas and what scholars know as Brahminism laid part of the societal foundation for Classical Hinduism as witnessed with the advent of the Upanishads, the Ramayana and Mahabharata. Brahmins, the holders of the mantle in Hindu religious affairs, are then said to have dispersed throughout the sub-continent, forming a number of sects and sub-sects. Others feel that Brahmins were not necessarily racially distinct but formed in a socially mobile atmosphere, later concretizing their roles in stricter feudal systems.
The traditional dominance of the Brahmins in the religious and administrative affairs in the Indian polity has been a cause for deep social fissures in the Indian society. Since the 1950s, there has flourished a popular anti-Brahministic movement, especially in the Southern states. The suppression of the so called lower-caste people (dalits) by the Brahmins, led to a massive social revolution, which pressed for "self-respect" and "dignity". In the mid 20th century, many rationalists under the leadership of Thanthai Periyar rose up against the Brahministic hegemony and what they considered to be "meaningless rituals" like caste-hierarchy and untouchability. The movement also professed "active agnosticism". The huge success of the movement led to more equitable conditions, at least in the southern (the so-called Dravidian) states in the society among various castes. The northern states, however are still deeply divided among these lines, with many organizations claiming to assert the superiority of the Brahmin caste and its deservedness for gaining exclusive access to higher echelons of the social hierarchy.
See also: Brahmanas, pandit, Hinduism, Varnas, Caste, Kshatriya, Vaishya, Shudra, Untouchability, Aryan invasion theory
sub-castes of Brahmins
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