The Brahmin Caste of India is a sort of Hindu Clergy. The caste system developed in India in a period known as the Tretayuga - a period that corresponds with the New Stone Age of human history. According to one hypothesis, the Brahmins had their origin as a profession of cooks in ancient times. There are surviving evidences today that support this hypothesis. Read more about this hypothesis at this webpage.

Hindu History

The Origins of Our Caste System in Vedic Times - Brahmins
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By Sudheer Birodkar
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Table of Contents
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But why does the caste system that prevails mainly among the Hindus, also exists in a subconscious manner amongst Muslims in India (Pakistan and Bangla Desh) as also among the Christians and Sikhs in India?

For a long time people from some castes were not allowed entry into temples - A deformity created by the caste system. Seen here is the Jagannath Temple at Puri in eastern India which is one the holiest of Hindu temples and is considered to be one of the four dhams. Adi Shankara also established a Mutt here of which a Jagadguru is in charge. The other three mutts being at Dwarka (in the west), Kanchi (in the South) and Badrinath (in the north)

Casteism amongst Muslims (in Pakistan and India)

Despite their conversion to Islam; Pakistani Muslims still refer to themselves as Jats, Gujjars, Rajputs, etc. This is especially so during match-making in an arranged Nikah (marriage). One instance of the visibility of casteist feelings among Pakistanis is the reference Benazir Bhutto makes in her book 'Daughter of the East', when she says, "In my veins runs the blood of a Wadhera". Wadheras are a Rajput clan from Punjab and Sindh.

Caste also exists among Bangla-Deshi Muslims.

Casteism amongst Indian Christians

Indian Christians also are not free of caste. Goans and East Indian Christians, still refer to themselves as Bamons (Brahmins), Bhandaris, Kolis, Prabhus, etc.

Casteism amongst Sikhs

The Sikhs too refer to themselves as Jat Sikhs, Mazabhi Sikhs, Ramgarhia Sikhs. Jat Sikhs profess surnames like Chauhan (Jagjit Singh Chauhan), Dhillon (Ganga Singh Dhillon), Arora (Jagjit Singh Arora), Oberoi, Saini, etc., that display caste backgrounds.Ramgarhias and Mazhabis have generally no surnames as Sikh tradition recommends.

Why is Casteism an Indelible Pan-Indian (and Pakistani) Reality?

Why is Caste so indelible that it can remain among communities who now profess religions that decry caste distinctions?

Why is it that among Hindus caste is such a sticky factor that it refuses to die despite the Constitution of India's ban of the system?

Why do we still have a Mandalization of Indian Politics?

Why many centuries after their conversion to Islam and Christianity do Muslims and Christians still subconsciously (and at times openly) observe the caste system they inherited from their Hindu ancestors?

Why is Casteism is today still a living, rather festering, practice which continues to plague our 20th century Indian society?

Time and again our newspapers carry reports about caste wars in various parts of our country. While reading about Parliamentary news in newspapers, we come across references to the Jat Lobby, Maratha Lobby, Rajput Lobby, Brahmin Lobby, Dalit Lobby OBC Lobby, etc., which brings to the fore the fact that even at the highest level of our country's democratic institutions, caste as a factor is still a living one. And this brought to be so as in the electoral strategies of political parties we hear of caste-based vote banks, caste politics, caste equations in voting patterns, caste-based reserved constituencies, caste based job reservations (that have existed since independence and have been further articulated by the Mandal Commission), ad nauseam.

All this along with the recurring caste carnages and the ongoing caste politics are a constant reminder to us Indians that caste and casteism which we have inherited from our history are still active and alive around us.

According to one hypothesis, the origin of the clergy in India goes back to the days when humans learnt to ignite fire through friction. Initially the fire must have been obtained from an already burning source like forest fires. In these circumstances, before the days of ignition the task of tending the fire was very crucial. The function of tending the fire became a specialised one which begun to be passed from father to son and this select group came to be called Agni-hotras i.e. 'preservers of fire'. As they tended to the fire they also roasted and later cooked food for the entire tribe. In Vedic literature Agni - fire has been referred to as an eater of dead flesh (Kravyad). Fire also served as a formidable weapon against wild animals and other tribes. Fire was then, as it still is, an object of worship as the tribal peoples had seen fire as a powerful destructive medium in forest fires and volcanic eruptions. But after its domestication, fire spelt prosperity for the nomadic people. Prosperity in the form of warmth from the cold climate, protection from wild beasts, better food by roasting the flesh of the hunted animals, etc. The domestication of fire had provided a gravitating nucleus for the collective life of the tribe (Gana). Hence it could easily become an object of worship. When the nomadic Aryans had progressed towards settled civilized life the Central Fireplace (Yagna) no longer remained the gravitating nucleus of their daily life. But their social memory continued to be ruled by the past reality. As to what the tribal Aryans originally did around this central fireplace can be guessed from the original Yagna rituals which today are kept alive in the Yagnas as performed by Sadhus (i.e. ascetics and hermits). The Yagna Ritual Re-creates all Aspects of Primitive Tribal Collective Life One Contemporary writer describes this Yagna ritual as follows: " The Yagna ritual " ... " is a process in which almost all primitive social life has to be recreated. You have to produce fire by friction of two pieces of wood, to build a cottage where no iron is used but only specific wood and grass, to milk cows, make curds, pound corn with stone (not even a stone mill), boil and cook it, ..." This description brings out the fine semblance between the original Yagna ritual and the function of cooking for a tribal household. In the public Yagnas, like the Rajasuya and Ashwamedha Yagna that were sponsored in later ages by kings, many alterations and refinements were introduced but the original primitive features stuck fast. These royal Yagnas involved the coming together of innumerable Brahmins, the consigning to the central fire, generous quantities of sandalwood, camphor, ghee (clarified butter), grains, and even sacrificial animals and birds. All this corresponds to the central fireplace theory as the origin of the Yagna. This lingering social memory perpetuated the practice of having the central fire, which in the changed circumstances became a ritualised form of worship. The recollection of the extinct past fermented ideas that invocation of the fire would again spell wealth and prosperity as it had after its domestication. In the Yagna ritual of later days up to our own age, the hymns sung in the Vedic days are recited, the collective social life is reconstructed in a ritualised manner with the fond hope that all this would spell prosperity for the performers of the Yagna. But the Agni-hotras, who conducted the Yagnas by virtue of being placed in between the tribe and the domesticated fire, also performed the functions like making offerings to the fire and invoking it to spell prosperity for the tribe, victory in war, etc., apart from roasting and later cooking which was their primary function. These Agni-hotras were the prototype of the Brahmin caste of today. In addition to this the hereditary monopoly over the cooking function in Vedic times also gave this section the priestly functions of invoking the fire-god in favour of the tribe. Thus they came to be looked upon as representatives of God, whose word carried divine sanction. This being so they also came to acquire the exclusive right of learning (and writing) religious scriptures and virtually of all knowledge. This was so as, in ancient India, most knowledge had scriptural overtones. Astrology, Astronomy, Mathematics, Philosophy, linguistics, Law, etc., were the main areas which were developed in ancient India and all these subjects were closely bound up with religious dogmas. The Agni-hotras "tenderers of the fire" who had become the clergy (Brahmins), could thus virtually monopolize the areas of acquiring and imparting education, to the exclusion of other castes.

The institution and attitude both of which go into the making of caste and casteism in today's India remain an enigmatic one for Indians as also for foreign Indologists. The fact that casteist feelings are still part of our psyche make it all the more relevant that we are informed about how the institution of caste could have come into being.

The Scriptural Explanation

Our scriptures already have an answer to this. The Purusha Sukta of the Rig Veda says that the four fold division of society into Brahmins (priests), Kshatriyas (warriors), Vaishyas (cultivators) and Shudras (menial servants) has been created by primeval man 'Purusha'. From Purusha's brain have emerged the Brahmins, from his forearms have emerged the kshatriyas from his abdomen have emerged the Vaishyas and from his feet have emerged the Shudras.

But to examine how the institution of caste could have originated alongwith the auxiliary practices of untouchability and endogamy we will have a peep into the society in which the composers of the Rig Veda lived some three to four thousand years back.

NOTE ON THE ARYAN INVASION THEORY (AIT)

But before we proceed further with our discussion on the evolution of Caste, we shall digress into the ongoing debate about the AIT

The Case Against the AIT

There are conflicting theories of the origin of the Aryans regarding their geographical placement and chronology. There is one school that believes that the Aryans originated in India - hence the name Indo-Aryan or Indo-European.

One finding that lends credence to India being the original home of the Aryans is the observations of Nakshatras (star patterns of the Zodiac) that are mentioned in the Vedas, and the Upanishads, which according to modern astronomical techniques are supposed to have existed around 7000 B.C.E. to 9000 B.C.E. This would mean that those who made those observations had not only developed the keen sense of observing and noting down what they saw in the skies, but that they lived in between 7000 B.C.E. and 9000 B.C.E. This pushes back the age of Indian civilization to a much older date than that of the Mesopotemian and Egyptian civilizations which are generally considered to be the birthplaces of human civilization.

Another finding used to support India being the original home of the Aryans is the deciphering of the script of the Saraswati Sindhu valley civilization to be in fact Sanskrit. This is also used to support the theory that the founders of this civilization were in fact Sanskrit speakers. Sanskrit is the language of the Aryans. Thus if the founders of the Saraswati Sindhu Valley civilization spoke and wrote in Sanskrit, then they must be Aryans. This point is used to support the theory that India is the original home of the Aryans.

Thus it was from India, which according to this school, was the cradle of civilization, the Aryans spread all over the globe. And as India was the original home of the Aryans the AIT (Aryan Invasion Theory of India) stands disproved. But for our discussion, it is irrelevant as to where and exactly when the Aryans originated. It is sufficient to say that they followed a certain way of life in which the caste system was born in an embryonic state and then evolved to ultimately reach its present form.

Buddha preached against observing caste distinctions. Entry into a Buddhist Stupa (temple) was open to members of all castes, unlike that in the case of many Hindu temples. Seen here is the ornate entrance to the Stupa at Sanchi which is representative of the Maurya and Post-Maurya style of sculpture. This style was to change and become more ornate in the middle ages.

The Case for the AIT

The supporters of the AIT quote the existence of legends like the Dev-Asura Sangram of the Samudra Mantan legend, the reference to the Dasa-Rajna Yuddha (Battle of kings belonging to the Dasa or Dasyu races and that of the Rajna or Aryan race). The Dasa-Rajna Yuddha has also been interpreted to mean the battle of Ten kings. Dasa meaning the figure Ten in Sanskrit.

Another issue referred to by the supporters of the AIT is the reference to the constant struggle between the Asuras, Rakshasas, Daityas and Danavas on one side with the Devas on the other. The Asuras are always portrayed in legend as attacking the settlements of the Aryans and destroying the Yagnas. This is assumed to be the struggle between the Pre-Aryans and the Aryans. The existence of finer features among caste Hindu (especially among the Brahmins) and darker and coarser features among the scheduled castes and scheduled tribes in particular is also stated as a physical evidence of the thesis supporting the AIT, that the pre-Aryans were dark and coarse featured and the Aryans were fair. They quote the references in the Rig Veda according to which the Dasyus are referred to as being Anansa (Noseless).

Another point they quote is the reference to Indra the mythical king of the Aryans as Destroyer of Cities (Purandara), and Destroyer of Dams (Vrita-ghna). The reference to a city by the name Hariyupiya in the Rig Veda is also quoted as referring to Harrappa, where considerable archeological findings were made of the Saraswati Sindhu civilization. This is quoted to state that the Aryans were the ones who destroyed the Saraswati, Drishadvati, Sindhu civilization, before they themselves succumbed to the charm of Indian civilization and became Indianized to later on develop the classical Hindu civilization in the Ganges Valley. The struggle in the Ramayana epic between the Rakshasas led by Ravana and the king of Ayodhya Sri Rama who is helped by Pawan Putra, Hanuman the King of the Vanaras (who are said to be pre-Aryan) is said to symbolize the struggle between the Aryans and the pre-Aryan Dravidians.

The "Test" of Language in Support of the AIT

Another theory that is put forth to support the AIT is that none of the spoken vernacular Indian languages are grammatically similar to Sanskrit, while they are grammatically similar to each other. This is used to infer that while the Indian vernacular languages borrow a lot from the Sanskrit vocabulary (in a simplified form), they are not derived from Sanskrit. The philological test of one language having derived from another is the similarity in grammar, the sentence structure - the protagonists of the AIT say. For example, in Sanskrit we say "Krunaavantoh Vishwam Aryam which means "We should Aryanize the World". But in none of the Indian languages is this sentence structure replicated. For example in Hindi, this would read as "Hamen Vishwa Koh Aryamay Karna Hai" and in Gujarati it would read "Aapan ney Vishwanu Aryamay Karvaanu Chey" and in Marathi it would read "Aaplyalaa Vishwaalaa Aryamaya Karaayache Ahey". The word order in the South Indian languages is also different from that of Sanskrit.

So while the different Indian vernaculars are strikingly similar to each other in their sentence structure and word order, they have no similarity with Sanskrit grammar at all, except that the individual words are borrowed from Sanskrit. Thus it is said that while almost all Indian languages (except Tamil) spoken by Hindus today have borrowed most of their vocabulary from Sanskrit, they have descended from some pre-Aryan language. This is the "claim" of those who support the AIT.

Irrelevance of the AIT

But we should underline here that both the case for the AIT and that against the AIT are based on the fallacy of racial purity. There are no pure Aryans, Dravidians, Mundas, Kushanas, Yavanas (Greeks), Shakas, Parthavas, Pahlavas, Hunas, etc in India. Indians today are a mix of all these and many more.

And why only in India, people all over the world are a result of the global melting pot. Yes there are very broad and general groupings like the Negroid, Caucasioids, Mongoloids, etc, but that is all. It is ridiculous to talk of pure races because people all over the world have interbred. What we today describe as Homo Sapien are also a mix of different evolutionary streams like the Homo Neanderthalers, Homo Erectus, Homo Ramapicthecus, etc. People all over the globe look physically different and even within small nations we find people who are physically quite different from each other. And national boundaries are just a creation of the last 200 to 300 years and these boundaries keep changing. The point is that people all over the globe over all the ages have been migrating from place to place. Hence to refer to the inhabitants of a country as being indigenous to that country is ridiculous. All over the world we the humans are made up of multi-ethnic combinations.

Hence the debate on the AIT is only of academic interest. Nothing at all changes if it is proved that the Aryans were of Indian origin within a period of say the last 5000 or 10,000 years. People all over the globe have been moving and migrating from place to place. And so nothing changes even if it is proved that at a certain time the Aryans moved from another part of our globe into India. The result of the AIT does not enhance or reduce the greatness (or otherwise) of Indian Civilization. Those who are paranoid to prove that the Aryans were invaders as far as India is concerned; or that they are indigenous to India; may well note that we the Indians today are not Aryan or Dravidian, or Munda, or Shaka, or Kushana. We are a mix of all of them and many more. And not only in India, but this is true all over the globe. Hence it is futile to link the evaluation of Indian Culture and Indian ideas with the outcome of AIT.

.The author of this web page does not support or refute the AIT. Even if the Aryans came into India at some point in time some thousands of years back, the fact is that they merged into the Indian population and along with the rest contributed to Indian civilization. This kept happening with all those who came in later like the Yavanas (Greeks), Kushanas, Shakas, Hunas, etc.

The only exception was that of the coming of the Muslims who with their barrack like lifestyle and contempt for everything non-Islamic and Non-Arabic left a split in every part of the globe they overran in their Jihad.

If on the other hand the Aryans went from India to different parts of the globe, nothing changes as far as the evaluation of Indian civilization is concerned. We are concerned with the human and moral worth of Indian Ideas like Vasudaiva Kutumbakam (The World is One Family) and Ekam Sat Viprah Bahuda Vadanti (Universal Reality if One, Different people call it by Different Names). We are concerned with the actual provable achievements of ancient Indians in the fields of the physical sciences.

For our approach, the outcome of the debate on the AIT is irrelevant.

BRAHMINS - THOSE BAPTISED BY FIRE

To continue with our discussion, Caste is a gift of centuries of history whose origin goes back to 3 or 4 millennia. It goes back to a past when like all other humans, the tribal Aryans roamed the open plains and traversed mountain ranges before settling down along river valleys of the Saraswati, Drishadwati (now dried up), Sindhu and the Ganga (Ganges). In the new stone age these tribals lived in conditions of savagery and barbarism.

There obviously was no room for caste division as each and every able-bodied male member had to) help in the tribe's only vocation of hunting and gathering the means of subsistence. This common form of labour is referred to as "Satra" in the Rig Veda. This term which literally means 'a session' is still used to refer to religious activities which involve the collective chanting of slokas (hymns).

Agni-hotras the 'preservers of fire'

But with the domestication of fire, things began to change. It became necessary for some members of the Aryan tribes to undertake the task of tending the fire and prevent it from being extinguished. This was before the days when humans learnt to ignite fire through friction. Initially the fire must have been obtained from an already burning source like forest fires.

In these circumstances, before the days of ignition the task of tending the fire was very crucial. The function of tending the fire became a specialised one which begun to be passed from father to son and this select group came to be called Agni-hotras i.e. 'preservers of fire'. As they tended to the fire they also roasted and later cooked food for the entire tribe.

Hinduism and the social structure associated with Hindu society represent a combination of extreme philosophical tolerance but cultural intolerance in its social structure. Hence, Hindus welcomed other faiths into India, but observed a strict caste discrimination. Seen here is the Dancing Shiva at Halebid. A creation of medieval Hindu craftsmanship.

Fire was then, as it still is, an object of worship as the tribal peoples had seen fire as a powerful destructive medium in forest fires and volcanic eruptions. By virtue of being placed between the tribe and the domesticated fire, this section of the tribe also performed functions like making offerings to the fire and invoking it to spell prosperity for the tribe, victory in war, etc., apart from cooking which was their primary function. These Agni-hotras were the prototype of the Brahmin caste of today.

The above theory of the origin of the Brahmin caste may seem fantastic and unbelievable, but even today we can see that at our weddings or any other social and religious occasions the cooks are traditionally Brahmins. In some Indian languages the word for cook is Achari which comes quite close to Acharya meaning a scholar. In Hindi and Gujarati the word Maharaj is used to address both priests and cooks. Another word which we use to designate a scholar viz. 'Shastri' also originally meant a wielder of instruments and not a scholar according to the; noted Sanskritalogist P.V. Kane.

For a proper appreciation of the origin of Brahmins as professional cooks in Vedic society, we need to clearly understand the term "Agni-hotra" as meaning "Preserver of Fire".

Etymology of the term "Agni-Hotra" Preserver of Fire

The Sanskrit term for the verb "to preserve" are Traee and Troo, and Agni obviously is fire. From the sandhi (amalgam of the two words - for the benefit of non-Sanskrit literate readers) of Agni and Troo the term Agnihotra could have been derived. This is not as per the tenets of Pannini's Vyakrana, but then we are referring to the Sanskrit of a period far before Pannini. I am basing this etymology on the meanings given in the Sanskrit dictionary by Vaman Shivram Apte.

Yagna was Orignally the Cooking Process for the Tribe

The origin of the Brahmins as cooks can be understood only in the context of the Yagna being looked upon as a ritualization of the cooking function. The Yagna is a term we popularly understand as a fire sacrifice involving the offering of grains, clarified butter, sandalwood etc, to a fire . This fire is ignited in a special fireplace called the Kund, which literally means a "Pot". This indicates that the original yagna could have involved a pot. This is again a hypothesis.

Yagna is normally performed with the objective of ushering in prosperity or to avoid disaster. For performing a Yagna a minimum number of five priests are required although many more priests may participate. A Yagna is normally accompanied by mass feeding of people, the food being distributed as Prasad (i.e food which has been sanctified by offering it to the Gods). Rituals similar to yagna are performed during marriage, thread ceremony, vaastu shanti (opening ceremony for a house), etc. when a sacred fire is ignited in a kund.

The Saffron Colour of the Hindu flag originates from the colour of Fire

In ancient times, fire, had the utility of keeping oneself warm and also of cooking food over it. Because of this utlity of fire, it came to be regarded as sacred. This utility was also the rationale of keeping the fire in a constant state of ignition and of carrying it from place to place along with the migrations of the Aryan tribe (Gana). Fire had then to be kept in a constant state of ignition as in very ancient times (before the discovery of igniting fire), fire had to be taken from an already burning source and then preserved by the 'Preservers of fire' the Agni-hotras.

Fire has since then played a central part in Hindu religious rituals. Even the Hindu (including the Sikh, Jain and Buddhist) flag has the colour of fire - saffron. This is so as, initially, it was the actual fire that was carried from one place to another as a sacred object. Later on when it became cumbersome to keep up the practice of actually carrying the fire when it was no longer necessary to carry it after the discovery of the method of igniting a fire; a flag with the colour of fire with the two tails representing flames of fire was devised to symbolize and replace the actual fire.

It is widely known that Yagna is a very old tradition in the Hindu religion and it is looked upon as a Vedic ritual. In Vedic literature there are innumerable descriptions of a Yagnas being performed. The origin of the Yagna though lost in history, the rituals associated with it today throw light as to its nature as the central fireplace of the Gana (tribe).

The following corollary between terms for priestly functions and cooking further supports the hypothesis of Brahmins being descended from cooks and Yagna as a ritualization of the original cooking function.

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This corollary between cooking and priestly functions may appear to be outrageous and unreal but the etymological closeness between the Sanskrit words given below also corroborates this corollary:

GOD Shri Shripati ________ FAITH Shradhaa ________ PRIEST Shrotriya Sadhu (ascetic) Yajakaha ________ PRAYING Bhajana Pathana

FOOD Shri Shraa, Shraadha (Food offered to God and departed relatives) ________ COOK Shrapayati Siddha Pachakaha ________ COOKING ROASTING Bhajja Bharjana Patharaha

(Source : English-Sanskrit Dictionary by Prof. Vaman Shivram Apte, Mumbai, 1920)

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A portion of the Belur temple complex in Karnataka that is famous for its richly intricate carvings. Such carvings were undertaken by skilled craftsmen belonging to the ocupational castes, who were generally not allowed entry into the temples after their construction.

But this apart, Hindu Shastras (religious texts) have another explanation to offer as per the Holy scriptures ' Brahma Janayate Iti Brahamana' i.e. a Brahmin is a person who has mastered the essence of Brahma (Universe). In the Bhagavad Geeta, Sri Krishna says that the caste divisions have been created by Him.

But if the earlier theory is correct it would justify the origin of Brahmins as a profession of cooks. It is quite possible that this is the explanation behind the Brahmin insistence on cleanliness and purification which quite logically seem to be a corollary of the culinary profession.

In fact even the Yagna fire sacrifice of today is a ritualization of the original cooking function. During the Yagna; milk, honey, grains, clarified butter and small figures of animals Pista Pashu) made from wheat flour have to be offered to the fire. A Yagna is accompanied with mass feeding of people. As mentioned in an earlier chapter in the original Yagna ritual, which is today observed only by some Sadhus (ascetics) is a process in which almost all primitive social life has to be recreated. You have to produce fire by friction of two pieces of wood, to build a cottage where no iron is used but only specific wood and grass, to milk cows, to make curds, pound corn with stone (not even a stone mill), kill and skin animals, boil and cook them". This description brings out the close resemblance between the original Yagna ritual and the function of cooking on which Brahmin's had come to acquire hereditary monopoly.

The Jains were the first sect to break away from Hinduism. They observe the caste distinctions associated with the Hindu social structure, but with less intensity. Seen here are the Arwahi Group of Jain statues near Gwalior date which back to the 9th century.

But this hereditary monopoly over the cooking function in Vedic times also gave this section the priestly functions of invoking the fire-god in favour of the tribe. Thus they came to be looked upon as representatives of God, whose word carried divine sanction. This being so they also came to acquire the exclusive right of learning (and writing) religious scriptures and virtually of all knowledge. This was so as, in ancient India, most knowledge had scriptural overtones. Astrology, Astronomy, Mathematics, Philosophy, linguistics, Law, etc., were the main areas which were developed in ancient India and all these subjects were closely bound up with religious dogmas.

Brahmins who had become the clergy, could thus virtually monopolize the areas of acquiring and imparting education, to the exclusion of other castes.

There are strict injunctions in our Dharmashastras (legal literature) against the taking of education by the Shudras. According to the Dharmashastras, Shudras should remain beyond earshot when the Vedas are being recited, the Manusmriti goes a step ahead when it says that molten lead should be poured into the ears of a Shudra who even accidentally hears the Vedic chants. This typifies the attitude of the retrograde orthodoxy towards monopolizing learning and education.