From: krashok@mse.ogi.edu (Ashok Krishnamurthy)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.tamil
Subject: Reg.Who is a Brahmin....From Ashok Krishnamurthy
Date: 17 Nov 92 05:28:51 GMT
Article-I.D.: ogicse.46011
Distribution: world
Organization: Oregon Graduate Institute, Material Science & Engineering

Reg. Who is a Brahmin...From Ashok Krishnamurthy
------------------------------------------------

I hv been reading with interest various articles appearing
in this newsgr.reg.the above.I give below my views and 
opinions gathered fm various sources.

The genesis of gr. such as Brahmins,Vaishysas,etc:
-------------------------------------------------

As far as my knowledge goes, I think it started with the
Varna system.  Varna in this context can be taken to mean
"class". Society was divided into 4 broad sub-groups for
operational reasons.  Just as the human body has various
components such as hands,eyes ,legs,stomach,etc.for carrying
out various bodily functions, society (which is an agglomerate
of various human bodies and minds)was sub-divided into 4 classes
or Varnas to perform the following functions:1.Dissemination of
knowledge;2.Protection/defence against enemies;3.Carrying on
business/trade activities and 4.Physical labour.

If u look at contemporary society, the same functions are
being carried out albeit under different names:1.Academicians
2.Defence forces of a country;3.Business professionals and
4.The worker class(relating to physical labour). All activities
being carried out in society can be classified into the above 4
categories,if u think about it.(Any activity relating to the mind
primarily, such as art of any kind, wud come under category 1;
anything purely physical wud come under category 4,and so on)

To my  mind, the Varna system seems to be a logical
approach oriented towards well-being of society at large
(in concurrence with that wonderful Sanskrit saying:"LOKAS
SAMASTHA SUKHINO BHAVANTHU" - Let all the Lokas or worlds
be permeated with happiness - This saying has universal
ramifications and cuts across man-made barriers of caste,
country,religion,race,etc. It addresses not only this world
but all those that are or may be in existence.).I would 
visualize an ideal Varna system to operate as follows:
(probably it was started with that intention)
1.Any person who had inclinations towards activities involving
thought processes- academics,religion(contrary to popular belief
I believe that religious activities such as yaagaas,etc.
basically try to involve the mind and fix it on some entity
say, God/Devas,to develop powers of concentration which can
be fruitfully used to help everybody - more about this later,
if anyone is interested),etc.would be called a Brahmin.
2. Anyone who developed physical prowess and had aggressive
instincts would be engaged in defence activities and would be
called a Kshatriya.
3.People with business acumen would be Vaishyas
4.Anyone who cud not do any of the above by choice or by
inability cud easily engage in plain physical activity
and wud be called a Sudra.

All Varnas wud be equally venerated just as a person looks
after all his bodily organs with equal concern. All are         
equal but some are "not" more equal than the others(just 
borrowed a sentence from George Orwell's Animal Farm).

Some may argue that a machine operator of today has to apply
both his mental and physical skills to do his job. If he is
contributing to the growth of a business, he cud probably be
classified as belonging to category 3 or category 4 cud be
sub-divided into skilled,semi-skilled and unskilled,etc.

Instead of trying to split hairs, all that v r concerned with
is the origin of the system. History records that the Varna
system degenerated into the caste system with rigid barriers.
(Probably in the Varna system, one cud be a Sudra for 10 years
and later switch over to being a Brahmin if his inclinations
led him to do so just as Somerset Maugham tried various vocations
before he decided to become a writer).

In the Varna system inter-class marriage was allowed. Practically
speaking, one wud generally find it easier to marry a person of the
same class because food habits,viewpoints,dress habits,etc.wud be
of a similar nature within the same class and adjustments between
spouses wud probably be easier.

Anyway, over a period of time, some Varnas began to dominate over
the others and the system lost its flexibility and catholicity.

Definition of Brahmin:
---------------------

I wud stick to Sage Vyasa's definition of a Brahmin in the 
Srimad Bhagavatha Purana: One who is of sterling and 
irreproachable character is a Brahmin,period. Sage Vyasa also
goes on to say that a mistake is a mistake whether committed by
a man or Lord Krishna(reminds me of Nakkeerar's famous words to
Lord Shiva:"MukkaN ......kuttram kuttrame" in the movie Thiru
ViLaiyaadal). Such adherence to the codes of good conduct! I am
just quoting fm sources that I know of,that's all.

It is interesting to note that the foremost among the 13 AaLwaars
of Vaishnavite Brahmins,Shri NammaaLwaar, was not born in the 
Brahmin caste of today. Also,Shri Raamaanuja,one of the stalwarts
of Vaishnavism, had for sometime,Thirukkachchi Nambi as his Guru
or preceptor(who was not a Brahmin by birth). It is even reported
that he revered his teacher so much that he was prepared to eat
the leftovers fm his teacher's meal, which led to a rift between
himself & his "orthodox" wife.

The Naayanmaars of the Iyers(Iyer is another sub-caste of Brahmins),
were mostly not born in the Brahmin caste. They r highly respected
by the Iyers,especially. Outstanding examples are KaNnappa 
Naayanaar(who was a hunter in the forest and a non-vegetarian),
ThirukkuRippu Thonda Naayanaar(who was a washerman by birth),
etc.(to mention a few of the 64 Naayanmaars).

From the above it is clear that no particular caste(I use the
word caste in preference to the word Varna in this context)
can claim supremacy over the other. For all u know, the beggar
on the street or the person whom the world considers a lunatic
cud be a God-realized soul! Apparently, God seems to transcend
man-made barriers!(In fact, it is reported that Saint Ramakrishna
Paramahamsaa,at one stage,used to live in the trees like a monkey
and people decided he was mad. On being asked by kindly souls,
the Master replied"I am trying to realize Raama in the form of
Hanumaan"! He is even reported to hv developed a small tail!The
powers of the intense and concentrated mind seem to defy all
logic! Similarly,at the risk of souding lewd, I must share with
u all the fact that he is reported to hv developed breasts when
he sought to realize Krishna,dressed up as a woman(and living
like one),namely Radha. Powers of the mind again?....Or is
God beyond sex,theories of evolution,etc.?)

Pursuing a similar strain of thought, one can say that no nation
or race or country is superior to another and that all are equal.
Whether the equality of the kind mentioned above is accepted in
today's world or not, I'd say that it is an inescapable fact.
(Ptolemy theorized that all planets were revolving around the
earth and people wrongly believed the same for more than 1500
years! This did not change the fact that all the planets in the
Solar system are revolving around the Sun!).

Thanks for reading through the verbose paragraphs above and
sorry if I sounded pedantic,vain and arrogant.

I sincerely feel that these newsgroups shd be used as a medium
for exchange of thoughts and ideas and of course, healthy
entertainment,too.

I invite yr comments and opinions.

Ashok Krishnamurthy
(krashok@mse.ogi.edu)