This article shows how Brahmanism was a regional tradition, confined to the northwestern parts of the Indian subcontinent, that passed through a difficult period—which it barely survived—roughly between the time of Alexander and the beginning of the Common Era. It then reinvented itself, in a different shape. No longer primarily a sacrificial tradition, it became a mainly socio-political ideology that borrowed much (including the belief in rebirth and karmic retribution) from the eastern region in which Buddhism and Jainism had arisen. Its revival went hand in hand with the elaboration of behavioural and theoretical innovations, one of whose purposes was to justify the claimed superiority of Brahmins.
Download Free PDF View PDF
A Cultural History of Hinduism in Antiquity, edited by Jarrod Whitaker
In his discussion of “Sources of Authority: The Invention of Vedic Authority” (Chapter 1), Caley Charles Smith examines the various strategies that Vedic priests use to make their liturgical knowledge and textual traditions authoritative. In particular, he is concerned with how the Vedas came to be seen by later traditions as true, relevant, and independent. Smith demonstrates that R̥gvedic poets are concerned with legitimizing the temporary authority of local clan-lords, who could potentially rise to the position of tribal chieftains or kings. In order to justify their ability to empower such leaders, R̥gvedic poet-priests employ key mythological and ideological tropes. For example, they underscore their truth claims and ritual efficacy by claiming to follow in the footsteps of primordial sages, who discovered the correct procedures for ritual, and the cosmogonic deeds of Indra. In this sense, the truth of early R̥gvedic rituals comes from the first ancestors and acts of creation. By the end of the R̥gvedic period, the ideology of ritual efficacy and origins shifts and authority for ritual performances is derived from the sacrifice of a cosmic giant, as seen in the famous Puruṣasūkta hymn. This new origin for the mantras disrupts their old ritual associations, making them relevant to new ritual applications. Finally, in the late Vedic period, the Vedas are seen as eternal and revelatory, so much so that the gods and ritual emanate from them. In this shift, they finally achieve ontological independence and become authoritative. Smith situates these ideological changes in shifting political contexts in which priests cater to wealthy and powerful elites by adapting their liturgical poetry and ritual activity to serve ever-changing ceremonial needs.
Download Free PDF View PDF
Download Free PDF View PDF
Download Free PDF View PDF
Rivista di Studi Sudasiatici
Download Free PDF View PDF
Indian history writing has witnessed biased writings from the beginning by modern writers. Mauryas, Guptas etc has been tried to be part of the Brahmin social order exclusively known as the Varnashram system. The historians intended to prove that Brahmin ideology and traditions were prevalent from the earliest time possible. They took advantage of the weak historical evidences and eventually made efforts to disfigure the History. They refused all evidences deliberately that supported the cause of the non-Brahmin traditions. They tried to place the period of Vedic evidences far earlier than it could be. They accepted or refuted the very evidences of Puranas according to their suitability. They calculated the reigning years of pre-Brahmin dynasties less to keep non-Brahmanic era shorter. They tried to establish that Kshatriyas were people evolved accordingly to the Purushshukta. They tried to establish that Buddhism was evolved after Brahmanism. They keep silence over the fact that if.
Download Free PDF View PDF
Routledge Handbook of South Asian Religions
Brahmans play a prominent role in Hinduism in most of its forms. They constitute a caste-class (varṇa) and claim descent from the seers who "saw" the ancient Vedic hymns. They o ciated in Vedic times at the sacrifi ces that were (or aspired to be) an essential part of political life. Their vital role in all kinds of rituals continued beyond those days, well into the present. From a Brahmanical point of view, the history of Brahmans and of the institutions for which they have been responsible is continuous. From their perspective, Brahmans were there from immemorial time to look after the ritual aspects of society, incorporating traditional knowledge and wisdom and advising rulers on the correct way to run society and their kingdoms. What is more, Brahmans considered themselves to be, and to have always been, at the top of the social hierarchy. An inspection of the historical evidence shows that this vision of the past is not correct. Such an inspection brings up a far more complex picture, in which the rise of Brahmanism was a long and di cult process, with several ups and downs. Our point of departure is the late Vedic period, the period during which texts were composed dealing with complex rituals-we'll call them Vedic sacrifi ces. These Vedic sacrifi ces were carried out by sacrifi cial priests, the Brahmans, for the benefi t of rich and powerful patrons. This happened in the northwestern regions of the Indian subcontinent, including regions that now lie in Pakistan. This sacrifi cial and priestly tradition was closely associated with the political order in those regions, just as the sacrifi cial and priestly traditions of ancient Egypt and of ancient Mesopotamia were part of the political systems in those parts of the world. The sacrifi cial and priestly traditions of ancient Egypt and ancient Mesopotamia did not survive the collapse of those political systems. One might have expected the same in South Asia, but this is not what happened. The following pages will consider how the Vedic political systems came to an end and how the responses of those primarily a ected, the Brahmans, led to something altogether new. A succession of political events e ectively put an end to the Vedic sacrifi cial tradition. The fi rst one we know about in some detail is the invasion of the Indian subcontinent (327-325 BCE) by Alexander of Macedonia, often called Alexander the Great. He and his army did not penetrate deeply into the subcontinent; in fact, their movements were confi ned to what is now Afghanistan and Pakistan and never reached present-day India. But the regions they did visit, especially in what is now Pakistan, had an infl uential population of Brahmans, and we learn
Download Free PDF View PDF
