PRIESTS AND SEERS IN THE VEDAS, WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO THE EVOLUTION OF THE BRAHMAN CLASS Padma Misra Thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy U niversity of London July 1965 ProQuest Number: 10672700 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a com plete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. uest ProQuest 10672700 Published by ProQuest LLC(2017). Copyright of the Dissertation is held by the Author. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States C ode Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC. ProQuest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106- 1346 ABSTRACT This study traces the evolution of the Brahmans as a sacerdotal 4 caste during the Vedic period. An alternative view is offered to the generally accepted ideas about the Brahmans based on the Smrtis. By 4 4 presenting a semantic study of certain keywords for priest-poets in the Rgveda and by relying on a functional approach we hope to offer a more consistent interpretation of the development of the notion of Brahmanism. The factors that contributed to the development of the Vedic priesthood into the Brahman class are traced to the fusion of the pre-Vedic Aryan and indigenous culture patterns and religious ideas Chapter I deals with the notion of caste and surveys certain historical approaches to it, in so far as they have influenced social studies of the Vedic period, and puts forward the need for a new approach on this subject. The literary sources for the Vedic period, the method of their interpretation and their chronology are discussed in chapter II. The third chapter outlines the pre-Vedic indignnous culture streams and deals with the migration of the Indo-Aryans into India. In addition it surveys the Aryan and the non-Aryan elements of the ensuing composite Vedic society. The four succeeding chapters analyse the words vipra, rs i, purohita and brahman. The conclusion * * * sets out the issues involved in this study. 4 A7t - Aitareya Aranyaka AB A itareya Brahmana ABQRI - Annalas of the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute, Poona ABP - An A rcheological Approach to Brahman Problem, a rtic le by Bosch, F.D.K. AI - Ancient India, Bulletin of the Archeological Survey of India, Delhi AL - A ltindisches Leben by Zimmer, H. IpDS - Apastamba Dharma Sutra IpSS Apastamba Srauta Sutra AsGS Asvalayana Grhya Sutra TL&&S _ Asvalayana §rauta Sutra AV Atharva-veda BauDS - Baudhayana Dharma Sutra BauSS - Baudhayana Srauta Sutra BDCRI Bulletin of the Deccan College Research Institute, Poona BhagP - Bhagavata Purana BrDe• v » Brhad Devata of Saunaka BrUp - Brahadaranyahcu BSOS - Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies CHI Cambridge History of India ed. Rapson, E.J. Cl - Caste in India by Hutton, J.H. Der RV- Der Rigveda by Geldner, K.F. ERE - Encyclopaedia of Religion and Ethics ed. Hastings, J. 'pTjrrn JSdo U - Early Brahmanical System of Gotra and Pravara by Brough, J. FB - FIamen-Brahman by Dumezil, G. GauDS - Gautama Dharma Sutra HAS! - A History of Ancient Sanskrit Literature by Muller, F.Max HIL - The History of Indian Literature by Weber, A. HL — A History of Indian Literature by Winternitz, M. 5 HSX - Hindu Society an Interpretation by Karve, Iravati HSL » History of Sanskrit Literature by Macdonell, A.A. Ind.S t - Indische Studien ed. Weber, A. IA - Indian Antiquary, Bombay Ind.Civ- Indus Civilization by Wheeler, M. J .A siat • - Journal Asiati*$fte e-t Publie par la S ociete A siatique, P aris JAOS - Journal of the American Oriental Society, New Haven, Connecticut JB JaiminTya Brahmana JBBRAS - Journal of the Bombay Branch of Royal Asiatic Society JRAI - Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland JRAS - Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Irela n d Kau$ Up\rnm KausTtaki Upani^ad KatSS - Katyayana Srauta Sutra KB - KausTtaki Brahmana KapS - Ka pi ^ £ hal a - Ka j; ha - S am hi t a KS Kathaka Samhita LatSS “ Latyayana Srauta Sutra MASI - Memoirs of the Archeological Survey of India MatP - Matsya Purana Mbh - Mahabharata MS - MaitrayanX Samhita NLMAE - New Light on the Most Ancient East by C h ild e, V.G. NB " Notes on Brahman by Gonda, J* OST. - Original Sanskrit Texts by Muir, J. Pa - AstadhyayX of Fanini PB - Paneavimsa Brahmapa PHI “ P re -h isto ric India by P ig g o tt, S. RAI - R eligions of Ancient India by Renou, L. RPVU - R eligion and Philosophy of the Vedas by K eith, A.B. Ram Ramayana of ValmXki RV - Rgveda 6 SAIC Some Aspects of the Ancient Indian Culture by Bhandarkar, D.fi SanSS - Sankhayana* m . Srauta Sutra SB •j- Satapatha Brahmana SBE - Sacred Books of the East ed. M uller, F.Max SL - Sanskrit Language by Burrow, T. SV - Samave da TAiJ - Taittiriya Arapyaka TB - Taittirxya Brahmana TS - TaittirTya Samhita Ved.Indi- Vedic Index by Keith, A.JJ* Macdonell, A.A. Ved.St - Vedische Studien by Pischel, R. and Geldner, K.F. VisPr - Visnu Pur ana WZKM - Wiener Zeitscrift fur die Kunde des Morgenlandes, Vienna m - WHrterbuch sum Kigveda Yaj - Yajnavalkya Si^rti IV - Yajurveda zdmg - Zeitschrift der Deutsche Morgenlandischen Gesellschaft 7 Page Acknowledgments 3 Abbreviations 4-© Chapter I Introduction 8-&7 Chapter II Sources 38 "76 Chapter III Vedic Society VM&? Chapter IV Study of the term vipra Chapter V Study of the term rsi .170-39:] * * * Chapter VI Study of the term purohita g Chapter VII Study of the term brahman 3- 33\ Conclusion 31&"3'i6 Biblio graphy 8 CHAPTER I Introduction Priesthood is as old as the human need to propitiate or control supernatural forces. Priests, magicians or in fact anyone who could act as a mediator between men and the unseen forces, belonged to this profession. As a social class, it was probably the first to differentiate itself from the masses. Consequently it acquired more specific traits than any other social group. The priesthood in India is identified with the Brahmans, who claim the pre-eminence over the classes, many privileges, and the right to perform priestly functions as their prerogative. Ever since the Brahmans emerged as the supreme and the inviolable class, they have kept their hold on priestly activities, intellectual pursuits and above all, on the society itself, irrespective of political upheavals or religious reforms. The Brahmans on account of their solidarity and privileged * position have been noted by foreigners from the second century 1 onwards, as a striking feature of Indian society. Their importance is also evident from the description of India as the 1 The philosophers of Megasthenes no doubt included Brahmans (Strabo XV.i.39)* The earliest occurrence of the word brahman in a western source is apparently Porphry (Be Abstinetia IV. 1 6 ), who quoted the 2nd century Christian author Bardesanes. Quoted in The Classical Accounts of India ed. E.C.Majumdar, Calcutta, I 9 6 0 , p .^25. 9 _ x country of the Brahmans. In the modern age their claims for importance and supremacy are substantiated by the word Brahmanism apparently coined to imply everything that gives the Brahmans their * 2 special position. The word Brahmanism primarily denoted the Vedic beliefs shaped by the Brahmans, and is also applied to that form of # Hinduism which accepts the importance of the Vedas and the pre- eminence of the Brahmans.— 3 * As the Brahmans, on account of their extensive influence, are considered a distinguishing feature of Hindu society, their description in connection with practically every aspect of Hindu India is inevitable. But they are mostly discussed in connection with the social, economic or religious problems of the country. Historical studies generally discuss them with reference to their political influence and to the caste system with its effect on society. Works predominantly concerned with the problem of caste and its evolution discuss the role of the Brahmans as a caste in * 1 — Hsuan Tsang refers to the Brahmans as the purest of Indians and held in high esteem; the name 1 Brahman co untry 1 attributed to their excellent reputation probably refers to Brahmavarta, T.Watters - On Yuan Ghwangts Travels in India, A. D.629-6^5 > Delhi, 1961,"I, p.l4o. — 2 cf. Fick,!R. - The Social Organisation in North-East India in Buddha1s Time, p.l*K 3 cf. Weber,M. - The Heligion of India; The Sociology of Hinduism and Buddhism, tr. and ed. Hans H. Girth and Don Martindales, Illinois, 1958 Zaehner, B.C. - Hinduism, p.7<-; Parrinder, E.G.S, - An In tro d u ctio n to Asian R elig io n s, London 1957? pp.31»3^. 10 greater detail. Most of these works follow a traditional approach, which was formulated when social studies in India were initiated. — 1 A study of the Brahmans themselves is very ra re . « New evidence on North West India, the region of much cultural and racial amalgamation in the early ages, and also the recent theoretical formulations and field studies of the sociologists and the social anthropologists call for a reorientation of the study of the Vedic so ciety and of the way in which the Brahman class developed t to assume its later identity. A sacdrdotal class with such pretentious claims is not found in any country except India. Priesthood in many ancient civilizations had the tendency to become hereditary but did not become exclusive to any particular group.