Brahmananda Saraswati, Swami See
ANANDA ASHRAM, MONROE, NEW YORK; MISHRA,
RAMAMURTI.
Brahma Sutra See VEDANTA SUTRA.
Brahmin (Brahman)
A Brahmin is a member of the hereditary priestly
class of India. The term is derived from the Vedic
word BRAHMAN, which means (among other things)
“prayer.” In Sanskrit the same Vedic word desig-
nates prayer and the one who prays, the overseer
of the Vedic ritual and its MANTRAS. In the ancient
VARNA or class system the Brahmin was said to
emerge from the mouth of the divine being, the
warrior from his arms, the ordinary people from
his thighs, and the servants from his feet.
Originally, Brahminical status was ensured by
Vedic authority. Brahmins were responsible for
the transmission of the VEDAS over the centuries
via oral tradition within Brahminical families.
This assured Brahminical authority over all
ritual, since it was only through knowledge of
the Vedas that the rituals could be performed. All
public rituals had to be supervised by Brahmins
and all private rituals could be learned only from
Brahmins.
As the Brahminical tradition was challenged
over the centuries to include more and more
indigenous forms of religion, and the culture
began to move away from exclusive reliance
on Vedic ritual, Brahmins began to emphasize
“purity” as a new justification for their superior
status. This entailed special norms of conduct
including very strict vegetarianism. However,
they always maintained their dominant role in the
transmission of knowledge and, thereby, in realms
of social authority. Such knowledge extended far
beyond the Vedas themselves. If there is a stereo-
typical or ideal role for a Brahmin in the modern
world it is teaching. Transmission of knowledge is
the traditional role of the Brahmin and remains so
today. Brahmins continue to perform the rituals at
all the great temples in India, but the role of ritual-
ist is now viewed as less important for Brahmins
than the role of teacher or preceptor.Further reading: Louis Dumont Homo Hierarchicus:
The Caste System and Its Implications (Chicago: Uni-
versity of Chicago Press, 1980); Vasumath K. Duvvury,
Play, Symbolism and Ritual: A Study of Brahmin Women’s
Rites of Passage (New York: Peter Lang, 1991); Brian K.
Smith, The Ancient Indian Varna System and the Origins
of Caste (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1994); Glenn
E. Yocum, “Brahman, King, Sannyasi and the Goddess
in a Cage: Reflections on the ‘Conceptual Order of Hin-
duism’ at a Tamil Saiva Temple,” Contributions to Indian
Sociology 20 (1986): 15–39.Brahmo Samaj (est. 1828)
The Brahmo Samaj (The Society of Worshippers
of One God) was founded in Calcutta (Kolkata)A Brahmin priest wearing sacred thread at a village tem-
ple near Benares (Varanasi), India (Constance A. Jones)K 92 Brahmananda Saraswati, Swami