Brahmin
A brahmin (brahman) is a member of the Hindu priestly caste. The word is not to be confused with the divinity "Brahman", although the word Brahmin literally means One who has realised/is attempting to realise Brahman - the divinity. According to the Purusha Sukta, the lyric sung to the glory of Vishnu, Brahmins are said to have come from the mouth of the Purusha. According to the Vishnusmriti (2-1.17), "A Brahmin teaches the Veda...A Brahmin sacrifices for others, and receives alms...Duties common to all castes are...reverence towards gods and Brahmins."
In India, Brahmins, being members of the highest caste, historically enjoyed high social status - notwithstanding the degree of their economic affluence. Some critics socially equate them with American jews. Culturally, most Brahmins are known for practicing strict vegetarianism, though the practice is on the wane today. According to certain adherents of the Aryan invasion theory, Brahmins are descendants of the Aryans, who displaced the Dravidians from the northern areas of India. The religion practiced by the early Aryans derived from the Vedas, and according to some accounts, this religion called Brahminism evolved into Hinduism. Brahmins, the holders of the mantle in religious affairs, are then said to have dispersed throughout the sub-continent, forming a number of sects and sub-sects.
The traditional dominance of the Brahmins in the religious and administrative affairs in the Indian polity has been a cause for deep social fissures in the Indian society. Since the 1950s, there has flourished a popular anti-Brahministic movement, especially in the Southern states. The suppression of the so called lower-caste people (dalits) by the Brahmins, led to a massive social revolution, which pressed for "self-respect" and "dignity". In the mid 20th century, many rationalists under the leadership of Thanthai Periyar rose up against the Brahministic hegemony and what they considered to be "meaningless rituals" like caste-hierarchy and untouchability. The movement also professed "active agnosticism". The huge success of the movement led to more equitable conditions, at least in the southern (the so-called Dravidian) states in the society among various castes. The northern states, however is still deeply divided among these lines, with many ortganizations claiming to assert the superiority of the Brahmin caste and its deservedness for gaining exclusive access to higher echelons of the social hierarchy.
See also: Brahmanas, pandit, Varnas, Caste, Untouchability, Aryan invasion
Some sects of Brahmins
In North America a Brahmin is also a member of the blue-blooded class of New Englanders who claim hereditary or cultural descent from the original Anglo-Saxon Protestants who founded the city of Boston, Massachusetts. They are often perceived as marked by their distinctive elocution, high level of education and wealth, and generally progressive politics. Among the most famous Boston Brahmin families are the Lowells and Cabots. The Kennedy family is often associated with the class as well, although being Irish Catholics, they are more cultural rather than hereditary descendants of the class.
- "So this is good old Boston. The home of the bean and the cod. Where the Lowells talk only to the Cabots. And the Cabots talk only to God."
