Thread by @shrikanth_krish

The phrase "brahminical patriarchy" is suddenly trending on account of an imprudent and puerile placard held by some Twitter officials

While the incident has no doubt ruffled feathers, this might be a good occasion to ask the question -

"What is Brahminism"

Is it an ethnic identity?

Does it entail a set of virtues and qualities in addition to being an ethnic identity?

Or do those virtues somehow transcend even the ethnic dimension?

While there is most definitely an ethnic dimension to Brahminism, it cannot merely be reduced to that

Brahminism in a broader sense implies a world view that privileges certain virtues, and a way of life, conducive to the sustenance of Dharma

But very few texts in the Hindu tradition have explicitly defined "Brahminism"

One exception is Gautama's Dharma-sutra, a text composed a few centuries prior to the beginning of the Common Era.

This is one of the oldest Dharma texts, and one of the few that explicitly define the virtues that a Brahmin should uphold.

So what are these virtues? Let us examine the text -

Here's the extract that occurs in the Part 8 of the brief Dharmasutra attributed to Gautama

Translation (from Patrick Olivelle) :

"Next, here are the eight virtues of the self -

Compassion towards all creatures
Patience
Lack of Envy
Purification / cleanliness
Tranquility
Having an auspicious disposition
Generosity
Lack of Greed

"A man who has performed the forty sacramental rites but lacks these eight virtues does not obtain union with or residence in the same world as Brahman."

(Contd..)

"A man who may have performed only some of the forty sacramental rites but possesses these eight virtues, on the other hand is sure to obtain union with Brahman"

As we reflect on the meaning of "Brahmanism" in our times and are constantly noting assaults on the phrase, it is worth our while to refer to this portion of Gautama's text - which makes an ambitious attempt to define Brahminism beyond terms that are exclusively ethnic