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It's amazing how priesthood is talked about as though people of all castes would queue up for it, but for the traditional restrictions
It is in reality hardly a sought after profession
But one confined to families. Not even lay brahmins
It is in reality hardly a sought after profession
But one confined to families. Not even lay brahmins
For e.g. Most priests in mainstream Shaivite temples of Tamil Nadu are Adi-shaivas (Gurukkals) if I am not mistaken
And they are not lay Smarthas(Iyers)
Similarly most pAncharAtra priests in Sri Vaishnava temples are not lay Iyengars
Often these groups dont even marry Smarthas
And they are not lay Smarthas(Iyers)
Similarly most pAncharAtra priests in Sri Vaishnava temples are not lay Iyengars
Often these groups dont even marry Smarthas
I am not that familiar with North Indian temples....
But what I said is most definitely true for the temples in TN
But what I said is most definitely true for the temples in TN
It is precisely given this that it is wrong to translate the varNa "brAhmaNa" as priestly class
How can you call 5% of the country's population "priestly" when less than 5% of them are engaged in priestly activities?
How can you call 5% of the country's population "priestly" when less than 5% of them are engaged in priestly activities?
The reality is priestly activity is often hereditary, and priests don't intermarry much if they can help, with lay brahmins
I like to think of the brAhmaNa varna not as a "social class" but as an ethnic identity
Descendants of a bunch of internally exogamous but mutually endogamous Indo-Aryan clans that originally inhabited the Punjab-Western Doab some 3000-3500 yrs ago
Descendants of a bunch of internally exogamous but mutually endogamous Indo-Aryan clans that originally inhabited the Punjab-Western Doab some 3000-3500 yrs ago
But have now spread out across the length and breadth of the country since
Ofcourse they have married local women along the way, while maintaining the ethnic identity along the male line
Ofcourse they have married local women along the way, while maintaining the ethnic identity along the male line
Most of these clans had a connection with scriptural transmission at some point in the very distant past, but have since been farmers, traders, warriors, generals, wastrels....and yes, a few priests and scholars
Period...
Period...
Sure...the texts of the Hindu tradition have attempted to idealize the varNa , positioning it as something much more than an ethnic identity
E.g. the Bhagavad Gita goes to great lengths to associate varNas with GuNas and SwabhAvas
But to me, these are post-hoc rationalizations
E.g. the Bhagavad Gita goes to great lengths to associate varNas with GuNas and SwabhAvas
But to me, these are post-hoc rationalizations
Traditionalists won't like what I have said above. But that's my take
