Respected Sri Rajaram Krishnan Moorthy,
Today morning I pointed out your mistakes after your asking in the mail. You
did not admit, but asked to read the contents.
May I request you to write any thing of your own. You are only responding to my
postings.
You can respond to my mails, it is your right, at the same time, you can make
your own postings to the groups. Many members like me would appreciate if the
subject is your own.
I am giving a copy to all the groups, and friends since you stated, there is
nothing to write personal a few days backSincerely,Gopala Krishnan
On Sunday, 6 June, 2021, 06:11:07 pm IST, APS Mani <[email protected]> wrote:
Very much rich information on Brahmins, KR Sir. Thanks, Mani
On Sun, Jun 6, 2021 at 3:44 PM Rajaram Krishnamurthy <[email protected]>
wrote:
Pranam1 vide my feb 21 article:
What are the names for the different Brahmins in India?
Although Brahmins make up just 5% of the totalpopulation, there are way too
many categories of Brahmins. Pancha-Gauda and Pancha-Dravida arethe two primary
Brahmins,as per the śloka fromthe Rajatarangini of Kalhana:
कर्णाटकाश्च तैलंगा द्राविडा महाराष्ट्रकाः,गुर्जराश्चेति पञ्चैव द्राविडा
विन्ध्यदक्षिणे ||
सारस्वताः कान्यकुब्जा गौडा उत्कलमैथिलाः,पञ्चगौडा इति ख्याता
विन्ध्स्योत्तरवासिनः ||
(The-) Karnātakas, Tailangas, Dravidas, Mahārāshtrakāsand Gurjaras; these
five(-types who-) live south of Vindhya (- mountains) are(called-) "five
Dravidas" (- Brahmins); (whereas-) Sārasvatas, Kanyakubja Brahmins, Gauḍa
Brahmins, Utkala Brahmins,and Maithil Brahmins,who live north of Vindhya (-
mountains) mainly in Nepal areknown as "five Gaudas" (-Brahmins)
Pancha-Gauda Brahmins canbe further classified into the following:
1. Saraswat Brahmins
- Kashmiri Pandits
- Goud Saraswat Brahmin
- Chitrapur Saraswat Brahmin
- Rajapur Saraswat Brahmin
- Kudaldeshkar Gaud Brahman
- Daivajna brahmin
2. Kanyakubja Brahmins
- Kulin Brahmins
- Sanadya Brahmin
- Kamrupi Brahmins
- Kanyakubja Brahmin
- Sakaldwipiya Brahmins
- Pareek Brahmins
- Pushkarna Brahmin
3. Utkala Brahmins, also known as Oriya Brahmins, are a caste from theIndian
state of Odisha previouslyknown as Utkala Kingdom, Kalinga Kingdom and
neighbouring states of Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh,West Bengal and Jharkhand
4. Maithil Brahmins are aHindu Brahmin community from the Mithila regionof
Nepal and India.They are one of the five Pancha-Gauda Brahmin communities.
5. Saryupareen Brahmins ,also known as Sarvarya Brahmins or Saryupariya
Brahmins, are North IndianBrahmins residing on the eastern plain of the Sarayu
near Ayodhya.
Pancha-Dravida Brahmins canbe further classified into the following:
1. Telugu Brahmins of AndhraPradesh and Telangana are broadly classified into
four groups: Vaidiki Brahmins, Niyogi, Dravida Brahmins,and Vaikhānasa. Niyogis
arefurther divided into the following subcategories: Nandavarika Niyogi,
PrathamaShakha Niyogi, Aaru Vela Niyogulu.
2. Maharashtra: ChitpavanKonkanastha Brahmin, Deshastha Brahmin and Karhade
Brahmin.Among the three, Deshastha Brahmins are found in Northern Karnataka and
partsof Tanjavur, Tamil Nadu also.
3. Karnataka
- Smartha Brahmins
- Madhwa Brahmins
- Mysore Iyengars
- Tuluva Brahmins, which consist of Kandavara Brahmins, Karhade Brahmins,
Padia Brahmins, Saklapuri Brahmins, Shivalli Brahmins, Smartha Shivalli
Brahmins, Sthanika Brahmins, Padarthi Brahmins.
- Havyaka Brahmin
- Gowda Saraswat Brahmins
- Sankethi Brahmins
- Daivadnya Brahmins
4. Tamil Nadu
- Iyengar (sub-divided into Vadakalai and Thenkalai)
- Iyer (sub-divided further into Vadama, Vathima, Brahacharanam,
Ashtasahasram, Chozhiya or Sholiyar, Dikshitar, Kaniyalar,
Prathamasaki,Gurukkal)
5. Kerala
- Nambudiri
- Pushpaka Brahmins
- Iyer
6. Gujarat and Rajasthan
- Shrimali Brahmins
- Tapodhan Brahmins
- Valam Brahmins
- Aboti Brahmins
- Modh Brahmins
- Nagar Brahmins
- Audichya Brahmin
- Bardai Brahmins
- Anavil Brahmin
- Nodera Brahmin
- Khedaval Brahmins
- Valadara Brahmins
- Garg Brahmin
So there you go. These many categories of Brahmins do exist. So many
categoriesmake up just 5% of India's population with only Jammu and Kashmir,
HimachalPradesh, Uttarakhand, and Uttar Pradesh having more than 10% and with
Punjab,Haryana, Delhi, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, Odisha,
Karnataka,Sikkim, West Bengal, and Arunachal Pradesh having above 5% of their
respectivepopulation.
KR IRS 26221
2 Many more on this were written already after this also.
3 upakarma and Yagnopaveetham
Upakarma is in SanskritTHE STARTING, THE BEGINNING AND Yagnopa veetham IS
WEARING THE POONUL FORPERFORMANCE OF YAGNAS GETTING THE CARTE-BLANCHE. Upakarma
is used in Atharva vedamand gruya sutrams as seen below:
1 श्रवणे श्रवणायाम् उपाकर्म कुर्वीत आश्वलायन गृह्य सूत्र
2 प्रौष्ठपदी हस्तायाम् वा श्रवणे श्रवणायां उपक्रमण= गोभिल गृह्य सूत्र
3 श्रवणे पौर्णमास्यां उपाकर्म =पारस्कर गृह्य सूत्र
4 Praśna I, Paṭala 3, Khaṇḍa 9 Apasthamba dharma sutra.
5 Chapter 6 - Norms of Good Conduct for Householders
6 Skanda puranam Section 2 -Dharmāraṇya-khaṇḍa
7 Upākarma (उपाकर्म) refersto the “annual ritual of taking up of studies” and
represents one of theeighteen bodily rituals (śārīraka-saṃskāras) mentioned in
the Vaikhānasagṛhyasūtra(viz., vaikhānasa-gṛhya-sūtra) which belongs to the
Taittirīyaschool of the Black Yajurveda (kṛṣṇayajurveda).—The original
Gṛhyasūtraof Vaikhanāsa consists of eleven chapters or “praśnas”. Each praśna
issubdivided into sub-divisions called “khaṇḍa”. But only the first
sevenchapters deal with actual Gṛhyasūtra section. Of these, the first
threechapters dealing with the bodily rituals [viz., Upākarma].
8 श्रावण्यां प्रौष्ठपद्यां वाऽप्युपाकृत्य यथाविधि ।
युक्तश्छन्दांस्यधीयीत मासान् विप्रोऽर्धपञ्चमान् ॥ ९५ ॥
śrāvaṇyāṃ prauṣṭhapadyāṃ vā'pyupākṛtyayathāvidhi |
yuktaśchandāṃsyadhīyīta māsān vipro'rdhapañcamān || 95 ||
Having perfomed the “Upākarma” (starting rite) on thefull- moon day in the
month of Śrāvaṇa or of Bhādrapada, the Brāhmaṇa shall,with due diligence, study
the vedas, according to rule, during four months anda half.—(95) ( Manusmrithi
4.95)
9 थाशास्त्रं तु कृत्वैवमुत्सर्गं छन्दसां बहिः ।
विरमेत् पक्षिणीं रात्रिं तदेवैकमहर्निशम् ॥ ९७ ॥
yathāśāstraṃ tu kṛtvaivamutsargaṃ chandasāṃbahiḥ |
viramet pakṣiṇīṃ rātriṃ tadevaikamaharniśam || 97 ||
Having performed, according to law, the “Utsarga” of theVedas, he shall cease
for the night with its two wings, including the same dayand night.—(97)
Manusmrithi 4.97)
KR IRS 6621
On Sun, 6 Jun 2021 at 12:30, 'gopala krishnan' via iyer123
<[email protected]> wrote:
IYER- THE GREAT PART 2
Friends,
I had covered about sub sects Vadama andBrahacharanam subsects of Brahmins in
detail already. I had completed earlierposting with Karnataka Iyers. Continue
reading.
7. Sri Lanka
According to the Buddhistscripture MAHAVAMSA, the presence of Brahmins has
been recorded in Sri Lanka asearly as 500BC when the first migrations from the
Indian mainland supposedlytook place.
Brahmins were an importantconstituent of the Sri Lankan Tamil minority. Tamil
Brahmins are believed tohave played a historic role in the formation of the
Jaffna Kingdom. Now Brahmins are few inSrilanka.
8. Recent migrations
Apart from South India, Iyershave also migrated to and settled in places in
North India. There aresignificantly large Iyer communities in Mumbai and Delhi.
These migrations, which commencedduring the British rule, were often undertaken
in search of better prospectsand contributed to the prosperity of the community.
My note- Mattunga is having more Brahmins in Bombay comparing toother areas.
On those days it was common to go to Bombay in search of job withsome basic
qualification. Mostly there would be a cousin or known person formany.
Similarly many have gone to Calcutta also with theirtype writing and shorthand
knowledge for stenography etc.
Similarly many Hindus, Christiansand Muslims are in Chennaifrom Kerala. Many
Palghat iyers are in Chennai for generations. We candistinguish them from their
talk, behaviour etc. They talk to persons from Kerala in Palghat Malayalam.
In recent times Iyers have alsomigrated in significant numbers to the United
Kingdom, Europe Arab countries andthe United States in search of better
fortune.
9. Iyer sub sects
Iyers have many sub-sects amongthem, such as Vadama, Brahatcharanam, Vāthima,
Sholiyar or Chozhiar,Ashtasahasram, Mukkāni, Gurukkal, Kāniyālar and
Prathamasāki each sub-sect isfurther subdivided according to the village or
region of origin.
9A Vāthima
The Vāthimas (Tamil: வாத்திமா) are fewin number and are confined mostlyto
eighteen villages in Thanjavur district. They are sub-divided intoPathinettu
Gramathu Vāthima or Vāthima of the eighteen villages, Udayalur,Nannilam and
Rathamangalam.
9B .Ashtasahasram or Ashtasasthram
The Ashtasahasram (Sanskrit: अष्टसहश्रम) are, like the Brahacharnams,more
Saivite than the Vadamas. They are further sub-divided into
Aththiyur,Arivarpade, Nandivadi and Shatkulam.
9C Dīkshitar
The Dīkshitars (Tamil: தீக்ஷிதர்) ofChidambaram or more particularly called in
Tamil as 'Thillai Muairavar' are based mainly in thetown of Chidambaram and
according to legend, have descendedfrom three thousands individuals who
migrated from Varanasi. They wear their kudumiin front of their head like the
Nairs and Namboothiris of Kerala.These iyersare wheat complexioned as observed
by me while worshipping Chidambaram temple.
I have read elsewhere in netmostly they marry among their community making a
group as ChidambaramDeekshithars.
In Tamilnadu about a family it iscommon to joke- Are you Chidambaram or
Madurai? Madurai meant womenmore commanding in the family. Chidambaram means
men more commanding in afamily.
9D Chozhiar or Sholiyar
The Sholiyars (Tamil: சோழியர்) serveas priests, cooks or decorate idols in
Hindu temples. Chozhiars hold theuniversal belief that Chanakya,the minister of
Chandragupta Maurya was one of them.
They are divided intoTirukattiur, Madalur, Visalur, Puthalur, Senganur,
Avadiyar Koil. Renowned carnaticsinger, Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavathar
belonged to the Chozhiar community.
There is a Malayalam saying “chozhiyan Kudummichumma aatuma?” meaning if he
agrees or say yes, he aims some gain outof it.
9E. Sivacharyas or Gurukkal
The sect of Sivāchārya orGurukkal (Tamil: குருக்கள்) formthe hereditary
priesthood or in the Siva and Sakthi temples in Tamil Nadu.
They are Saivites and adhere tothe philosophy of ShaivaSiddhanta and in that
sense are not followers of Adi Shankarachyarya.
They are well versed in AgamaSasthras and follow the agamic rituals of these
temples. Because of thesecultural differences, intermarriages with other Iyers
are rare even to thisdate.
Gurukkals are sub-divided intoTiruvalangad, Conjeevaram and Thirukkazhukunram.
I had a junior engineer from thecommunity. Once he was telling me they are
orthodox in marriage matters. Atthat time I could not understand what he meant.
9F Mukkāni
The Mukkāni (Tamil: முக்கானீ)sub-sect of Iyers are traditionally helpers to the
priests in the temples ofThiruchendur. Tiruchendur is having main priest
Nampoothiri, if I recollect.
Legend has it that the Mukkānis were theBhootaganas, the demon bodyguards of
Lord Siva and that they weregiven the responsibility for guarding Subrahmanya's
shrines by Siva. TheMukkanis predominantly subscribe to the Rig Veda.
9G Kāniyālar
The Kāniyālar (Tamil: காநியாளர்) are alittle known sub-sect of Iyers. A large
number of Kāniyālars serve as cooks andmenial servants in Vaishnavitetemples.
Hence, theysport the nāmam like Vaishnavite Iyengars.
9H Prathamasāki
The Prathamasākis form anotherlittle-known sub-sect of Iyers.
They follow the White YajurVeda.( Yajurveda learnt from Sun God by sage
Yanjavalkya). Not the blackyajurveda of Vaisampayana – his uncle and Guru.
Black Yajurveda is followed by most yajurvedies in South India)
According to Hindu legend, inremote antiquity, the Prathamasākis were cursed by
God to spend one hour everyday as Parayars and hence they are known as
"Madhyana Paraiyans" in Tanjore district and areregarded inferior by other
sects of Brahmins.
9I Hiranyakesigal.
Edgar Thurston also mentionsanother sect of Iyers called Kesigal or
Hiranyakesigal.However, this sub-sectappears to have disappeared or merged into
the larger Vadama community with thepassage of time.
10. Vedic study
Iyers, just like other Brahmins are/were required to learn the Vedas. Iyers
are also divided into different sectsbased on the Veda they follow. Iyers
belonging to the Yajur Veda sect usuallyfollow the teachings of the Krishna
Yajur Veda.
Now there are vedapatasalas and sasthrikalsinstructing students in Tamilnadu.
They study in addition othersubjects also. Afterwards they are absorbed to the
profession as sasthrikal.
There are also special schools withvedadhyayam as a compulsory subject.
Alongwith Upakarma there is Vidyarambham. Most have reduced Vedic study limited
toit.
11 Brahmin gotra systems
Iyers, like all other Brahmins,trace their paternal ancestry to one of the
eight rishis or sages.
Accordingly they are classifiedinto eight gotrās basedon the rishi they have
descended from. A maiden in the family belongs to gotraof her father, but upon
marriage takes or adopts the gotrā of her husband.
Gothrolbhava during marriage isreciting gothra of the bride groom and bride
with lineage details.
Since Kanya danam is there, she adopts the Gothra of the bridegroom, still
having- “ENGATTHUGOTHRAM”.
On account of this if anybodydecease in her parents family she has limited
“theettu”. Nowadays they observe theettu for the full days, sincethey go to
their mother’s home and return only after samaradhani. Exceptions can be there.
12. Vedic sakhas
The Vedas are further sub-dividedinto shākhās or "branches" and followers of
each Veda are furthersub-divided based on the shākhā they adhere to. However,
only a few of theshākhās are extant, the vast majority of them having
disappeared. The differentVedas and the corresponding shākhās that exist today
in Tamil Nadu are:
1) Rig Veda Shakala and Paingi 2) Yajur Veda Kanva and Taittiriya 3) SamaVeda
Kauthuma, Jaiminiya/ Talavakara, Shatyayaniya 4) Atharva Veda Shaunakiya and
Paippalada
13 Rituals
Iyer rituals comprise rites asdescribed in Hindu scriptures such as Apastamba
Sutra attributed to the Hindu sage Apastamba.
There are a few following Bhodayana sutra attributed tosage Bhodayanam. During
aavani avittam,their mantras are more with slight deviation. Many sasthrikal
refer book for reciting them.
We can hear on Avittam daysasthrikal announcing- Bodhayanamellam thaniyae
ukkarungo, avalukku manthram verae aakkum….
The most important rites are theShodasa Samaskāras or the 16 duties.
14. Changing sacred thread
Once a year, Iyers change theirsacred thread. This ritual is EXCLUSIVE TO
SOUTH INDIAN BRAHMINS and the day iscommemorated in Tamil Nadu as Āvani
Avittam.
My note- I have read it fromWikipedia. Learnt members can write- for other
Brahmins there is no such a ritual as upakarma?
--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups
"iyer123" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email
to [email protected].
To view this discussion on the web visit
https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/iyer123/2039928970.3152595.1622962814261%40mail.yahoo.com.
--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups
"iyer123" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email
to [email protected].
To view this discussion on the web visit
https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/iyer123/CAL5XZopf4x10q5bv40wNr44EywKJ%3DDPy8v-ysYj0jR%3D61VtK_w%40mail.gmail.com.
--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups
"iyer123" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email
to [email protected].
To view this discussion on the web visit
https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/iyer123/CAOCR2so0%3D%2BxKEu2Oqfix%2BsgLxjQH0MG33rqeJ96dJoQBx_6WCw%40mail.gmail.com.
--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups
"Thatha_Patty" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email
to [email protected].
To view this discussion on the web visit
https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/thatha_patty/1029674512.3191789.1622984307366%40mail.yahoo.com.
