Brahmam-Deshastha: Deccan
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Brahmam-Deshastha
This article is an extract from THE CASTES AND TRIBES OF H. E. H. THE NIZAM'S DOMINIONS BY SYED SIRAJ UL HASSAN Of Merton College, Oxford, Trinity College, Dublin, and Middle Temple, London. One of the Judges of H. E. H. the Nizam's High Court of Judicature : Lately Director of Public Instruction. BOMBAY THE TlMES PRESS 1920 Indpaedia is an archive. It neither agrees nor disagrees |
(Titles— Pant, Rao, Desai, Deshmukh, Deshpande, Kulkarni The Deshasthas, who form the bulk of the Maratha Brahmans in the Nizam's territory, derive their name from the Desh, or the highland tract above the Western Ghats lying between the Narbada and the Krishna rivers. They claim to be the earliest settlers on the soil, having been brought from Aryawartha by Parshuram from whom, it is alleged, they received the land as a gift. They are generally of a darker complexion than the Kokanasthas. They have four sub-divisions — (1) Ashwalayan ; (2) Apasthamba ; (3) Madhyandinas ; (4) Kanvas or Pratham-Shakis ; deriving their names from the Shakhas they follow. The first two sub-divisions comprise one endogamcjs group and have no matrimonial relations with the other two suB-divisons. The Ashwalayanas are also called Rigvedis, the two together signifying that the members of the sub- caste are Rigvedis of the Ashwalayan Shakhas. The Apastambhas belong to the Taitirya Shakha of Krishna (black) Yajurveda who respect the sutra of Apaistambha. The Madhyandinas derive their name from the fact that they reckon day from mid-day to mid-day, at which tirae they perform their religious ceremonies and offer Sandhya, i.e., their daily adoration to the goddess Gayatri. They are Shukla Yajurvedis (white) of the Madhyandin Shakha. The Kanwas are also known as Pratham Shakhis because they are the first Shakha of the white Yajurveda. Some of the Deshasthas are Samvedis, or Samaka, but, having lost their special shakha, they now intermarry with the Rigvedis.
Internal Structure
The exogamous sections or gotras of the sub-caste are very numerous and are of the eponymous type. In the Nirnaya Sindhu, by Kamalaker Bhatta, the Brahmans of Western India are represented as having primarily sprung from seven gotras founded on the seven Rishis— Bhrigu, Angirasa (embracing the Gautamas and Bharadwajas), Atri, Vishwamitra, Kashyapa, Vasishta, and Agasti, which have now branched and sub-branched innumer- ably. Unlike the Kokanasthas, they have no surnames, their family names being based upon the place of their residence, or the calling they pursue. The rule of exogamy u ^the same as prevails among the Kokanasthas. In addition to one's own gotra, the Madhyandinas avoid their maternal uncle's goira in inatrimonial alliances. The Rigvedi Deshasthas, on the other hand, allow a man to marry his maternal uncle's daughter and the Kanwas go a step further and recognise a man's marriage with the daughter of his elder sister.
Religion
In matters of religion, the Deshastha Brahmans are either — (1) Smartha, or the followers of Shankeracharya, or (2) Vaishnavas, of the sect of Madhwacharya, the founder of Dwaitism (Duism), which identifies Vishnu with the supreme spirit as the pre- existent cause of the universe, and which separates the_ Jivatma from the Paramatma, or the principle of life from the Supreme Being. A few of the Deshasthas are ShakKtas, or the worshippers of Shaktis (female energies) and carry out their abominable practices in secrecy.
The Smarthas perform Sandya devotion every morning and evening, pay daily homage to Pitras, or Manes, and worship all the gods of the Hindu pantheon, especially the five principal ones (Pancha))atan) — Vishnu, Shiva, Surya, Ganpati and Devi. Their sectarian mark is vibhuti (cow-dung ashes), which they smear in three transverse streaks on their foreheads and which, after the puja is over, they replace by a sandal spot.
The Madhvas pay devotion to Vishnu alone, worshipping him daily in the form of Shaligram (fossil ammonite). Unlike the Shri Vaishanavas (followers of Ramanuja), they are friendly disposed towards the Shaiva sects. Their sectarian mark is a smear of ' gopichandan (ochre) on the forehead in two perpendicular linep, running from the nose to the root oFthe hair, with a central line of charcoal, divided in the middle by a circular turmeric patch at the centre. When being initiated, a Madhva is marked on the shoulders and on the breast with the shankha or conch shell, the chakra or wheel, and other emblems of Vishnu, the stamp used being of red hot iron.* With Shaktas the favourite object of v/orship is Durga or Shakti (female energy) in whose essence it is considered all existence is concentrated. •
The patron deities of the Deshasthas are Bhairoba of Sonari, Shri Bhavani of Tuljapur and Mahur, Khandoba^ of Jejuri, Shri Narsinha and Shri Vyankat9sh of Tripati. Each Deshastha family has its own family or patron deity worshipped with great ceremony either on the Paurnima (the '1 5th) of Chaitra (March-April) or on the ^ 15th of Kartika (October-November). The members of the sub- caste observe all the Hindu fasts and keep all their festivals.
Occupation
With respect to their occupation, the Deshastha Brahmans may be divided into two classes. (1) Grinasthas or house- holders and (2) Bhikshuks or religious mendicants. The former include Government servants, merchants, money-lenders, bankers, land-holders and village accountants. Some of the land-holders, such as Deshmukhs, Deshpandes and Patels, are hereditary farmers holding permanent tenures. Other are occupancy and non-occupancy ryots. Their titles are Pant, Rao. Desai, Sir-Desai, Deshmukh, Sir- Deshmukh,' Deshpande, Sir-Deshpande, Mokasi, Kulkarm, Pali!, &c. Their aliases are: — Baba (father), Bhau (brother), Dada (brother), Kaka (uncle), Mama (maternal uncle), Jatya, Aba, Appa and Anna. The Bhikshukas comprise Vgiidiks (reciters of the Vedas), Shastris (expounders of the laws), Puraniks (readers of the Purans), Joshis (astrologers), Vaidyas (physicians), Haridasas (reli- gious preachers) and' Brahmacharis (religious students). The Bhikshukas act as famjly priests to their own caste as well to the inferior castes. They are vegetarians, abstain from all intoxicating liquors, and eat only from the hands of those who come up to their own standard of ceremonial purity.
