Brahmin priest from a sudra, dalit or scheduled caste

The ancient examples of Sudra and Chandala like Satyakama and Valmiki becoming Brahmins and great sages are well known (1). Such transformations in people’s vocations appear to be numerous where people of non-Brahmin origins (including Sudras) got education in the Shastras (scriptures) and undertook the profession of Brahmins. Moreover, with the exception of a few like Satyakama and Valmiki et al., they mainly are known now only as Brahmins without much information available about their non-Brahmin beginnings.

This change in profession, from non-Brahmin to Brahmin, still continues to take place unabatedly without much public knowledge or debate (2). On rare occasions, the news filters into the media (3) and from it others learn about a person of non-Brahmin caste, interested in pursuing the Brahmin vocation, changing his profession after an adequate preparation and training in Shastras etc. Consider for example the recent case of Manjhi, originally a Dalit, becoming a priest in a famous Hindu temple in Bihar (APPENDIX).

APPENDIX
Dalit priest for Bihar temple (3)

PATNA : A Dalit has been appointed priest of the famous Ram Janaki temple at Paliganj, located at about 60 km from Patna, breaking a three-century-old Brahmin monopoly.

Janardan Manjhi, the newly-appointed priest of the temple is a Musahar, a scheduled caste. In his mid-60s, Manjhi had left his family more than a decade ago to serve in a Dalit temple in Paliganj.

It took temple administrator Kishore Kunal six months to select Manjhi, who is not well-versed in Sanskrit. During this period, temple authorities checked his credentials and his devotion to god. Manjhi will begin his work on Saturday morning, coinciding with Kabir Jayanti on June 30, 2007.

REFERENCES

(1) Subhash C. Sharma, "Hindu Caste System & Hinduism: Vedic vocations (Hindu castes) were not related to heredity (birth)", 2001, http://www.geocities.com/lamberdar/_caste.html

(2) Subhash C. Sharma, ".. Appendix: Example of a new Pandit (Jaisi Ram)", Jan. 6, 2006, http://www.geocities.com/lamberdar/brahmin-qualities.html

(3) Pranava K Chaudhary, "Dalit priest for Bihar temple", TIMES NEWS NETWORK, June 29, 2007, http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Dalit_priest_for_Bihar_temple/articleshow/2159143

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By: Dr. Subhash C. Sharma
Email: [email protected]
Date: July 3, 2007

link to: Related topics by the author

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