Brahman divisions

[Peter J. Claus]

Date: June 4, 1997 
 
Indology List
indology at Liverpool.ac.uk
 
Dear Members,
 
This has been a useful discussion of internal Brahman
sub-division and the "historical" traditions associated
with them.  I would expect that Srini's comments about
the lack of Shankara's "legislative power" to
excommunicate a group of Nambudris and that it had much
more to do with the Raja of Kollengode, as patron and
ruler (ajudging rights to receive gifts), is closer to
the historical (societal) "truth".  Even so, it would
be interesting, as Robert Zydenbos suggests, to collect
and compare motifs from the (internally significant)
legendary history of the splits.  These, too, speak to
something meaningful.  Are there others?  Brahmans
have, for centuries, created legends to explain the
ranks and divisions, internal and between communities.
They were commissioned and paid to do this.  There must
be something of a genre to what they created, one which
utilized motifs and themes and stories over and over. 
Perhaps the core set is that of their own internal
ranks and divisions. Is there such a literature?
 
 
 
Peter J. Claus                        
fax: (510) 704-9636
pclaus at csuhayward.edu