dvija, dvijaati, etc.

[Tim Lubin]

I have been trying to figure out where the term dvija' /
dvijAti first begins to appear referring definitely to *a member
of any of the three upper varNas*, as distinguished from its use as a
synonym for 'brahmin' or a label acknowledging the fact that one has
undergone upanayana (but without clear reference to birth-status).

By "early" I mean prior to the Manu Smrti, esp. the
mantra-period-texts, brAhmaNa texts, lit. and the ritual
sutras.

I have already checked the Petersburg dictionary and EWA, and have
run searches using digital texts of the Dharma Sutras, etc.

Thanks for any references to such passages (or to a crucial piece of
scholarship on this that I might have overlooked).

Tim

____________________________________

Timothy Lubin
Assistant Professor
Department of Religion
Washington and Lee University
Lexington, VA 24450

(540) 463-8146 (off.), 463-8055 (home), 463-8498 (fax)
LUBIN.T at WLU.EDU
Homepage: http://home.wlu.edu/~lubint/TLubin.html