Dronacharya was castigated by Lord Krishna during the Mahabharata War for taking up arms in the Battle saying that Drona has lost the moral right of censuring either Yudhistra or the Pandavas for using the ploy of misinforming him of the death of his son Aswathama, which resulted in Drona’s death.
Reason, Drona was a Brahmin.
He is empowered to teach warfare not actually fight, forsaking the duty of a Brahmin.
Lord Parashurama comes under fire for the same reason for bearing arms against the Kshatriya.
Yet there is community Brahmins that has taken up warfare as their profession , forsaking the Brahmin duties.
Mohayal Brahmins of Punjab, who trace their origins to the following seven Rishis/Gotras.
- Bali: Parashar
- Bhimwal: Kaushal
- Chhibber/Chibber:Bhrigu
- Datt: Bharadwaja
- Lau: Vasishtha
- Mohan: Kashyap
- Vaid: Dhanvantri/Bharadwaja
In India, they are also called ‘Hussaini Brahmins’ as Muhiyals proudly claim that though being non-Muslim, a small number of them fought in the battle of Karbala on the side of Hussain. Muhiyals are very close to Pushtuns in their character.
For centuries, they never or seldom paid in their revenue until coerced by a military expedition involving a number of casualties on both sides.
On one occasion, they fought three sanguine battles against Babur’s army as they refused to surrender a khatri girl to Mughals who had sought their protection.
The testament to their chivalry is the fact that during Muslim rule, they were the only non-Muslim group on whom the title of Khan or Sultan was ever bestowed. During British rule, a number of them were residing in the military belt of Campbelpur, Rawalpindi and Jhelum area.
A number of Muhiyals served with distinction in British Indian army especially cavalry. They served in many regiments especially 9th, 11th, 13th, and 19th Lancers, 3rd, 4th and 15th Punjab Cavalry and Guides Cavalry.
They celebrate Muharram.
This community is concentrated in Punjab,Jammu and Kashmir,Haryana mainly and are present in North India.
Their main languages are Punjabi and Hindi.
Some of these Brahmins are Sikhs.
“ As Muharram passed off peacefully in the capital amid heavy police presence on Tuesday, a group of brahmans in east Delhi were wondering what the tension was all about. Like every year, these Hindus took out a Muharram taziya of their own in Kalyanpuri, crying and beating their chests in ritual mourning that marks the occasion.
The community proudly claims that one of their ancestors, Rahib Datt, fought in the Karbala battle on the side of Imam Hussain and even sacrificed his sons in the conflict. Ever since that historic battle, they came to be known as Hussaini Brahmins.
Citation.
- Defence Journal, Pakistan- June 2003:Tribes and Turbulence by Hamid Hussain
- Reg-i-Surkh: Dut Brahman Imam Husain se Rabt o Zabt, by Mahdi Nazmi, Abu Talib Academy, New Delhi 1984, Pages 63-71.
- Alnataq (Urdu), by Shah Nazir Hashmi, Lucknow 1926
- Mohyals, Muslims and Mustafabad: The Tribune, Chandigarh (8 August 1993).
- Reliving Karbala: Martyrdom in South Asian Memory, by Syed Akbar Haider, Oxford University Press 2006, Page 175
- “2nd Lt. Puneet Nath Datt [www.bharat-rakshak.com]”. Bharat-rakshak.com. Retrieved 2013-12-04.
- “Major Vijay Rattan Chaudhary MVC – Maha Veer Chakra – Indian Army – Haryana Online – India”. Haryana Online. Retrieved 2013-12-04.
- The War Decorated, India
- History of the Guides, 1846-1922 – by Sir George Fletcher MacMunn, p. 161
- Leadership in the Indian Army: Biographies of Twelve Soldiers – By V K Singh, p. 329
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