Ramanisblog

Tag: Brahmins

  • Niyogi Brahmins With Other Varna Duties,Rajaraja Cholas Chief Minister

    Brahmins’ primary duty is to pray for the welfare of All and to make a living he has to depend on Dakshina in kind from others and he is expected not to demand compensation for services rendered.

    He is expected to be of impeccable character with no avarice.

    Nor is he permitted to save for the future.

    The society of Ancient India looked after Brahmins and (as they were Brahmins in the real definition of the the term)

    Over a period of time this changed with Brahmins taking up vocations, in addition to priestly duties and the society not supporting them as it was earlier.

    The point as to which preceded or which caused the other may not be known.

    One finds Brahmins taking up additional duties even during the Puran and Ithihasa period.

    Some Brahmins took up the post of advisor to King’s as Vasishta to Ikshvaku Dynasty.

    Yet there seems to be no evidence to suggest that such Raja Rishis took to Arms personally on behalf of the Kings.

    Their duties were limited priestly advice to Kings spiritual matters and Sastra.

    They also trained the Princes in all forms of Knowledge including warfare which included Dhanush Vidya Science of Archery.

    This status seems to have undergone change during Mahabharatha period when Drona, the Guru of Kuru clan taking up Arms.

    This process continued and groups Brahmins took to military duties.

    This slowly extended to other activities like Commerce.

    Initially Brahmins took to these activities as additional responsibility but gradually took to them full time.

    So one has a Warrior Brahmin, Commerce Brahmin.

    These Brahmins, to differentiate them from a traditional Brahmin added Surnames indicating their additional duties.

    I am compiling a list.

    Such of these Brahmins were called Niyogi Brahmins.

    ‘”Niyogin in Sanskrit also means “employed”, “appointed” or “assigned” and it is probable that Niyogis were given this name because they accept secular employment….’

    Niyogi Brahmins, though perceived to be in Andhra, they are spread everywhere in India.

    Niyogi is simply an indication of a group among Brahmins who took up or additional duties apart from Priestly duties.

    One famous Niyogi Brahmin of Tamil History is Aniruddha Brahmaraya, the Chief Minister of the Great Chola Emperor Rajaraja Chola.

    Rajaraja gave away one thousand acres of land to Aniruddha and a village Chaturvedi mangalam , Tamil Nadu.

    Chaturvedi Mangalam seems to have been the name given to Villages given to Brahmins by Kings.

    The village given to Aniruddha is called Anbil and the copperplates were found there.

    Copper plates recovered here are one of the major evidences for the antiquity of Tamils and fir details about Rajaraja.

    We also have Husseini Brahmins.

    Husseini Brahmins.

    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.

    Husseini Brahmins

  • Maga Brahmins From Multan Healer Priests, Scythians?

    Maga Brahmins From Multan Healer Priests, Scythians?

    Brahmins were an integral part of Sanatana Dharma of India, contrary to the misinformation that they were Aryans who entered India through Khyber Pass.

    From where did the Brahmins come from

    History of Brahmins in India.

    Despite mounting, verified evidence to the contrary, attempts are being made to twist facts and prove that there was foreign immigration into India.

    This will be evident when one reads about the Maga Brahmins from India who were brought to India by Samba, Lord Krishna’s son through Jambavathi.

    Samba suffered from leprosy because of a curse by Sage Durvasa and was cured of the disease after worshiping Aditya, The Sun God at Multan, originally called as Kashyapa Pura after Sage Kashyapa.

    This town is now in Multan and the temple is in ruins.

    Please read my article on this.

    Samba, after being cured of this disease had arranged for the Brahmin priests of Multan to go over to India.

    They were the Maga Brahmins and were also proficient in Ayurveda and were called the Priest Healers.

    The Western sources, including Wikipedia suggest that the Maga Brahmins trace their ancestry to Iranians and Scythians.

    But the fact is that Iranians and Scythians were from Sanatana Dharma.

    I furnish information on Maga Brahmins and about how the Scythians were from Sanatana Dharma.

    Maga Brahmins.

    ‘Sakaldwipiya Brahmins (or Bhojaka Brahmins or Maga Brahmins) is a class of Hindu Brahmin priests and Ayurvedateachers (acharyas) and practitioners, with significant concentrations of their populations occurring in Western and Northern India with Scythian roots. The name can also be spelled as Shakdvipi, Shakdwipi, Shakdweepi, Shakdvipiya, Shakdwipiya, Shakdweepiya, Shakadwipi, and Sakadwipi….

    The Sakaldwipiya Brahmins of India identify themselves as having Iranian roots, and assert that they inherit their by-name mragha from a group of priests who established themselves in India as the Mragha-Dias or Maga-Brahmins. The doctrinal basis for that assertion is found in Bhavishya Purana133.

    As such, the Sakaldwipiya are one of only two Brahmin groups who are said to have originated outside India, even if about half their clan names (gotras) are the same as those of other Brahmins.

    .. The tale of the arrival of the Sakaldwipiyas appears to have been part of living tradition for many centuries. The Govindpurinscription of 1137-1138 refers to a maga family of Gaya, Bihar that was celebrated for its learning, Vedic scholarship and poetic faculty, and who descended from one of the original Samba.. invitees….. ‘

    Reference and Citation.

    https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sakaldwipiya

    Origin of Scythians.

    ‘

    Now look at the Map.

    You would find the landmass now we call India, then called Bharatvarsha extended beyond the Mountain in the North to another landmass marked as Scythia.

    These Scythians were a part of Sanatana dharma and were called Milechas, that i those who did not follow fire worship.

    They belonged to Sanatana dharma but did not follow fire worship mentioned in the vedas like the southerners, Dravidians, Tamils, who were followers of Sanatana dharma ,worshiped Shiva,Krishna,Durga, Subrahmanya,.varuna and Indra but not Agni, Fire……

    In the above list you may notice that from Mathura onward to Suren are Sanskrit names as also Haraiva.

    The other tribes can be traced back to some more tribes of Bharata Varsha.’

    Scythians from Sanatana Dharma

    .Scythians from Sanatana Dharma.

    I think they were settled in, apart from Gaya, in Maharashtra as well and they were a part of Mulukkanadu Brahmins.

  • Mulukkanadu Brahmins Origins Pratisthan, Paithan Maharashtra

    I have written on Brahmins and their History.

    Brahmins were present throughout Bharatvarsha, India was called thus in ancient times.

    They did not come from outside India as made out in the now discredited Arya Invasion Theory.

    There are various sects of Brahmins based on geographical locations,as in Vadama among Tamil Brahmins,
    particular activity of Vedas they practiced as in Vajpayee Gotra.

    Some Brahmin communities take their set’s name from the region they originally hailed from.

    The Mukukanadu Brahmins.

    They were believed too have been originally from Andhra Pradesh, India, from the Godavari Valley.

    On careful search it transpires that they Hail from the present region of Maharashtra, India.

    The Kingdom was ruled by Chandravamsa, Lunar Dynasty founder Ila daughter of Vaivaswatha Manu, father of the founder of Suryavamsa Solar Dynasty.

    Manu was a Dravidian king who migrated to Ayodhya because of a Tsunami in the south mentioned in world literature, legends and Tamil Classics.

    Ila ruled from Pratisthan, called Paithan now, Maharashtra.

    The first Satavahana King ruled from this place, from around First Century BC.

    This date may be pushed back.

    ‘Pratishthanapura or present day Paithan is said to be the capital of Mulaka desh. Aurangabad, Nashik, Jalna, Washimare parts of Mulaka. Mulukanadu follows the usual conjoint formulation of similar communities: the word Naadu means country in all the south Indian languages; this is suffixed to the country whence the community hails, being in this case “Muluka”. Thus, Muluka+Naadu=Mulukanadu, “people of the Muluka land.” Muluka or Mulaka is identified and it is also known as Moolaka or Moolaka desha along with Ashmaka.‘

    Reference and citation.

    https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paithan

    Related.

    https://ramanisblog.in/2013/10/26/from-where-did-the-brahmins-come/

  • No Sub Caste Among Brahmins Shrotriya Agnohotry,Vedas

    I received a comment on sub caste among Brahmins thus.

    ‘Dear Sir

                 I have read few of your blogs and i must say that I like all of the blogs I read, sir I have a query in the category of Hinduism my question is what is the difference between a Shrotriya Brahmin and a Agnihotri Brahmin ? Total how many categories of Brahmin are there? I don’t get my answers anywhere can you clear my queries, I hope you can definitely able to answer my questions. once again I like to congratulate you for your hard work and writings and the information you provide to the youth is very useful Happy Diwali to you and your family
    Thanks
    Amarnath Chakravartty ‘
    hell-yeah-i-am-a-brahmin-and-we-keep-calm
    My reply.

    Vedas, the sacred texts of the Hindus  speak of Reality and the ways to realize It.

    This Reality can be realized either by performing Rituals or through the Mind through the process of discrimination.

    So the Vedas have two portions,

    The Karma Kanda which describes the Rituals to be performed while the Gnana Kanda approaches the Reality from the Intellectual point.

    Karma Kanda must have its base in Gnana Kanda.

    Blindly following Karma Kanda will not yield results.

    The Brahmana portions of the Vedas deal with mainly Karma kanda , describing the duties to be performed by a Brahmachari, the Celibate, Gruhastha, the Married,Vanaprastha, the semi retired and Sanayasi who has renounced everything.

    These are the four stages of Life envisioned by the Vedas.

    The Upanishad portion of the Vedas speak of Reality as a principle ad it forms the Gnana kanda of the Vedas.

    There is no question of any division among the people as the Vedas are meant for  Humanity.

    The classification in society comes in based on the Realization of Brahman, the Reality.

    Those who realized it were called Brahmanas.

    Then , based o the disposition of the individual, duties were assigned.

    ‘

    the Society was organised on the basis of dispositions and tendencies, both genetic and shaped by the environment.

    Basically , on the basis of the three Gunas and their interplay,Sathva, Raja and Tamas, three tendencies and dispositions were noted.

    The calm, knowledgeable and ascetic and selfless-Sathva

    Active’ Go-getters, protectors, emotional and Compassionate at the same time-Rajas.

    Dull, Mentally not sharp,lacking in initiative, can do a job assigned,Indifferent, bordering on Amoral,Tamas.

    All the three qualities are present in every man and these keep on changing in the individual every minute and one has to strive to keep the right balance.

    Based on the predominant disposition observed for a reasonable period of Time the Society was grouped as under.

    The Brahmanas.

    The real word denotes’ one who has realized Brahman, The Reality”

    Later this was used to denote a group that practiced Compassion, selfless service and was knowledgeable.

    They were entrusted with the responsibility of teaching the Community of Value systems and pray for All.

    They were not paid.

    The Society took care of them in kind, grains. cloth,shelter, land by the Kings.

    Those who have these characteristics are Brahmanas , not every one who calls him self a Brahmana..

    Brahmins were not expected to save, nor hod properties of their own,.

    This sloka tells us who a Brahmin is.

    ”

    “ADHYAAPANAM ADHYAYANAM
    YAJANAM YAAJANAM TATHAA
    DAANAM PRATIGRAHAM CHAIVA
    BRAHMANAANAAMAKALPAYAAT”

    Adyayanam-Pracctice of reciting the Vedas, with meaning.

    Adhyaapnan-Teaching of the Vedas along with the Astras(scientific Arms) and Satras(Ordinary weapons of war)

    Yajanam-performance of the Yagnas and Yagas.’

    Who is a Brahmin

    As society evolved, people belonging to one group took on the duties of the other group as well.

    And there were also marriages between these groups.

    So, the duties underwent a change, though the original classification based on disposition holds good.

    Caste is by disposition and not by birth.

    We have Viswamitra, a Kshatriya King being elevated to the status of a Brahma Rishi .

    And he gave the most sacred mantra of Hinduism, the Gayatri Mantra.

    And at the other end we have Sags like Vasista performing the duties of a advisory to Kings, Ikshvaku dynasty.

    We have Dronacharya and Krupa taking up arms in the Mahabharata..

    Over a period of time the different groups started mentioning their geographical locations to identify the group,like the Maithili Brahmins , indicating that they are from Mithila.

    We have Vadamas among Iyers in Tamil Nadu indicating that they are from the Northern banks of River Cauvery, like Saraswat Brahmins who hailed from River Sarasvathi’s Banks.

    W have people using their main occupations, even among Brahmans,like Upadhyaya, who concentrated on performing the rituals for others, though it the duty of every Brahmin.

    We have Agnihotris who perform the Agnihotra daily, which is the daily duty  of every Brahmin.

    The geographical and other identifying marks among Brahmins came later.

    And there is no differentiation among those who worship Shiva and Vishnu, like Saivaites and Sri Vaishnavas.

    This differentiation does not have the sanction of the Vedas.

    Similar to these is the difference is the one between Shodriya Bramins and Agnihotri Brahmins.

    Those who learn the Sruthi, the Vedas are called Srodhriya, by listening.

    Vedas are to be learnt only by listening and not by writing and reading.

    Srothram Karnebhi Srunuyaama Deva-Rig Veda.

    So there is no difference among Brahmins or no sub caste according to Vedas.

    • for the later classification among Brahmins , please read my article on Brahmin surnames.

    ‘Darbhanga Raj, also known as Raj Darbhanga and the Royal Family of Darbhanga, were a family of Zamindars and rulers of territories that are now part of Mithila and Darbhanga district, Bihar, India. Their seat was at the city of Darbhanga. The estate of Darbhanga Raj was estimated to cover an area of 2,410 square miles (6,200 km2), incorporating 4,495 villages within 18 circles in Bihar and Bengal and employing over 7,500 officers to manage the estate. The Raj Darbhanga trace their origin to maithil Brahmin at the beginning of the sixteenth century…

    North Bihar was under a state of lawlessness at the end of the empire of the Tughlaq dynasty. Tughlaq had attacked and taken control of Bihar, and from the end of the Tughlaq Empire until the establishment of the Mughal Empire in 1526 there was anarchy and chaos in Bihar. Emperor Akbar (ruled 1556–1605) realised that taxes from Mithila could only be collected if there was a king who could ensure peace in the Mithila region. The Brahmins were dominant in the Mithila region and Mithila had Brahmin kings in the past.

    Maharajah Sir Lakhmishwar Singh, G.C.I.E., of Darbhanga, who was only in his forty-third year at the time of his death in 1898, was in every sense the best type of the Indian nobleman and landlord. He was the leading zamindar in Bihar, where he owned no less than 2,152 square miles with a net yearly rental of 3 million rupees, and was the recognized head of the orthodox Hindu community. His philanthropy and his munificent contributions to all public movement won him the esteem of all classes and creeds. He took an active part in public life and enjoyed a high reputation as a progressive and liberal-minded statesman. With but slight interruptions he was a member of the Supreme Legislative Council from the year 1883 until his death, and latterly he sat in that body as the elected representative of the non-official members of the Bengal Council. “Few Asiatics have combined more successfully in themselves the apparently incompatible characteristics of East and West.[1]

    H. E. A. Cotton

    Emperor Akbar summoned Rajpandit Chandrapati Thakur to Delhi from Garh Mangala (now in Madhya Pradesh) and asked him to name one of his sons who could be made caretaker and tax collector for his lands in Mithila. Chandrapati Thakur named his middle son, Mahesh Thakur, and Emperor Akbar declared Mahesh Thakur as the caretaker of Mithila on the day of Ram Navami in 1577 AD. A poet has written about this event:

    अति पवित्र मंगल करण रामजन्म के दिन, अकबर तुषित महेशको त्रिहूत राजा कौन?

    नवग्रह वेद वसुंधरा शकमें अकबर शाह, पंडित सुबुद्ध महेशको किन्हो मिथिला राज।
    (A very good omen has happened on the day of Ram Navami. Akbar asked Mahesh, “Who is King of Tirhut?” [Mahesh replied]: “Nine Planets, Vedas, and Mother Nature.” Hearing this, Akbar made the wise Pandit Mahesh King of Mithila.)

    References and citations .

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raj_Darbhanga#Maithil_Brahmins

  • Who Are Gauda Saraswat Brahmins

    I had written on the History of Brahmins in India and followed it up with an article From where did the Brahmins come from.

    I had written a couple of articles about the Brahmins of Tamil Nadu ,Karnataka.

    Now let us see who the Gouda  Sarswat Bramins are .(GSB)

     

    http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51OHd1rjq0L._SX351_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg

    Kalhana, King cum Historian about the distribution of Families in India thus.

    ‘

    कर्णाटकाश्च तैलंगा द्राविडा महाराष्ट्रकाः,
    गुर्जराश्चेति पञ्चैव द्राविडा विन्ध्यदक्षिणे ||
    सारस्वताः कान्यकुब्जा गौडा उत्कलमैथिलाः,
    पन्चगौडा इति ख्याता विन्ध्स्योत्तरवासि ||

    Karnataka (Kannada), Telugu (Andhra), Dravida (Tamil and Kerala), Maharashtra and Gujarat are Five Southern (Panch Dravida). Saraswata, Kanyakubja, Gauda, Utkala (Orissa), Maithili are Five Northern (Pancha Gauda ).

    -Kalhana in Raja Tharangini

    saraswat_brahman

    During the period of Sanatana Dharma, when the landmass of India was different,when Lemuria and Atlantis were in place as a part of Rodina , the Super Continent, Hindus were apread throughout the world.

    Brahmins being a part of the group, were also spread through out the world.

    Brahmins were found in as far away places from the present India to Ireland,Egypt, Turkey,Caucasus Region, Arctic, Polynesia and Australia to mention a few placed.

    Taking into account the present political map of the present India, concentration of Brahmins were in the following regions.

    Dravida Desa, comprising of the present States of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka,and Andhra.

    Among this there were two areas were Brahmins were more concentrated.

    That is in The Godavari Valley and the Cauvery Delta.

    While the former are now found more in Andhra and Karnataka, the later are settled in Tamil Nadu and Kerala.

    In the North we have the Brahmins in the Basins of Sind, Saraswati,Ganges.

    Panch Gaur (the five classes of Northern India):

     

    (1) Saraswat, (2) Kanyakubja, (3) Maithil Brahmins, (4) Gauda brahmins (including Sanadhyas), and (5)Utkala Brahmins .

     

    In addition, for the purpose of giving an account of Northern Brahmins each of the provinces must be considered separately, such as, Kashmir, Nepal, Uttarakhand, Himachal, Kurukshetra, Rajputana, Uttar Pradesh,Ayodhya (Oudh), Gandhar, Punjab, North Western Provinces and Pakistan, Sindh, Central India, Trihoot, Bihar, Orissa, Bengal, Assam, etc. The originate from south of the (now-extinct) Saraswati River.

    In Bihar, majority of Brahmins are Kanyakubja Brahmins, Bhumihar Brahmins and Maithil Brahmins with a significant population of Sakaldiwiya or Shakdwipi Brahmins.

    Of this there were Families that migrated from the Saraswathi River region towards the south,probably due to a Tsunami that engulfed the Region towards the closing years of Dwapara Yuga, that is some time after the Mahabharata War.

    This finds a reference in the Bhagavatha Purana and Tamil Classics.

    One group led by Sage Agastya came to Dravida Desa and they were 72 Families who were called Velirs and formed a part of Tamil Kingdom.

    These Kingdoms were mostly under the tutelage  of the Cholas of Tamil Nadu though at times they became independent  and at some other times with the Rashtrakutas.

    . Im They belonged to Smartatradition and primarily worshipped Panchayatana (the five deities): Shiva, Vishnu, Devi, Surya and Ganesha.  These Brahmins were one of the Pancha Gouda Brahmin groups who lived north of the Vindhyas. 

    Saraswat Brahmins mastered the Vedas, and administered the priestly rites in the temples. The Vedas were passed down to the generations by the virtue of word of mouth, as written records didn’t exist at that time.  The Saraswat Brahmins had to maintain a very tight hold on their culture to maintain and protect their legacy. 
    The first migration of Saraswats to Goa took place around 700 BC. They migrated from the Saraswati, mostly through sea routes in search of greener pastures.  They took up farming and trading business in Goa and worked in partnership with indigenous people. At the same time, they retained their Vedic way of life, performing their rituals and retaining their cultural traditions.  They also brought theirKuladevtas and established temples for their deities. These temples facilitated socio-cultural activities of the community.’
    ‘According to the mythological chronicle Sahyadrikhanda of the Skanda Purana, ninety-six Brahmin families belonging to ten gotrasmigrated to Goa from north-western India.The Purana adds that the sage Parashurama brought Saraswats to Goa. Even if Parashurama is considered as a historical figure, the regionalisation of Brahmins had not taken place during his era and he had brought only Brahmins and not specifically Saraswats Brahmin. According to Bhau Daji and Dharmananda Damodar Kosambi, there is no connection between Parashurama and the migration of the Brahmins. The Sahyadrikhaṇḍa is a later inclusion in the original SanskritSkanda Puraṇa, not a part of the original Sanskrit text. The Parashurama legend serves as a symbol of the Sanskritisation that Goan culture experienced with the advent of Brahminical religion to the region. This was achieved to a certain extent through the agency of the Saraswat Brahmins who had migrated to Goa who sought to establish their hegemony.

    Sahyadrikhanda mentions the original home of Saraswats as Tirhut. The section in which the Tirhut is mentioned has been tentatively dated to 1400 CE. A writer on the basis of the genealogy and chronology of Puranic sages has mentioned that Aryans reached Goa around 2500 BCE. This is based on a preconceived notion that Aryans and Saraswats were identical. Elsewhere in the same work the author has argued that Parashurama had brought only Brahmins and not Saraswats. Therefore, equating Aryans and Saraswats seems to be far-fetched.[3] It is more reasonable to suppose that the Saraswats of Goa migrated from northwestern Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Sindh, Kutch and Saurashtra. There is no agreement among scholars about the original home of Saraswats. The name by which these Brahmins have been designated clearly indicates that the river Saraswati had played an important role in the life in their life. Even after the disappearance of the river, the Brahmins who had once inhabited the banks of river Saraswati retained the name of the region. There are evidences in history about the migration of the population from one region to another regions account of foreign invasions and sudden climatic changes. Recent researches in archaeology have shown that the Saraswati river dried up before 1000 BCE. For the study of the migration of the Saraswats to Konkan and Deccan, the linguistics provides corroborative evidence. The main line of Indo-Aryan linguistic expansion began from north to south much before 500 BCE. The Saraswats settled themselves in Rajasthan, Sindh and Gujarat. In ancient Gujarat there was a separate division called Saraswat Mandal. There are many Konkani words which are found only in Gujrati. From this it is evident that Saraswats had settled in Gujarat migrated to Goa. This also indicates that the Saraswats from the Kutch regions might have migrated to Goa on account of Arab invasion in the 8th century CE.[3]

    Reference to Saraswat names are found in Shilaharas well as Kadambacopper plate inscriptions. Certain Muslim incursions in North India provoked the Brahmin exodus. The inscriptions found in Goa bear testimony to arrival of Brahmin families in the Konkan region.Sahyadrikhanda and Mangesh Mahatmya allude to migrations of Saraswats, constituting sixty-six families, who settled in eight villages of Goa. There were regional variations among the Saraswats, such as those among Bardeskars, Pednelkars, Kudalkarsand Sashtikars. The Konkana mahatmya, from the 17th century CE, deals with the internal rivalry of the Saraswats and strained relations between these groups. Saraswats were not recognised by the local Brahmins as well as others. They were not entitled to the six duties of the Brahmins called Shatkarmas and they were called Trikarmi, entitled to three duties like the other Dvijas. Hence besides their sacerdotal duties, they took up administrative vocations under the ruling dynasties. Therefore, they gradually established themselves in the landowning class and also as traders. After settling down in Konkan and Goa in about 800 CE Saraswats may have taken about a century to acquire patronage from the Shilaharas and the Kadambas of Goa. Many Saraswats left Goa after the invasion of Malik Kafur to the neighbouring regions and during the period of religious persecution of the Portuguese also Saraswats migrated to Uttar Kannada, Dakshina Kannada and North Konkan. The Saraswat Brahmins particularly served as village Kulkarnis, financiers, tax farmers, merchants in the intra-Asian trade, and diplomats. Many sources of government income in Goa, Konkan and elsewhere, including taxes on commodities and customs duties, remained in their hands.

     

    ‘First Migration :
    A king from Saraswat country, called Videgha Mathava with his preceptor, Gautama Rahugana set out eastwards to find out new pastures. In those days fire was to be carried physically from place to place and the king carried a tiny spark on his tongue. On the way the preceptor started conversing with the king but the king remained tight-lipped without giving any reply for fear that the spark might fall or get extinguished. The preceptor understood the anxiety of the king and invoked Agni, the fire-god. On hearing the praises, out came the flames of fire from the mouth of the king and started rolling on the ground like the waves of the sea. “Agnideva, what is thy command?” the priest asked, “Follow me,” was the commandment of the fire-god. Accordingly, they followed. The flames sped away eastwards through the Gangetic belt and on reaching the western bank of the River Sadaneera vanished. This is how the civilisation moved to the eastern region, later to be known as Aryavarta, and some of the families of Saraswat Brahmins moved to the east and settled down in Trihotrapura a township in Gowda Desha and later called them selves as Gowda Saraswats. According to another version, our forefathers never went to Trihotrapura but were called Gowda Saraswats as Saraswats were one among five groups of Brahmins who were collectively called Panchagowdas as stated above at the beginning. Whatever be the version, civilisation moved from western part of India to the Eastern India and definitely some families, when the river went dry must have gone to Trihotrapura. This anecdote is mentioned in Shatapatha Brahmana.

    Second Migration :
    As stated in the Sahyadri Khanda of Skanda Purana Lord Parashurama after reclaiming land from the western sea invited various groups of Brahmins from different parts of Bharat Khanda. In response ten families of Gowda Saraswats came down from Trihotrapura with their deities of daily worship and settled down in Gomantak now known as Goa. In gratitude even today the Gowda Saraswats dedicate all their havans and yajnas be it Gayatri or Mrityunjaya to Lord Parashurama stating “Yajnantargat Bhagwan Shri Parashuramamurti priyatam.”

    In the course of time the ten families multiplied and with the passage of time they took to trade and commerce as permitted by the scriptures, besides officiating as priests. Depending upon their occupations this gave them various surnames as they have to-day like Kini – a treasurer handling money with the jingling sound, Mallya – a construction contractor who built mansions or mahals, Nayak-a leader in any army. In Goa they were in full bloom and they built up hundreds of shrines and temples besides establishing Shri Kaivalya Math in the eighth century.

    Brother Communities :
    Their brother Saraswats migrated to various other parts of the country. Those who migrated to Kashmir called themselves as Kashmiri Pandits, Sind-Sind Saraswats, Kutch-Kutchi Saraswats, Rajapur-Rajapur Saraswats, Punjab-Punjab Saraswats, Rajasthan-Rajasthan Saraswats and Chitrapur-Chitrapur Saraswats.

    This in a nutshell is the mythological and historical background of the Gowda Saraswat Brahmins popularly known as GSBs. 

    Saraswat Muni : Saraswat was the son of Maharshi Dadhichi and the River Goddess Saraswati brought him up. When he was a student mastering the scriptures on account of successive droughts, the river went dry and people leaving their home and hearth on the banks of the River Saraswati left for other places in search of food and water. The young Saraswat also wanted to leave the place but the mother persuaded him to stay back and pursue his studies, and assured that she would provide him food and water. According to another version, he had the prowess to conquer hunger, thirst and sleep. Like this 12 long years passed and the normalcy returned only thereafter. In the meantime the Brahmins had forgotten the Vedas in their anxiety to survive. 

    When they were eager to learn again, only one person, that was Saraswat, was available as a teacher. They became his shishyas irrespective of their age and learnt from him the Vedas that were forgotten. They were altogether 60,000 brahmins and single handedly Saraswat taught them in his gurukula. Perhaps nowhere in the history of mankind there is a record available that one single teacher had taught such a huge assembly of students. This story is told in Mahabharat and it is believed that long ago our forefathers must have been his disciples and we acquired the name Saraswats as his disciples. Vishnupurana while giving a list of Vyasas (which in fact is a title given to a sage who had rendered selfless service for the preservation and propagation of Vedas) mentions Saraswat’s name also.

    Jagaduru Gowdapadacharya : Lived in 8th Century and for the first time expounded Adwaita philosophy. His very name and fame attracted Shri Adiguru Shankaracharya and at the behest of Shri Gowdapada, his shishya Shri Govindapada gave deeksha to Shri Shanakara and also to Shri Vivarananda Saraswati to commence a new Guruparampara for GSBs. More is narrated about him under “Our Religious Seats, Shri Kavle Math.”

     

    Citations and references.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goud_Saraswat_Brahmin

     

    http://www.gsbkonkani.net/OurHistory.htm