Bairagi Brahmin (caste)

This article is about the Bairagi caste. For Hindustani classical raga, see Bairagi (raga).

Not to be confused with the Celibate Ascetics (Vairagi).

Bairagi Brahmin or Vaishnav Bairagi or Vaishnav Brahmin is a Hindu caste. They are Hindu priests. They are sedentary rasik (temple dwelling or temple priest) Brahmin members of the Vaishnava sampradayas, especially the Ramanandi Sampradaya.^[2] According to K.S. Singh, the community uses different Surnames/Titles in different States and union territories of India, these are - Swami, Bairagi, Mahanta, Maharaj, Vaishnav, Bawa, Pandit, Purohit, Goswami, Sharma, Adhikari and Vairagi.^[3] They are Vaishnav, and wear the sacred thread. A majority of Bairagi Brahmin is found in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Assam, and Odisha. Bairagi are considered as part of the 'upper castes' of Bengal.^[4]

Bairagi
Swami • Vaishnav • Mahant
Ramananda
Classification	Ramanandi Sampradaya • Nimbarka Sampradaya • Vishnuswami Sampradaya • Madhvacharya Sampradaya[1]
Kuladevta (male)	Rama • Krishna • Satyanarayana • (Avatars of Vishnu) • Hanuman
Kuladevi (female)	Sita • Radha • Rukmini • Tulsi • Bhudevi • (Avatars of Lakshmi)
Guru	Ramananda • Tulsidas • Nabha Dass • Ramanuja • Krishnadas Payahari
Nishan	Kapidhwaj (Hanuman on Flag)
Religions	Hinduism
Languages	Hindi • Awadhi • Bhojpuri • Assamese • Braj Bhasha • Maithili • Magahi • Angika • Bajjika • Nagpuri • Bagheli • Bundeli • Kannauji • Kauravi • Haryanvi • Bagri• Punjabi • Rajasthani • Chhattisgarhi • Odia • Bengali • Marathi • Tamil
Country	India • Nepal
Populated states	India Uttar Pradesh • Bihar • Jharkhand • Madhya Pradesh • Himachal Pradesh • Uttarakhand • Rajasthan • Punjab • Maharastra • Chhattisgarh • Odisha • West Bengal • Haryana • Tamil Nadu • Tripura Nepal Madhesh
Feudal title	Mahant/Swami/Bawa
Color	Saffron, red, yellow, or white
Historical grouping	Brahmin (especially Saryupareen and Kanyakubja Brahmins)
Status	Monasterial Community

Bairagi Sect and Bairagi Brahmin Caste

Bairagi Sect

Members of vaishnava sampradayas are called Bairagi or Vairagi. And these members are divided into three categories – renunciant (Virakt), warrior (Naga) and temple-dwelling (temple priest) ascetics. The most of renunciant and warrior are unmarried ascetics. Anyone can be member of these communities.^[5] But there are evidences of different meetings of vaishnava mahants who have decided that member of anyone caste could not be member of the community.

"Decision was taken by all the vaishnava mahants that no one would be member of the community except Brahmin and Kshatriya. And other castes excluded from the community." – Galta Temple Meeting, 1713.^[1]

Another case was of Maharaja Jai Singh II, king of Jaipur State held a meeting with all Vaishnavas mahants.

"Decision was taken that other castes would not be part of bairagis except Brahmin and Kshatriya." – Meeting of Maharaja Jai Singh II with Ramanandi mahants and other vaishnava to maintain strict caste rules, 1720.^[6]

Maharaja Jai Singh II obtained pledges from Ramanandi mahants and other vaishnava to maintain strict caste rules.

Senugupta describes them as a High caste group.^[7] According to H.A. Rose, in the Punjab and Haryana, most of Bairagis were recruited from Jats.^[8] Bairagi Class or sect in bengal is formed of by all Classes and Castes in Bramha or Gaudiya Sampradaya.

Bairagis were liberals but in the practice Brahmin Bairagis (Bairagi Brahmins) took food only from another Brahmins.^[8]

William Pinch believes that the Bairagi branch of Vaishnavas is the result of the Bhakti Movement in 1000th CE.^[9]

Bairagi Brahmin Caste

Bairagi Brahmin caste is formed of sedentary rasik (temple dwelling or temple priest) Brahmin members of the vaishnava sampradayas especially the Ramanandi Sampradaya. They are the members of vaishnava sampradayas. They are married and they have families. And rights of priesthood pass to their descendants. It is found that Bairagi Brahmins are priest in the most of villages and cities.^[10]

According to Mayer, Status of Bairagis is equal with other Brahmins.^[11]

Structure of Bairagi Brahmins

Bairagi brahmins are divided into four Sampradayas - often referred to collectively as the 'Chatur-Sampradaya'. 1. Rudra Sampradaya (Vishnuswami), 2. Sri Sampradaya (Ramanandi), 3. Nimbarka Sampradaya and 4. Brahma Sampradaya (Madhvacharya).^[1]

Akharas

There are three prominent Bairagi (Vaishnav) Akharas:^[12][13]

• Digambar Akhara^[14]
• Nirmohi Akhara
• Nirvani Akhara

Hanuman Garhi Temple, a major site of Ramanandi Bairagis in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh.

Mahabharat

The Mahabharata says that once, after Babruvahana dug a dry pond, a Bairagi Brahmin reached the centre of pond and instantly water came out of the pond with a thunderous noise.^[15]

References

1. Pinch, William R. (1996). Peasants and monks in British India. University of California Press. p. 27. ISBN 978-0-520-20061-6.
2. Moran, Arik (2013). "Toward a history of devotional Vaishnavism in the West Himalayas: Kullu and the Ramanandis, c. 1500–1800". The Indian Economic & Social History Review. 50: 1–25. doi:10.1177/0019464612474165.
3. K.S. Singh (1996), PEOPLE OF INDIA, National Series Volume VIII, Communities, Segments, Synonyms, Surnames and Titles : Anthropological Survey of India, Oxford University Press, p. 1089, ISBN 0-19-563357-1
4. Nirmal Kumar Bose, Some Aspects of Caste in Bengal, p. 399, Vol. 71, No. 281, Traditional India: Structure and Change, American Folklore Society
5. Moran, Arik (2013). "Toward a history of devotional Vaishnavism in the West Himalayas: Kullu and the Ramanandis, c. 1500–1800". The Indian Economic & Social History Review. 50: 1–25. doi:10.1177/0019464612474165.
6. Pinch, William R. (1996). Peasants and monks in British India. University of California Press. p. 28. ISBN 978-0-520-20061-6.
7. Senugupta, Parna (2011). Pedagogy for Religion: Missionary Education and the Fashioning of Hindus and Muslims in Bengal. University of California Press. pp. 104, 112.
8. Horace Arthur Rose (1997), A Glossary of the Tribes and Castes of the Punjab and North-West Frontier Province A.-K · Volume 2, Nirmal Publishers and Distributors, p. 36, ISBN 9788185297699
9. Choubey, Devendra. Sahitya Ka Naya Soundaryashastra (in Hindi). Kitabghar Prakashan. p. 282. ISBN 978-81-89859-11-4.
10. Moran, Arik (2013). "Toward a history of devotional Vaishnavism in the West Himalayas: Kullu and the Ramanandis, c. 1500–1800". The Indian Economic & Social History Review. 50: 1–25. doi:10.1177/0019464612474165.
11. Mayer, Adrian C. (1960). Caste and Kinship in Central India. Routledge. pp. 28–29. 36–39.
12. Jacobsen, Knut A., ed. (2008). South Asian Religions on Display: Religious Processions in South Asia and in the Diaspora. London: Psychology Press. ISBN 978-0-415-43736-3.
13. Jāyasavāla, Akhileśa (1991). 18vīṃ śatābdī meṃ Avadha ke samāja evaṃ saṃskr̥ti ke katipaya paksha: śodha prabandha (in Hindi). Śāradā Pustaka Bhavana.
14. "बाकी अखाड़ों से अलग कैसे है 'दिगंबर अखाड़ा'?". News18 India. 19 December 2018. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
15. Makhan Jha (1998), India and Nepal : Sacred Centres and Anthropological Researches, M.D. Publications Pvt., p. 100, ISBN 81-7533-081-3