Ancient Indian Historical Tradition c10.24

c10.24

There have been, broadly speaking, three classes among brahmans throughout Indian history, namely, (1) the ascetic devotee and teacher, the rishi or muni; (2) the priest and spiritual guide of kings, nobles and people; and (3) the minister of state, royal officer, and those who followed secular employments. The first was the brahman *par excellence*, the saint; the second the priest and preceptor; and the third the semi-secular brahman and sometimes wholly a layman. The first class, devoting itself to an ascetic life, lived apart in secluded hermitages. The second dwelt in cities and towns, ministering to their royal and other patrons, and conversant with what went on around them; they were not ordinarily religious thinkers. The third class were busied chiefly or altogether with mundane affairs, and were practically brahmans only by caste;¹ they do not concern us here.