Caste in India: The Facts and the System c7.s5.18

c7.s5.18

There is even a case where the Brāhmaṇa, after extolling the knowledge possessed by a king (Janaka) of the Videha, seems by way of conclusion to declare that he had become a Brahman.¹ It is the legend of Viśvāmitra, however, which furnishes the most famous example of a promotion of this kind. The Vedic hymns indicate a long rivalry between Viśvāmitra and Vasiṣṭha; perhaps the favour of King Sudās and the office of private chaplain were at stake. The texts are obscure and their combination doubtful. Be that as it may, the primitive theme in the Epic has become embellished with copious variations; it tells in precise terms of a violent struggle which was waged between the two personages as to which of them should possess the miraculous cow, Surabhi, which grants all prayers. Extraordinary austerities are involved, and at the end Viśvāmitra, who belonged by origin to the royal line of Kuśikas, became a Brahman.