Shudras in Ancient India: A Social History of the Lower Order down to circa A.D. 600 c8.165

c8.165

It has been contended that Brāhmaṇism is a pre-Āryan institution, and there may be some element of truth in it.² The equation of the word *brāhmaṇa* with the Latin *flāmen*, the designation of a type of priest whose office was created during the period of the Roman kings,³ seems to be a far-fetched philological exercise. However we have the well-known similarity between the Atharvan priests of Vedic Indian and Athravans of Iran. But nevertheless a major objection remains to be answered. Keith says that the state of Ṛg Vedic belief and the comparative magnitude of the Vedic pantheon must have been the product of much priestly effort and the outcome of wholesale syncretism.⁴ Further, sufficient evidence has been adduced from Vedic and epic traditions to show that Indra was a brahmicide, and that his chief enemy Vṛtra was a *brāhmaṇa*.⁵ This also confirms the hypothesis that developed priesthood was a pre-Āryan institution, and implies that all the conquered peoples were not reduced to the position of the dāsas and śūdras. And hence, though it is difficult to trace the origin of the *brāhmaṇa* as an institution, the priestly class of the Āryan conquerors may have been largely recruited from the conquered.⁶ Though there is nothing to indicate the proportion, it seems that some of the pre-Aryan priests found their way into the new society. It would be wrong to think that all the ‘blacks’ were reduced to the status of the śūdra helots, since there are some references to black seers. In the *Rg Veda* the Aśvins are described as presenting fair-skinned women to black (śyāvāya) Kaṇva,¹ who probably is named *kṛṣṇa* ‘black’ at another place² and is the poet of the hymns (*RV*, VIII. 85 and 86) addressed to the twin gods. It is perhaps again Kaṇva who is mentioned as *kṛṣṇa ṛsi* in the first book of the *Rg Veda*.³ Similarly Dīrghatamas, mentioned as a singer in one hymn of the *Rg Veda*, may have been of dark colour, if his name was given to him on account of his complexion.⁴ It is significant that in several passages of the *Rg Veda* he is known by his metronymic Māmateya alone, and a later legend says that he married Uśij, a slave girl, and begot Kākṣīvant.⁵ Again in the first book of the *Rg Veda* priestly Divodāsas, whose name suggests a dāsa origin,⁶ are described as composing new hymns,⁷ while in the tenth book the Aṅgiras author of the *RV*, X. 42-44 is called ‘black’.⁸ Since most of such references occur in the later portions of the *Rg Veda* it would appear that towards the end of the *Rg Veda* period some of the black seers and Dāsa priests were worming their way into the newly organised Aryan community.