Kshatriya
Etymology
In
Sanskrit
it is derived from Kshatra, meaning “dominion, power,
government" from a root ‘‘kshi’’ “to rule, govern, possess".
Kshatra is
God's
energy which descends upon those who are righteous.
In the early
Vedic
civilization, the warrior caste was called Rājanya &
Kshatriya. The former was an adjectival form of Rājan
"ruler, king" from a root Rāj "to rule", cognate to the
Latin
Rex "king" and the German
Reich
"empire".
Holy warriors
The Kshatriyas were assigned to be
protectors of
Dharma
(duty/justice), their subjects and livestock. They were sanctioned
by holy scriptures to govern. The noble king is regarded as a
Dharma Raja (Just Ruler)
The Rig Veda states:
- praja arya jyotiragrah. RV, VII.
33.17
People ruled by Aryans (nobles) are led by
the Divine light. King
Rama of
Ayodhya
is considered the greatest of the Dharma Rajas:
- arya sarva samascaiva sadaiva
priyadarsanah
Noble who worked for the equality of all,
was dear to everyone. Ramayana said:
- Like the ancient monarch Manu, father
of the human race,
- Dasaratha ruled his people with a
father's loving grace,
Symbol of Kshatriya
In the initiation rituals, the nyagrodha (Ficus
Indica or
Sacred Fig
tree) danda is assigned to the Kshatriya class.
- The nyagrodha or banyan tree, with its
bending branches which take root in the ground, was regarded as
a resembling form of the Kshatriya. The nyagrodha is the kshatra
power of trees, and the Kshatriya is the kshatra power [among
humans], for the Kshatriya dwells fastened to the kingdom, and
is supported [by it]. And the nyagrodha is fastened to the
ground by its downward growths, and supported [by it].
- (Aitereya Brahmana, 7.31; see also
Satapatha Brahmana 5.3.5.13)
"The staff made of this wood is taken by the
Kshatriya initiate with a mantra imparting physical vitality or
ojas".
- (Reflections on Resemblance, Ritual, and
Religion; Brian K. Smith)
In Manu Smriti the Kshatriya caste is given
the Varna (Color) red, to symbolize strength, passion and Valor.
Origin
Theology
- In
Aryan
Vedic
theology,
Manu
is considered the law giver and progenitor of Humans. He had
over 50 sons. Manu was both king and priest and his children
(and thus all of humanity) are considered highborn. Due to the
eventual differences in occupations, people ended up in
different
jātis
and
caste.
Those who studied the
Vedas
became known as Brahmins, those who practiced trade became
Vaishya,
those who labored became
Sudra
and those who took up martial arts became Kshatriyas. The word
Arya
means "noble" and was initially only used for kings and
kshatriyas, the word Arya is related to "Aristocracy".
-
Panchjanya,
meaning five people, is the common name given to five most
ancient vedic kshatriya tribes. It is supposed they are all
descendants of
Turvasha,
Yadu,
Puru,
Anu
and
Druhyu.
For e.g.
Yadav
for descendants of
Yadu,
Paurav
for descendants of
Puru
etc.
- Kshatriyas were created from the arms of
God and the priests were from his mouth and the merchants from
his abdomen and the laborers from his legs. This was to be
interpreted as meaning that no one caste is more important than
the other and that society cannot survive without all parts
working together.
Non-Puritan Kshatriyas
- The
Manusmriti,
written about 200 AD states that the
Sakas
(Scythians),
Yavanas
(Ionian,
Indo-Greeks),
Kambojas
(Central
Asians),
Paradas
(Sinkiang),
Pahlavas
(Persians),
Kiratas
(Nepal,
Assam),
Dravidas (Tamil),
and
Daradas
were originally noble Kshatriyas but were relegated to the
Barbaric (Vrishala) status due to their neglect of the
Brahmanas
as well as due to their non-observance of the sacred Brahmanical
codes (X/43-44).
- Anushasanaparava of the
Mahabharata
also views the Sakas, Kambojas and the Yavanas etc. in the same
light.
Patanjali
in his Mahabhasya regards the Sakas and Yavanas as pure
Sudras
(II.4.10).
- The Vartika of the
Katyayana
informs us that the kings of the Sakas and the Yavanas, like
those of the Kambojas, may also be addressed by their respective
tribal names.
- In another verse the
epic
groups the Shakas, Kambojas and
Khashas
together and state them as the tribes from Udichya, i.e. north
division (5/169/20).
- The Kishkindha Kanda of the
Ramayana
locates the Sakas, Kambojas, Yavanas and the Paradas in the
extreme north-west beyond the Himavat (i.e. Hindukush) (43/12)
in the
Shakadvipa,
adjoining the land of
Uttarakurus.
- The Udyogaparava of the
Mahabharata
(5/19/21-23) tells us that the composite army of the
Kambojas,
Yavanas
and
Sakas
had participated in the Mahabharata war under the supreme
command of
Sudakshina Kamboja.
The epic repeatedly applauds this composite army as being very
fierce and wrathful. Some verses of Mahabharata also attest that
the
Tusharas
or
Tukharas
were also included in the Kamboja division (e.g.: MBH
6.66.17-21; MBH 8.88.17). See
Tocharians
-
Puranic
accounts attest that the
Dravidas
are Kshatriyas and are said to be descendants of the sons of
Vishwamitra.
Like the Kambojas, Sakas, Yavanas, Daradas, Khashas etc, the
Dravidas were recorded as Kshatriyas who no longer were
initiated into the sacred thread due to their neglect of the
Brahmanas
as well as due to their non-observance of the sacred
Brahmanical
codes.
Scientific
- In ancient age, there was mobility
between varnas, as a person learnt new skills and changed his
actions and occupation. Historians believe that the caste system
became rigid around 1000 BC. Prior to this in ancient India the
nomadic tribes did not have a fixed caste system. They initially
assigned roles based on an individual’s aptitude and ability.
This was necessary in order to ensure the tribe's survival. The
stronger members of the tribe became the warriors and were given
a higher status in society as they were more important to the
survival of the tribe at the time. As the tribes became more
familiar with farming they built up surpluses and became more
settled. This more sedentary and leisurely lifestyle shifted the
people's focus to accumulating wealth and finding a meaning to
life. Priests began to take the preeminent role in society as
they ensured spiritual salvation. This led to society forming a
more rigid social system where position was determined by birth
rather than merit. Thereafter, those in the more powerful
classes enforced this caste system to remain in power, a pattern
also exhibited by the
nobles
of Europe. During the
Epic Age
people began to question these institutions.
- Many historical rulers came from other
castes, or were descended from non-Hindu foreign conquerors, and
were either granted de facto Kshatriya status by virtue of the
power they held, or they created fictionalized family histories
to connect themselves to past Kshatriya rulers. For instance,
the
Sakas,
Yavanas,
Kambojas,
Pahlavas,
Paradas,
Nairs
(Nagas) etc were foreign invaders from north-west but were
assimilated into the Indian community as Kshatriyas.
Vedic Origin
In modern
India,
caste is inherited. Most of the Kshatriya communities claim
descent from Surya, Chandra, or
Agni.
The Surya descendants claim descent from
Rama and
the Chandra descendants claim
Krishna
as an ancestor. This is based on the writings of the Rig Veda and
other Puranas.
Two camps exist about the importance of
these texts. One camp is similar to the literalists of the
Christian
faith who believe that their holy texts are verbatim documentation
of real people, events and dates and that modern society is
descended from them. The other camp believes that the holy texts
are not meant to be taken literally and should be used
symbolically as examples of the proper way to live.
Those who believe the
Ramayana,
Mahabharatha,
and other
Puranas
were verbatim documents feel that modern Kshatriyas are descended
from the Vedic Kshatriyas. The reason for the controversy is that
we do not have any physical evidence of their existence. There are
no bones, forts, weapons, coins, monuments, pictures etc.
discovered to state unequivocally that they existed. This issue
can be debated at length.
What historians generally agree on is Indian
history from around 1000 BC onwards. From that point onwards we
have archeological, literary, and artistic evidence of the
communities that existed in India. Historians do not disagree over
the existence of
Buddha
and
Mahavir,
two Kshatriya sages that made a lasting impression on the world.
Kshatriya communities
The Kshatriya communities are generally very
prominent in
Indian history,
having been major influences on Indian politics, society, culture,
religion and economics for hundreds of years. The
Gujjars,
Kurus,
Panchalas,
Khatris,
Kosalas,
Matsyas,
Magadhas,
Chedis,
Yadus,
Kambojas,
Gandharas,
Kekayas
etc in
epic times
and
Mauryas,
Guptas,
Chalukyas,
Rajputs,
Marathas,
Dhangars,
Nairs,
Nambiars
etc. in post-epic/medieval eras are considered to have been
particularly influential.
Vedic Kshatriyas
Suryavanshi and Chandravanshi
- 60 clans (Suryavanshi)
- 36 clans (Chandravanshi)
Suryavanshis
Chandravanshi
Non-Vedic Kshatriyas
Agnivanshi
Many of the Rajputs are known as
Agnivanshi Kshatriyas. According to
Agni Purana the Rajputs were born from the fire which resides
in
Mt. Abu in Northwestern India after the "destruction of
ancient Kshatriyas".However historians interpretes this as
suggestive of
Indo-Scythian origin because this place was entrance gateway
for scythic groups in India .In fact lineage of all 36 Rajput
rajcule has been traced to Indo-scythic races
[5].However, it is also suggested that, by the tenth century,
much of the Post-Gupta Kshatriya rulers of northern and central
India also adopted the term Rajputs and were responsible for the
continuity of administrative style and coinage of the preceding
period[6].
-
Solanki
-
Gurjara-Pratihara,
Gujjars
-
Chauhans
-
Paramara
-
Rever
Nagavanshi
These are the Kshatriyas belonging to the Serpent dynasty
called Nagavansham. They are the Kshatriyas of South India (in
particular Kerala and Tamil Nadu). They are serpent worshippers.
Sun and Fire Worshippers
Others
Non-Indian
Hindu
Bali Kshatriyas
About 40 percent of the total population of
Bali
comprises of
Balinese Kshatriyas.
Balinese Hinduism has a
caste
system and is heavily influenced by the
Vedas.
Balinese people are of mixed
Mongoloid,
Polynesian,
Australoid,
Aryan
and
Dravidian races.
Cham Satrias
The Balamon
Hindu
Cham people of
Vietnam consist of 70% Kshatriyas (pronounced in Vietnamese as
"Satrias"). Although Balamon make up only 25% of the
overall Cham population (the other 75% are
Muslims or Cham Bani). These Balamon Kshatriyas
claim to be the descendants of the
Champa Empire. |
