Historical Brahminism

Brahminism or Brahmanism is a doctrine developed from the Vedic religion, which incorporates non-Vedic religious religious ideas; and expanding to a region stretching from the northwest Indian subcontinent to the Ganges valley. Originally the doctrine arose out of the concept of Brahman, the ultimate reality, but eventually evolved into the doctrine of Brahminism.

Heesterman mentions that Brahmanism included the Vedic corpus, but also the inclusion of post-Vedic texts such as Dharmasastras, gave prominence to the Purohita or Brahmin class of society. Heesterman also mentions that the post-Vedic Smriti, which are also included in later Smarta tradition. Emphasis on rituals and the dominant position of Brahmins developed as a developed ideology in the Kuru-Pancala realm, and expanded into the Aryavarta region after the end of the Kuru-Pancala kingdom. It co-existed with local religions, such as the Yaksha cults.

History

The term Brahmanism was coined by Gonçalo Fernandes Trancoso in the 16th century. Historically, it has been considered synonymous with Hinduism. In the 18th and 19th centuries, Brahmanism emphasized Brahman in the early Upanishads, because it developed out of the post-Vedic ideas of the late Vedic period. Brahmanism declined during the Vedic period following the Second Urbanization. With the growth of political entities, which threatened the income and patronage of rural Brahmins; Conquests of eastern empires from Magadha, including the Sramani movement, the Nanda Empire and the Maurya Empire, and invasions and foreign rule in the northwestern Indian subcontinent that brought new political entities. The new political entity provides new services, and includes the non-Vedic Indo-Aryan religious traditions and local religious traditions of the eastern Gangetic plains, and simultaneously gave birth to contemporary Hinduism. This "new Brahmanism" appealed to rulers attracted to supernatural powers, and the Brahmins are able to give practical advice on this power, this resulted in a resurgence of Brahminical influence, which dominated Indian society from the classical period of Hinduism to the early 17th century AD.

Nowadays, the term Brahmanism, used interchangeably with Brahminism, which sees Brahmins as privileged people who naturally rule and dominate society. The term is often used by anti-Brahminists, who object to their dominance in Indian society and their exclusive ideology. In the view of 19th century colonial rulers, the doctrine was derived from Christian doctrine, the original "God-given religion" corrupted by priests, in this case the Brahmins and their religion, "Brahmanism", which was supposedly imposed on the Indian people. , such as Dr.Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar, supported their criticism.

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