Bairagi Brahmin or Vaishnav Bairagi or Vaishnav Brahmin is a

Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...

caste A caste is a Essentialism, fixed social group into which an individual is born within a particular system of social stratification: a caste system. Within such a system, individuals are expected to marry exclusively within the same caste (en ...

. They are

Hindu priest A Hindu priest may refer to either of the following * A Pujari or an Archaka is a Hindu temple priest. * A Purohita or Pandit officiates and performs rituals and ceremonies, and is usually linked to a specific family or, historically, a dyna ...

s. They are sedentary rasik (temple dwelling or temple priest)

Brahmin Brahmin (; ) is a ''Varna (Hinduism), varna'' (theoretical social classes) within Hindu society. The other three varnas are the ''Kshatriya'' (rulers and warriors), ''Vaishya'' (traders, merchants, and farmers), and ''Shudra'' (labourers). Th ...

members of the

Vaishnava Vaishnavism () ), also called Vishnuism, is one of the major Hindu traditions, that considers Vishnu as the sole supreme being leading all other Hindu deities, that is, '' Mahavishnu''. It is one of the major Hindu denominations along wit ...

sampradaya ''Sampradaya'' (/ səmpɾəd̪ɑjə/,; ), in Indian-origin religions, namely Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism, can be translated as 'tradition', 'spiritual lineage', 'sect', or 'religious system'. To ensure continuity and transmissi ...

s, especially the

Ramanandi Sampradaya The Ramanandi (), also known as Ramavats (), is one of the largest sects of Vaishnavas. Out of 52 sub-branches of Vaishnavism, divided into four Vaishnava '' sampradayas'', 36 are held by the Ramanandi. The sect mainly emphasizes the worshi ...

. According to K.S. Singh, the community uses different

surname In many societies, a surname, family name, or last name is the mostly hereditary portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family. It is typically combined with a given name to form the full name of a person, although several give ...

titles A title is one or more words used before or after a person's name, in certain contexts. It may signify their generation, official position, military rank, professional or academic qualification, or nobility. In some languages, titles may be ins ...

in different

states and union territories of India India is a federalism, federal union comprising 28 federated state, states and 8 union territory, union territories, for a total of 36 subnational entities. The states and union territories are further subdivided into 800 List of districts ...

; these are:

Swami Swami (; ; sometimes abbreviated sw.) in Hinduism is an honorific title given to an Asceticism#Hinduism, ascetic who has chosen the Sannyasa, path of renunciation (''sanyāsa''), or has been initiated into a religious monastic order of Vaishnavas ...

, Bairagi, Mahanta,

Maharaj Maharaja (also spelled Maharajah or Maharaj; ; feminine: Maharani) is a royal title in Indian subcontinent of Sanskrit origin. In modern India and medieval northern India, the title was equivalent to a prince. However, in late ancient India ...

, Vaishnav, Bawa,

Pandit A pandit (; ; also spelled pundit, pronounced ; abbreviated Pt. or Pdt.) is an individual with specialised knowledge or a teacher of any field of knowledge in Hinduism, particularly the Vedic scriptures, dharma, or Hindu philosophy; in colonial-e ...

Purohit Purohita (), in the Hindu context, means ''chaplain'' or ''family priest'' within the Vedic priesthood. In Thailand and Cambodia, it refers to the royal chaplains. A ''tīrthapurohit'' is a priest/ritual performer (''purohit'') at a sacred site ...

Goswami Goswami is an Indian surname and honorific title used by Brahmins and Hindu Asceticism, ascetics. It is also pronounced as, Gosains, Gosine, Gossain, Gosain, Gossai, and Gosavi. Notables Notable people with the surname or title Goswami include: ...

Sharma Sharma‌ is a Hindu Brahmin surname. ‌The Sanskrit stem‌ ( nom. ) ‌can ‌mean '‌joyfulness', 'comfort‌', 'happiness'. Sarma and Sarmah are alternative English spellings of the name, commonly used by Assamese Brahmins. Origin Acco ...

, Das, Brahmachari. They are Vaishnav, and wear the

sacred thread ''Upanayana'' () is a Hindu educational sacrament, one of the traditional saṃskāras or rites of passage that marked the acceptance of a student by a preceptor, such as a ''guru'' or ''acharya'', and an individual's initiation into a school in ...

. A majority of Bairagi Brahmin is found in

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh ( ; UP) is a States and union territories of India, state in North India, northern India. With over 241 million inhabitants, it is the List of states and union territories of India by population, most populated state in In ...

Bihar Bihar ( ) is a states and union territories of India, state in Eastern India. It is the list of states and union territories of India by population, second largest state by population, the List of states and union territories of India by are ...

Jharkhand Jharkhand (; ) is a States and union territories of India, state in East India, eastern India. The state shares its border with the states of West Bengal to the east, Chhattisgarh to the west, Uttar Pradesh to the northwest, Bihar to the north ...

West Bengal West Bengal (; Bengali language, Bengali: , , abbr. WB) is a States and union territories of India, state in the East India, eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabi ...

Assam Assam (, , ) is a state in Northeast India, northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra Valley, Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of . It is the second largest state in Northeast India, nor ...

, and

Odisha Odisha (), formerly Orissa (List of renamed places in India, the official name until 2011), is a States and union territories of India, state located in East India, Eastern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by ar ...

. Vaishnavas are considered as part of the 'upper castes' of India.

Vaishnav Sect and Vaishnav Brahmin Caste

Vaishnav Sect

Members of

vaishnava Vaishnavism () ), also called Vishnuism, is one of the major Hindu traditions, that considers Vishnu as the sole supreme being leading all other Hindu deities, that is, '' Mahavishnu''. It is one of the major Hindu denominations along wit ...

sampradayas are called Bairagi or Vairagi. And these members are divided into three categories – renunciant (Virakt),

warrior A warrior is a guardian specializing in combat or warfare, especially within the context of a tribal society, tribal or clan-based warrior culture society that recognizes a separate warrior aristocracy, social class, class, or caste. History ...

(Naga) and temple-dwelling (temple priest) ascetics. The most of renunciant and warrior are unmarried ascetics. Anyone can be member of these communities. But there are evidences of different meetings of vaishnava mahants who have decided that member of anyone caste could not be member of the community. "Decision was taken by all the vaishnava

mahants Mahant () is a religious superior, in particular the chief of a temple or the head of a monastery in Indian religions. James Mallinson, one of the few westerners to be named as a mahant, describes the position of a mahant as a combination of an ...

that no one would be member of the community except

and

Kshatriya Kshatriya () (from Sanskrit ''kṣatra'', "rule, authority"; also called Rajanya) is one of the four varnas (social orders) of Hindu society and is associated with the warrior aristocracy. The Sanskrit term ''kṣatriyaḥ'' is used in the con ...

. And other castes excluded from the community." – Galta

Temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a place of worship, a building used for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. By convention, the specially built places of worship of some religions are commonly called "temples" in Engli ...

Meeting, 1713. Another case was of Maharaja Jai Singh II,

king King is a royal title given to a male monarch. A king is an Absolute monarchy, absolute monarch if he holds unrestricted Government, governmental power or exercises full sovereignty over a nation. Conversely, he is a Constitutional monarchy, ...

Jaipur State The Kingdom of Amber, later the Kingdom of Jaipur or the Jaipur State, was located in the north-eastern historic Dhundhar region of Rajputana and was ruled by the Kachwaha Rajput dynasty. The kingdom was established by Dulha Rai, possibly t ...

held a meeting with all Vaishnavas mahants. "Decision was taken that other castes would not be part of bairagis except

and

." – Meeting of Maharaja Jai Singh II with Ramanandi mahants and other vaishnava to maintain strict

rules, 1720. Maharaja Jai Singh II obtained pledges from Ramanandi mahants and other vaishnava to maintain strict

rules. Senugupta describes them as a High caste group. According to

H.A. Rose Horace Arthur Rose (25 November 1867 – 18 September 1933) was an administrator in the Indian Civil Service and also an author of works related to India in the time of the British Raj. Rose was the son of a merchant from East Grinstead and was ...

, in the

Punjab Punjab (; ; also romanised as Panjāb or Panj-Āb) is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia. It is located in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising areas of modern-day eastern Pakistan and no ...

and

Haryana Haryana () is a States and union territories of India, state located in the northern part of India. It was carved out after the linguistic reorganisation of Punjab, India, Punjab on 1 November 1966. It is ranked 21st in terms of area, with les ...

, most of Bairagis were recruited from

Jats The Jat people (, ), also spelt Jaat and Jatt, are a traditionally agricultural community in Northern India and Pakistan. Originally pastoralists in the lower Indus river-valley of Sindh, many Jats migrated north into the Punjab region in ...

. Bairagi Sect in bengal is mainly formed by Pod (caste), Poundra, Karan (caste), Kayastha, Rajbongshi people, Rajbanshi Castes in Gaudiya Sampradaya. Vaishnavas were liberals but in the practice

Vaishnavas (Vaishnava Brahmins) took food only from another Brahmins. William Pinch believes that the Bairagi branch of Vaishnavas is the result of the Bhakti Movement in 1000th CE.

Bairagi Brahmin Caste

Bairagi Brahmin caste is formed of sedentary rasik (temple dwelling or temple priest)

members of the

s especially the

. They are the members of

sampradayas. They are married and they have families. And rights of priesthood pass to their Lineal descendant, descendants. It is found that Bairagi Brahmins are priest in the most of villages and cities. According to Mayer, Status of Bairagis is equal with other Brahmins.

Structure of Bairagi Brahmins

Bairagi brahmins are divided into four Sampradayas - often referred to collectively as the 'Chatur-Sampradaya'. 1. Rudra Sampradaya (Vishnuswami), 2. Sri Sampradaya (Ramanandi Sampradaya, Ramanandi), 3. Nimbarka Sampradaya and 4. Brahma Sampradaya (Madhvacharya).

Akharas

There are three prominent Bairagi Vaishnavism, (Vaishnav) Akharas: * Digambara#Digambar akhara, Digambar Akhara * Nirmohi Akhara * Hanuman Garhi Temple, Nirvani Akhara

Mahabharat

The Mahabharata says that once, after Babruvahana dug a dry pond, a Bairagi Brahmin reached the centre of pond and instantly water came out of the pond with a thunderous noise.

References

{{Reflist Indian castes Brahmin communities of Bihar Brahmin communities of Delhi Brahmin communities of Uttar Pradesh