| Brahmins
Some socially inferior Brahmins in Bihar are connected with the actual
ritual of temple worship and include miscellaneous groups such as the
pujari who performs the pujas in shrines and temples, the Ojhas of occultist
propensities who exorcise demons and evil spirits, the Jyotishis or astrologers
who caste horoscopes and determine auspicious occasions, the Pandas who
act as guides at pilgrim centres and Mahapatras who conduct ceremonies
connected with the funeral rites of the upper castes. The village
priests (pujaris) among the masses are usually uneducated. There is a
large proportion of hereditary priests.
Many of the Brahmin pujaris
are men from good families. The average priest knows little beyond reading
the Karmakanda and he is often shaky at that. From the point of view of
morality, certain priests as a rule lead pure and austere lives. There
are also a few Brahmin pandits
who devote themselves to teaching. Making gifts of land and cows to Brahmins
was at one time considered very meritorious by the Puranas. Brahmins are
generally strict about personal cleanliness and begin their private
devotions well before sunrise, repeat them at moon and again just before
sunset.
The Brahmins of Maithila are divided into five hypergamous
groups -Shrotriyas, Yogyas, Panjibadhs, Nagars and Jaiwars. The religion
of the average Brahmin is a curious mixture of Hinduism and Animism, in
which belief in both evil spirits and godlings is the principal element.
Most of the Brahmins have their idols to which they make simple offerings
in the open air. A few of the Maithil Brahmins are Shaivites who
believe in the unity and immanence of god and have a deep consciousness
of personal sin.
Among the Brahmins in Bihar there are hundreds of Agradanis
or Kantahas who conduct ceremonies when Hindus are burned and who receive
the offerings made on the eleventh day after a person's death. Bihar is
also the ancient place of settlement of the Sakaldwipi Brahmins and they
continue to be one of the most numerous classes of this order. Some of
these Sakaldwipis act as a purohits for people and explain to them the
decree of fate with the help of an almanac. Many of them are of the Shakta
sect and are guided by the tantras. Among the Brahmins of Kanoj greater
part live by acting as purohits. Many are in service and some live by
trade, the greatest part have lands which they cultivate by the help of
servants, but they do not work with their own hand. They are mostly of
the sect of Rama, a few worship Krishna or the Shaktis. The worshippers
of Rama have no objection to repeat the ceremonies used in the adoration
of Shiva or of any other god. Some of Saraswat Brahmins were formerly
land lords. Now some of them are merchants while others are priests. The
Kanyakubjas act as teachers, priests, cultivators, soldiers, messengers,
clerks and accountants, traders or cooks.
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