Deshastha Brahmins
| Regions with significant populations | |
|---|---|
|
Maharashtra • Karanataka, Madhya Pradesh (Gwalior, Indore, Ujjain, Dhar) Gujarat (Baroda) • Thanjavur • Delhi |
|
| Languages | |
| First language – Marathi (Majority) and Kannada | |
| Religion | |
| Hinduism | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
|
Karhade • Konkanastha•Goud Saraswat Brahmin• Devrukhe • •Thanjavur Marathi • Marathi people•Daivadnya Brahmin |
Deshastha Brahmins are a Hindu Brahmin subcaste mainly from the Indian state of Maharashtra and northern area of the state of Karnataka. The word Deshastha derives from the Sanskrit deśa (inland, country) and stha (resident), literally translating to "residents of the country". The valleys of the Krishna and the Godavari rivers, and a part of Deccan plateau adjacent to the Sahyadri hills, are collectively termed the Desha – the original home of the Deshastha Brahmins.
Over the millennia, the community produced the eighth century Sanskrit scholar Bhavabhuti, the thirteenth century Varkari saint and philosopher Dnyaneshwar, his brother and guru Saint Nivruttinath, his sister Saint Muktabai, his brother Saint Sopan. It also produced other saints like Saint Samarth Ramdas and Saint Eknath.
Brahmins constitute four percent of Maharashtra's population, and 60 percent of them are Deshastha Brahmins.
The Hindu caste system is first mentioned in the ancient Hindu scriptures like the Vedas and the Upanishads. Various sub-classifications of the caste system exist, many based on the geographical origin of the caste.
Deshastha Brahmins fall under the Pancha Dravida Brahmin classification of the Brahmin community in India. Other Brahmin sub-castes in the region are Karhade Brahmin, Devrukhe, Konkanastha and Goud Saraswat Brahmin, but these sub-castes only have a regional significance. Goud Saraswat Brahmins fall under the Pancha Gauda Brahmin classification, i.e. North Indian Brahmins. The Vedas are the world's oldest texts that are still used in worship and they are the oldest literature of India. Four Vedas exist of which the Rig Veda is the oldest. They were handed down from one generation of Brahmins to the next verbally and memorised by each generation. They were written down sometime around 400 BC. Other Vedas include the Yajur Veda, the Atharva Veda and the Sama Veda. Two different versions of the Yajur Veda exist, the White (Shukla in Sanskrit) and the black or (Krishna in Sanskrit). The Shukla Yajur Veda has a two different branches (Shakha in Sanskrit) called the Kanva and the Madhyandin. Deshastha Brahmins are further classified in two major sub-sects, the Deshashatha Rigvedi and the Deshastha Yajurvedi, based on the Veda they follow. The Yajurvedis are further classified into two groups called the Madhyandins and the Kanavas. The Madhyandins follow the Madhyandin branch of the Shukla Yajur Veda. The word Madhyandin is a fusion of two words Madhya and din which mean middle and day respectively. They are so called because they perform Sandhya Vandana at noon.. Some Yajurvedi Deshasthas follow the 'Apastamba' subdivision of Krishna Yajurveda.
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