Brahmins

Brahmins (also Brahmans) have historically been a caste (one of the four varṇas) in India. They are traditionally priests, educators, scholars and preachers in Hinduism.^[1] The words Vipra "learned",^[2] or Dvija "twice-born".^[3] are used synonymously with the word 'Brahmin'.

Brahmins enjoyed significant power in the medieval times ^[4] and in modern India until the 19th century.^[5] Caste politics in modern India treat brahmins as a forward caste, and some brahmins have complained about the reverse discrimination granted to the backward castes.^[6][7] The Government of India maintains an official list of scheduled castes and scheduled tribes, but not of forward castes, so that the status of brahmin is not officially recognized and does not appear in the Indian census. Nevertheless, a rigid system of Brahmin communities divided into gotras remains in force de facto in Hindu society.

The English noun brahman is ultimately derived from the Sanskrit brāhmaṇa, an adjective meaning "pertaining to bráhman". The form brahmin is a corruption of vernacular pronunciations; while in wide popular use, the more correct brahman, also written brâhman or bráhman is employed in scholarly contexts and by most writers on India. Older English spellings like brachmans, brachmins are influenced by Greek βραχμᾶνες, Latin brachmanes (OED).