Daivadnya Brahmin / गोवा के भूमिहार

The Daivajña or Daivadnya is an ethno-religious community and a Hindu Brahmin sub-caste of the west coast of India, predominantly residing in the states of Goa, coastal Karnataka, and coastal Maharashtra. The state of Goa is considered to be the original homeland of Daivadnyas. They are believed to have flourished and prospered in Goa and hence sometimes they are calledGomantaka Daivajña. Due to many socio-economic reasons, they emigrated to different parts of India within the last few centuries.

They are commonly known as Śeṭ in the coastal region. The word Śeṭ is a corrupt form of the word Śreṣṭha or Śreṣṭhin, which could mean excellent, distinguished, or superior. Over time the word was transformed from Śreṣṭha to Śeṭ.^[4] Most of the older generation from the Daivajña community in Goa call themselves Śeṭī Bāmaṇ, which is a corrupt form of Śreṣṭhi Brāhmaṇa. The Portuguese referred these people as Xete (cf. Xett, Xete) or sometimes Chatim (cf. Xatim), which is now Cyātī in the Konkani language; the word was a Portuguese appellation for "trader" derived from the local word Śreṣṭhin.^[5] Śeṭs are often called Daivajña Suvarṇakāra (cf. Svarṇakāra).^[l] Daivajña Brāhmaṇa and Gomantaka Daivajña Brāhmaṇa are sometimes abbreviated as DB and GDBrespectively. 

Etymology

The exact reason,why they are called Daivajna is debatable. Yet it is quite possible that it was Vadirajatirtha who bestowed the appellation Daivadnya onto them when many of them adopted Madhwa religion under leadership of Vadiraja,whom the aforesaid had gifted an idol of Hayagriva.^[6]

Daiva jānati iti daivajñaḥ

is literally translated as the one who knows the fate is Daivadnya or "the one who knows about God is Daivadnya", and can be interpreted as the one who knows about the future is a Daivadnya; or the one is well versed in Śilpaśāstra and can craft an idol of God is called a Daivadnya.

The word is written as दैवज्ञ in Devanāgarī and ದೈವಜ್ಞ in Kannaḍa. Different authorities spell the word differently. Some alternate spellings are Daivajna, Daivajnya,Daivagna,Daiwadnya, and Daivadnea.^[8][9] The word is pronounced [d̪aivaɡna] in Karnataka and [d̪əivaʝɲa] in Goa and Maharshtra.

Alternate explanation

In Vedas, Taittariya Samhita, Shatapatha Brahmana, sage Kashyapa is recorded as an eminent artisan.His book Kashyapa Samhita,along with Bhrigu Samhita and Maya Samhita recognises Daivadnya as assistant engineer. Daivadnya is mentioned as the title of the assistant engineer.Their work was like that of a draughtsman or evaluator.It is said that astrology began from this class of ancient vedic Daivadnyas.So the term Daivadnya became equivalent to astrologer.Even though there are no reference of people of this modern caste practising only astrology in past few centuries,it is probable that the caste name has come from the ancient Daivadnyas mentioned in the texts above.Though it was not a caste but just a profession it is quite possible that their descendants called themselves Daivadnyas too.

Appellations

They are commonly referred to as Śeṭ. According to historians, they called themselves so to distinguish themselves from other groups who were of mixed origin, and claimed superiority. The guild or members of the guilds of traders, merchants, and their employees who were mainly artisans, craftsmen, and husbandmen in ancient Goa like elsewhere in ancient India, were called Śreṇī, and the head of the guilds were called Śreṣṭha or Śreṣṭhī which meant His Excellency.

Old Portuguese documents mention them as Arie Brahmavranda Daivadnea or Aria Daivadnea Orgon Somudai, transliterated as Ārya Daivajña Varga Samudāya, transliterated as Aryans of the Daivadnya community. They are sometimes mentioned as Daivdneagotris.

Being inhabitants of Konkan they were also called as Konkanastha Daivadnya.

Probable origins[edit]

Map of Vedic India

Historians believe that the Daivadnya Brahmins originated with Sun- and Fire-worshipping priests, analogous to the Brahmins. These priests were mentioned in ancient Hindu scriptures such as Bhaviṣya Puraṇa,Viṣṇupuraṇa, and Mahabharata.^{[citation needed]} They crafted an idol of the sun god Surya; hence they are called Murtikara.^[16][17] These sun-worshipper priests were called Magas.^[18]

Historians Viṭhṭhala Mitragotri, Sridhara Veṅkaṭesa Ketkara, Paṇduraṅga Puruṣottama Siroḍkara and Ba. Da. Satoskar have concluded that Seṭs are descendants of the Bhojakas and have inherited the art of crafting an idol from the Bhojakas. Bhojakas are also called Gaṇakas, which is synonymous with Daivajña.^[19][20] Daivajñas are descendants of Bhojakas, who migrated to Goa in the fourth or sixth century AD with a Kshatriya tribe called Bhojas.^[21]

History[edit]

Ancient history[edit]

According to Sahyadrikhanda of Skanda Purana,^[22] 96 Brahmin families belonging to ten gotras migrated to Goa from Brahmāvarta via Sauraṣhṭra,^[23] and settled in differentAgrahāras (Brahmin streets or neighbourhoods). The Daivajñas came with Lord Paraśurāma in 2500 BC^[24] to the south to assist other Brahmins to perform Yajñas, or ritualistic sacrifices,^[e] and are believed to have settled in various Agrahāras with other Brahmins. Some scholars argue that this tribe migrated to Goa in the fourth to sixth century AD, some say 700 BC, and some estimate 2500 BC. Research by scholars like Dharmananda Damodar Kosambi^[25] and Bhau Daji^[26] have concluded that there is no relation between Parashurama and the migration of the Brahmins. The Sahyadrikhaṇḍa is a later inclusion in the original Sanskrit Skanda Puraṇa, not a part of the original Sanskrit text.^[27]

There are evidences of the Satavahanas performing vedic sacrifices in Goa in the second century BC. It is quite possible that some of them settled in Goa during that time to assist the Brahmins to perform sacrifices. Though most of them seem to have settled in Goa after the second century BC. Though there were many groups engaged in jewellery trade in Goa before this period they do not seem to be a part of that group dwelling in Goa during that time.^[21]

Many Vedic scholars like Veṅgaḍācārya^[28] and Nārāyaṇaśastri Kṣirasāgara^[29] relate the Daivadnya Brahmins with the Vedic Rathakāra. Saṃskṛtā texts such as Jātiviveka,Saṅkha smṛti, and Añjabila state that they are one of the Rathakāras, called Upabrāhmaṇa, or minor Brahmins for whom vedic Saṃskāra are explicitly stated as mentioned inŚaivāgama.^{[clarification needed][30]} The Hindu doctrines Hiraṇyakeśisutra and Bṛhajjātiviveka mention different types of Rathakāras. Most of them can be called Saṅkara Jāti or mixed caste, and their social status varies from that of a Brahmin to those considered fallen or degraded.^[31] Modern scholars like Ad. Paṇduraṅga Puruṣottama Śiroḍkara^[31] and Bā. Da. Sātoskar^[32] disagree with this claim. Paṇduraṅga Puruṣottama Śiroḍkara states that if they are related to any Rathakāra tribe, they belong to the Rathakāra mentioned in theṚgveda, and not other Rathakāras, which are of impure descent.^[31] Rathakāra is also identified with Tvaṣṭr, as mentioned in Ṛgveda (1.7.32). The progeny of Tvaṣṭr are called Rathakāra in the Medini Koṣa Ṛgveda (1.7.32). They seem to have formed an industrial population in ancient Vedic society, and were associated with the worship of celestial beings such as Ṛbhus.^[33] Their origins could be found in the ancient Ṛgvedic tribe Anu. who worshiped the Ṛbhus.^[34] The Ṛbhus are mentioned as belonging to the race of Aṅgiras:^[35]Ṛbhus are the sons of Sudhanvā and grandsons of the sage Aṅgiras.^[36]

Alternate theories[edit]

The Magas, Aṅgiras, Bhṛgus, and the modern day Daivajñas[edit]

Indologists like Dr Ghurye have concluded that the Magas and the Aṅgiras are the same and they are Proto-Indo-Europeans who reached India before the Indo-Aryans.,^[37][37] Vedic society was divided into three races: the Aṅgiras, the Bhṛgus, and the others.^[37] These three groups later intermarried, and thus all the Brahminical Gotra Ṛṣis belonging to Aṅgira and Bhṛgus linage were born.^[37] The Magas are considered the ancestors of the Aṅgiras, and from these Magas, who married the Bhojaka women, modern-day Daivajñas have descended.^[37] Magas are not different from the Indo-Aryans, but their period of migrations differs.^[37] According to Indologist Damodar Dharmananda Kosambi, Tvaṣṭr was a deity who belonged to the clan of the Bhṛgus and existed before the Vedic era.^[38] This claim is disputed by many.

Oral traditions[edit]

Oral tradition^[g] of some of the Daivajna clans say that they came from Gauḍa Deśa with their Kuldevatās (family deities). There is no written evidence to support this traditional belief.

Medieval and modern history[edit]

Migrations[edit]

According to Viṭhṭhala Mitragotrī, the migration to Goa dates back to the early 4th to 6th century AD.^[21] Bā. Da. Sātoskār suggests that they are a part of the Sārasvata tribe and reached Goa around 700 BC. From 1352 to 1366 AD Goa was ruled by Khiljī. In 1472, the Bahāmanī Muslims attacked, demolished many temples, and forced the Hindus to convert to Islam. To avoid this religious persecution, several Śeṭ families fled to the neighbourhood kingdom of Sondā.^[39][40] Several families from western India had settled down inKashi since late 13h century.^[41]

In 1510 the Portuguese invaded Goa. King John III of Portugal issued a decree threatening expulsion or execution of non-believers in Christianity in 1559 AD; the Daivajñas refused conversion and had to decamp. Thousands of Daivajña families fled to the interior of Maharashtra and coastal Karnataka.^[42] About 12,000 families from the Sāsaṣṭī region of Goa (from Rāy, Kuṅkalī, Loṭalī, Verṇe and other places), mostly of the Śeṇavīs and the Śeṭs, including Vaiśyas, Kuṇbīs, and others, departed by ship to the southern ports of Honnāvara to Kozhikode.^[42][43] A considerable number of the Śeṭs from Goa settled in the Ṭhāṇe district of Maharashtra, especially the Tansa River valley, after the Portuguese conquest of Goa.^[44]

Portuguese period[edit]

Daivajnas and Christianity[edit]

The Portuguese imposed heavy restrictions on all Goan Hindus, but the Śeṭs were granted exemption from certain obligations or liabilities. It is rare to find a Christian Goan Śeṭ, while all the other castes find some representation in the convert society;^[45] this is because the economic power the Śeṭs wielded in the sixteenth century enabled them to live and work in Goa on their own terms or emigrate with their religion intact.^[45] Their commercial knowledge and skills were held in high esteem by the Portuguese;^[45] because of the protection the Portuguese gave them, they had a little religious freedom.^[12] For example, they were permitted to wear the horizontal Vibhutī caste-mark on the forehead, and were even exempted from punishment when they committed crimes.^[12] The very few who converted were assigned the caste of Bamonn among the Goan Catholics.^{[citation needed]}According to the gazetteer of Goa state they are called Catholic Śeṭs,^[46] but no such distinction is found amongst Goan Catholics. A detailed study of Comunidades^[h] shows that baptised Śeṭs were categorised as Bamonns.^{[citation needed]} A few historians have categorised them into the category of Sudirs or Śudras because the appellation they used,Chatim, was sometimes used by the lower castes. Whether Hindu or Catholic, the community always enjoyed their social status, and were permitted to remain in Christianized parts of Goa, provided they kept a low profile, observed certain disciplines, and paid a tax of three xeraphims of (gold mohor) annually to the Portuguese.^[47]

A few Daivadnya families who converted to Catholicism migrated to Mangalore due to attacks by the Marathas in Goa during the late 17th and early 18th century.^[48][49] These families still use the title Śeṭ.^[50] The Saldanha-Shet family is one of the well known Konkani Catholic families from Mangalore.^[51]

Relationships with other communities[edit]

There always has been some sort of antagonism rivalry between the Śeṭs and the Gaud Sārasvat Brahmins of Goa.^{[citation needed]} The trade in Goa was mainly in the hands of three classes, viz, the Śeṭs, the Gaud Sārasvat Brahmins and the Vānīs.^[52] The root cause of this rivalry seems to be in the competition and jealousy between the traders of the two groups for hundreds of years, which still exists but may not be in its earlier form. The Gaud Sārasvat Brahmins look down upon the Daivajña and called them non-Brahmins. Daivajnas, on the other hand, called the Sarasvats fishermen and scoffers and detested them.^[53] These two rival groups never accepted water from the other's hands until a century back. 18th–19th century records mention conflicts between Śeṭs and Gaud Sārasvat Brahmins of Goa. The cause of this conflict was use of traditional emblems used by Brahmin and royal Kṣtriya families during religious rituals, functions and festivals, like Adbagira, Sūryapān, Chatra, Chāmara that symbolised high status in the Hindu society then.^[54] The Sārasvat Brahmins did not allow Daivajña processions to pass through their streets.^[53] The verdict of the above conflict was in the favour of the Śeṭs.^[54] The hatred was so severe until the 19th century, that only fear of the police kept the peace. Later the Portuguese banned the use of Hindu symbols and wedding festival processions.^[54] Śeṭs were one of the building blocks of the comunidade system in Goa,^[1] and actively participated in the temple Mahājani system. The Sārasvats Brahmins deprived the Daivajnas as Mahājans of some of the temples because of the political power they once experienced.^[55]

Another conflict between Daivajñas and Vaiśyas, in 1348 in Khāṇḍepār or Khaṭegrāma, is mentioned in Khāṇḍepār copperplate. This issue was solved in Gaṇanātha temple in Khāṇḍepār.^[24][56]

Daivajñas in diaspora[edit]

The Śeṭs who had emigrated from Goa due to socio-economic reasons(during the Goa Inquisition) faced many hardships in diaspora. In the early 18th century, those had who migrated from Konkan to places like Pune were demeaned and tortured by the Peshwas, they did not have any sort of religious freedom, were divested of all priestly rites, those who performed religious rites and studied the Vedas were punished^[57] and their tongues and Śikhās were cut off.^[58] They were badly molested by them and tried to degrade them to a level of a shudras in an effort made by the members of the said group to be exclusively called Brahmins.^[59]

Documents mention a Grāmaṇya^[j] between the Daivajñas and the Brahmins of Pune or the Puna Joshis. This dispute regarding social status and ritual privilege, lasted from 1822–1825.^[60] The opponent Brahmins were against the Daivajñas administering Vedokta Karmas or Vedic rituals,studying and teaching Vedas,wearing dhoti,folding hands inNamaskar.They urged the Peshwas,and later,the British to impose legal sanctions, such as heavy fines to implement non-observance of Vedokta Karmas,though the later had been always observing the Vedic rites.^[61] The Joshis denied their Brahmin claim, allegedly argued that they are not even entitled to Upabrāhmaṇa status which they are bestowed in the 'Śaivāgama.^[62] Thus they claimed that latter were not entitled to Vedokta Karmas and should follow only Puraṇokta rites^[60] and they were also against the Brahmins who performed Vedic rituals for the Daivajñas,^[61] they incriminated that Daivajñas have an impurity of descent and have a mixed-caste status or Saṅkara Jāti.^[63] Joshis even refused to listen to Sringeri Sharada Peetham Svāmī's order saying Daivajñas of Bombay are Brahmins and are entitled to Vedokta rites.^[63] British issued orders to the Daivajñas by which the Vedas not be applied for an improper purpose, the purity of the Brahmin caste be preserved^[64] and did not impose any restrictions on the Daivajñas.^[63] This dispute almost took a pro-Daivajña stance in Bombay in 1834,^[65] and were ordered to appoint the priests of their own Jāti and not priests of any other caste.^[64]

In 1849, the king of Kolhapur, Shahu Maharaj provided land grants to the Daivajñas who had migrated to princely states of Kolhapur and Satara and helped them build their hostels for the students pursuing education.^[66]

Many families like the Murkuṭes, the Paṭaṇkars,^[67] the Śeṭs of Kārvāra, Bhaṭkala still kept their tradition alive and excelled in trade and played a major role in socio-cultural development of the major metropolis of India like Mumbai.^[55]

The Daivajña priests who used to officiate at the Gokarṇa Mahābaleśvara temple, were legally prosecuted by the Havyakas of Gokarṇa with a view that the Daivajña Brahmins would take over the Pujā authority at Gokarṇa, filed a case against the Daivajña Brahmins at Kumta court (22 October 1927). The case from Kumta court reached Kārvāra, Bombay high court and the judicial decision was in favour of the Śeṭs.^[68]

Modern period[edit]

Following liberation of Goa, many Goan Daivajña families migrated to Mumbai,^{[citation needed]} and organised themselves into Gomantaka Daivajña Brāhmaṇa Samāja, which was founded in 1920,^{[citation needed]} as estimated by the organisation there are more than 15,000 Goan Śeṭs in Mumbai.^{[citation needed]} Few of them have even migrated to Pune and overseas.Akhīla Bharatiya Daivajña Samajonnati Pariṣat^[69] already existed since 1908 for betterment of the kinsmen^[55] and was founded by descendants of the native Śeṭs of Mumbai who had settled there within last few centuries.

Following the Maratha rule many families from Maharashtra migrated to Madhya Pradesh.^{[citation needed]}

Few Koṅkaṇe Daivadnya Brahmins have even settled in Vapi, Dharampur, Valsad, Daman and other few places in the state of Gujarat.^[70][71]

Similarly, about 3500 Śeṭs migrated to Beṅgalūru city after 1905 from Dakṣiṇa Kannaḍa.^[72] Many families have migrated to Mumbai and have founded organisations like Kanara Daivajña Association,^[73] Daivajña Śikṣṇa Maṇḍala^[74] etc.Śimogā, Cikkamagaluru, Koḍagu, Davaṇgere, Hubballī-Dhārvāḍa districts of Karnataka have a considerable Daivajña population now.^[42]

Śeṭs have also migrated abroad. They are found in the Arab countries^[75] and have been migrating overseas in pursuit of higher education and employment for number of years now specially, the United States of America and England.^[73] Very few of them are official citizens of Portugal^[75] and Kenya.^[76] A small fraction of them are also found in Karachi, Lahore^[77] Pakistan, but most of them have settled as refugees in Ulhasnagar after partition.^[73]

Earlier anthropological classification[edit]

A Daivadnya Brahmin Lady from Mumbai,(Secretary of Hindu Ladies Social Club started by Ramabai Ranade),19th century

Studying their features, customs and rituals,British historians and anthropologists opined that this tribe or community is an amalgam of two or more tribes – as their traits and traditions cannot be attributed to a single tribe.^[24] Texts maintain that Bhojakas entered into matrimonial alliances with the local population^[78] and later mingled with non-Brahmins.^[78] They were looked down upon by other Brahmins^[79] in the days of yore – maybe because of these reasons.^[24]

Religion[edit]

Different schools of Shaivism have existed in Goa and Konkan since ancient times.Similarly Shaivism was very popular amongst Goans of all walks of life,and was very widely predicted.Worship of Shiva and his consort was performed.The religion was constantly influenced by other religions such as Jainism, Buddhism and later the Nath sect,when the ruling dynasties patronised them. Up to 1476 there was no properVaishnavism in Goa.Perhaps this is the reason why they show a strong influence of Shaivism^[80]

Deities[edit]

Daivadnya Brahmins are predominantly Devi(Shiva's consort)and Shiva worshippers.^[81]Pañcāyatana pujā – a concept of worshipping God in any of the five forms, namely Shiva, Devi, Ganesha, Vishnu and Surya, that was propagated by Adi Shankara (8th century) is observed by Daivajñas today. Daivajñas worship the Pañcāyatana deities with Devi or Shiva as the principle deity. A possible Pañcāyatana set may be:Shantadurga, Shiva, Lakshminarayan (Vishnu with his consort Lakshmi), Ganesha and Surya. Pañcāyatana may also include guardian deities like Ravalnath, Bhutanath, Kala-Bhairava, Kshetrapala and deities like Gramapurusha.^[81]

Few of the Daivadnys in the coastal track of Karanataka up to the end of Kerala – follow the Vaishnavism. They worship Vishnu and Lakshmi as their prime deities and have established many temples of Vishnu in the form of Lakshminarayan, Krishna, Narasimha and Vithoba.^{[82][full citation needed]} However, their Kuladevatas (family deities) in Goa areShaiva – the sect centred on Shiva.^[2]