The Entitled Brahman

Editor's Note: The following piece is presented in the author's own words to honor her sincere expression of faith and cultural concerns. These views represent the author's personal religious perspective. We value providing space for heartfelt community voices on matters of spiritual and cultural importance.

When I was thinking about writing this specific article, I had second thoughts about the person who might read it, because today's concept is about him. But then again, he won't read it. Because he is not a Brahman. He is an entitled Brahman.

Let me explain.

The first time I met this friend of mine, his reaction upon hearing my surname was "arey waah, tum bhi Brahman ho?" I felt really weird. I mean, from what I last learned, you are not Brahman by birth, but by your deeds. Me? I am just a chronically online teenager who watches cartoons and dramas for fun. My idea of worshipping is different. Unlike normal people, I don't enter the temples chanting bhagwan ji's name, but I rather wish them "hello bhagwan ji, kaise ho? Good morning, uth gayi main."

My bade papa taught me you cannot enter a temple if god doesn't want you to. If I am doing this every day, I think bhagwan ji does not have a problem with it. For once someone is not begging them for something maybe?

Plus, in my previous article, I urged everyone to make Dharma interesting, appealing. This is my way of praying.

Coming back.

The same day, I asked my father if I am a Brahman. He said yes. I questioned how. "Because you are my daughter, my babuji was a big poojari. I too, as you see every day, practice the daily rituals and study the Vedic texts." To this I replied, "but papa I don't. I go to the mandir, wish them good morning, ask god to take care of themselves, and leave. I don't read any Vedic texts or Puranas. How am I a Brahman?" Nothing.

Now I can very well add a few verses from Vedas and Puranas here about what and who a Brahman is, but I won't. The answers are one Google search away. Search for it, lazy folks, and then continue reading this.

And if your Google search reduced the concept of Brahman to the basic "highest among the varnas" NCERT definition, and you believed that, I pray, may the highest Guru Tattva reach you, may Saraswati Mata bless you. Out of 4 Vedas, 18 Puranas, you believed NCERT. Fantastic.

Now, I will be honest. From what I know, there is one Supreme Brahman. Shiv, Brahma, Vishnu are all manifestations of it. There might be disagreements, because the Shiva Purana says Shivji is the Supreme Brahman or in the Vishnu Purana it is written how Shri Hari is the Supreme Brahman. (Both of them aren't different as mentioned in the Varaha Purana.) I don't have one answer for it. But I do know one thing. I know who isn't a Brahman. And there's a list. Someone who rarely enters the temples, rarely studies what their religion tells them, rarely does inner work, rarely tries to gain knowledge of their history is NOT a Brahman.

Someone who wears a stack of Raksha Kavach, wears the biggest brightest Tilak on his forehead, posts himself or posts stories on "Aarambh hai Prachand" song, has "Hindu Sanatani- ब्राह्मण" in their Instagram account bio, or someone who has a bright orange ब्राह्मण written on their car window, but does not even enter the temple or even read his scriptures is surely NOT a Brahman.

Remember my friend who I mentioned in the beginning of the article? He took pride in the fact that an eighty-year-old woman touched his feet because he was a Brahman.

Now I remember only 2 things from my Bhagavad Gita classes from when I was a child.

• This body is just a cloth for our soul. The soul changes its clothes upon dying. (Somewhere around chapter 2 of Bhagavad Gita, Krishna bhagwan taught Arjuna how he "won't be killing" his kin as the Atma lives forever. The body? That is just clothes.)
• This is my personal favourite. "Aham Atma Gudakesha Sarva, bhutashaya Stitah- aham adish, ch madhyam, ch bhutanam, anta eva ch"- B.G. Chapter 10, Verse 20. Here, Krishna bhagwan ji says he is in the hearts of all, he is the beginning, the middle, the end.

These two verses, the basic understanding of them, and explaining the basic meaning of them, really shut them up. They did not take me very seriously obviously because I was a kid, but you get the point.

It might so happen that whoever is reading this, who has more knowledge than me when it comes to Vedas and Puranas, might find it wrong. Could be. And, to all, my sincerest apologies if I hurt your sentiments. See, I am no knower of everything, nor have I claimed so anywhere. If I could understand everything by 21, Shivji would've called me to him.

A friend of mine, she has been into astrology for 6-7 years. Day after day, she immerses herself in the Vedas, Puranas and the rituals—never missing a single practice.

One day she says, "I am Chauhan, not a Brahman." Does she need to have a Brahman surname for us to respect her? According to me, she is a Brahman. By her actions, her knowledge, she is one. And it doesn't matter if we consider her a Brahman or not. Your deeds matter. Your love towards Prabhu matters. Shri Hari took the Narasimha avatar for Prahlad Prabhu, someone born in the rakshasa kula.

The entire point of writing this article is to highlight the sheer entitlement that comes along with the "Brahman" tag. Entitled Brahmans don't read. They feed their ego by feeling superior. If you find Shivji, Shri Hari, in yourself and others, equality comes into the picture. Where there is equality, tell me, how will you feel superior?

It's my request to everybody reading this article: Practice your religion, know your religion. Just because you have a surname that also matches the surname of someone who is a Brahman, DO NOT feel superior. The knowledge of Vedas, Puranas has stayed because our ancestors never stopped practicing them, reading them.

Enroll your children in Bhagavad Gita classes. If you have time, which I am sure you do, just close your Instagram reels and YouTube shorts, start studying Bhagavad Gita and teach it to the children in your society. Trust me, this will go a long way.