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A CULTURAL STUDY OF THE NISITHA CURNI
As noted before, the two virtually contradictory views regarding the social status of the Brāhmaṇas can be seen from the text : first the Brāhmaṇas belong to a condemned caste (dhijjati) as they were thought by the Jaina lawgivers, and second, they are veritable gods upon this earth as they were considered by the members of the orthodox Brāhmanic society. It is, however, clear from this account that even though severely condemned by the Jainas, the Brāhmaṇas were held in the highest esteem by the general public and society. The con temporary accounts of Yuan Chwangi and I-Tsing2 as well as the inscriptions of the period amply testify to the fact that this was not a mere wish of the Brāhmanas, but a living reality arted upon by the contemporary men and women. Kşatriyas
Ksatriyas were the next in order. They were called Kşatriya, since they protected others from danger (kşata). Their primary duty was to protect the people. Only the king belonging to a high Kşatriya family was respected by the people.5 The Kşatriyas appear to have been particularly aware of the purity of their descent (piya-pakkha-visuddha). Various respe
1. According to Yuan Chwang, India during his time was known to them
as country of the Brāhmanas.-Watters, op. cit., 1, p. 140. 2. I-Tsing clearly states: "The Brāhmanas are regarded throughout the
five parts of India as the most honorable (caste). They do not, when they meet in a place, associate with the other three castes, and the mixed classes of the people have still less intercourse with them",
Takakusu, A Record of the Buddhist Religion, p. 182. 3. Bhandarkar, R. G., A Peep into the Early History of India, p. 53. 4. gaia alfa rar 3717&TOR *:--NC. 2, p. 467. According to
Mahapurāna (16. 243), the term Ksatriya denotes a Saviour who is entrusted with the duty of protecting the wounded. For similar definition of the word Ksatriya see-Raghuvansa, II. 53; Paumacariya,
3. 115; Manu. 10. 79. 5. NC. 2, p. 449. 6. NC. 3, p. 29. The early Jaina and Buddhist texts also reveal that the
Kşatriyas claimed descent from the leaders of the Aryan tribes. They were most particular as to the purity of their descent.-Law, B.C., India. as Described in the Early Texts of Buddhism and Jainism, p. 144.
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