In the Hindu Varna System Brahmins are the priestly sections of the society. The rigid cast system in India had divided the society into 4 classes. Amongst these the Brahmins were right at the top. They used to officiate the religious rituals as they were considered the learned ones. Brahmins, the privileged class in the ancient Indian history, used to hold important positions in the royal court and used to receive handsome rewards for the performance of rituals and ceremonies.

The origin of the Brahmins can be traced back to 6000 B.C. the earliest references are found in Vedas:

" Brahmanosya mukhamaseeth
bahoo raajanya kritaha
Uroo tadasya yadVysyaha
Padbhyagam shoodro ajaayata."
This means that the Brahmins represent the face of the Creator as well as the other sections of the society. In Bhagvad Gita, the holy book of the Hindus, Lord Krishna says to Arjun, " Chaatur varnam maya sristyam, Guna, Karma vibhagashah." The Lord said that He created men on the basis of their nature and past actions. However no mention was made to their being superior.

Brahmins are known as Vedic People. Vedas depict them as a population originating in North India, Pakistan and Afghanistan. Initially Brahmins were looked up as men of wisdom and they were held in high esteem. Sages like Vishwamitra, Agastya, Brihaspati, Daksha, Kashyapa, Manu, Parasara, Vashishta, Vishnu, Vyasa and Yamaand and several others are mentioned in the mythological texts and Vedas. They imparted education and led a life of simplicity. The life of an Indian Brahmin was divided into 4 stages-`brahmacharya`, `grihastha`, `vanaprastha` and `sannyasi.`

`Gotras` of Brahmins
Panini describes Gotra as `apatyam pautraprabhrti gotram`, which means the progeny of a sage beginning with the son`s name. The descendents belong to 8 sages Vishwamitra, Jamadagni, Bharadwaja, Gautama, Atri, Vasishtha, Kashyapa and Agastya. The gotras are further divided into groups. Upamanyu, Par?shara, Kundina and Vasishtha are the 4 sub divisions.

Pravara is defined as a group of sages that differentiates the founder sage of one gotra from the other. The pravara, again, is divided into two groups- sishya-prasishya-rishi-parampara and putrparampar.

Brahmin Communities Brahmins can also be differentiated on the basis of communities.
1. Pancha Gauda Brahmins: The Panch Gaur Brahmins originated from North India and it comprise of five classes. Saraswat, Kanyakubja, Gaud Brahmins, Utkala Brahmins and Maithil Brahmin are the classifications of this Indian caste.

2. Pancha Dravida Brahmins: Andhra, Dravida (Tamil and Kerala), Karnataka, Maharashtra and Konkon and Gujarat make up this section. They are supposed to hail from South India.

Besides Hinduism Brahmins are also to be found in Buddhism. Dharmapada has a list on the Buddhist Brahmin section. Brahmin Bhikshus were quite common with this religious sect. Other sects like Jainism, Islam and Sikhism also bear testimony to the existence of Brahmins within their religious sects.

Historical sources point out that Brahmins were not limited to the profession of priests, scholars and ascetics. Whenever need arose they played the role of warriors and businessmen. One of the greatest warrior sages was Parashuram. However, with time the image of the Brahmins changed. From holy men they merely became the privileged section of the society. Nevertheless they continued to hold high positions in the royal court. They were either teachers or advisers to the kings.