Brahmana Bandhu or Brahma Bandhu

[P.K.Ramakrishnan]

A Brahmin association is sending messages addressing members as Brahmana Bandhu
or Brahma Bandhu.

Though Bandhu is generally used as a good word denoting relationship, if it is
applied to the word Brahmana or Brahma it has an opposite meaning.

Apte’s dictionary gives the meaning of Brahmabandhu as – a contemptuous term for
a Brahamana, an unworthy Brahmana, one who is a Brahmana only by caste, a
nominal
Brahmana.
Here is an incident in Mahabharatha.

After binding Aswatthama, Arjuna wants to take him to the militaty camp. Sri
Krishna spoke to angry Arjuna – You should not show mercy by releasing this
relative of a Brahmana (brahma-bandhu),for he has killed innocent boys in their
sleep.

P.K.Ramakrishnan
http://peekayar.blogspot.com

[hnbhat B.R.]

"ब्रह्मबन्धुरधिक्षेपे निर्देशे" इत्यमरः ( ३. ३. १०४)

"अधिक्षिप्ते ब्रह्मबन्धुर्निर्देशे च द्विजन्मनाम्॥" इति पाठान्तरम्।

"ब्रह्मणो बन्धुः" इति वा, "ब्रह्मैव बन्धुर्यस्य वा" स ब्रह्मबन्धुः।

"ब्राह्मणो ऽप्ययं  ब्राह्मकर्मणि न प्रवर्तते, केवलं जातिमात्रप्रयुक्त एव" इत्येवमाद्यधिक्षेपे = तिरस्कारे प्रकाशनीये, ब्रह्मबन्धुशब्दः प्रयोक्तव्यः। यथा - "ब्रह्मबन्धो किमेवमात्थ" इति। निर्दिश्यते इति निर्देशः; यस्य द्वेषान्नाम न गृह्यते, न त्वधिक्षेपार्थम्, तस्मिन्निर्देष्टव्ये ब्रह्मबन्धुशब्दः, यथा - "किं करोति ब्रह्मबन्धुः" इति।

उभयथापि महाभारतप्रयोगे साधुत्वे ऽपि, द्वितीय एव पक्षः साधीयानिति मन्ये।

अत्र केचिदाहुः। ब्राह्मणजातियुक्तो ऽयमित्येतावत्येव निर्देष्टाव्ये ब्रह्मबन्धुरिति वाच्य इति। अपरे त्वाहुः - कस्मिंश्चिद् देशान्तरीयत्वेन प्रागज्ञाते, शुश्रूषादिना परिज्ञातब्राह्मणसम्बन्धे भृत्यशिष्यादौ निर्देष्टव्ये ब्रह्मबन्धुरिति निर्देश इति। ब्रह्मबन्धुरित्यत्र बहुव्रीहौ (ब्रह्म एव बन्धुः यस्य स) तत्पुरुषे (ब्रह्मणो बन्धुः) वा समासे, ब्रह्मप्रतियोगिकबन्धुत्वमेव प्रकाश्यते, न तु ब्रह्मत्वमिति अधिक्षेपावगतिः। यथा, मैत्र-भार्या-पुत्र इत्युक्ते मैत्रजन्यो ऽयं न भवतीति प्रतीतिः। ब्रह्म-वर्णसंबन्धमात्रमेव प्रतीयते,जातिमात्रेणैव ब्राह्मण्यम्, न तु कर्मणा तत्त्वमिति तात्पर्यम्।

--
Dr. Hari Narayana Bhat B.R.
EFEO,
PONDICHERRY

[Arvind_Kolhatkar]

This from छान्दोग्योपनिषत् -

पिता उवाच श्वेतकेतो वस ब्रह्मचर्यम्। न वै सौम्य अस्मत्कुलीनोऽननूच्य
ब्रह्मबन्धुरिव भवति इति॥

The father said, " O Shetaketu, lead the life of a brahmacaarin, Dear
boy, none of our clan remains only a brahmabandhu by not learning (the
Vedas).

Arvind Kolhatkar, Toronto, February 27, 2011.

[hnbhat B.R.]

>  Here is an incident in Mahabharatha.
>
> After binding Aswatthama, Arjuna wants to take him to the militaty camp.  Sri
> Krishna  spoke to angry Arjuna – You should not show mercy by releasing this
> relative of a  Brahmana (brahma-bandhu),for he has killed innocent boys in their
> sleep.
>

> P.K.Ramakrishnan

The same episode retold in Bhagavata Purana 1.7.

prāhārjunaṃ prakupito bhagavān ambujekṣaṇaḥ // (34.2) 
mainaṃ pārthārhasi trātuṃ brahmabandhum imaṃ jahi / (35.1) 
yo 'sāv anāgasaḥ suptān avadhīn niśi bālakān // (35.2) 

The above are the lines exactly corresponding to the one quoted by you as available in Bhagavata PuraNa and I could not find the corresponding lines in Mahabharata. 

These are two other usages of the word in the same chapter:

BhāgavPur, 1, 7, 16.1
tadā śucaste pramṛjāmi bhadre yadbrahmabandhoḥ śira ātatāyinaḥ 

BhāgavPur, 1, 7, 53.

brahmabandhur na hantavya ātatāyī vadhārhaṇaḥ / (53.c-d) 

The six types of brahmins labelled as brahmabandhu-s according to Kurma Purana:2.21:(30)

śūdrapreṣyo bhṛto rājño vṛṣalo grāmayājakaḥ /  

badhabandhopajīvī ca ṣaḍ ete brahma-bandhavaḥ // (30)

Hope this makes more clear the connotation of the compound word brahma-bandhu.

[hnbhat B.R.]

On Sun, Feb 27, 2011 at 9:13 PM, Arvind_Kolhatkar <kolhat...@gmail.com> wrote:

This from छान्दोग्योपनिषत् -

पिता उवाच श्वेतकेतो वस ब्रह्मचर्यम्। न वै सौम्य अस्मत्कुलीनोऽननूच्य
ब्रह्मबन्धुरिव भवति इति॥

The father said, " O Shetaketu, lead the life of a brahmacaarin, Dear
boy, none of our clan remains only a brahmabandhu by not learning (the
Vedas).

Shankara Bhashya: on Chandogya Chapter 6.1:

तं पुत्रं ह आरुणिः पिता योग्यं विद्याभाजनं मन्वानः तस्योपनयनकालात्ययं च पश्यन् उवाच -- हे श्वेतकेतो अनुरूपं गुरुं कुलस्य नो गत्वा वस ब्रह्मचर्यम्; न च तद्युक्तं यदस्मत्कुलीनो हे सोम्य अननूच्य अनधीत्य ब्रह्मबन्धुरिव भवतीति ब्राह्मणान्बन्धून्व्यपदिशति न स्वयं ब्राह्मणवृत्त इति। 

 

[Sai Susarla]

It is a great fortune to have so many well-read persons on this mailing list.
I'm so happy.

What Sahasraavadhaani madugula nagaphani sarma of Andhra told in his Bhaagavata pravachanam is that it is used to denote a person who goes around telling people that he's a relative of brahmanas so his own stature will improve in the eyes of others.

Similarly, raaja-bandhu has a similar connotation. One who goes around telling people that the country's raja (king) is his relative - even though the king never cares about him :-)

Another major blunder that people commit is w.r.t the word "sabhikaH" which means a gambler, when they want to say 'sabhyaH' which means participant of a sabhaa.

These two are perfect examples to show that language and culture are so intertwined, and one cannot learn a language by simply referring to the dictionary and interpolating.
- Sai.

2011/2/27 hnbhat B.R. <hnbh...@gmail.com>

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[P.K.Ramakrishnan]

I am sorry. What I have quoted is in Bhagavata.
 

-----------------------------------
P.K.Ramakrishnan
http://peekayar.blogspot.com

---

From: hnbhat B.R. <hnbh...@gmail.com>
To: sams...@googlegroups.com
Sent: Sun, 27 February, 2011 9:16:11 PM
Subject: Re: [Samskrita] Brahmana Bandhu or Brahma Bandhu

[hnbhat B.R.]

Thank you for your compliments.

I had chanced to visit your language resources, a very useful tool for reference in grammar. I was thinking of writing to you personally to thank you for the website. I really liked it.

 

Similarly, raaja-bandhu has a similar connotation. One who goes around telling people that the country's raja (king) is his relative - even though the king never cares about him :-)

I am afraid there is not a such compound noted in lexicons as raaja-bandhu. Instead, it may be a relative of the king, raaja-shyaala, who is depicted as a comedian/villian idiot character in Sanskrit plays.

मदमूर्खताभिमानी दुष्कुलतैश्वर्यसंयुक्तः । सो ऽयमनूढाभ्राता राज्ञः श्यालः शकार इत्युक्तः ।। साद-३.४४|| 

 

Another major blunder that people commit is w.r.t the word "sabhikaH" which means a gambler, when they want to say 'sabhyaH' which means participant of a sabhaa.

 

This very familiar to those who are in touch with sanskrit lexicons:

सभिका द्यूतकारकाः ( २. ८. 44)

The word is not used for the gamblers, but for the people who run the gambling houses. The context is of gambling. Synonyms for gamblers is given in the first half of the verse (44a-b) separately.

धूर्तोऽक्षदेवी कितवोऽक्षधूर्तो द्यूतकृत् समाः

By the way, the word धूर्त is primarily used for the gambler exclusively in spite of its general  villian, cheat, rogue etc. who use to gamble in the cassino-s. धुर्वति = हिनस्ति इति धूर्तः 

And sureties provider is called as  प्रतिभूः and लग्नकः

"स्युर्लग्नकाः प्रतिभुवः"

The wretched position of a gambler is described in the AkshaSukta very beautifully in the form of a soliloquy of a gambler a lamentation over his pitiable condition and leaves a message for others: 

अक्षैर्मा दीव्यः कृषिमित् कृषस्व,वित्ते रमस्व बहु मन्यमानः।

तत्र गावः कितव तत्र जाया,तन्मे विचष्टे सवितायमर्यः।।(ऋ. 10।34।13)।)

13 Play not with dice: no, cultivate thy corn-land. Enjoy the gain, and deem that wealth sufficient.

There are thy cattle there thy wife, O gambler. So this good Savitar himself hath told me.

Both Sanskrit and English versions can be viewed for the complete hymn called अक्षसूक्त:

http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/rigveda/rv10034.htm

With regards

[jivadas]

Yoga Vasishtha uses the term <jJAna-bandhu> in the sense of a student of philosophywho gets lost in the technical terms. 

xØx

 jd

[jivadas]

I should have added that YV uses the term ambiguously, so that it can also have reference to relationship.

xØx

 jd

[hnbhat B.R.]

Can you please give the precise reference so that it can be clarified with reference to the commentaries available?

xØx

 jd

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