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The next class in the ladder of the social order consists of the ksatriyas. The Brahma Purana provides the following information regarding the ksatriyas. Just as it was the primary duty of the brahmins to perform sacrifice and study the vedas, similarly the ksatriya's main duty consisted in fighting. They had to protect the subject by fighting against the evil factors. The Brahma Purana states that a ksatriya should give dana to brahmins and should worship gods with various sacrifices and should remain engrossed in the svadhyaya. should maintain himself through the use of weapons and the protection of earth. But his main duty is the protection of earth, as his sacrifices are protected as a result of the fulfilment of his duty. A king is assigned to the duty of preserving the social order, punishing the wicked and maintaining the good, whereby he gets the desired results (222.6鈶�10). The ksatriyas who want kingship and want to have victory in the battlefield should bow down to king 35 Na yonirnapi samskaro na srutirna ca santatih | Karanani dvijatvasya vrttameva tu karanam Sarvo yam Brahmano loke vrttena tu vidhiyate Vrtte sthitasca sudro 'po Brahmanatvam ca gacchati " 223.54-58.

225 Prthu (4.117-118). A ksatriya who retreats from the battlefield incurred the sin of brahmin-murder (165.31-34). Among the various other duties mentioned for the ksatriyas, the Brahma Purana states that a king should protect the three varnas (104.63-65). A ksatriya should perform a sraddha following the rules of his own varna and injunctions of his own vaxna and kula accompanied by the recitation of the mantras (220.3,4). While describing India, the Brahma Purana states that the ksatriyas stay in the middle part of India and follow the occupation of fighting (27.17,18). In a pilgrimage, they should take a bath and do the japa with the recitation of the veda (67.19-20). This shows that the ksatriyas too like brahmins studied veda. Elsewhere they are mentioned along with the members of the other castes as witnessing the sacrifice conducted by the sages in the Naimisaranya (1.8-9). When a vaisya gets a birth in the family of a ksatriya, 36 he gets good sanskaras from his very birth. Afte: the upanayana he should remain engrossed in the Brahmacaryavrata, give dana occassionally, give daksina and perform a sacrifice with great pomp, study vedas, worship the three fires viz. Ahavaniya and others with a desire to get heaven. is a king he should give dana and protect the subjects. If he He

226 should speak truth, remain pure, practice righteousness, and kex try for the trivarga, viz. Dharma, Artha and Kama. He should restrain his mind and body and take the 1/6th part from the income of the subject. He should not enjoy the subjects of enjoyment according to his own desire but adhering to Dharma he should perform all his duties. He should approach his wife at the time of the Rturala, should observe a fast and should remain engrossed in the svadhyaya. He should always receive the three castes with a happy mind. Ile should always give food to sudras and should not give vent to selfishness or desire, He should always keep the material ready for receiving the pitrs and guests. He should offer worship according to the proper rites and should give up his body in battle for the protection of brahmins. He should offer oblations with mantras, Thus following the Dharma proper for a ksatriya, he becomes a brahmin in his next birth and studies the vedas. This passage throws good light over the duties and condition of ksatriyas (223.37-53). As regards his duties in warfare, vide the Chapter XI on 'Political Structure'. The Brahma Purana names various types of ksatriyas. Thus it states that the class Kuru of Plaksadvipa is equivalent to the ksatriya class (20.17). The ksatriyas of the Salmaladvipa possessed aruna colour (20.30), and those of the Kusadvipa were

227 called Susmi, those of the Krauncadvipa were called Puskara (20.53,54), and those of the Sakadvipa were called Magadha (20.71,72). Br The ksatriyas called Dharstakas and Karusas were the sons of Dhrsta and Karusa and they fought the battle vigorously (7.25,26,42). King Sagara got an agneyastra from the sage Aurva and defeated the ksatriyas called Talajanghas, Kaikayas, Sakas, Pahnavas and Paradas (8.32). They lost their caste for rebelling against the descendants of king Hariscandra. The P. gives the incident as follows. After having performed other Sagara's natal and/rites and taught him all the vedas and provided him with a fiery missile, the sage Aurva enjoined king Sagara to slay the Haihayas, He then exterminated the Sakas, Yavanas, Kambojas, Paradas and Pahlavas. But when on the point of being slaughtered by Sagara, they took recourse to the sage Vasistha and fell down before him. Vasistha asked Sagara to restrain himself and Sagara released them after destroying their caste and making them change their customs. He released the Sakas after causing the half of their heads to be shaven and the Yavanas and Kambojas after having had their heads completely shaved. The Paradas were made to wear long hair, and the Pahlavas to wear beards. Sakas, Yavanas, Kambojas, Paradas, Pahlavas, Konisarpas, Mahisakas, Darvas, Colas and Keralas had all been ksatriyas The

228 but were deprived of their social and religious position by the great Sagara, according to the advice of Vasistha. 37 This leads to an inference that position in Aryan society was not originally wholly dependent on birth. The five hundred sons of Raji were called Rajeya ksatriyas (11.3). The descendants of the Ajamidha dynasty were called the Ajamidha and Somaka ksatriyas, those of Janamejaya were called the Janamejaya ksatriyas (13.101,125,203-204, 207) and those five sons of king Sibi, viz. Anga, Vanga, Suhma, Pundra and Kalinga were called the Baleya ksatriyas (13.31). < The Brahma Purana states that normally a ksatriya should adhere to his own occupation but in abnormal times, a ksatriya may perform the work of a vaisya or a sudra but if he is not in distress, he should not perform a sudra's work (222.18-20). It follows from this that in times of distress, a ksatriya might follow even a sudra's avocation (220.18-20). Further the Brahma Purana states that the ksatriyas of Kusadvipa perform all the rites enjoined by the sastras and worship lord Janardana in the form of lord Brahma to destroy their sins (20.39), those of the Sakadvipa are devoted to Sun (20.71,72). In the ikada takalapradesa, the ksatriyas 37 Brahma Purana Adh. 8; Harivansa XIV. 773-83.

229 are very peaceful, religious, addicted to their own karmans and have control over their senses (28,8,9). There are some ksatriyas who lived in Ujjain and worship lord Mahadeva (43.30), (40.46). Some are the worshippers of lord krsna and Balarama (66.10-12). This shows that they followed various religious creeds (66.10-12). It was believed that the ksatriyas get the highest siddhi by devoting themselves to lord Narayana (178.185-186). As regards purification, the Brahma Purana states that on the death of someone in the family, a ksatriya gets purified in twelve days and during that period, he should not perform his work (220.63,64), (221.147,158). The value of right conduct was highly emphasized for a ksatriya (220.63,64,147)