Brāhmanahatya (also known as Brahma Hatya) is the

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...

term for "the act of killing a

Brahmin Brahmin (; sa, ब्राह्मण, brāhmaṇa) is a varna as well as a caste within Hindu society. The Brahmins are designated as the priestly class as they serve as priests (purohit, pandit, or pujari) and religious teachers (gur ...

". A brahmin who is learned is considered an embodiment of the knowledge he possesses; killing such a person is tantamount to destroying knowledge—- the greatest sin a being can ever commit.

Legend

In a story involving Indra and

Vritra Vritra () is a danava in Hinduism. He serves as the personification of drought, and is an adversary of the king of the devas, Indra. As a danava, he belongs to the race of the asuras. Vritra is also known in the Vedas as Ahi (Sanskrit: ', lit ...

, Brāhmahatya is portrayed as a hideous crime. The killer and his/her descendants thereafter bear a curse. It is not limited to the killing of a Brahmin but extends to the harming or killing of all those creatures that may be considered sacred and equivalent to a Brahmin. Hindu scriptures prescribe ''

japa ''Japa'' ( sa, जप) is the meditative repetition of a mantra or a divine name. It is a practice found in Hinduism, Jainism, Sikhism, and Buddhism, with parallels found in other religions. ''Japa'' may be performed while sitting in a medit ...

'', ''tapa'', ''homa'', yagya,

tarpan The term tarpan (''Equus ferus ferus'') refers to free-ranging horses of the Russian steppe from the 18th to the 20th century. It is generally unknown whether those horses represented genuine wild horses, feral domestic horses or hybrids. The las ...

, '' shradh kriya'' and '' Brahma dosha nivarana pooja'' as means to get rid of the curse. '' Triambaka pooja'' at Triyambakeshwara and pinda daan at Gaya are also suggested. The Tiruvidaimaruthur Shiva temple has an idol for Brahmahatya and the legend of this temple is associated with the curse. The pandavas committed brahmanahatya after killing their guru Dronacharya, which they repented after praying to lord shiva in the kedarnath temple.

References

Hindu law {{Hindu-theo-stub

Legend

See also

References