The quote earlier from Kidwai and a comment on Facebook led me to the book How the Brahmins Won: From Alexander to the Guptas by Johannes Bronkhorst
Here are some preliminary comments from the book, as sort of unintended consequences of introspection. “As a matter of fact, much if not most of Brahmanical literature from this period [Alexander to Guptas] is directed at Brahmins and deals with exclusively Brahmanical concerns. It appears, indeed, that Brahmins of that time made major efforts to create a separate identity for themselves, an identity they could maintain in circumstances where they could not count on a tradition of respect....These ideas about society can be looked upon as natural extensions of the ideas Brahmins had developed about themselves: Brahmanical standards of purity became applicable in society at large; Brahmanical ritual practices came to accompany the lives of many non-Brahmins; Brahmanical ideas of the Brahmins’ posi- tion in society were extended so as to provide a template for society at large; Brahmanical claims to royal protection turned into manuals of statecraft; etc.
...Brahmanism, then, should be thought of as a homogeneous vision of Brahmins and their position in the world, and primarily the result of the self- centered preoccupation of Brahmins during a difficult period in which their traditional position in the world was under threat. This self-centered preoccu- pation became the basis of features that in due time transformed an important part of the world. But those successful features cannot be understood without an understanding of the self-centered preoccupation from which they arose. This means that Brahmanism has to be looked upon as a whole that cannot be grasped by cherrypicking and excluding aspects of our choosing.”
In my reading, I am also keeping in mind Emmanuel Todd’s work on family systems and The Language of the Gods in the World of Men Sanskrit, Culture, and Power in Premodern India by Sheldon Pollock
Here are some preliminary comments from the book, as sort of unintended consequences of introspection. “As a matter of fact, much if not most of Brahmanical literature from this period [Alexander to Guptas] is directed at Brahmins and deals with exclusively Brahmanical concerns. It appears, indeed, that Brahmins of that time made major efforts to create a separate identity for themselves, an identity they could maintain in circumstances where they could not count on a tradition of respect....These ideas about society can be looked upon as natural extensions of the ideas Brahmins had developed about themselves: Brahmanical standards of purity became applicable in society at large; Brahmanical ritual practices came to accompany the lives of many non-Brahmins; Brahmanical ideas of the Brahmins’ posi- tion in society were extended so as to provide a template for society at large; Brahmanical claims to royal protection turned into manuals of statecraft; etc.
...Brahmanism, then, should be thought of as a homogeneous vision of Brahmins and their position in the world, and primarily the result of the self- centered preoccupation of Brahmins during a difficult period in which their traditional position in the world was under threat. This self-centered preoccu- pation became the basis of features that in due time transformed an important part of the world. But those successful features cannot be understood without an understanding of the self-centered preoccupation from which they arose. This means that Brahmanism has to be looked upon as a whole that cannot be grasped by cherrypicking and excluding aspects of our choosing.”
In my reading, I am also keeping in mind Emmanuel Todd’s work on family systems and The Language of the Gods in the World of Men Sanskrit, Culture, and Power in Premodern India by Sheldon Pollock
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