Kāyastha or Kayasth is a Indo-Aryan clan (Maha-parivar) who were originally Brahmins of Aryavarta (Vedic India), but eventually came to be regarded in the Kaliyuga as Kshatriyas.

Origins

Maharaja Chitragupta

Chitragupta, the ancestor of the Kayasthas, decided that his lineage would wield the pen (quill) as its weapon rather than the sword. Legend says that he is employed by Yama, the Hindu god of Death, to maintain records about every human being in Mrityulok or the mortal world, with the primary goal of judging their lives based on good and evil deeds, and deciding, upon peoples' death, whether they will attain Nirvana(Salvation) or, receive punishment for their misdoing in another life form. This is also referred to by many theosophical circles as the "Akashic Records". Hence Kāyastha is the caste of scribes. It is worth a mention that the script of the courts in the 19th and the early 20th century was Kaithi and not Devanagari. This script was primarily used by Kayasthas.

Lord Brahma

There is also another theory according to which Kayasthas originated from the entire body of Brahma and that is the reason they are called Kayasthaa (Kaya means body and stha means encompassing the whole). This is unlike the case with other Varnas who came from some specific parts of Lord Brahma.

In Sanskrit etymology,'Kayastha' is a portmanteau of the words, 'Kaya' (Body) and 'stha' (Resides in). Thus, a person who resides in whole body all times and under all conditions by virtue of his/her birth in this community is a Kayastha.

History

Kayasthas down the ages

It is important to note that like Jews in Medieval Europe, Kayasthas were valued in the second millennia by most kingdoms and princely states as desired citizens or immigrants within India. They were treated more as a race rather than a caste because they developed expertise in Persian (the state language in Islamic India), learnt Turkish and Arabic, economics, administration and taxation. This gave them an edge over the Brahmins (the priestly caste) who traditionally had reserved the study of Sanskrit Shastras to themselves. The Kayasthas' primary attachment was to their knowledge and not to the dictum of priests. They successfully transformed themselves as support pillars under Islamic rule and later on under the British. Their secular viewpoint to life, adaptability and lifestyle was an asset which allowed them to succeed. The Kayastha community also adapted to changes, such as the advent of the British rule in India. They learnt English, the more affluent ones sent their children to England, they became civil servants, tax officers, junior administrators, teachers, legal helpers and barristers. They rose to the highest positions accessible to natives in British India. The Kayasthas in these times were seen as being fair and a helpful connection between the ruler and the ruled.

Kayasthas in modern India

Post independence Kayasthas rose to the highest positions including the first President of India, judges, top civil servants and high ranking officers in the Indian armed forces. Marriage within the community was seen not only as maintaining the lineage but also to expand contacts with other influential Kayastha families. All of this does not mean that there were no lower class or poorer Kayasthas. Kayasthas also emigrated to the West in 1970s and 80s in numbers which were disproportionately high, most of them as knowledge workers in medicine, academia, engineering, computing etc. Their loyalty to their knowledge again helped them to seamlessly assimilate in the host cultures without losing their USPs.

A significant virtue in Kayastha community is the non-reliance on family wealth, this meant that a Kayastha teenager would be coaxed to study and find his/her own calling in whichever emerging career field rather than follow in their parents footsteps or rely on their parents' money. This has helped Kayasthas adapt fast to the global economy.

Subcastes

Modern day Kayasthas probably number around 5-7 million. They are subdivided into 12 main sub-castes who are believed to have originated from the 12 sons of king Chitragupta and his two wives, Irawati and Nandini. These 12 subcastes are:

• Ambastha: from the Ambast Kingdom
• Asthana
• Balmik
• Bhatnagar: from the Bhatner area
• Deengar
• Gour
• Karana
• Kulshreshtha
• Mathur: from the Mathura area
• Nigam
• Saxena: from the ancient Gandhar kingdom.
• Shrivastava: from the banks of river "Shrivastu", later known as "Suvastu" and currently known as "Swat" in the North West Frontier Province of Pakistan
• Suryadhwaja

Some other sub-castes e.g. Khare, Sinha, Vaidya have also come into picture but they all are derived from the original twelve.

Aspects of Kayastha culture

Endogamy

In older days, Kayasthas practiced family exogamy and caste endogamy preferring to marry only within their sub-castes. However, things have changed and inter-caste marriages are very common now.Still people prefer to marry in the same caste or sub-caste. It is common though, for a Kayastha to be dominant in the bringing up of children with Kayastha values even in case of an inter-caste marriage.

Worship

Kayasthas worship Chitragupta and on Bhai-Dooj (two days after Diwali and Holi), they celebrate Kalam-Dawaat Pooja (pen and ink-pot worship), a ritual in which pens, papers and books are worshipped. They devote this day to Chitragupta.

Geographic distribution

Kayasthas live mainly in northern and eastern part of India and in Nepal. There are Kayasthas in :

• Northern India - Ambasth (in Bihar), Asthana, Bhargava, Bhatnagar, Deengar, Kulshreshtha, Mathur, Nigam, Saxena, Sinha, Srivastava
• Bengal - Bose, Dutta, Ghosh, Mitra,
• Orissa - Patnaik, Mohanty
• Assam - Barua, Chaliha,
• Tamil Nadu - Tamil Kayasthas are Karuneegars, who are scribes. The temple for Chitragupta is in Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu.
• They also inhabit Kerala.

Prominent Kayasthas

Kayastha have contributed to the Indian way of life in various fields. This caste is highly respected and wields much influence in India.

See also

• Chandraseniya Kayastha Prabhu

References

• "Yama Samhita" : Brahmkayasamudrabhuto kayastho brahmsangyakah
  Kalaouhi kshatriyastamsaya jayaeyagayu rajatam
• "Garur Purana" : Dharmraja Chitraguptah shravano bhaskaradayah
  Kayastha tatra pashyanti papam punyam cha sarva
• "Yajur Veda, Astambh Shakha, Chaturkhanda, Yama Vichar Prakaran" : Savarochisentare purvam chaitravansam smudbhavah
  Suratho nama raja bhutam samaste chitimandale
• "Justice Jawala Prasad and Justice Buckmill" : AIR 1927, Patna 145

External links

• www.kayastha.org
• www.kayasthamahasabha.com

Social groups of India