Polygamy in Islam

Dr, Zakir Naik says in his website that the Muslim practice of taking up to four wives is justified . He claims it protects the modesty of women, while keeping men from going astray. He writes in his website that human males are polygamous by nature and that a man is less likely to cheat if he has more than one wife. He also believes that there are more marriageable women than men in the world and claims:

"If every woman got married to only one man, there would be over thirty million females in U.S.A, four million females in Great Britain, 5 million females in Germany and nine million females in Russia who would not find a husband. Thus the only two options before a woman who cannot find a husband is to marry a married man or to become public property."

Naik points to the verse Qur'an 4 to explain the Muslim position on polygyny. This verse explains that a man can take more than one wife only if he is able to treat them equally. If he cannot do this, he should have a relationship with only one wife and/or "what your right hands possess" (i.e. female slaves and concubines)."

Rebuttal:

1. Naik has claimed that polygamy protects the modesty of women. He falsely believes that the population of women in the world is much greater than the population of men. Hence according to him, polygyny will reduce the number of women who will become "public property." Then he goes on a long rant about how there are many extra women in the world.

The following are the actual global statistics from the CIA (est. 2006). 

Global Gender population according to age group Age group (years) Percentage Number of Males Number of Females 0-14 27.4% 919,219,446 870,242,271 15-64 65.2% 2,152,066,888 2,100,334,722 65 and over 7.4% 213,160,216 270,146,721

Proportion of males to females Age Group Population Ratio At birth 1.06 male(s)/female Under 15 years 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years 1.03 male(s)/female 65 years and over 0.79 male(s)/female Total population 1.01 male(s)/female

We can clearly see that the total male population slightly exceeds the female population, thus exposing Naik's falsehood. This trend is almost ubiquitous worldwide. Furthermore, the only age group in which women exceed men substantially is the 65+ age group. By this time, most women are already happily married, widowed or not looking for a partner.

The following are statistics for the USA:

Gender population in USA according to age group Age group (years) Percentage Number of Males Number of Females 0-14 20.4% 31,095,847 29,715,872 15-64 67.2% 100,022,845 100,413,484 65 and over 12.5% 15,542,288 21,653,879

Proportion of males to females Age Group Population Ratio At birth 1.05 male(s)/female Under 15 years 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years 1 male(s)/female 65 years and over 0.72 male(s)/female Total population 0.97 male(s)/female

We can clearly see that, even though overall there are slightly more females than males in the USA, the difference maker is the 65+ age bracket. This is a far cry from what Dr. Naik has claimed. The age that people usually get married in is the 15-64 age bracket and the population of men and women here is roughly the same. In fact, if we look at the age group 0-64, there are 989,336 more males than females and so according to Naik's strategy, perhaps there should be some females who are married to more than one man (polyandry) so that the men don't become "public property".

Now, let's analyze an Islamic country. The following are statistics for Saudi Arabia:

Gender population in Saudi Arabia according to age group Age group (years) Percentage Number of Males Number of Females 0-14 38.2% 5,261,530 5,059,041 15-64 59.4% 9,159,519 6,895,616 65 and over 2.4% 342,020 302,005

Proportion of males to females Age Group Population Ratio At birth 1.05 male(s)/female Under 15 years 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years 1.33 male(s)/female 65 years and over 1.13 male(s)/female Total population 1.2 male(s)/female

We can see that the population of males far exceeds the population of females. The difference maker is the 15-64 age category too. According to Naik's logic, the Islamic state of Saudi Arabia should actually follow polyandry (one woman, many husbands), not polygyny (one man, many wives) .

Other points:

1. The ratio of women to men is not 4:1. The above statistics show that the ratio of females to males is around 1.01 : 1 , which is almost negligible and takes care of itself. There is no reason for a man to marry 4 wives. In fact marrying 4 wives will create a much bigger problem. The explanation is as follows: There are 101 females for every 100 males. Thus 1 female more. If just 2 men out of those 100 men marry 4 wives, there will be 98 unmarried males remaining and 93 unmarried females remaining. Now the number of unmarried males is higher than that of unmarried females. So does Islam allow polyandry? No. So it just creates more imbalance. And we are talking about only 2 out of every 100 men marrying 4 wives. If the number of men practising polygamy increases, then so does the shortage of unmarried female. Zakir Naik fails to address this issue.
2. If we believe that there are more women than men, it may be ok for a man to marry more than one woman. But if in a scenario, there are more men than women, Islam does not allow women to marry more than one man.
3. Naik has also claimed that polygamy keeps men from cheating on their wives. This is as absurd as saying, "making stealing legal will put an end to robbery." Naik reasoning is not valid on this point.
4. Naik has also claimed that man is polygamous by nature. This is a huge generalization as there are polygamous women and monogamous men. In any case this is as absurd as saying, "man is selfish by nature. Hence, he should betray others." There is no evidence to suggest that man is polygamous by nature.
5. Naik has taken account of the "25 million gays" who live in the USA. That number is unverified. In any case, he has not considered the lesbian population.
6. Naik's says that the only option for a non-married woman is to become "public property". This is simply ridiculous, obnoxious and insulting to women and does not warrant a response.

Another Response

• Dr. Zakir Naik's claim suggests that he has little or no respect for women. He considers women as inferior to men, and cannot handle responsibilities. Dr. Naik should take a walk around the streets of Bombay and watch Independent single mothers. He might feel offended by the sheer willpower of modern educated women in all spheres of life. In India, there are hundreds of Women CEO'S, entrepreneurs, lawyers, doctors, pilots, social activists, journalists, writers, professionals etc. Dr. Naik should be aware of this. Is he jealous about women's progress or is he unaware?
• If a man can have multiple wives in order to curtail his desire for other women, then it is better not to marry that man. Not all men desire for other women. Dr. Naik's statements fails here.
• According to natural or universal law, that Dr. Naik is unaware of, if an individual practices polygamy/polyandry, then he/she is not in a position to devote his/her love to a single person, which is an essential element in a healthy relationship.
• When there are multiple wives, there arises natural human evils, such as jealousy, bias and prejudice, which may end up fatally.

• Scientifically, when a man has unprotected sex with multiple partners, there is every chance of him being affected by sexually transmitted disease.

• Moreover, a woman likes to be associated with someone who devoutly loves and cares for her. She may not be comfortable with a man who has multiple partners, who may not provide her with emotional support. He might offend her, abuse her, harass her, due to his ego of having multiple wives. Thus she might seek for an outside relationship. Which may not be accepted by your principles and finally the woman may have to face the ultimate blow. You cannot avoid realities Dr. Zakir Naik, these are realistic scenarios.
• It is not always true, that the female population exceeds the male population, except in western countries. In the less developed countries like India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Indonesia and many African countries it is exactly the opposite. Dr. Naik is not taking all factors into account in his statements.
• Even in western countries, where the female population exceeds the male, it is not necessary that all women become “public property”. As most western countries are predominantly Christian/Catholic, many women naturally become nuns or choose to abstain from sex before marriage. There are many evangelical pastors who also do not marry. Every individual has different tastes, attitudes and ideas of life, therefore some prefer being spinsters, there are so many spinsters in our own country, Dr. Naik needs to understand human nature. Dr. Naik, needs to consider lesbian women in his false claims. In the west, there is a increasing trend of lesbian marriages. Dr. Naik may call the practice of same gender relationships as 'Haram' in Islam, similarly practice of polygamy is 'Haram' in a civilised modern world.

• The usage of the word 'Public Property' to describe women, indirectly reflects downsizing of their sex. He presumes women are sex slaves and incapable without men. Sex slaves is a term that is parallel to 'Public Property'.

• When Dr. Naik says, that in Islam, there is only one god, and Muslims should worship only him, then going by that fact, How can men have multiple wives. Polygamy is logically unacceptable.

In summary, Naik has failed to justify the Islamic practice of polygamy.

New methods of incentivising proselytization Cash prize for Hindus to throw photos of Hindu Gods Extra money for wearing cross lockets By R Guru Prasad IT is said that marketing is an art of making people ‘buy’ without knowing ‘why’ and Christian missionaries are proving it right. Christian missionaries have adopted the latest marketing strategy to hood wink the gullible, poor, uneducated Hindus in Bangalore by offering cash prize for those who dump the photos of Hindu gods and replace with photos of Jesus in their houses. This is not enough. A bonus cash prize will be offered to those Hindus who wears cross symbol secretly! These are the samples revealed in the recent case study conducted by Dr M Chidanandamurthy, noted thinker, Philosopher, researcher, columnist and a social activist from Bangalore. Dr M Chidanandamurthy unmasked the new avatar of Christian missionaries in his new findings and shared a few points with the media on March 19, 2011 and requested the Hindu youths to protest against an uncivilised way of converting Hindus by allurement of cash prizes. Murthy has exposed immoral acts of Christian missionaries, conversion agents, pro-Christian lobby and evangelists working overtime in Bangalore on a conversion spree. Murthy, however, not specified the exact amount of money given as a cash prize for those who throw Hindu gods and wear Christian symbol. Murthy mentioned that he came to know about this cunning act from his friend Ramachandra Upadhya who lives at Wilson Garden, Bangalore. Both Murthy and Upadhya went to Manjunathanagar locality near Marathhalli, 3-km away from Bangalore HAL old airport on March 15, 2011 and witnessed a shock of their life. According to Murthy, conversion agents identify Hindu families who are financially weak and promise to provide them with cash prizes for displaying ‘some’ photos. After capitalising on their weakness, evangelists carry a sweet box and an attractive framed photo of Jesus and go to homes belonging to lower strata of the society along with a local conversion agent. By offering money on the spot, agents manage to include Jesus photo in the middle of Hindu gods. After few weeks the round two operation starts by releasing another installment money and influencing them to place the photo of Jesus on the top most lane above Hindu gods in a more visible manner. Again after few weeks, the conversion agents lands there with huge money and convince them to discard photos of Hindu gods and goddesses. Fearing to throw photos and idols of Hindu gods into dustbin, poor gullible Hindus place them in the premises of Vasuki Subramanya Temple, which is situated on the national Highway. Conversion agents offering huge sums of money and manage to get photos, idols, stickers, symbols of Hindu gods removed from the Hindu homes is just the beginning for yet another round of cheating. They give additional money for embracing Christianity and displaying Christian symbols in their house. "It is a bargain and if converted Christian willing to wear a cross around his neck, will be entitled to claim a bonus which will be happily given to him by agents and will also earn incentive from foreign funds used by Christian Missionaries" Murthy explained in his letter. He has charged the conversion agents with ‘agenda to misuse the situation’. According to him agents play a major role during ill-health of Hindus and offer a free prayer meeting to get rid of diseases only to get them converted to Christianity with a bogus healing power of Jesus. Murthy has given his address, contact number and the telephone number of his friend Upadhya and requested general public to inform them about illegal conversions anywhere in Karnataka to take appropriate action against the immoral acts. Ramachandra Upadhya is available on his mobile number: 09902400072 and Murthy can be contacted at 1013 B, 4th Cross, 11th Main, Hampinagara, Bangalore - 560040. Landline 080-23300687. To prevent further attack on the Hindu society he urged the Karnataka Government to legislate Anti-conversion law with immediate effect.

Is Halal (Islamic method of slaughtering of animals) Painless as is claimed by Dr.Zakir Naik??!! Let us examine....!!

Rebuttal: WIKIISLAM writes the following about HALAL. URL: http://wikiislam.net/wiki/Rebuttals_to_Zakir_Naik

It is NOT TRUE that Halal/Kosher method of slaughter is painless as seen from the following medical explanation:

During halal/kosher slaughter first the skin and the superficial neck musculature are cut through, then the more deeply lying bronchial tube and the esophagus. Thereby those next to it lying Nervi phrenici become simultaneous cut, which supply the diaphragma motor. Each medical student learned and each physician with surgical or anaesthical experience knows that the bronchial tube, the larynx and the esophagus are particularly pain-sensitive organs, whose injury still into deep anestisia cause substantial pain reactions with respiratory embarrassments, pulse frequency and blood pressure increase as well as electrocardiogram changes and that when hurting the carotid artery the well-known carotid-sine-effect shows the special sensitivity of this neck region. 

During the slow deblooding the split ends of then clog/thrombosidize and it must be re-cut. Because of the hurt diaphragma nerves it comes to a paralysis of the diaphragme musculature and to a immobilen Zwerchfellhochstand, i.e. to a stuck slackening of the diaphragma, which is pushed by abdominal organs towards the head when hanging up. 

This results in a further substantial impairment of the respiration, which is based predominantly on the movement of this muscle chord plate. To the intolerable cut pain the animal gets thus still fear of death by difficulty in breathing. 

Due to this, fear and pain-caused intensified breathing procedure and difficulty in breathing the blood and the contents from the stomach from the split esophagus are inspired (sucked) into the lungs, which leads additionally to heavy asphyxiation accumulations. 

And all this - contrary to the statements of the halal/kosher proponents - with full consciousness of the animal! Because the blood supply of the brain is still given. 

The upper veterinarian advice and director of slaughterhouse Dr. Klein recorded this proof over the still existing consciousness of the animal in strip mosaics. Equivalent statements are in the book “animal protection and culture” from M. Kyber with preface of the president of the German animal defense association Dr. A. Grasmüller. 

The blood supply of the animal brain takes place via three main artery pairs. Two carotid arteries, two arteries within the neck bones and two further in the neck musculature. 

These six main arteries anastomosieren (are connected) within the upper neck range, since further arteries connections are present to the head basis in the front head area over the Arteria maxillaris. In addition vascular anastomoses (vasular connections) exist over the solid neck musculature to the head inside. 

This cross-linking of the vessels ensure also on disconnection of the carotid arteries a still sufficient blood supply of the brain. According to the well-known physiological procedure the body reduces its peripheral blood circulation in favor of of brain, heart and kidneys up to zero with the deblooding. Since the animal is hung up in addition at the hind legs, the orthostatische liquid pressure in the vascular system supplies additionally the brain with blood and holds the animal with consciousness, until practically with striking heart all blood contents of the vascular system ran out in this way.

This procedure takes several minutes after general experience, whereby data exist up to 14 minutes. The different numerical data are to be due to the different criteria, whether one takes the reactions of the body as yardstick, the Cornealreflex, the circulation system or stopping bleeding from the container ends or the heart impact." 
At the end I would say that Dr.Naik Naik (it is unfortunate that he is an Indian) also give a false explanation of Hinduism in the video, saying that Hinduism permits only vegetarian food because, it believes in the principle of "Ahimsha". The full quote on Ahimsha, is given below for your kind perusal: "Ahimsa Paramo Dharma. Dharma himsa tathaiva cha. [Non-violence is the ultimate dharma. So too is violence in service of Dharma].
THIS FRAUD NAMED Dr.Zakir Naik will do anything to earn petro-dollars...

Actually, Dr.Zaik Naik forgot that, in Hinduism there are lot of instances where meat eating is accepted. He might  have confused it with Jainism (though it is also a part of Hinduism). But the question is not meat eating Vs vegetarianism, but the issue here is how pathetically animals are tortured to death to eat their flesh and then give out false declaration that "Halal is painless". SHAME!! 

It is really a matter of disgrace for India and Indians, that such an abominable soul like Dr.Zakir Naik is its citizen. 

Islam: The Five Principles

Zeba Khan 

URL: http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=159214810789805

["Mohammed is God's apostle.  Those who follow him are ruthless to the unbelievers but merciful to one another"  --Quran 48:29]

Islam’s Trilogy of three sacred texts is the Koran and two books about the life of Mohammed. When the Trilogy is sorted, categorized, arranged, rewritten and analyzed, it becomes apparent that five principles are the foundation of Islam.

All of Islam is based upon the Trilogy—Koran, Sira (Mohammed’s biography) and Hadith (his Traditions).Most of the Islamic doctrine is political, not religious. Islam is a political ideology.

Islam divides the world into Muslims and unbelievers, kafirs.

Political Islam always has two different ways to treat kafirs—dualistic ethics. Kafirs can be abused in the worst ways or they can be treated like a good neighbor.

Kafirs must submit to Islam in all politics and public life. Every aspect of kafir civilization must submit to political Islam.

These Five Principles can be put in five words—Trilogy, politics, kafirs, dualism and submission. These five words bring clarity and ease of learning about political Islam.

Up until now Islam has been hard to understand because it seemed complex and contradictory and did not make sense. But, once you see how the Five Principles work, everything falls into place. Complexity becomes simplicity. Chaos becomes order.

All CSPI books are based on these Five Principles.

 1. Trilogy

The Trilogy contains three books—

The Koran is what Mohammed said that the angel Gabriel said that Allah said. But the Koran does not contain enough guidance for one to be a Muslim. The Koran repeatedly says that all of the world should imitate Mohammed in every way. Mohammed’s words and deeds are called the Sunna. The Sunna is found in two different texts—the Sira and Hadith.

The first source of the Sunna is the Sira which is Mohammed’s biography. The most authoritative version is by Ibn Ishaq.

The other source of the Sunna is the Hadith, the Traditions of Mohammed. There are several versions of Hadith, but the most commonly used is by Bukhari.So the Trilogy is the Koran, Sira and Hadith.

2. Political Islam

Political Islam is the doctrine that relates to the unbeliever, the kafir. Islam’s relationship to the kafir cannot be religious since a Muslim is strictly forbidden to have any religious interaction with them The religion of Islam is what is required for a Muslim to avoid Hell and enter Paradise.

The Trilogy not only advocates a religious superiority over the kafir—the kafirs go to Hell whereas Muslims go to Paradise—but also its doctrine demands that Muslims dominate the kafir in all politics and culture. This domination is political, not religious.

As mentioned earlier, the Koran has 61% of its text devoted to the kafir. The Sira (Mohammed’s biography) has about 75% of its text devoted to the kafir and jihad.

Islam’s success comes primarily from its politics. In thirteen years as a spiritual leader, Mohammed converted 150 people to his religion. When he became a political leader and warrior, Islam exploded in growth, and Mohammed became king of Arabia in ten years.

Islam has a complete doctrine of how to treat the kafir that is found in the Trilogy.

3. Kafirs

Non-believers are so important that they have several names. Christians and Jews are called People of the Book or infidels. Other religious names for non-Muslims are atheist, polytheist, and pagan. But the Koran uses one word that includes all of the religious names. That name is kafir, an Arabic word.

Kafir is usually translated as unbeliever, but that translation is wrong. Unbeliever is a neutral word. The Koran is very clear about the kafir. Indeed, the Koran defines the kafir by how it speaks of them. Kafirs are the lowest and worst form of life. Kafirs can be robbed, murdered, tortured, enslaved, crucified and more. Later in this chapter, more of the Koran’s doctrine of the kafir is given in some detail. But the key point is that a kafir is not only a non-Muslim, but also a person who falls under a different moral code from the Muslim.

The Koran is devoted to the division between those who believe Mohammed, Muslims, and those who do not, kafirs. This grand division of the Koran means that there are two points of view of the Koran—the view of the Muslim and the view of the kafir.

4. Dualism

The third principle is duality, and is unique to Islam. As an example, here is a verse from the Koran:

109:2 I do not worship what you worship, and you do not worship what I worship. I will never worship what you worship, and you will never worship what I worship. You to your religion, me to my religion.

This sounds very tolerant, but this verse was written later:

9:5 When the sacred months are passed, kill the kafirs wherever you find them. Take them as captives, besiege them, and lie in wait for them with every kind of ambush. If they submit to Islam, observe prayer, and pay the poor tax, then let them go their way. Allah is gracious and merciful.

Now we have absolute intolerance. This contradiction is normal for the Koran and is even addressed in the Koran. The solution to contradiction is called abrogation where the later verse is better than the earlier verse.

The logic here is very important. Since Allah is perfect and the Koran is the exact words of Allah, then both contradictory verses are true, but the later verse is better or stronger. This leads to dualistic logic where two contradictory facts can both be true.

5. Submission

Islam means submission and Muslim means one who has submitted. It is clearly stated in the Trilogy that all kafirs and their civilizations must be annihilated. Mohammed’s success depended on violence to persuade kafirs that he was the prophet of Allah.

Submission is political, as well as religious. Islam demands that kafirs submit in every aspect of public life.  Every part of kafir culture is an offense to Allah.

Bengali Brahmins: Hinduism is so much structured!!

Bengali Brahmins are those Brahmins who traditionally reside in the Bengal region of the Indian subcontinent, currently comprising the Indian state of West Bengal, Tripura, Assam and Bangladesh. When the British left India in 1947, carving out a separate nation (see partition) of East Pakistan (which became Bangladesh in 1971), a number of families moved to be within the borders of the newly defined secular Indian Republic, and continued to migrate for several decades thereafter.

Bengali Brahmins are generally well-educated, and a number of prominent figures of India belong to this community. They had leanings toward Shaktism and Tantra . Vārendra, for instance, meant rain-maker magicians^[1]. Historically, they have been the standard bearers of Madhyadeshiya (the historic-cultural region of the upper Ganga-Yamuna doab which was the seat of Panch-Gauda brahmins) Indo-Aryan culture in Bengal. Panch-Gauda and Panch-Dravida are two chief divisions of Brahmins, as per the śloka from Rājatarangini of Kalhaṇa / Kalhana:

कर्णाटकाश्च तैलंगा द्राविडा महाराष्ट्रकाः , गुर्जराश्चेति पञ्चैव द्राविडा विन्ध्यदक्षिणे ||

सारस्वताः कान्यकुब्जा गौडा उत्कलमैथिलाः, पञ्चगौडा इति ख्याता विन्ध्स्योत्तरवासिनः ||

Meaning :(The-) Karnātakas, Tailangas, Dravidas, Mahārāshtrakās and Gurjaras; these five(-types who-) live south of Vindhya (- mountains) are (called-) "five Dravidas" (- brahmins); (whereas-) Sārasvatas, Kānyakubjas, Gaudas, Utkalas, and Maithilas, who live north of Vindhya (- mountains) are known as "five Gaudas" (-brahmins)^[2].

Dorilāl Śarmā says that the 'Five Gaudas' mentioned above were settled in region around Indus (Sārasvata brahmins), Kannauj and its territories (Kānyakubja brahmins),Mithila (Maithil Brahmins)and Orissa (Utkala Brahmins); the fifth branch Gauda brahmins settleed in the remaining areas north of Vindhya mountains ,in two distinct regions (1)Haryana and adjacent districts of Rajasthan and western Uttar Pradesh, and (2) northern Kosala around ancient Śrāvasti; he quotes Matsya Purana (chapter-12, śloka 30) in which Śrāvasti is said to be seat of Gauda brahmins ^[3]. According to this view, South Bihar, Bengal, Assam, etc were not inhabited by any of the brahmins mentioned by Kalhana. Hence, at the time of Kalhana, Bengali brahmins had not emerged as a distinct branch of Panch-Gauda. But all Bengali brahmins are descendants of Panch-Gauda, excepting some Dākṣiṇātyas Vaidikas who came from South India originally but are now part and parcel of Bengali brahmins ^[4]. Gauda meant the region from western Uttar Pradesh to Rajasthan, but it was also used for Bengal in mediaeval age. Entire North India was also called Gauda country, which is the reason why five north Indian branches have received the common name Panch-Gauda ^[5].

History:

A large scale migration of Brahmins from Kanyakubja region occurred during Pala and Sena periods. However historical evidence attests significant presence of Brahmins in Bengal since the Maurya period. The Jain Acharya Bhadrabahu, regarded to be the preceptor of Chandragupta Maurya is said to have been born in Brahmin family of Pundravardhana ( or Puṇḍra , the region north of Ganges and west of Brahmaputra in Bengal, later known as Vārendra). A copper-plate grant from the Gupta period found in the vicinity of Somapura mentions a Brahmin donating land to a Jain vihara at Vatagohali. Such evidences suggest Puṇḍra or Vārendra and regions west of Bhagirathi (called Radha in ancient age) to be seats of brahmins from ancient times; Rādhi and Varendra are still chief branches of Bengali brahmins settled in these regions ^[6]..

The three main divisions among Bengali brahmins are  :

• Rādhi from Radh (region south-west of Ganga).
• Varendra, from Vārendra region (North-East) or Puṇḍra.
• Vaidika (migrants, originally experts of Vedic knowledge).

Traditional accounts:

The traditional accounts of the origin are given in texts termed Kulagranthas (e.g., Kuladīpīkā), composed around the 17th century. They mention a ruler named Ādiśūra who invited five Brahmins from Kanyakubja ^[7], so that he could conduct a yajña, because he could not find Vedic experts locally. Traditional texts mention that Ādiśūra was ancestor of Ballāl Sena from maternal side and five brahmins had been invited in AD 1077 ^[8].

Historians have located a ruler named Ādiśūra ruling in north Bihar, but not in Bengal^{[citations needed]}. But Ballāl Sena and his predecessors ruled over both Bengal and Mithila (i.e., North Bihar). It is unlikely that the brahmins from Kānyakubja may have been invited to Mithila for performing a yajña, because Mithila was a strong base of brahmins since Vedic age ^[9].

Another account mentions a king Shyamal Varma who invited five Brahmins from Kānyakubja who became the progenitors of the Vaidika Brahmins. A third account refers to five brahmins being the ancestors of Vārendra brahmins as well. From similarity of titles (e.g., upādhyāya), the first account is most probable.

Divisions among Bengali Brahmins:

The three main divisions of Bengali Brahmins are

• (1) Rādhi from Radh , modern West Bengal south of Ganges.
• (2) Varendra, from Varendra region (North-East)
• (3) Vaidika

Other minor divisions are :

• (4) Saptaśati
• (5) Pirāli
• (6) Patita

It is believed that the Brahmins of Bengal adapted kulinism from a similar hierarchical system used by the Brahmins of Mithilā, although Kānyakubja and more especially Saryupāriya were also highly scrupulous. The five original Brahmins belonged to five gotras : Śāndilya, Kāśyapa, Vatsa, Bhārdvāja, Sāvarṇa ^[10].

Both Brahmins and Kayasthas in Bengal have followed a system that ranks the clans hierarchically. The Kulinas formed the higher ranking clans.

The descendants of these five Pancyājñika brahmins were hierarchically organised into three categories :

(1) Kulin comprised the most noble brahmins among these, who possessed all the nine qualities fixed by Ballāl Sena (nine qualities or "navadhā lula lakṣanam" were :āchāra, vinaya, vidyā, pratiṣṭhā, tirtha, darśana, karma, niṣṭhā, śreṣṭha-vritti, tapa, dāna) ^[11].

(2)Śrotriya is the second rank among the descendants of these five brahmins because they were deft in Vedic knowledge but were considered to be somewhat inferior to the Kulina brahmins (possessing 8 out of 9 noble qualities).

(3)Vamśaja is the third rank which was a result of kulinas marrying outside kulinas ^[12].

Major titles adopted by the high Rādhi brahmins :

• Mukhopādhyāya and its adaptation Mukherjee a Kulin brahmin, Bharadwaj Gotra
• Vandopādhyāya and its adaptation Banerjee a Kulin brahmin, Sandilya Gotra
• Chattopādhyāya and its adaptation Chatterjee a Kulin brahmin, Kashyap Gotra
• Gangopādhyāya and its adaptation Ganguli / Ganguly a Kulin brahmin, Savarna Gotra,
• Ghosal a Kulin brahmin, is still a surname, after the village by the name in today's Burdwan district of West Bengal, Vatsya Gotra.

Jāti-Bhāṣkar mentions that those who were given grants along the Ganges by Ballāl Sena were called Gangopādhyāya (literally 'the Vedic teachers in the regions around the Ganges')^[13].

Mukhopādhyāya means chief Vedic teacher. Vandopādhyāya is a Sanskritized form of 'Vanodha + upādhyāya' , Vanodha being the ancient name of Raebareli-Unnāva whence their ancestors had come from ^[14].

Other titles of Rādhi brahmins include Bhattāchārya (or Bhattacharya or Bhattacharjee). Bhattāchārya meant 'expert of Vedic rituals'. This was an honorary title awarded to a Rādhi or Vārendra brahmin who excelled in spiritual and vedic matters.

Vārendra:

These brahmins also claim descent from five original brahmins, although four out of five names are different, and they are also hierarchically organised into three groups :

(1) Śri Kulin comprising of Maitra (Moitra), Lāhiri, Bāgachi, Bhāduri, Sānyal, etc.

(2) Śrotriya have Nanda, Bhato Shāstri, Karanja, Laduli, Navasi, etc.

(3) Kaṣṭa Kulin compride of 85 gains (villages given in grant by Sena kings).

Another intermediate order is called Kāpa(originally Kulin but negligent in duty) which is between first two.

Other famous titles of Vārendra brahmins are Bhattāchārya, Majumdāra, Rāi, Choudhary, Jovādāra,Mishra,Tāluqdār, etc. There were many big landlords among Vārendra brahmins. Literally , Bhattāchārya meant 'experts of Vedic rituals'. Rāi and Choudhary were administrative titles.

Vaidikas

These are of two types :

• Dākṣiṇātyas (coming from South India originally but now part and parcel of Bengali brahmins.
• Pāschātyas, coming from western and northern India originally but now part of Bengali brahmins.

These were experts of Vaidika knowledge who were invited to Bengal in different ages, later than the original five brahmins from which Rādhi brahmins originated.

Saptaśati

Before the coming of Five Brahmins, there were 700 houses of brahmins in Bengal, but now they are few. They were less learned than the migrants and therefore were deprived of patronage. Some of them mixed with the immigrants, which explains their decline in relative population. Many Saptaśatis became priests of lower castes and were labelled as Agradāni and grahavipra. Main titles are Arath, Bālkhāvi, Jagāye, Pikhoori, Mulkajoori, Bhagāye, Gāi, etc.

Others

• Pirāli : literally, boycotted brahmins. Some kulin brahmins mixed with muslims in eating and other activities and were therefore boycotted by the orthodox sections. Prominent among these were Thākurs, anglicised as Tagores. Thākurs literally meant lords and were big landowners.
• Patita : Some Bengali brahmins were publicly declared to be fallen brahmins.

Chakraborty (Chakravarti) is essentially a kṣatriya title suitable for emperors adopted by some Bengali brahmins.

Another peculiar title is Chir Kori or Chir Koḍi.

Impact of British occupation

The kulinist system degenerated during the 18-19th century and is no longer popular. The British occupation of Bengal radically transformed the Bengali culture. Bengal has now gone through two century of missionary efforts and a quarter century of a Marxist government. Eastern Bengal became an Muslim majority region in mid-19th century which resulted in the first partition of Bengal in 1905, and then final partition in 1947. Although the interaction with the British resulting in what is termed the Bengal Renaissance, it altered the hold of traditional mainstream Hinduism in the region.

Naming conventions

Many Bengali Brahmin family names are written in two different ways. For example, Chattopadhyay (compound of village name "Chaṭṭa" and "upādhyāya" denoting "priest, teacher" originally granted with the village named Chaṭṭa) is the Sanskritized form of the local Prakrit word "chaturjye", anglicized to Chatterjee.

Similar analyses may be performed on Mukhurjye/Mukherjee/Mukhopādhyāya and Banurjye/Banerjee/Bandyopādhyāya. Bhattāchārya which is made by two words Bhatta and Achārya which means teacher also called as Bhattāchārjee. Tagore is the anglicized form of Thakur, meaning "lord". Other Bengali Brahmin family names are anglicized in particular ways that have become the standard English spellings over time. Other Bengali Brahmin surnames are Chakraborty, Sanyal, Ghoshal etc. Bengali Vaid Brahmin surnames include Gupta, Sengupta, Dasgupta, Roy etc.

The most famous Bengali Brahmin family which originally belonged to Calcutta (Kolkata) are the Sabarna Roy Choudhury, which had transferred the tenancy rights of Sutanuti, Gobindapur and Kolikata to the East India Company at the behest of the Mughal Emperor.

Famous Bengali Brahmins

Pre-1947

• Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (1486 - 1534), ascetic, founder of Gaudiya Vaishnavism
• Raja Ram Mohan Roy (1772-1833), Hindu reformer and founder of Brahmo Samaj
• Debendranath Tagore (1817-1905) A leading proponent of Brahmo Samaj
• Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar (1820 - 1891) Polymath
• Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay (1838-1894), author and one of the founders of Indian nationalism
• Kisari Mohan Ganguli, one and only translator of the Mahabharata to English.
• Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay Author of famouls novels like Devdas, Parineeta etc. and one of the most popular Bengali novelist and story-teller
• Sukanta Bhattacharya Poet
• Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941), poet, philosopher and nationalist
• Abanindranath Tagore Author, Painter.
• Jatindra Nath Mukherjee (Bagha Jatin) (1879-1915), revolutionary leader
• Gadadhar Chattopadhyay (Ramakrishna Paramahansa) (1836-1886), Revered Religious leader, led Hindu revival
• Sir Ashutosh Mukherjee
• Sharat Chandra Chattopadhyay (1876-1938) popular and sometimes controversial novelist
• Shyama Prasad Mukherjee
• Rakhal Das Banerjee (1885-1930) archaeologist, Mohenjo‑daro excavations
• Manabendra Nath Roy (1887-1954), a founder of Indian Communism
• Dwarkanath Tagore (1794-1846) One of the earliest entrepreneurs from India. Founded the first Indo-British agency house from India, Carr, Tagore and Company.
• W C Banerjee. Founder of Indian National Congress
• Upendra Kishore Roychoudhuri. Famous Children's littérateur-- whose grandson Satyajit Roy went on to win the Oscar for lifetime achievement in film direction.
• Vibhuti Bhushan Bandopadhyay. Novelist, author of 'Pather Panchali'.

Post-1947

• Kishore Kumar Ganguly , Great Singer, Actor
• Ashok Kumar Ganguly, Actor
• First Air Chief Marshall of India Subroto Mukerjee
• Sitar Player Ravi Shankar
• Shyama Prasad Mukherjee, founder president, Bhartiya Jana Sangh
• Buddhadeb Bhattacharya Chief Minister of West Bengal since 2000.
• Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay
• Sunil Gangopadhyay
• Suchitra Bhattacharya
• Bharati Mukherjee
• Banaphool(Balaichand Mukherjee)
• poet Subhash Mukhopadhyay
• Famous Comedian/Actor Keshto Mukherjee
• actor Joy Mukherjee
• actor Jaya Bhaduri
• actor Soumitra Chatterjee
• actor Uttamkumar (Arun Kumar Chatterjee)
• actor Victor Banerjee
• film actresses Madhabi Mukherjee
• Kajol
• Hungryalist Movement Creator Malay Roy Choudhury
• poet Samir Roychoudhury
• Rani Mukherjee
• biologist Eric Mukherjee
• painter Benode Behari Mukherjee
• musician Budhaditya Mukherjee
• music director Hemanta Mukhopadhyay
• singer Amit Kumar
• popular singer Shaan
• singer Shreya Ghoshal
• singer Madhushree
• singer Abhijeet
• singer Kumar Sanu
• Calcutta's mayor Subrata Mukherjee
• director Hrishikesh Mukherjee
• director Basu Chatterjee
• director Basu Bhattacharya
• Actor Mithun Chakraborty
• Sitar Player Nikhil Banerjee
• police commissioner Prasun Mukherjee
• tennis player Jaideep Mukherjee
• India's current External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee
• Music Director Bappi Lahiri
• Music Director Pritam Chakraborty
• Sourav Ganguly, former captain of Indian cricket team
• Satyajit Ray, Oscar-winning film director
• Jhumpa Lahiri, Pulitzer Prize Winning author of "Interpreter of Maladies" and acclaimed novel 'The Namesake'
• Upamanyu Chatterjee, Civil Servant and author of 'English, August'
• Mashumi Chatterjee, Film Actress
• Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, American author
• Subroto Bagchi, cofounder of MindTree Consulting Ltd., an IT Services company based in Bangalore

Notes

1. Vāri+indra, Vāri meant water : cf.A History of Brahmin Clans , page 283.
2. cf. Kalhana's Rajatarangini in reference for English version.
3. (A History of Brahmin Clans, p.41-42)
4. A History of Brahmin Clans, p.288
5. Ādi Gauda Dipikā quoted in A History of Brahmin Clans, p.100
6. cf. History of Brahmin Clans,page 281
7. cf. History of Brahmin Clans,page 281-283
8. cf. History of Brahmin Clans,page 281 : this book quotes Krishna-Charita by Vidyāsāgar for dating.
9. cf. D.D. kosambi, p. 123.
10. cf. History of Brahmin Clans,page 282 : it quotes Kula-dīpīkā, a mediaeval text.
11. Kuladīpīkā quoted in History of Brahmin Clans,page 283
12. Kuladīpīkā quoted in History of Brahmin Clans,page 283
13. Jāti-Bhāṣkar quoted in History of Brahmin Clans,page 285
14. History of Brahmin Clans,page 287

Somnath Chakraborty : Marine Biologist

References

• Kalhana's Rajatarangini: A Chronicle of the Kings of Kashmir; 3 Volumes > M.A.Stein (translator),(Introduction by Mohammad Ishaq Khan),published by Saujanya Books at Srinagar,2007,(First Edition pub. in 1900),ISBN 81-8339-043-9 / 8183390439.
• A History of Brahmin Clans (Brāhmaṇa Vaṃshõ kā Itihāsa) in Hindi, by Dorilāl Śarmā,published by Rāśtriya Brāhamana Mahāsabhā, Vimal Building, Jamirābād, Mitranagar, Masūdābād,Aligarh-1, 2nd ed-1998. (This Hindi book contains the most exhaustive list of Brahmana gotras and pravaras together their real and mythological histories).
• Jāti-Bhāṣkara by Pt. Jwālā Prasād Misra, published by Khemaraj Shrikrishnadas,(1914).
• An Introduction to the Study of Indian History, by Damodar Dharmanand Kosāmbi, Popular Prakasan,35c Tadeo Road, Popular Press Building, Bombay-400034, First Edition: 1956, Revised Second Edition: 1975.
• NN Vasu, Vanger Jatiya Itihas (Bangla), 2 vols, Calcutta, 1321 BS.
• Atul Sur, Banglar Samajik Itihas (Bangla), Calcutta, 1976
• NN Bhattacharyya, Bharatiya Jati Varna Pratha (Bangla), Calcutta, 1987
• RC Majumdar, Vangiya Kulashastra (Bangla), 2nd ed, Calcutta, 1989.