Epigraphic evidence from Hindu texts disproves Brahmin claims of pure blood origin.
Evidence
Based on epigraphic research, Bhandarkar uses evidence from the Vedas and the epics of the Hindu tradition, such as the Rig Veda and the Mahabharata, to disprove the ‘purity of blood’ myth attributed to Brahmins. “It may be said that after all the Mahabharata … is a conglomeration of legends, which are not of much historical importance, though they cannot be objected to by an orthodox Brahmana and consequently may be adduced to silence his pretensions to purity of origin and the consequent highest place in Hindu society” (1911, 10). — Ambedkar, B R, Annihilation of Caste_ The Annotated…, 1068
Categorization
Category: Factual Claims
- XREF: Relates to the reader’s goal: dismantling the legitimating myth of Brahmin purity is a core thread of the annihilation argument.
Related
- Even Hindu epics furnished evidence against Brahmin claims to pure blood (similarity 0.98)
- The Mahabharata and Puranas record repeated annihilation between Brahmins and Kshatriyas. (similarity 0.83)
- Ambedkar planned to renounce Hinduism and reject its sacred texts in the address (similarity 0.79)
- A Sanskrit text attacked Brahmin origins, and the Peshwas ordered its destruction. (similarity 0.78)