Bawa Bairagi

Vaishnav/Bairagi/Swami/Bawa brahmin () is a part of the Sarswat community in Northern India. This is a branch of the brahmins that is found almost in all India, but in minority due to their Guru-Chella tradition.There are many caregories in sarswat brahmins like, Bawanjai, athawan, saptbansi, barahis,tyagi brahmins. 'Bawanjai' means bawan i.e Group of fifty (52) gotras who only deal within their bawans regarding marriages and otherwise.Mohyals are also part of this bawanjai group.Therefore, they derived their name 'Bawa' from Bawanjai sarswat brahmins, otherwise all the brahmins who lived on the bank of holy vedic river sarswati are sarswat. they are descendant of Saptrishis (seven Rishis Bhrigu, Bhardwaj, Vashishth, Jamdagni, Gautam, Vishvmitr, Attri ). Great parshuram ji donated everything he possessed and went to forests. Parshuram, bhardwaj,dronacharya were learned brahmins with shastars and shaastras. Some centuries back they left priestly services and adopted the profession of agriculture, medicos and martial services etc.In seventeenth century, they renounced worldly pleasure and began to lead a life of ascetic vairagi for the uplift of sanatan dharam and to wash the stigma on brahmins for being narrowminded towards the so called low castes. but they rejoined grihasth after some centuries but stop taking alms from other castes. They are no more bairagis but this tag is still with them.In some part of India, they got reservations like jhangars and bairagi brahmans because of abovesaid reasons in some states but national commission for backward classess in 2001, rejected the request of swami and vaishnav brahmins to be included in the list of backward classes on the base that they are not backward class. A very few of these brahmins avails the facility of reservation in some states. In sikh history, these countless brahmans like baba banda singh bahadur,bhai sati dass, bhai mati dass, bhai praga, bhai dyala etc.gave sacrifices for the faith of sikhism. Saraswat brahmins further divided into three sampradayas i.e smaratism, vaishnavism, shaivism. Great Saints like Ramanand, Ramanuj, Madhvachari who started these sampradayas for salvation. Swami Tulsi dass ji was also a vaishnav brahmin. There are various identities region wise like Bairagi, Swami, mahanta - mahasamanta( changed name of ancient royal brahmins i.e 'Samanta'and Mahasamanta who belonged to kings courts sixth centuries onwards.These brahmins were given big chunks of lands by kings. Under persian impact 's' was mispronounced as 'h', also 'mahat' is sanskrit word which means great) . In some parts of India, this community people also called as Vaishnav Brahmin.Gotra found in Haryana like Sangwan,Maan,Dhull,Malik,Ahlawat,Pawar,Sihag Khatkar,Jaglan,Dahiya,Phoggat,Khalera,Rathi,Dhuhan, Tomer, Nibbat, Bishan Swami and Marvari brahmins. In Haryana, Jind district having highest population of Bairagi brahmans. This community of great brahmins is having various title such as Keel Ji Ke Ramanandi and Ram ke thaman with hundreds of bigas of land in punjab. Usually at least one family of these liberal and secular brahmans is found in each village of Haryana, Punjab, U.P., Rajasthan, M.P. Their normal livelihood depends on the all other modern professions including farming of the land allotted for the maintenance of temple of the village. This is the most regarded Pandit family of the villages.
References....www.ncbc.nic.in/pdf/delhi/delhi-vol3/7.pdf
saraswatdirectory.com/sarswat4.php
www.wordaz.com/bawanjai.html
History
Bawa is one of the descendants of the highly regarded caretaker saints who used to look after educational, religious, and medical institutions from ancient to medieval times in India.
It originates back in the prehistoric ages and was directly connected with Lord Ramanad, who was one of the most prestigious saints in Hindu Mythology.
Bawas
Bawa is also the colloquial term for Parsis in India.

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