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Hinduism - Who Is A Mahabrahman?


 ("Exalted Brahman") A degraded class of brahmins who preside at ceremonies for the deceased, particularly those done soon after death, in traditional Indian culture.

In several of these ceremonies, the Mahabrahman is connected with the departed individual, and he is fed and given gifts in order to support the deceased's soul.

These actions are said to shift the unluckiness of death from the family to the Mahabrahman.

Despite being brahmins by birth, Mahabrahmans have exceedingly low social position due to their persistent association with death and its unfavorable aspects.

Mahabrahmans frequently demand a large payment from a household in exchange for taking on such inauspiciousness.

For further detail, read Jonathan Parry's article in Man, Vol. 15, 1980, "Ghosts, Greed, and Sin: The Occupational Identity of the Benares Funeral Priests."


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