Rathakara
Encyclopedia
Rathakāra or the Chariot maker is mentioned in several Hindu
scriptures such as Rigveda
, Yajurveda
, Atharvaveda
, Saṃhita
s etc. There are various types of Rathakāras mentioned in the texts, their social status varying from that of a Brahmin
to that of a fallen or degraded Śudra
.
Ratha
or the chariot occupied a very important position in Vedic civilization. Many hymns are found in the Vedas
praising the Ratha and the creator of the Ratha or the Rathakāra, who occupied an important role in the sacrifices or even day today life.
Ṛgveda(10.85.20), Ṛgveda(3.53.19) consist of hymns praising and describing Rathas. Even various deities are compared with Rathas and the deities riding them are also praised e.g. Ṛgveda(6.61.13)
, Rathakāra is entitled to perform all the sacrifices. In many sacrifices like the Rājasuya
,Rathakāra played a role of recipient of the offerings, e.g. Ratninaḥ in Rājasuya. Some sacrifices like Agnihotra,Darśapurṇamāsa are obligatory to them as they are entitled to place the holy fire in the sacrificial fire-altar.
Indra
praises him in Ṛgveda(1.7.32), and is also praised for his dexterity. He is also identified as Tvaṣṭr
and Takṣā in Ṛgveda(1.6.32).
The progeny of this Tvaṣṭr is called Rathakāra in the Medini Koṣa Ṛgveda(1.6.32) and seems to have stand as an industrial population, and are associated with worship of the celestial beings like Ṛbhus
and Tvaṣṭr. Their origins could be found in the ancient Rigvedic tribes
Anu
. The Ṛbhus are mentioned as belonging to the race of Aṅgiras
, it seems that Anus and Aṅgiras are same.
The term Rathakāra also implies to Bhṛgus,some Ṛṣis belonging to the race of Bhṛgus who in the Ṛgveda are twice referred to as building chariots. As per Ṛgveda Tvaṣṭr known as Rathakāra belongs to clan of the Bhṛgus, similarly as mentioned in the epic Mahabharata
Tvaṣṭr or the Rathakāra is Śukrācārya's son, Śukrācārya is Bhṛgu's grandson and Vāruṇibhṛgu's son.
These Rathakāras were called Brahmins, expert in the architectural lore, and were engaged in making what is called Brahmayāgādi, the making of sacrificial implements, statues, production of royal crowns and thrones, gold chariot or Ratha which were necessary for many of the sacrifices. Many hymns are found in the Vedas praising the Ratha and the Rathakāra.
The Purāṇas identify him with Viśvakarman. As mentioned in the texts like Skanda purāṇa
and Padma purāṇa
, Rathakāra married sage Jaiminī's daughter Candrikā. But the Tvaṣṭr in the Purāṇas is not Rathakāra and is son of Viśvakarman, on the other hand in the Vedas Viśvakarman and Tvaṣṭr are not related at all. The Vāyu purāṇa
and the Matsya purāṇa
mentioned him as belonging to the Bhṛgus.
, a son begotten to a Niṣāda
lady by a Brahmin was called as Niṣāda Rathakāra and was considered as Anārya or non aryan. If daughter of this Rathakāra is again married to a Brahmin and their daughter is married to a Brahmin,and a daughter born to them again married to a Brahmin, and so on till seven generations,then the son of the seventh Niṣāda Rathakāra's daughter attains brahminhood. The uplifted Niṣādapati and his progeny were entitled to perform the sacrifices and even the Brahmayāgādi. This Rathakāra's ways of earning a livelihood are stated as comprising chariots,carts and the like.
husband and Vaiśya
and Karaṇi or the daughter of Vaiśya husband and Śudra wife. Although such an origin cannot be considered as accurate historically..
,as the sacrificer has to know Vedas, hence Śudra cannot participate in any kind of Yajña. Baudhāyana on the other hand admits this degraded Rathakāra to the ceremony of Upanayana,according to him fallen Rathakāra ought to perform this ceremony the rainy season. But some text mention that even a Śudra was allowed to participate in few sacrifices, and was even entitled to perform certain sacrifices like Pākayajñas,Śradhayajñas. But they were not entitled to perform the sacrifices which were strictly vedic. Sage Jaimini mentions another Rathakāra whose social status is inferior to Vaiśya but superior to that of a Śudra, and calls them Saudhavanas.
maintains that Rathakāra is not a separate caste, but one of the three high castes viz. Brāhmaṇa, Kṣtriya, Vaiśya, who has embraced the occupation of chariot making. Ṛgvedic Rathakāra to belongs to Brahmaṇa varṇa, as rest four varṇas were not entitled to place the sacrificial fire in the pyre.
For all above obvious reasons the Śāstric materials did not conclusively distinguish between them as a result foreign scholars and Indologists
like Albrecht Weber
(cf.Indische Studien) and his followers have misinterpreted the meaning of the word Rathakāra.
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
scriptures such as Rigveda
Rigveda
The Rigveda is an ancient Indian sacred collection of Vedic Sanskrit hymns...
, Yajurveda
Yajurveda
The Yajurveda, a tatpurusha compound of "sacrificial formula', + ) is the third of the four canonical texts of Hinduism, the Vedas. By some, it is estimated to have been composed between 1400 and 1000 BC, the Yajurveda 'Samhita', or 'compilation', contains the liturgy needed to perform the...
, Atharvaveda
Atharvaveda
The Atharvaveda is a sacred text of Hinduism and one of the four Vedas, often called the "fourth Veda"....
, Saṃhita
Samhita
Samhita may refer to"*the basic metrical text of each of the Vedas**specifically, these texts with sandhi applied *post-Vedic texts known as Samhitas:** Ashtavakra Gita...
s etc. There are various types of Rathakāras mentioned in the texts, their social status varying from that of a Brahmin
Brahmin
Brahmin Brahman, Brahma and Brahmin.Brahman, Brahmin and Brahma have different meanings. Brahman refers to the Supreme Self...
to that of a fallen or degraded Śudra
Shudra
Shudra is the fourth Varna, as prescribed in the Purusha Sukta of the Rig veda, which constitutes society into four varnas or Chaturvarna. The other three varnas are Brahmans - priests, Kshatriya - those with governing functions, Vaishya - agriculturalists, cattle rearers and traders...
.
Ratha
Ratha
Ratha is the Indo-Iranian term for the spoked-wheel chariot of Antiquity.It derives from a collective to a Proto-Indo-European word for "wheel" that also resulted in Latin rota and is also known from Germanic, Celtic and Baltic...
or the chariot occupied a very important position in Vedic civilization. Many hymns are found in the Vedas
Vedas
The Vedas are a large body of texts originating in ancient India. Composed in Vedic Sanskrit, the texts constitute the oldest layer of Sanskrit literature and the oldest scriptures of Hinduism....
praising the Ratha and the creator of the Ratha or the Rathakāra, who occupied an important role in the sacrifices or even day today life.
Ṛgveda(10.85.20), Ṛgveda(3.53.19) consist of hymns praising and describing Rathas. Even various deities are compared with Rathas and the deities riding them are also praised e.g. Ṛgveda(6.61.13)
Rathakāra in the Ṛgveda and the Purāṇas
The Rathakāra mentioned in Ṛgveda (1.6.32) indicates high status, and is associated with the formulae of placing the holy sacrificial fire in the Yajñakuṇḍa. According to the ŚrautasūtrasSruti
' , often spelled shruti or shruthi, is a term that describes the sacred texts comprising the central canon of Hinduism and is one of the three main sources of dharma and therefore is also influential within Hindu Law...
, Rathakāra is entitled to perform all the sacrifices. In many sacrifices like the Rājasuya
Rajasuya
Rajasuya was a sacrifice, described in detail in the Mahabharata, performed by the ancient kings of India who considered themselves powerful enough to be an emperor...
,Rathakāra played a role of recipient of the offerings, e.g. Ratninaḥ in Rājasuya. Some sacrifices like Agnihotra,Darśapurṇamāsa are obligatory to them as they are entitled to place the holy fire in the sacrificial fire-altar.
Indra
Indra
' or is the King of the demi-gods or Devas and Lord of Heaven or Svargaloka in Hindu mythology. He is also the God of War, Storms, and Rainfall.Indra is one of the chief deities in the Rigveda...
praises him in Ṛgveda(1.7.32), and is also praised for his dexterity. He is also identified as Tvaṣṭr
Tvastar
In Vedic religion,' , is the first born creator of the universe. In Yajurveda purusha suktha and in 10 mandala of Rg veda his character and attributes are merging with the concept like Hiranyagharbha/Prajapathy or Brahma.The term also transliterated as Tvaṣṭr, nominative , is the heavenly...
and Takṣā in Ṛgveda(1.6.32).
The progeny of this Tvaṣṭr is called Rathakāra in the Medini Koṣa Ṛgveda(1.6.32) and seems to have stand as an industrial population, and are associated with worship of the celestial beings like Ṛbhus
Rbhus
The Ribhus are three semi-divine beings of the Rigveda and the Atharvaveda, Ribhu, Vaja and Vibhvan, collectively called by the name of their leader. In later Hindu mythology , Ribhu is a son of Brahma....
and Tvaṣṭr. Their origins could be found in the ancient Rigvedic tribes
Rigvedic tribes
The Indo-Aryan tribes mentioned in the Rigveda are described as semi-nomadic pastoralists; when not on the move, they were subdivided into temporary settlements . They were headed by a tribal chief assisted by a priestly caste...
Anu
Anu
In Sumerian mythology, Anu was a sky-god, the god of heaven, lord of constellations, king of gods, Consort of Antu, spirits and demons, and dwelt in the highest heavenly regions. It was believed that he had the power to judge those who had committed crimes, and that he had created the stars as...
. The Ṛbhus are mentioned as belonging to the race of Aṅgiras
Angiras
Angiras is a Vedic rishi who, along with sage Atharvan, is credited to have formulated most of the fourth Veda called Atharvaveda. He is also mentioned in the other three Vedas...
, it seems that Anus and Aṅgiras are same.
The term Rathakāra also implies to Bhṛgus,some Ṛṣis belonging to the race of Bhṛgus who in the Ṛgveda are twice referred to as building chariots. As per Ṛgveda Tvaṣṭr known as Rathakāra belongs to clan of the Bhṛgus, similarly as mentioned in the epic Mahabharata
Mahabharata
The Mahabharata is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India and Nepal, the other being the Ramayana. The epic is part of itihasa....
Tvaṣṭr or the Rathakāra is Śukrācārya's son, Śukrācārya is Bhṛgu's grandson and Vāruṇibhṛgu's son.
These Rathakāras were called Brahmins, expert in the architectural lore, and were engaged in making what is called Brahmayāgādi, the making of sacrificial implements, statues, production of royal crowns and thrones, gold chariot or Ratha which were necessary for many of the sacrifices. Many hymns are found in the Vedas praising the Ratha and the Rathakāra.
The Purāṇas identify him with Viśvakarman. As mentioned in the texts like Skanda purāṇa
Skanda Purana
The Skanda Purana is the largest Mahapurana, a genre of eighteen Hindu religious texts. The text is devoted mainly to the lilas of Kartikeya , a son of Shiva and Parvati. It also contains a number of legends about Shiva, and the holy places associated with him...
and Padma purāṇa
Padma Purana
Padma Purana , one of the major eighteen Puranas, a Hindu religious text, is divided into five parts.In the first part of the text, sage Pulastya explains to Bhishma about religion and the essence of the religion. The second part describes in detail Prithvi...
, Rathakāra married sage Jaiminī's daughter Candrikā. But the Tvaṣṭr in the Purāṇas is not Rathakāra and is son of Viśvakarman, on the other hand in the Vedas Viśvakarman and Tvaṣṭr are not related at all. The Vāyu purāṇa
Vayu Purana
The Vayu Purana is a Shaiva Purana, a Hindu religious text, dedicated to the god Vayu , containing about 24,000 shlokas.-Date:Banabhatta refers to this work in his Kadambari and Harshacharita...
and the Matsya purāṇa
Matsya Purana
Matsya Purana is the sixteenth purana of the Hindu scriptures. During the period of mahapralaya, Lord Vishnu had taken Matsya Avatar to save the seeds of all lives and Manu...
mentioned him as belonging to the Bhṛgus.
Niṣādapati
According to Hiraṇyakeśisutra by YajñavalkyaYajnavalkya
Yajnavalkya of Mithila was a legendary sage of Vedic India, credited with the authorship of the Shatapatha Brahmana , besides Yogayajnavalkya Samhita and the Yājñavalkya Smṛti...
, a son begotten to a Niṣāda
Nishadha
Nishadha were scattered peoples, according to sources in Hindu mythology. The Nishadha people have been described in Ramayana and Mahabharata.-Description in Ramayana:The main profession of Nishaadas was hunting birds...
lady by a Brahmin was called as Niṣāda Rathakāra and was considered as Anārya or non aryan. If daughter of this Rathakāra is again married to a Brahmin and their daughter is married to a Brahmin,and a daughter born to them again married to a Brahmin, and so on till seven generations,then the son of the seventh Niṣāda Rathakāra's daughter attains brahminhood. The uplifted Niṣādapati and his progeny were entitled to perform the sacrifices and even the Brahmayāgādi. This Rathakāra's ways of earning a livelihood are stated as comprising chariots,carts and the like.
Rathakāra in the Atharvaveda
This systems regards the Rathakāra as an offspring of Māhiṣya,or the son of KṣtriyaKshatriya
*For the Bollywood film of the same name see Kshatriya Kshatriya or Kashtriya, meaning warrior, is one of the four varnas in Hinduism...
husband and Vaiśya
Vaishya
Vaishya is one of the four varnas of the Hindu social order. According to Vedic tradition, this caste primarily comprises merchants, farmers, cattle-herders and artisans.-Duties of Vaishyas:...
and Karaṇi or the daughter of Vaiśya husband and Śudra wife. Although such an origin cannot be considered as accurate historically..
Other scriptures
Other texts like Bṛhajjātiviveka and seers like Baudhāyana,Vijñāneśvara have mentioned many Rathakāras of mixed origin and having varying social status. According to some doctrines these Rathakāras have no right to take part in any of the sacrifices as they are degraded to Śudra. A Śudra is not initiated to Vedic studies hence no UpanayanaUpanayana
Upanayana is the initiation ritual by which initiates are invested with a sacred thread, to symbolize the transference of spiritual knowledge .- Significance of the sacred thread :...
,as the sacrificer has to know Vedas, hence Śudra cannot participate in any kind of Yajña. Baudhāyana on the other hand admits this degraded Rathakāra to the ceremony of Upanayana,according to him fallen Rathakāra ought to perform this ceremony the rainy season. But some text mention that even a Śudra was allowed to participate in few sacrifices, and was even entitled to perform certain sacrifices like Pākayajñas,Śradhayajñas. But they were not entitled to perform the sacrifices which were strictly vedic. Sage Jaimini mentions another Rathakāra whose social status is inferior to Vaiśya but superior to that of a Śudra, and calls them Saudhavanas.
The confusion about the term Rathakāra
The varna of Rathakāra is not explicitly mentioned in Ṛgveda, ĀpastambaApastamba
The Dharmasutra of Āpastamba forms a part of the larger Kalpasūtra of Āpastamba. It contains thirty praśnas, which literally means ‘questions’ or books. The subjects of this Dharmasūtra are well organized and preserved in good condition...
maintains that Rathakāra is not a separate caste, but one of the three high castes viz. Brāhmaṇa, Kṣtriya, Vaiśya, who has embraced the occupation of chariot making. Ṛgvedic Rathakāra to belongs to Brahmaṇa varṇa, as rest four varṇas were not entitled to place the sacrificial fire in the pyre.
For all above obvious reasons the Śāstric materials did not conclusively distinguish between them as a result foreign scholars and Indologists
Indology
Indology is the academic study of the history and cultures, languages, and literature of the Indian subcontinent , and as such is a subset of Asian studies....
like Albrecht Weber
Albrecht Weber
Albrecht Friedrich Weber was a German Indologist and historian.He was born in Breslau, where his father was a Professor of Political Economy. He studied in that town, Bonn, and in Berlin, 1842-1845, busying himself especially with literature and Sanskrit archaeology. He received a doctor's degree...
(cf.Indische Studien) and his followers have misinterpreted the meaning of the word Rathakāra.