>Devapi brahminisation
Devapi's transition from a Kuru prince to a ritual priest (purohita) for his brother Shantanu reflects ancient social fluidity.
Key aspects of this transition include:
Exclusion from Royalty: Devapi was bypassed for the throne of Hastinapura due to a skin condition or leprosy.
Ascetic Retirement: He left for the forest to live as a hermit and engage in spiritual penance.
Priesthood and Rain: When a 12-year drought struck Shantanu's kingdom, Devapi acted as the ritual priest (hotar) to invoke the gods and bring rain.
Vedic and Puranic Precedent: Texts like the Rigveda (X.98) and later Puranic traditions use figures like Devapi Arstisena to illustrate that early spiritual roles and attainment of Brahmanhood were not strictly bound by rigid birth-based barriers.
>>1640
As late as the mid-9th century AD, there were still new "Brahmins" being formed from the tribal populations of Andhra, particularly the Boyas in the Eastern Chalukya kingdom of Vengi. These Boyas accepted Sanskritization and received land grants from kings as well as Brahmin gotras like Bharadvaja.
