Maga Brahmins

The origin story of the Maga alias Shakadviipiya brAhmaNas is discussed in some detail in the saura saamba upapurANa, the bhaviShya purANa, bhUmi parva of the Mbh, brahma purANa & the viShNu purANa. The bR^ihat saMhita of varahamihira (likely a Maga Brahmin himself) also mentions that the Maga Brahmins are the solar priests premier, who install the idol of the sun (मगांश् च सवितुः). This statement from the 6th century work makes it certain the Magas were well established by end of classical anqituity in India. As for Varahamihira’s origins; a few things make it clear. He opens the bR^ihatsamhita with an invocation to the sun & closes it by stating his family are sun-worshippers (his father is called Adityadasa). If any other confirmation of this is needed, we find the commentator bhaTTa upala call Varahamihira as a “magadha-dvIja” (in the bhaviShya purANa the term magadha is used interchangebly with maga brAhmaNa). Having established this, we now jump 500 years into the future and find historical era corroboration of the presence of Maga Brahmins in the Govindapura inscription (Shaka Era 1059, 1137 AD) found in the Gaya district of vA~Nga desha.

Before we look at the inscription & samba purANa account, a prefatory note is necessary. It is without a doubt certain the Magas were Iranic solar priests (c.f Maga > Magi) who were assimilated into Hindu culture & even varNAshrama dharma, rising to the rank of brAhmaNas-s. Both purANa-s mention they used to wear an avyanga thread on their waist. This is nothing else except the Mazdayasna equivalent of the yaj~Nopavita (sacred thread). It is known as kushti in Pahlavi and aiwyAonghana in Avestan (lit. girded around. Notice the first prefix “aiwi” cognate with abhi of Skt). Interestingly, the Zoro have their own term for upavIta (with the thread) called hadha-aiwyanghanem (lit. with the girdle) and the negative in anaiwyasto (lit. ungirded) corresponding to Sanskrit anupavIta. It has 72 threads (representing 72 chapters of the yasna and is tied around 3 times representing the Mazdayasna concept of good thought, word & deed).

The saamba purANa story goes that saamba gets sick (kuShTharoga or leprosy) due to a curse given by his father kR^iShNa and is told to do sUryopAsana (sun worship) to get healed. He goes to chandrabhAgA river (modern day Chenab in Punjab) & does tapasyA. Now, sUrya cures him & tells him to install an idol of him on the Chenab. He also gives him a boon that this city will be renowned as sAmbapura.

ज्ञात्वा संतारयामास चन्द्रभागां महानदीम् ।। ततो मित्रवनं गत्वा तीर्थं त्रैलोक्य विश्रुतम् । उपवासकृशः साम्बः शुष्को धमनि सन्ततः ।आराधनार्थ सूर्यस्य गुह्यं स्तोत्रमिदं जगौ । तन्मुमोच मलं शाम्बो देहात्वचमिवोरगः । ततो लब्धवरः शाम्बो रूपवांश्चाभवत्पुनः ।। स्थापयस्व च मामास्मिंश्चन्द्रभागातटे शुभे । त्वत्समानमिंद चापि पुरं शाम्ब ! भविष्यति ।।

Not sure about the identity of mitravana here ( ततो मित्रवनं गत्वा), could be Multan? or some other place. Another clue lies here, leprosy was a disease the Persians thought to be a curse of the sun. So as to not get cursed, solar worship was necessary. We see Herodotus make a mention of this:

ὃς ἂν δὲ τῶν ἀστῶν λέπρην ἢ λεύκην ἔχῃ, ἐς πόλιν οὗτος οὐ κατέρχεται οὐδὲ συμμίσγεται τοῖσι ἄλλοισι Πέρσῃσι: φασὶ δέ μιν ἐς τὸν ἥλιον ἁμαρτόντα τι ταῦτα ἔχειν (Histories 1.138)

Regardless, The Mbh (vulgate text) reference to them and says that in the island of Shakadvipa, (likely Sistan in Iran or Sakastan – land of the Scythians) one of the four classes are Magas who are Brahmins.

तत्र पुण्या जनपदाश चत्वारॊ लॊकसंमताः
मगाश च मशकाश चैव मानसा मन्दगास तथा
मगा बराह्मणभूयिष्ठाः सवकर्मनिरता नृप

Interestingly enough, a nearly identical account exists in the brahma purANa (Chapter 18). The account tells us varNAshrama is well established in shakadvipa and also that the people live in peace, worship viShNu as the sun & are dharmic.

The sAmba purANa account now mentions that one day, an idol of sUrya turns up on the banks of the river that sAmba notices, picks up and installs it in mitravana. Then we are told vishwakarma made the mUrti from the wood of the kalpavR^ikSha. Finally, sUrya commands sAmba to bring his worshippers (magas) from shakadvipa & sAmba brings 18 families of magas.

सतु गृह्य ततस्तानि दश चाष्टौ कुलानि च । मम पूजाकश ह्येते प्रजानां शान्तिकारकाः । मम पूजाविधानोक्तां करिष्यन्ति मनोऽनुगाम ।। प्राप्य शाकद्वीपमनु संप्रहृष्टतनूरूहः । तत्रापश्यद्यथो द्दिष्टान् साम्बस्तेजस्विनोमगान् ।।

Finally, we take a look at the Govindapur inscription. The text is a bit broken but general meaning can be understood. Attached below will be an English translation from Epigraphica Indica.

देवो जोयात्रिलोकीमणिरयमरणो यन्निवासेन पुण्यः शाकद्वीप दुग्धाम्बु निधिवलयितो यत्र विग्रे मगाख्या । वंशस्तव ” द्विजानां भ्रमिलिखिततनो (र्ब्भा )स्वतः स्वाङ्ग

“Hail to that gem of the thre worlds, the divine Aruņa,” whose presence sanctifies the milk-ocean-encircled Shakadvipa where the Brahmans are named Magas! There a race of twice-born [sprang] from the sun’s own body, grazed by the lathe,“ whom Sâmba himself brought bither. Glorious are they, honoured in the world ! The first of them was an abode of all vedic lore and of the knowledge of the supreme soul, and wholly occupied in thoughts” familiar with every sacrificial rite, that sage Bharadvaja whose penance could both deliver and destroy the world, and in , like a garland of the great race of the Maga twice-born“

The author goes on to trace his descent from Bharadwaja (who he considers the first Maga Brahmin), thus confirming the author of the inscription himself was a Maga Brahmin living in Bengal at the time. Indeed, in modern times the descendants of these Maga Brahmins are found chiefly in Magadha only. They call themselves Shakadvipiya or Maga Brahmins & outwardly (ritually, physiognomically) resemble the local Brahmins of the region. Hence, we realize the Magi priests of the Medians had an incredibly successful capacity to assimilate into related cultures, all the while maintaining their status as priests in the new culture too. The Magis, who were initially likely Median priests first managed to assimilate into the Mazdayasna Persian hierarchy, becoming the chief priesthood of the Achaemenid & Sassanid Empires and then they managed to even convince the insular Hindu Brahmins to accept them as one of their own. No doubt, the close similarities of the Iranians and Indo-Aryans played a long role in this. The Magas seem to have served the specific function of teaching sUrya-pratimA construction to the Hindus. The sAmba purANa has an account of this:

न पुरा प्रतिमा ह्यासीत् पूज्यते मण्डले रविः
यथैतान् मण्डलं व्योम्नि स्थीयते सवितुस्तदा
एवमेव पुरा भक्तैः पूज्यते मण्डलाकृतिः
यतः प्रभृति चप्येषा निर्मिता विश्वकर्मणा
सर्वलोकहितार्थाय सूर्यस्य पुरुषाकृतिः

In the past, there was no pratimA (idol) of sUrya. Instead, his devotees worshipped him by drawing maNDala-s on the ground. This adds up and probably hints at the non-idolatrous nature of sun worship of vedic times where sUrya was worshipped in maNDala form, as an orb or discus. Then, vishwakarma constructed a pratimA for the usage of all sun-worshippers. Likely, this hints to the usage of the Maga forms of sUrya iconography in clothes as well anthropomorphy.