The literal
meaning of the term Brahmana is
One who has attained Brahman
However , the term became the name of a
caste based on
birth rather than acheivement.
The Brahmanas alone had the
authority to
teach and learn the
Vedas and the
Upanishads , but there were many exceptions and several
Kshatriya kings and indeed some
Shudras did attain the
Brahman and were ac
knowledged in various
Hindu scriptures.
It was usual for the Brahmanas to give
discourses to the ruler of the
province and be rewarded
handsomely if the king was impressed , but sometimes debates got ugly and Brahmanas
cursed each other for not knowing the truth completely and met a
wretched end!