The
Karnakayasthas: A Profile
The Karnakayasthas are a very
small chunk of the population of
The
karnakayasthas are mainly a service holder class. They worked as revenue
officials during the reign of the Hindus, Muslims, and Mughals and even under
the British Rule. Pleased with their work efficiency, they were richly rewarded
by different kings and Sultans and were given large chunks of Zamindari. The
Karnakayasthas were, therefore, Zamindars, big or small in the beginning but in
spite of being Zamindars they did not hesitate in taking up the revenue work
under different kingdoms and Sultanates. As revenue officials they collected
land rent, did mutation work, and prepared the land maps of different villages.
As they were very intelligent and efficient they were awarded many titles like
Chaudhary and Mallik etc. The original sub title of their names is Thakur.
Karn, Das, Kanth, Dutta, Sinha sub titles came later.
With
the abolition of Zamindari after independence, Karnakayasthas faced hardship as
they were dependent on Zamindars and on the service in the revenue work under
different zamindars. But the next generation of Karnakayasthas seriously
focused on the modern education. Within a decade, they made their mark in the
different fields of education. Now a very large numbers of them are doctors,
engineers, professors, administrative officials of the Government and executive
officers under private companies. It is a wonderful change, a miraculous
progress from petty revenue officials to top executive heads! It should be
noted that there is one hundred percent literacy among the Karnakayasthas. So,
even the womenfolk of Karnakayasthas are not lagging behind in any field of
education. They are also doctors, engineers, administrative heads and even
politicians.
The
karnakayasthas are a peace loving, sober, gentle and deeply religious minded
caste. They are devotees of Bhagwati Durga (Shakt Sect), Ram and
In the
fields of literature, art (painting), philosophy, science, religion especially
tantra and education their contributions are second to none. Munshi Raghunandan
Das, Lal Das, Manipadma and Baidyanath Mallick “Vidhu” are the noted epic
writers of Maithili literature. The Karnakayasthas women of Ranti and Jitwarpur
have won foreign laurels in Madhubani painting. The womenfolk of Karnakayasthas
are famed for their achievements in the field of paper painting, wall painting,
floor painting (Aripan), Madhubani painting and folklore music. They have
proved themselves as good mothers, good wives, good housewives and good working
women. There are rare cases of divorce or split marriage.
Most of
the Karnakayasthas do not take or give dowry. No condition is laid down before
marriage. Karnakayasthas are, therefore, one of the few rare sections of Indian
Society which do not accept or give dowry in marriages.
According
to a myth, the Karnakayasthas are descendants of lord Chitragupta, the advisor,
minister and chartered accountant of Dharmaraj, the lord of death. As the story
goes after the creation of the universe and living beings including man,
Brahma, the creator was a bit perturbed. He did not know how to maintain the
account of virtues and vices of all the living beings including man, so that;
they may be so suitably rewarded or punished after death. So he went into a
trance and while he was in meditation a handsome personality came out of his
body and bowed at his feat. Brahma opened his eyes and saw a very handsome
person before him. “Who are you?” asked Brahma in surprise. “I am your son my
lord”, was the reply of that man. “What shall I do for you?” he politely asked.
Brahma asked him to go to the earth, do penance learn every fields of
knowledge, get married and then come to him. As commanded, Chitragupta came
down to earth, did penance, learned all kinds of knowledge and got married. The
name Chitragupta has its significance. The Brahma gave this name to this
handsome man because he was born out of his mind (Chitta)
and in a secret mystical manner (Gupta). Chittagupta
later became Chitragupta. He had two wives, Shobhavati
(Iravati) and Nandini (Dakshina). From the first wife he had eight sons and from
the second wife he had four sons. Karnakayasthas are the descendants of his son,
Aruncharu, from his first wife. Before going back to
Dharmaraj, Chitragupta asked his sons to learn all kinds of knowledge, use
their pen, perform all kinds of religious rites but forbade them to accept
charities.
Only in
the field, that is politics, the Karnakayasthas are lagging behind. Politics now
a day has degenerated into a dirty power game which the players want to win by
any means. Without money power, muscle power, caste power, one can not think of
winning this game. The Karnakayasthas lack these powers. Therefore, the Karnakayasthas
are disinterested in politics of power. Gone are those glorious days when
politics meant service to society and nation. At that time politics meant an
opportunity for developing the society and country and rendering services to
the oppressed and the depressed. At least, four MPs have adorned the Parliament
from this caste. Late Shri Narayan Das, Late Shri Kedar Das, Mrs. Reeta Varma
are among them. Four or five MLAs are also elected each time in
Finally,
we can say that the Karnakayasthas are marching ahead in different fields,
social, economic and even political life of the country. They possess sharp
intellect, inborn work culture and dedication to their duties. They are now
focusing on Foreign Service and foreign jobs. A very large number of
Karnakayasthas are working in
Dr. Janak Kishore Lal Das
Former University Professor of English,
L.N.M. U. Darbhanga
Village Kanakpura,
Dist. Madhubani