Kshatriyan

This article talks about a person called Kshatriyan, to know about Kshatriya caste its historic details and origins with lineages please see Kshatriya
Kshatriyan is a person who is a member of the Kshatriya caste of the Hindu religion.
Kshatriyan - singular, Kshatriyans - plural.
Spelling variations of Kshatriyan - Ksatriyan,Chatriyan,Chhatriyan.According to ancient customs Kshatriyans were responsible for upholding justice and social harmony and included people in governing and military positions. Kshatriyan was a warrior who was trained in all kinds of weapons. In vedic times they fought wars for kings and were considered for positions of army chief and generals of the army if they were not already kings. Scholars place vedic times to be the first or second millenia BC. The Kshatriyans were an Indo-Aryan social class higher than Vaishyas and Shudras but lower than Brahmins. The Kshatriyans evolved with age as weapons evolved. The Rajput sect of India are one major group of Kshatriyans. The Maratha warriors were another Kshatriyan group.

Etymology

In Sanskrit, it is derived from "kšatra", meaning "dominion, power, government" from a root "kšī" "to rule, govern, possess". Old Persian "xšāyaθiya" ("emperor") and "xšaθra" ("realm") are related to it, as are the New Persian words "šāh" ("emperor") and "šahr" ("city", "realm"). The Thai word for "king", "kasat", and the Malay word for "knight" or "warrior", "kesatria" or "satria", are also derived from it. The term denotes aristocratic status.

In the early Vedic civilization, the warrior caste was called "rājanya" or "kšatrīya". The former was an adjectival form of "rājan" "ruler, king" from a root "rāj" "to rule", cognate to the Latin "rex" "king", the German "Reich" "empire/realm", and the Thai "racha" "king". In Persia, the satraps, or "kshatrapa", were the governors, or "protectors", of the Persian Empire's provinces.

The south Indian pronunciation incorporates an 'h' in the word and pronounces it as 'Kshatriyan' while the north and central Indian pronunciation is 'Ksatriyan' or more commonly 'Ksatriya'. Some south Indians also pronounce it as 'Chatriyan' or 'Chhatriyan'.

ocial Status

PAST
In the past people looked upon Kshatriyans to protect them from all dangers. Kshatriyans were kings and warriors in the army, all soldiers knew basics of Kshatriyan martial arts. The Kshatriyans were held in respect by everybody except the Brahmins, who were respected by Kshatriyans themselves. The Kshatriyans were always members of some Royal - Families or Raja-kudumba's. They were also known as Kshatriya-kul's. The folklore talks of some great Kshatriyans and legends. The status of Kshatriyans was clearly exalted. Legends tell that Kshatriyan could be told by sight because of his tall, strong and muscular male look. They were supposedly able to fight blindfolded and archers could hit a target by just sound in the dead of the night. Stories of exemplary courage still circulate by word of mouth and are recorded as folk-tales. Some stories reveal a darker side were non-Kshatriyans were rejected in the Kshatriyan society even if they did a Kshatriyan's job better than a Kshatriyan. Teachers of Kshatriyans never accepted non-kshatriyans, for example see the story of Ekalavya.
PRESENT
While some families survive from the past, many claim to be descendants of particular Kshatriyans or Kshatriya-kula's. Raja-kudumba's also exist but the number has fairly decreased. Martial arts have survived and are being revived. Families consider it as a status symbol or a decoration to have the famous two crossed swords in a shield symbol of a Kshatriyan hung in their house. The Kshatriyan is still a great name and older generation of rural India still attach a great value to it. South Indian Kalarippayattu gurukal teach the old martial art still. The Kalarippayattu is seriously being revived but the old tradition of accepting only Kshatriyans to learn Kalarippayattu has been dropped. The Marathas in Maharashtra and central India attach great pride and command a sense of respect among common people by their lineage while Rajput families in Rajasthan and North-Western parts of India still have their palaces from the past.

Kshatriya Women and children

WOMEN
The women in the past and present were mainly confined to their houses and did not play a significant role. In the past when polygamy was common beautiful women would have been married several times to different persons, each with many other wives. Once the girl married the husbands home became hers and her main job was to do puja to the family deity. Each Kshatriya family had its own God which may or may not have been similar to Gods of other Kshatriya families. They were required to live in a kind of colony made for wives with their companions and enjoy whenever possible in whichever they would prefer. they were also supposed to maintain a certain decorum as a Kshatriyans wife. The most influential wives son would become the next king or head of the family. If there were many sons for that particular wife then the mothers favorite would get the throne or family heirloom.
MALE CHILD A boy child was taught by a Kshatriya guru or even a Brahman teacher who knew about the Kshatriya ways. A male child was the symbol of masculinity of a Kshatriya father and was the future of the family. While the family was always the foremost in a Kshatriyans mind the country's honor was also to be cared for by a Kshatriyan. All these aspects were taught to a male child and he was accustomed to the society of Kshatriyans before being taught the weapons and martial arts.
FEMALE CHILD
The girl child was supposed to be docile and gentle. She was supposed to be spiritual and devoted.The girl child was usually well-educated in the social subjects of that time and was usually prepared to become the woman she was expected to become. In contrast to the male child the female child was never let out of the women circles in a Kshatriya society. She was considered to be a weakling in general and to be served by servants and protected by husbands. Manu Smriti a sacred Hindu scripture describes a womens life as:

A female is protected by her father as a child, by her husband as a woman and by her son in her old age.

PRESENT SITUATION
The situation has changed in these modern times and they do not have much to gain or loose in status from other women or children by their Kshatriya lineage. Only grown or old men take actual pride and speak about a Kshatriya lineage.

pecialties

The Kshatriyans were specialized in guerrilla warfare. History has it that the Maratha warrior and emperor Shivaji Bhonsale, born April, 1627 (also Shrimant Rajaram Shivaji Raje Bhonsle - Chhatrapati Maharaj) had his own army specialized in guerrilla warfare and a particular tale of valor is also a [http://www.flickr.com/photos/kanad_sanyal/400840660/ historical fact] .
South India, particularly Kerala also has its own share of Kshatriyans who are better known as members of Raja-Kudumba's or royal families. They practice the worlds oldest martial art known as Kalarippayattu. The Kalarippayattu has something commonly known as Marma Kalai or Varma Kalai where the Marmam is attacked which instantly disables or kills the enemy without making any externally visible injury.
The Rajputs were known to make deft political maneuvers to consolidate their kingdom or to defeat an enemy. They are also known to follow certain codes of war to fight a battle. They are recorded in history as a kind of fierce warrior clan who make brave attempts within their war codes to retrieve a lost kingdom or defeat a dangerous enemy. they are also legendarily said to have untiring persistence to attain their goal as in the case of Maharana Pratap.

Codes of war

Codes of war were very important to a Kshatriyan and his lineage. They are still talked about for their innate decency and respect of the enemy and women. There exist old palm-leaf inscriptions on these topics. They are known to many a Kshatriyan families which still believe in the old ways of virtuous Kshatriya living. A trained Kshatriyan -it is said- is never trained till he knows and follows the codes of war.The Kshatriyan codes of war are stuff of legends and folklore in India. Mahabharatha a Hindu epic also talks about war codes. Conclusive archaeological evidence has not yet been obtained but more or less all sources agree that such codes of war existed and they were followed. Some of the more important codes are listed below.
*War should not affect the unarmed - meaning that the civilian population should not be attacked for any reason nor should the disarmed and seriously wounded soldiers or warriors unless it is for killing them as an act of mercy.
*The rest should be provided for both sides - meaning that the war should not continue after sunset unless or otherwise it is a guerrilla war.
*All foe should be defeated - meaning that even if your father fought against you, you should not hesitate to defeat and kill him.
*Raid should not be done unless completely necessary - meaning that a raid should not be done unless the motive is to compensate for past losses or to humiliate the enemy.
*Women should not be looked at unless she challenges you - meaning that unless a woman is in your enemy's army as a soldier or warrior you should not attack her or rape her. If the woman is the ruler then she should be attacked or asked to surrender only after the whole army is defeated.
*A guerrilla war should not be done unless the objective is victory - meaning that the warriors chosen for a guerrilla war should be the best, able to defeat any large army in the given situation and such an attack should be done only to attain a political goal and not to raid the enemy storage.
*A betrayer should never betrayed death - meaning that a betrayer or cheater of ones own army should be guaranteed death, should surely be killed.