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Brahma ( the creator God ) begot Marich , Marich begot Kashyapa ( clan name), Kashyapa begot Namas and Namas + Swajan ( meaning kins ) / Sreej ( verb meaning to originate ) > Namasswajan > Namasswej > Namaswej ( meaning descendants of Namas ). Since in Banglabhasha "w or WA " after consonant doubles it in pronunciation so Namaswej > Namassej.
So it means the descendants of Namas . Although the Namassejas have three clans and Kashyapa is the founder clan.
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∙ 12y ago
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What is the Origin of the word Namassej?
Most probably the word means a community .In Indian mythology there is a story of two sages or Rishis named as Namas and Swanak .They were brothers .The minstrels of Namasudra community in the early nineties spread the story that they are descendants of this sage .The story is found in Many Bengali Little Magazines also .According to Bengali language Sreej is a verb meaning to originate,to create , to generate so Namas + Sreej to Namassreej to Namassej meaning originated from Namas .In this context it would not be out of place to mention that Sut in Bengali language means son .So Namas + Sut to Namassut i.e. son or descendants of Namas but most probably the Hindu Society did not accept this AND sut was replaced by sudra thus leading to the documentation as Namasudra.The other meaning that must be mentioned is that they are of respectable origin. Namasya ( meaning respectable in Bengali ) + sut ( son ) ( changed to sudra ) i.e. respectable sudra .The alternate hearsay is that every hymns in Hindu mythology starts with a Nama(s) and since due to some fault this community has been degraded to sudra , their name should be preceded by a Nama(s) . Namassej in that sense means Namasya + sreej ( transfoemed to ssej) means Respectable Origin ( since sreej means to originate ).Some recent opinion confers them the status of Khanda ( degraded or mixed or lost purity ) Khsatriya( warrior class ).Their inherent upright nature and the fighting spirit also convinced some people to cast doubt on their low social status and think of Kshatriya origin .It seems the most convincing answer is descendants of Namas. The original name found on web page one decade ago is Namaswej. Since in Banglabhasha " w or wa" after consonant doubles it in pronunciation so later it got modified as Namassej and the meaning was interpreted as above.But it should be Namas + Swajan ( kins or descendants or closely related people) > Namasswajan > Namaswajan >Namaswej . So Namassej means the descendants of Namas .
Why named as Namasudra if Sudra means slave or servant?
Namasudra or Nama or Namo ( recently acclaimed as Namaswej or Namassej) is the name of a community who were named as Chandala or Candala which the hatred campaigners liked to pronounce as Charala in rural Banga.After the British took hold of this Indian continent as their Colony or Empire this community got their name changed as Namasudra. Apparently this is not bad as the Bengali Brahmins at that time told that except themselves all are Sudra(s). And since this community was out-caste so it is a great uplift in their name.But now it seems obvious that these people might have been ostracized during Sen dynasty for their defying nature.It is a fact ,the namasudras demand , that they understood that the implications are no less worse than the connotations of the word Candala. They proposed their identity from mythological origin theory as Namaswej Or Namassej Or Namassut ( following their founder gotra Or clan from Kasyapa).At that Time when The Whole Indian Continent is under British control and the elites have been converted to the Serving People of the Rulers or Monarchy which is nothing but Sudra(s) ( public servant) or neo-sudras in India , It looks very astonishing that the Bengalis who never misses the opportunity to demand themselves as progressiveWhy at that time Did insisted a Community to be named as "Sudra" when every-one was avoiding that.And not even that only , thence-from Naming people of New professions as new Castes also stopped. It shows the Hypocrisy of the Self Acclaimed Progressive Bengalis who Actually In their Heart were Die-Hard Conservative Hindus at that Time.Actually Caste system Destroys The mythological Or Divine identity of Human beings.Since these people were outcast populations they could have been spared like The Rajbanshis or The Gurjars etc. I personally think yet now it is possible to accept their proposed name as Namaswej or Namassej .In a democratic Country Every person is serving His Fellow Peoples so No One should be Named as " Sudra " which invokes a Hatred .APPEAL :Without knowing everything don't try to use a forum for a bashing of a particular linguistic community.The Namasudras are well accepted in Bengali society . Dr. N.R.Ray ,a brahmin by caste supported the story of their Ostrcization. It is doubtful whether an alternative name was proposed. Definitely "Sudr" signifies a degraded status if Candala means Defying Social Prejudices. But Emotional connotation of Candala is more Abusing among the common people. The community has not demanded any Change of Their Name to Namaswej Or Namassej or to anything else. The myth of their Origin from Kasyap clan as they Demand has been published in Famous Bengali Magazine like " Anustup" and many others .Please see Namasudra in wikipedia for further references.What is Necessary is To Be Capable Of Accepting " Others ".Actually the truth is that they were Socially Known as Namasudras from the Time of The Sen King when they were ostracized .Later In course of time The King Further Haunted them to the swamps of South -Banga and being declared out-caste by The King they Became known as Chandal Or Candala > Charala .And then again During British Regime they were documented as Nmasudra ( back again ) which was most Strongly opposed By Historian N.K.Basu but Dr. N.R.Ray supported It .History , Myths and several other findings supported Dr.N.R.ray's Interpretation of History of Bengali People ( which includes the modern genome research also).
What was namasudra caste profession?
Firstly Namasudra is not a caste and naturally they have no caste profession. Secondly it is a avarna community.The abusing term was Chandala .Varna Hindus preferred the abusing term. Thirdly A mythology was reported by the community members .Following that very recently the community has declared the name as "Namassej" or originated from Namas . There community religion is different.The son of the Prophet Harichand tried till 1937 to remove the bashing "sudra" tag but failed . Fourthly in the British period their profession was agriculture and boatman. Fifthly they lived in separation from both the Muslims and Varna Hindus.After their introduction in varna-Hindu samaj they were forced to take the "sudra" but the varna-Hindus insisted for more abusing "Chandala" term But the British Govt. forced them to accept it officially.But it must be said some Brahmins signed a Vyabastha earlier than the British. CONCLUSION : THE QUESTION OF CASTE PROFESSION DOES NOT ARISE.
