Govind Prasad Upadhyay received his education in Banaras, and obtained the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in History from the Banaras Hindu University in 1967. Since 1968 he has been teaching history at Rajdhani College, University of Delhi, except for the period of 1974-76 when he was visiting associate Professor of Indian studies at the American University of Beirut, Lebanon. He has published several learned papers on early Indian religions. He specialises in early socio- religious history, but is currently interested in early Indian historiography. Dr. Upadhyay has a flair for languages.

The present work aims at tracing the cultural role of the Brahmana class from circa 200 BC to circa AD 500. In the study of cultural history the role concept serves as a useful tool and enables us to investigate the niceties of cultural changes from closer angles. It provides insight into the reactions, attitudes, and disposition of the role-performers to the contemporary forces which, naturally, lie behind role-actions. It also seeks to mark the relative influence exerted by the role-performers on the course of cultural transformations.

Since the Brahmaņas were generally held as inseparably connected with the traditional culture, a study of their role naturally attracted our attention. As far as the period of our study is concerned, it had the back- ground of different cultural traditions characterised by the most ambitious tendencies to overwhelm one another.

The cultural activities of the Brahmanas in this period were quite varied and extensive. We have underlined and analysed only such of them as were of primary importance in the dominant cultural characteristics of the age. We accept this time-span as a distinct period in the cultural history of ancient India and consequently, our treatment of the subject was bound to be topical rather than chronological.

In our study 'role' is taken to signify the social actions of the Brahmaņas in response to the challenges of this age which are best expressed in the provisions of law made in relation to other Varnas and the non-Varņa people. These actions were primarily motivated by 'structurally given demands, i.e., norms, expectations, taboos, responsibilities, etc. associated with their given social position "In this sense role signifies 'some- thing outside the given individual, a set of pressures and focilitations that channel, guide, impede, support his functioning in the organisation,' and it includes "the attitude, value and behaviour ascribed by the society to any and all persons occupying this status."