Twice-Born

(dvija) In its most specific sense,
this word denotes a man from the
highest traditional social groups
(varnas)—brahmin, kshatriya, and
vaishya—who has undergone the adolescent ritual initiation known as the
upanayana samskara. This initiation
gives the entitlement and the obligation
to study the Vedas, the oldest Hindu
religious texts, and definitively divides
society between those who have this
entitlement and those who do not—
namely, all children, women, and men not
belonging to these three groups. Because
of this initiation’s ritual significance,
it was known as the second birth, and
thus the initiates were “twice-born.” The
first birth was biological and based on
nature, whereas the second was cultural
and marked higher religious status.
Although in its strictest sense this word
refers only to such initiates, in a more
general sense it can denote any person
belonging to a varna whose members
are eligible for this initiation—that is,
any brahmin, kshatriya, or vaishya.