Origin of Sharmas

According to Sanskrit Shiromani Dr Charan Das Shastri, the word Sharman refers to a universal well-wisher or sublime personality who has achieved the highest state of concentration. By Shiv Darshanlal Sharma

SINDHIS migrated to Gujarat from Sindh (Pakistan) in the remote past. The tradition of mass marriages between Gujarati Brahmkshatryas and the Sindhis started in the Saurashtra region of Gujarat. Although colouring of cloth is the main profession of the Sindhi Brahmkshatryas, they occupy various positions in the public and private sectors these days. They originally worshipped Goddess Hindaj, an incarnation of Goddess Barahi.

According to Bherumal Maherchand, a renowned Sindhi historian, the Brahmksatrya clan came into existence during the time of Lord Parshuram, who is said to have stayed in the state of Sindh for five days during a campaign he had undertaken to weed out anti-social and cruel elements from society. The ruler of the state was King Rattan Sen. When the news of the arrival of Lord Parshuram reached the king, he fled along with his queens to seek asylum in the ashram of Rishi Deghichi, situated on the bank of the Saraswati river. Each queen bore a son there. They were called Brahmans by virtue of birth and were brought up in the ashram. The eldest son Jai Sen became Jaisen Sharma. This is the first Sharma surname ever recorded in history. Even the Vedas are silent over the origin of this surname.

 Lord Parshuram killed the king who was hunting in a forest. The Lord adopted Prince Jaisen Sharma as his disciple, keeping in mind his curiosity about vedic studies. One day while the prince was supporting the head of his guru as the latter slept, a poisonous insect bit him. For fear of disturbing his guru, the prince did not move. On awakening, the Lord recognised the qualities of the kshatriya clan in his pupil. He was endowed with the title of Brahmkshatrya by the Lord. According to Enthovan, the princes became Brahmkshatryas because after giving birth to them, their mothers sought shelter in the house of the Brahmans.

The legendary Pt Raghunath Prashad Shastri of Gurdaspur, while advocating Ashtadhyae and Siddhanta Kaumadi of Rishi Panini, states that the word Sharma refers to Srinatehimsayam-dhatu — the sacred person who eradicates his own sins and those of mankind with acquired powers of self-consciousness. This theory is further substantiated by Yaskacharya, a prominent sage and Sanskrit scholar from Lahore.

According to another school of thought, the surname Sharma finds its origin in the commentary of Sakuntala by Kalidasa. The Brahamans (in the remote past) who, used to offer 1/10th of their earnings for the welfare of the king and the subjects, were known as Sharmas.

According to Sanskrit Shiromani Dr Charan Das Shastri, the word Sharman refers to a universal well-wisher or sublime personality, who has achieved the highest state of concentration. Manu, who hailed from Gupta clan, did not segregate the Indian society, but gave the concept of unification of mankind by virtue of karmas (deeds) and heredity. The scholar opines that virat is composed of four parts viz., the mouth symbolising thoughtfulness i.e., Sharman; the forelimbs representing the protector i.e., Kshatriya ; the belly represents secrecy i.e., Gupt and the hind limbs signify the working class.

Later on, birth took precedence over deeds and a person belonged to the class into which he was born. Society was, thus, divided into four major sections.