Dash (Oriya surname)
Encyclopedia
Dash is an Oriya
Oriya people
The Oriya, known classically by various names , are an ethnic group of eastern India and of eastern Indo-Aryan stock...

 brahmin surname who belongs to Utkala Brahmins.Some of them write DashSharma(Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...

-दाशशर्मा ). They are settled throughout Orissa and follow mainly the Shrauta tradition of hinduism
Hinduism
Hinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...

 and any form of Vishnu
Vishnu
Vishnu is the Supreme god in the Vaishnavite tradition of Hinduism. Smarta followers of Adi Shankara, among others, venerate Vishnu as one of the five primary forms of God....

 as Kuladevata . A minority of oriya
Oriya people
The Oriya, known classically by various names , are an ethnic group of eastern India and of eastern Indo-Aryan stock...

 Brahmins brahmins sometimes use the shorter form 'Das'. The shorter surname 'Das', which is more commonly a non-brahmin surname, is quite common in Orissa and West Bengal. So all family surnames ending as Dash indicate brahmin ancestry in Orissa, while some Das could be of brahmin ancestry.

History

In 9th and 10th century CE.,the king of Orissa invited Brahmins of Kanyakubja area to come and settle in present Puri
Puri
Puri is district headquarter, a city situated about south of state capital Bhubaneswar, on the eastern coast of the Bay of Bengal in the Indian state of Orissa. It is also known as Jagannath Puri after the Jagannath Temple . It is a holy city of the Hindus as a part of the Char Dham pilgrimages...

, Cuttack
Cuttack
Cuttack is the former capital of the state of Orissa, India. It is the headquarters of Cuttack district and is located about 20 km to the north east of Bhubaneswar, the capital of Orissa. The name of the city is an anglicised form of Kataka that literally means The Fort, a reference to the...

 & Ganjam
Ganjam
Ganjam is a town and a notified area committee in Ganjam district in the state of Orissa, India.-Geography:Ganjam is located at . It has an average elevation of 3 metres .-Demographics:...

 district and take care of spiritual activities, Yajna
Yajna
In Hinduism, yajna is a ritual of sacrifice derived from the practice of Vedic times. It is performed to please the gods or to attain certain wishes...

,Teaching Veda and as advisers to the King. The king offered them agricultural land, temple management, ministership. In Puri
Puri
Puri is district headquarter, a city situated about south of state capital Bhubaneswar, on the eastern coast of the Bay of Bengal in the Indian state of Orissa. It is also known as Jagannath Puri after the Jagannath Temple . It is a holy city of the Hindus as a part of the Char Dham pilgrimages...

 district 48 such Brahmin villages called 'Sasanas', 'Karabads' and 'Bisa' were established. These brahmins later migrated to various other parts of Orissa
Orissa
Orissa , officially Odisha since Nov 2011, is a state of India, located on the east coast of India, by the Bay of Bengal. It is the modern name of the ancient nation of Kalinga, which was invaded by the Maurya Emperor Ashoka in 261 BC. The modern state of Orissa was established on 1 April...

. Many Utkala Brahmin
Utkala Brahmin
Utkala Brahmin also known as Oriya or Orissa Brahmins, is a Varna from the Indian state of Orissa previously known as Utkala Kingdom, Kalinga Kingdom & neighbouring states of Chattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal & Jharkhand.-Background:The Utkala Kingdom was located in the eastern portion of...

s also migrated to the area corresponding to present day south Bengal in 11th and 12th century CE.

Gotra,Pravara,& shakha

Generally bramhins of 'Dash' surname belong to Kaushika gotra
Gotra
In the Hindu society, the term Gotra broadly refers to people who are descendants in an unbroken male line from a common male ancestor. Panini defines gotra for grammatical purposes as apatyam pautraprabhrti gotram , which means "the word gotra denotes the progeny beginning with the son's son"...

,but Dash families having Vatsa
Srivatsa
The Śrīvatsa, Shrivatsa, or Sri Vatsa is a figure of South Asian symbology. Shrivatsa was married to Rudrani. Chandra et al.. state that it denotes "...the auspicious mark represented by a curled noose emblematical of love...".Shrivatsa is an ancient auspicious symbol in India...

, Bharadwaja
Bharadwaja
Bharadwaja was one of the greatest Hindu Arya sages descendant of rishi Angirasa, whose accomplishments are detailed in the Puranas. He was one of the Saptarshis in the present Manvantara; with others being Atri, Vashishtha, Vishvamitra, Gautama, Jamadagni, Kashyapa.Bhardwaj Rishi was father of...

, Kaundinya
Kaundinya
Kaundinya also known as Ajnata Kaundinya was a Buddhist bhikkhu in the sangha of Gautama Buddha and the first to become an arahant...

 and Harita
Harita
Harit/Harita was an ancient and great prince of the Suryavansha dynasty, best known because he is the ancestor of the Brahmin lineage, Harita gotra....

 Gotra
Gotra
In the Hindu society, the term Gotra broadly refers to people who are descendants in an unbroken male line from a common male ancestor. Panini defines gotra for grammatical purposes as apatyam pautraprabhrti gotram , which means "the word gotra denotes the progeny beginning with the son's son"...

 are also found.All 'Dash' families follow the Vajasaneyi Kanva(वाजसनेयी काण्व) Shakha
Shakha
A shakha , is a Hindu theological school that specializes in learning certain Vedic texts, or else the traditional texts followed by such a school. An individual follower of a particular school or recension is called a ...

 of Shukla Yajurveda& Katyayana kalpa
Kalpa
Kalpa is a small town in the Sutlej river valley, above Recong Peo in the Kinnaur district of Himachal Pradesh, Northern India, in the Indian Himalaya. Inhabited by Kinnauri people and famous for its apple orchards. Apples are a major cash-crop for the region...

 sutra.Gotra
Gotra
In the Hindu society, the term Gotra broadly refers to people who are descendants in an unbroken male line from a common male ancestor. Panini defines gotra for grammatical purposes as apatyam pautraprabhrti gotram , which means "the word gotra denotes the progeny beginning with the son's son"...

 &Pravaras
Pravaras
Literally, Pravara means the most excellent . Pravara is the number of the most excellent rishis who belonged to that particular gotra to which the wearer of sacred thread belongs. Gotra is the name of the founding father...

 can be found from respective sutras(pravaradhyaya).They do change their Yajnopaveetam or (paita) on Shraavana
Shraavana
Shraavana is a month of the Hindu calendar, also known as Sawan. In India's national civil calendar, Shraavan is the fifth month of the Hindu year, beginning in late July and ending in the third week of August. In the Tamil calendar, it is known as Aavani and is the fifth month of the solar year...

 purnima (called gamha purnima),which is also known as Veda Upakarma
Upakarma
Upakarma called Veda Upaakarma or Avani Avittam or Jannivarada Hunnime is one of the ancient Vedic rituals practiced to date. The event is conducted once a year, in the month of Shraavana and all the Brahmins follow it...

. Many (Dash)bramhins altar
Altar
An altar is any structure upon which offerings such as sacrifices are made for religious purposes. Altars are usually found at shrines, and they can be located in temples, churches and other places of worship...

 have Bhagavata Purana
Bhagavata purana
The Bhāgavata Purāṇa is one of the "Maha" Puranic texts of Hindu literature, with its primary focus on bhakti to the incarnations of Vishnu, particularly Krishna...

 in Oriya
Oriya language
Oriya , officially Odia from November, 2011, is an Indian language, belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European language family. It is mainly spoken in the Indian states of Orissa and West Bengal...

 (translated by Atibadi Jagannatha Dash,of kaushikasya gotra,in early 16th century)and Gita Govinda
Gita Govinda
The Gita Govinda is a work composed by the 12th-century poet, Jayadeva, who was born in Kenduli Sasan near Puri in Orissa. It describes the relationship between Krishna and the gopis of Vrindavana, and in particular one gopi named Radha...

 of Jayadeva
Jayadeva
Jayadeva was a Sanskrit poet circa 1200 AD. He is most known for his composition, the epic poem Gita Govinda, which depicts the divine love of Krishna-an avatar of Vishnu and his consort, Radha, and it is mentioned that Radha is greater than Hari, and is considered an important text in the...

.

Generally these people are Shrauta by their faith,having Jagannath
Jagannath
Jagannath is a transcendental non-anthropotheistic Hindu god worshiped primarily by the people of Indian state of Orissa, and, to a great extent, West Bengal...

 as Istadevata.Some of them worship Vishnu
Vishnu
Vishnu is the Supreme god in the Vaishnavite tradition of Hinduism. Smarta followers of Adi Shankara, among others, venerate Vishnu as one of the five primary forms of God....

 in the form of Durga
Durga
For the 1985 Hindi Film of Rajesh Khanna see DurgaaIn Hinduism, Durga ; ; meaning "the inaccessible" or "the invincible"; , durga) or Maa Durga "one who can redeem in situations of utmost distress" is a form of Devi, the supremely radiant goddess, depicted as having eighteen arms, riding a lion...

-Madhava
Krishna
Krishna is a central figure of Hinduism and is traditionally attributed the authorship of the Bhagavad Gita. He is the supreme Being and considered in some monotheistic traditions as an Avatar of Vishnu...

. They believe in eightfold principle, i.e.non-violence; sense-control; universal compassion; infinite patience; wisdom; austerity; meditation.Due to westernisation and globalisation these traditions are disappearing from this society day by day.

The MamooDasa Brahmins of Kulada Sasan

A more austere family of rich and holistic Brahmins by the Surname of Dasa(not Dash) and referred to, as Mamoodasa (Mamudas) Brahmin family was invited to Orissa by the then king of Ganjam/Bhanjanagar (with capital at the princely state of Ghumsara), Shri Dhananjaya Bhanja (grandson of Kabisamrat Upendra Bhanja), thereby giving the name of Dhananjaypur to this new village of Mamoodasa Brahmins. (Multiple copper-plates with landed gifts and rights ordained to these priests by the Bhanja dynasty prove this fact). This family came to Orissa in 1840 A.D. They were the main priests and revered saints of the Kashi Viswanath Temple,(an exception to other Dash who are vaishnavas) and are a group of shaivite brahmins. It is widely accepted that the Mumudas name comes from the fact that Lord Shiva, the ruling deity of Kashi
Varanasi
-Etymology:The name Varanasi has its origin possibly from the names of the two rivers Varuna and Assi, for the old city lies in the north shores of the Ganga bounded by its two tributaries, the Varuna and the Asi, with the Ganges being to its south...

, is referred to as Mamoo (The Maternal Uncle) and the blessed noble priests serving the deity were his Dasa.

Meaning of the term "Dash"

The families of all 'Dash' surname once expertised 10 granthas(books) assigned to Vedas
Vedas
The Vedas are a large body of texts originating in ancient India. Composed in Vedic Sanskrit, the texts constitute the oldest layer of Sanskrit literature and the oldest scriptures of Hinduism....

 especially Shukla Yajurveda,so the surname given.These 10 granthas are Kaanva Samhita, Kanva Shatapatha Brahmanam
Shatapatha Brahmana
The Shatapatha Brahmana is one of the prose texts describing the Vedic ritual, associated with the Shukla Yajurveda. It survives in two recensions, Madhyandina and Kanva , with the former having the eponymous 100 adhyayas,7624 kandikas in 14 books, and the latter 104 adhyayas,6806 kandikas in 17...

, Bruhadaaranyakam
Brihadaranyaka Upanishad
The Upanishad is one of the older, "primary" Upanishads. It is contained within the Shatapatha Brahmana, and its status as an independent Upanishad may be considered a secondary extraction of a portion of the Brahmana text. This makes it one of the oldest texts of the Upanishad corpus...

, Ishavasya Upanishad,and 6 Vedangas(Chhandas, Kalpa
Kalpa (Vedanga)
Kalpa is one of the six disciplines of Vedanga, treating ritual.Tradition does not single out any special work in this branch of the Vedanga; but sacrificial practice gave rise to a large number of systematic sutras for the several classes of priests...

, Nirukta
Nirukta
Nirukta is one of the six disciplines of Hinduism, treating etymology, particularly of obscure words, especially those occurring in the Vedas. The discipline is traditionally attributed to , an ancient Sanskrit grammarian...

, Vyakarana
Vyakarana
The Sanskrit grammatical tradition of ' is one of the six Vedanga disciplines. It has its roots in late Vedic India, and includes the famous work, The Sanskrit grammatical tradition of ' is one of the six Vedanga disciplines. It has its roots in late Vedic India, and includes the famous work, ...

, Shiksha
Shiksha
Shiksha is one of the six Vedangas, treating the traditional Hindu science of phonetics and phonology of Sanskrit.Its aim is the teaching of the correct pronunciation of the Vedic hymns and mantras...

, Jyotisha
Jyotisha
Hindu astrology , also Jyotish or Jyotisha, from Sanskrit , from "light, heavenly body") is the ancient Indian system of astronomy and astrology...

 total six) which is combinely ten in number.

So
दशः ग्रन्थाध्ययिन् दाशः

or
ଦଶଃ ଗ୍ରନ୍ଥାଧ୍ୟାୟିନ୍ ଦାଶଃ

"DashaH granthadhyayin DaashaH".means who studies ten books of Veda.

It implies a magnanimous person ( Daani Vyakti in Sanskrit). The breakup of the word is as follows - Dash = Da(an)+ i(sh)= Daanish. "Daan" ,in Sanskrit ,implies something that is given away in lieu of nothing and "Ish" is the short form of "Ishwar" or Lord ,in Sanskrit. In the context of give and take where no quid pro quo exists, the giver is definitely given the credit of Lord of the states of affair. This compels some to believe that these group of Brahmins were engaged in acts of charity. This throws light on the wealthy financial conditions of this group in a period when the larger section of brahmins were not so well-off, they being under the constant patronage and the mercy of myriad royal overlords.These group of Shukla Yajurveda brahmins always organised Yajna
Yajna
In Hinduism, yajna is a ritual of sacrifice derived from the practice of Vedic times. It is performed to please the gods or to attain certain wishes...

 and got a lot of Dakshina from the kings,which made these people much wealthier.While the use of the word "Ish" as a short form of "Ishwar" is not uncommon, the use of the word "Da" as a short form of "Daan" is also not uncommon. Cattle ,in ancient Buddhist texts ,has been described as "Annada", "Vannada" and "Sukhada" meaning as a bestower of food, beauty and happiness, respectively. Even, the mighty ancient universuty in Bihar was known as Nalanda because of its purpose. "Nalan" means lotus in the ancient "Prakrit" language. Lotus is the symbol of knowledge and as the mighty university imparted knowledge, it was known as "Nalanda".

According to Rig Veda,sukta1 Dash means one who always does worships(agnihotra)to fire.
see

यदङ्ग दाशुषे त्वमग्ने भद्रं करिष्यसि
तवे तत् सत्यमन्गिरः
(Rig1mandala-1st sukta-6th Mantra)

meaning-
Whatever blessing, Agni, thou wilt grant unto thy worshipper,
That, Angiras, is indeed thy truth.(dashu she-of worshippers,plural of dash)

In Samaveda
Samaveda
The Sama veda , is second of the four Vedas, the ancient core Hindu scriptures. Its earliest parts are believed to date from 1700 BC and it ranks next in sanctity and liturgical importance to the Rigveda...

sukta 4th we can also find dashushe

see

आ दाशुषे जातवेदो वह त्वमद्य देवग्म् उषर्बुधः (sama-1 kanda-4th sukta-6th mantra)

meaning-
Immortal Jatavedas, thou bright-hued refulgent gift of Dawn,
Agni, this day to him WHO PAYS OBLATIONS(dashu-she) bring the Gods who waken with the morn!
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