Rishi vs. Brahmin

[Sudas Paijavana]

Highest Pranam-s,

Enlightened members of HDF, may you be benevolently gracious as to help me with the following ( and you can even have scriptural citations if you feel them to be necessary):

1. What is the monumental difference between a Rishi and a Brahmin?

2. Is a Rishi higher than a Brahmin?

3. Can anyone really become a Rishi in the present time? Shruti was already revealed in the past - thus, to be a Rishi - one would have had to have divine revelations (Shruti) and since all the divine revelations have already occurred (the Vedas), no one can be a Rishi in the present nor in the future, is that correct?

जय विश्वेदेवाः

[Necromancer]

Namaste, Sudas.

I don't know much about this, but thought I'd reply just to kick things off.

There's probably a great Sanskrit explanation for it (which will most likely be provided), but as far as I know and in the most simple terms of knowing it, Rishi = Seer and Brahmin = Priest/Knower of God.

In regards to that, there's no higher/lower as both will often go 'hand-in-hand'. A Rishi is seen to have more 'Divine powers' than a Brahmin because being able to see into the future and foretell/divinate acts is a holy Siddhi.

Thus, Brahmins can also be/become Rishis and so there won't be any distinction between them. Also, Brahmins do Jyotish, so that line often gets blurred anyway.

I don't know if anybody can become a 'Rishi' in the present time, but anybody can become enlightened. If one attains Samadhi, they become 'Rishi' by default.

Aum Namah Shivaya

[sanjaya]

This has more or less been my understanding as well. Brahmins, as one of the four varnas, refers to an occupation. A Brahmin is one trained in doing pujas and other temple functions. A Rishi, on the other hand, can be anyone who has devoted his life entirely to God.

I don't know if anyone in the present time could be a Rishi, but given all the self-proclaimed holy men running around India I highly doubt we'd be able to pick them out.

[Sudas Paijavana]

Pranam-s,

Thank you for your answers, Necro and Sanjaya - much appreciated! Sorry for my late reply.

[brahma jijnasa]

Namaste

Highest Pranam-s,

Enlightened members of HDF, may you be benevolently gracious as to help me with the following ( and you can even have scriptural citations if you feel them to be necessary):

1. What is the monumental difference between a Rishi and a Brahmin?

2. Is a Rishi higher than a Brahmin?

Necromancer has already given a good answer.

ṛṣi is "a saint or sanctified sage in general , an ascetic".
Essentially there is no difference between them. There's even an expression that combines both terms brahma-ṛṣi "great sages of spiritual knowledge".

3. Can anyone really become a Rishi in the present time? Shruti was already revealed in the past - thus, to be a Rishi - one would have had to have divine revelations (Shruti) and since all the divine revelations have already occurred (the Vedas), no one can be a Rishi in the present nor in the future, is that correct?

It seems that here you're taking the term ṛṣi in the sense "the authors or rather seers of the Vedic hymns i.e. according to orthodox Hindu ideas they are the inspired personages to whom these hymns were revealed".
Yes indeed, Shruti was already revealed in the past and thus no one can be a Rishi (seer of the Vedic hymns) in the present.

Let us suppose possible that even today we can find some seer of the Vedic hymns to whom these hymns were revealed. What then? Should we believe that "seer"? Who can verify the Vedic hymns he allegedly received as divine revelation? Should we believe him or not? See, we have a big problem here.
Today we only accept those Vedic hymns transmitted by oral tradition, and those that can already be found in written form. These are the Vedic hymns including scriptures called Brahmanas, Aranyakas and Upanishads, which Vyasadeva transmitted through his disciplic succession.

regards