The Brahmans and the Kshatriya

Upanishads show that within the symbiotic relationship of aristocrat and priest, Brahmans' knowledge claims did not go unchallenged. Buddha and Mahavira came from among the kshatriya aristocracy rather than the priestly Brahman class. Buddhism and Jainism offered something more than mere criticism of the Brahmanical system of thought. They promised their followers something that could not be achieved through any ritual, liberation.