Short answers, pulled from the story.
Brahmin is the highest of the four varnas in the Hindu social order, traditionally associated with priesthood, the study and teaching of the Vedas, and the performance of religious ceremonies. The other three varnas are the Kshatriya, Vaishya, and Shudra.
The Dharmasutra texts specify six Vedic duties for Brahmins: studying the Vedas (Adhyayana), performing sacrifice for oneself (Yajana), giving gifts (Dana), teaching the Vedas (Adhyapana), acting as priest for others' sacrifices (Yajana), and accepting gifts (Pratigraha). Kshatriya and Vaishya were expected to perform only the first three.
Historical records show Brahmins working across a wide range of occupations beyond the priesthood. They served as warriors, traders, royal advisers, farmers, merchants, administrators, soldiers, potters, barbers, carpenters, and government officials. A survey in Uttar Pradesh found that roughly 80% of Brahmin families listed crop farming as their primary occupation in modern times.
The earliest possible reference to Brahmin as a social class appears once in the Rigveda, in the Purusha Sukta hymn of Mandala 10. Outside Hindu texts, the term appears widely in ancient Buddhist and Jain literature to mean master, expert, or guide of any tradition, without caste implication, and the synonym used in that context was Mahano.
Brahmins held formal roles in several Buddhist kingdoms of Southeast Asia. In 18th- and 19th-century Burmese kingdoms under the Konbaung dynasty, court Brahmins called Punna conducted royal consecrations. In Thailand, a Brahmanical temple called Devasathan was established in 1784 by King Rama I, and the coronation ceremony of the Thai king is conducted almost entirely by royal Brahmins to this day.
According to 2007 estimates, Brahmins make up about 5% of India's total population, numbering around 56 million. The states of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh have the highest concentrations at 20% and 14% of their Hindu populations respectively, while southern states such as Tamil Nadu and Kerala record roughly 1%.