The Honour Due to Brahmins

Verse 1 (13.256.1)

के पूज्याः के नमस्कार्या कथं वर्तेत केषु च । किमाचारः कीदृशेषु पितामह न रिष्यते ॥

ke pūjyāḥ ke namaskāryā kathaṃ varteta keṣu ca | kimācāraḥ kīdṛśeṣu pitāmaha na riṣyate

Who are to be honoured, and who are to be bowed to? How should one behave, and toward whom? What conduct, grandsire, toward which kinds of men, so that one comes to no harm?

Verse 2 (13.256.2)

ब्राह्मणानां परिभवः सादयेदपि देवताः । ब्राह्मणांस्तु नमस्कृत्य युधिष्ठिर न रिष्यते ॥

brāhmaṇānāṃ paribhavaḥ sādayedapi devatāḥ | brāhmaṇāṃstu namaskṛtya yudhiṣṭhira na riṣyate

Contempt for brahmins can bring even the gods to ruin; but one who bows to brahmins, Yudhishthira, comes to no harm.

Note on the text: Line 1 identical to CE 13.136.2a; line 2 is a recension variant (Wikisource ब्राह्मणांस्तु नमस्कृत्य; CE brāhmaṇānāṃ namaskartā).

Verse 3 (13.256.3)

ते पूज्यास्ते नमस्कार्या वर्तेथास्तेषु पुत्रवत् । ते हि लोकानिमान्सर्वान्धारयन्ति मनीषिणः ॥

te pūjyāste namaskāryā vartethāsteṣu putravat | te hi lokānimānsarvāndhārayanti manīṣiṇaḥ

They are to be honoured, they are to be bowed to; behave toward them as a son toward a father. For these wise men sustain all these worlds.

Verse 4 (13.256.4)

ब्राह्मणाः सर्वलोकानां महान्तो धर्मसेतवः । धनत्यागाभिरामाश्च वाक्सङ्गमधुराश्च ये ॥

brāhmaṇāḥ sarvalokānāṃ mahānto dharmasetavaḥ | dhanatyāgābhirāmāśca vāksaṅgamadhurāśca ye

Brahmins are the great embankments of dharma for all the worlds; they delight in giving up wealth and are sweet in their speech.

Note on the text: Corrected धनत्यागाभिरामास्चि → धनत्यागाभिरामाश्च (misprint in Wikisource; CE 13.136.4 dhanatyāgābhirāmāś ca).

Verse 5 (13.256.5)

रमणीयाश्च भूतानां नियमेन धृतव्रताः । प्रणेतारश्च कोशानां शास्त्राणां च यशस्विनः ॥

ramaṇīyāśca bhūtānāṃ niyamena dhṛtavratāḥ | praṇetāraśca kośānāṃ śāstrāṇāṃ ca yaśasvinaḥ

They are pleasing to all beings, firm in their vows through self-discipline, and renowned as the guides of treasuries and of the scriptures.

Note on the text: Recension variants against CE 13.136.5 (Wikisource रमणीयाश्च भूतानां नियमेन धृतव्रताः / प्रणेतारश्च कोशानां; CE ramaṇīyāś ca bhūtānāṃ nidhānaṃ ca dhṛtavratāḥ / praṇetāraś ca lokānāṃ).

Verse 6 (13.256.6)

तपो येषां धनं नित्यं वाक्चैव विपुलं बलम् । प्रसवाश्चैव धर्माणां धर्मज्ञाः सूक्ष्मदर्शिनः ॥

tapo yeṣāṃ dhanaṃ nityaṃ vākcaiva vipulaṃ balam | prasavāścaiva dharmāṇāṃ dharmajñāḥ sūkṣmadarśinaḥ

Austerity is always their wealth, and speech is their abundant strength; they are the sources of the dharmas, knowers of dharma, subtle in their vision.

Verse 7 (13.256.7)

धर्मकामाः स्थिता धर्मे सुकृतैर्धर्मसेतवः । यान्समाश्रित्य तिष्ठन्ति प्रजाः सर्वाश्चतुर्विधाः ॥

dharmakāmāḥ sthitā dharme sukṛtairdharmasetavaḥ | yānsamāśritya tiṣṭhanti prajāḥ sarvāścaturvidhāḥ

Desiring dharma, standing in dharma, they are by their good deeds the embankments of dharma; all four kinds of creatures stand and live in reliance on them.

Note on the text: Corrected धर्मसेवतः → धर्मसेतवः (misprint in Wikisource; not a valid form in context; CE 13.136.7 dharmasetavaḥ). Line 2 is a recension variant (Wikisource यान्समाश्रित्य तिष्ठन्ति; CE yān upāśritya jīvanti).

Verse 8 (13.256.8)

पन्थानः सर्वनेतारो यज्ञवाहाः सनातनाः । पितृपैतामहीं गुर्वीमुद्वहन्ति धुरं सदा ॥

panthānaḥ sarvanetāro yajñavāhāḥ sanātanāḥ | pitṛpaitāmahīṃ gurvīmudvahanti dhuraṃ sadā

They are the paths, the leaders of all, the eternal bearers of the sacrifice; they always carry the heavy yoke handed down from fathers and grandfathers.

Verse 9 (13.256.9)

धुरि ये नावसीदन्ति विषमे सद्धया इव । पितृदेवातिथिमुखा हव्यकव्याग्रभोजिनः ॥

dhuri ye nāvasīdanti viṣame saddhayā iva | pitṛdevātithimukhā havyakavyāgrabhojinaḥ

Like good horses on uneven ground they do not sink under the yoke; through them ancestors, gods and guests are fed, and they are the first to eat of the offerings to gods and ancestors.

Verse 10 (13.256.10)

भोजनादेव लोकांस्त्रींस्त्रायन्ते महतो भयात् । दीपः सर्वस्य लोकस्य चक्षुश्चक्षुष्मतामपि ॥

bhojanādeva lokāṃstrīṃstrāyante mahato bhayāt | dīpaḥ sarvasya lokasya cakṣuścakṣuṣmatāmapi

By their eating alone they save the three worlds from great fear. They are the lamp of the whole world, and the eye even of those who have eyes.

Verse 11 (13.256.11)

सर्वशिल्पादिनिधयो निपुणाः सूक्ष्मदर्शिनः । गतिज्ञाः सर्वभूतानामध्यात्मगतिचिन्तकाः ॥

sarvaśilpādinidhayo nipuṇāḥ sūkṣmadarśinaḥ | gatijñāḥ sarvabhūtānāmadhyātmagaticintakāḥ

They are storehouses of all the arts, skilful, subtle in vision; they know the course of all beings and reflect on the course of the Self.

Verse 12 (13.256.12)

आदिमध्यावसानानां ज्ञातारश्छिन्नसंशयाः । परावरविशेषज्ञा गन्तारः परमां गतिम् ॥

ādimadhyāvasānānāṃ jñātāraśchinnasaṃśayāḥ | parāvaraviśeṣajñā gantāraḥ paramāṃ gatim

They know the beginning, middle and end, with every doubt cut away; they know the higher and the lower and their distinctions, and they go to the supreme goal.

Verse 13 (13.256.13)

विमुक्ता धूतपाप्मानो निर्द्वन्द्वा निष्परिग्रहाः । मानार्हा मानिता नित्यं ज्ञानविद्भिर्महात्मभिः ॥

vimuktā dhūtapāpmāno nirdvandvā niṣparigrahāḥ | mānārhā mānitā nityaṃ jñānavidbhirmahātmabhiḥ

Liberated, their sins shaken off, free from the pairs of opposites and without possessions, they are worthy of honour and are always honoured by the great-souled knowers of knowledge.

Verse 14 (13.256.14)

चन्दने मलपङ्के च भोजनेऽभोजने समाः । समं येषां दुकूलं च शाणक्षौमाजिनानि च ॥

candane malapaṅke ca bhojane'bhojane samāḥ | samaṃ yeṣāṃ dukūlaṃ ca śāṇakṣaumājināni ca

They are the same toward sandal paste and foul mud, toward food and going without; to them fine silk is the same as hemp, linen or deerskin.

Verse 15 (13.256.15)

तिष्ठेयुरप्यभुञ्जाना बहूनि दिवसान्यपि । शोषयेयुश्च गात्राणि स्वाध्यायैः संयतेन्द्रियाः ॥

tiṣṭheyurapyabhuñjānā bahūni divasānyapi | śoṣayeyuśca gātrāṇi svādhyāyaiḥ saṃyatendriyāḥ

They might go without eating for many days, and dry up their bodies in Vedic recitation, with their senses restrained.

Verse 16 (13.256.16)

अदैवं दैवतं कुर्युर्दैवतं चाप्यदैवतम् । लोकानन्यान्सृजेयुस्ते लोकपालांश्च कोपिताः ॥

adaivaṃ daivataṃ kuryurdaivataṃ cāpyadaivatam | lokānanyānsṛjeyuste lokapālāṃśca kopitāḥ

They could make a non-god a god and a god a non-god; and, if angered, they could create other worlds and other guardians of the worlds.

Note on the text: Wikisource footnote variant (भस्म कुर्युश्च ते जगत्) not adopted.

Verse 17 (13.256.17)

अपेयः सागरो येषामभिशापान्महात्मनाम् । येषां कोपाग्निरद्यापि दण्डके नोपशाम्यति ॥

apeyaḥ sāgaro yeṣāmabhiśāpānmahātmanām | yeṣāṃ kopāgniradyāpi daṇḍake nopaśāmyati

By the curse of those great souls the ocean became undrinkable, and the fire of their anger has not died down even today in Dandaka.

Note on the text: Corrected येषामपि सापान् → येषामभिशापान् (misprint in Wikisource; not a valid form; CE 13.136.17 abhiśāpān).

Verse 18 (13.256.18)

देवानामपि ये देवाः कारणं कारणस्य च । प्रमाणस्य प्रमाणं च तस्मान्नाभिभवेद्बुधः ॥

devānāmapi ye devāḥ kāraṇaṃ kāraṇasya ca | pramāṇasya pramāṇaṃ ca tasmānnābhibhavedbudhaḥ

They are the gods even of the gods, the cause of the cause and the proof of proof; therefore a wise man should not slight them.

Note on the text: Corrected प्रमामस्य → प्रमाणस्य (misprint in Wikisource; CE 13.136.18 pramāṇasya).

Verse 19 (13.256.19)

तेषां वृद्धाश्च बालाश्च सर्वे सन्मार्गदर्शिनः । तपोविद्याविशेषात्तु मानयन्ति परस्परम् ॥

teṣāṃ vṛddhāśca bālāśca sarve sanmārgadarśinaḥ | tapovidyāviśeṣāttu mānayanti parasparam

Among them old and young alike all show the right path, and they honour one another according to the excellence of austerity and learning.

Note on the text: Line 1 = CE star passage *0642_01 (after 13.136.19a; teṣāṃ vṛddhāś ca bālāś ca sarve sanmārgadarśinaḥ); line 2 = CE 13.136.19c.

Verse 20 (13.256.20)

अविद्वान्ब्राह्मणो देवः पात्रं वै पावनं महत् । विद्वान्भूयस्तरो देवः पूर्णसागरसन्निभः ॥

avidvānbrāhmaṇo devaḥ pātraṃ vai pāvanaṃ mahat | vidvānbhūyastaro devaḥ pūrṇasāgarasannibhaḥ

An unlearned brahmin is a god and a great vessel that purifies; a learned one is a still greater god, like a full ocean.

Verse 21 (13.256.21)

अविद्वांश्चैव विद्वांश्च ब्राह्मणो दैवतं महत् । प्रणीतश्चाप्रणीतश्च यथाऽग्निर्दैवतं महत् ॥

avidvāṃścaiva vidvāṃśca brāhmaṇo daivataṃ mahat | praṇītaścāpraṇītaśca yathā'gnirdaivataṃ mahat

Whether unlearned or learned, a brahmin is a great deity, just as fire, whether consecrated or not, is a great deity.

Verse 22 (13.256.22)

श्मशाने ह्यपि तेजस्वी पावको नैव दुष्यति । हविर्यज्ञे च विधिवद्भूय एवाभिशोभते ॥

śmaśāne hyapi tejasvī pāvako naiva duṣyati | haviryajñe ca vidhivadbhūya evābhiśobhate

Even in a cremation ground the blazing fire is never defiled; and at a sacrifice, bearing the offering as the rule requires, it shines all the more.

Verse 23 (13.256.23)

एवं यद्यप्यनिष्टेषु वर्तते सर्वकर्मसु । सर्वथा ब्राह्मणो मान्यो दैवतं विद्धि तत्परम् ॥

evaṃ yadyapyaniṣṭeṣu vartate sarvakarmasu | sarvathā brāhmaṇo mānyo daivataṃ viddhi tatparam

So even if a brahmin engages in undesirable acts of every kind, he is in every case to be honoured; know him to be the supreme deity.