The Marks of the Four Classes; Restraint of Anger and Greed

Verse 1 (12.187.1)

ब्राह्मणः केन भवति क्षत्रियो वा द्विजोत्तम । वैश्यः शूद्रश्च विप्रर्षे तद्ब्रूहि वदतां वर ॥

brāhmaṇaḥ kena bhavati kṣatriyo vā dvijottama | vaiśyaḥ śūdraśca viprarṣe tadbrūhi vadatāṃ vara

By what does one become a Brahmana, or a Kshatriya, O best of the twice-born? A Vaishya or a Shudra, O brahmin sage? Tell me this, best of speakers.

Verse 2 (12.187.2)

जातकर्मादिभिर्यस्तु संस्कारैः संस्कृतः शुचिः । वेदाध्ययनसंपन्नः षट्‌सु कर्मस्ववस्थितः ॥

jātakarmādibhiryastu saṃskāraiḥ saṃskṛtaḥ śuciḥ | vedādhyayanasaṃpannaḥ ṣaṭsu karmasvavasthitaḥ

One who is pure, purified by the sacraments beginning with the birth-rite, accomplished in the study of the Veda, steady in the six duties,

Verse 3 (12.187.3)

शौचाचारस्थितः सम्यग्विघसाशी गुरुप्रियः । नित्यव्रती सत्यपरः स वै ब्राह्मण उच्यते ॥

śaucācārasthitaḥ samyagvighasāśī gurupriyaḥ | nityavratī satyaparaḥ sa vai brāhmaṇa ucyate

established in cleanliness and good conduct, rightly eating the remnants of the offerings, dear to his teacher, ever firm in his vows and devoted to truth, is called a Brahmana.

Verse 4 (12.187.4)

सत्यं दानमथाद्रोह आनृशंस्यं क्षमा धृणा । तपश्च दृश्यते यत्र स ब्राह्मण इति स्मृतः ॥

satyaṃ dānamathādroha ānṛśaṃsyaṃ kṣamā dhṛṇā | tapaśca dṛśyate yatra sa brāhmaṇa iti smṛtaḥ

Truth, giving, freedom from enmity, kindness, forbearance, compassion and austerity: where these are seen, he is declared a Brahmana.

Verse 5 (12.187.5)

क्षत्रजं सेवते कर्म वेदाध्ययनसंगतः । दानादानरतिर्यस्तु स वै क्षत्रिय उच्यते ॥

kṣatrajaṃ sevate karma vedādhyayanasaṃgataḥ | dānādānaratiryastu sa vai kṣatriya ucyate

One who follows the work born of the warrior's calling, is given to the study of the Veda, and delights in giving and taking, is called a Kshatriya.

Note on the text: Corrected देवाध्ययनसंगतः → वेदाध्ययनसंगतः (misprint in Wikisource; वेद/देव transposed; the critical edition reads vedādhyayanasaṃmataḥ, and the neighbouring verse 6 has वेदाध्ययनसंपन्नः).

Verse 6 (12.187.6)

कृपिगोरक्षवाणिज्यं यो विशत्यनिशं शुचिः । वेदाध्ययनसंपन्नः स वैश्य इति संज्ञितः ॥

kṛpigorakṣavāṇijyaṃ yo viśatyaniśaṃ śuciḥ | vedādhyayanasaṃpannaḥ sa vaiśya iti saṃjñitaḥ

One who, ever pure, takes up farming, cattle-keeping and trade without rest, and is accomplished in the study of the Veda, is known as a Vaishya.

Verse 7 (12.187.7)

सर्वभक्षरतिर्नित्यं सर्वकर्मकरोऽशुचिः । त्यक्तवेदस्त्वनाचारः स वै शूद्र इति स्मृतः ॥

sarvabhakṣaratirnityaṃ sarvakarmakaro'śuciḥ | tyaktavedastvanācāraḥ sa vai śūdra iti smṛtaḥ

One who is always fond of eating anything, does any kind of work, is impure, and has given up the Veda and good conduct, is called a Shudra.

Verse 8 (12.187.8)

शूद्रे चैतद्भवेल्लक्ष्यं द्विजे तच्च न विद्यते । न वै शूद्रो भवेच्छूद्रो ब्राह्मणो न च ब्राह्मणः ॥

śūdre caitadbhavellakṣyaṃ dvije tacca na vidyate | na vai śūdro bhavecchūdro brāhmaṇo na ca brāhmaṇaḥ

If these marks are found in a Shudra and are not found in a twice-born, then the Shudra is not a Shudra, nor the Brahmana a Brahmana.

Note on the text: Corrected भवेच्छ्रद्रो → भवेच्छूद्रो (misprint in Wikisource; the vowel ऊ garbled into a conjunct with र; the critical edition reads bhavec chūdro).

Verse 9 (12.187.9)

सर्वोपायैस्तु लोभस्य क्रोधस्य च विनिग्रहः । एतत्पवित्रं ज्ञातव्यं तथा चैवात्मसंयमः ॥

sarvopāyaistu lobhasya krodhasya ca vinigrahaḥ | etatpavitraṃ jñātavyaṃ tathā caivātmasaṃyamaḥ

By every means one must restrain greed and anger. This is to be known as the purifier, and so is self-control.

Verse 10 (12.187.10)

वार्यौ सर्वात्मना तौ हि श्रेयोघातार्थमुच्छ्रितौ ॥

vāryau sarvātmanā tau hi śreyoghātārthamucchritau

Both of them must be warded off with one's whole being, for they rise up to destroy one's welfare.

Note on the text: Not in the main text of the critical edition (found in the vulgate recension); the line occurs there as the star passage 12.182.9d*0496_01 (vāryau sarvātmanā tau hi śreyoghātārtham utthitau).

Verse 11 (12.187.11)

नित्यं क्रोधाच्छ्रियं रक्षेत्तपो रक्षेच्च मत्सरात् । विद्यां मानापमानाभ्यामात्मानं तु प्रमादतः ॥

nityaṃ krodhācchriyaṃ rakṣettapo rakṣecca matsarāt | vidyāṃ mānāpamānābhyāmātmānaṃ tu pramādataḥ

One should always guard one's prosperity from anger, one's austerity from envy, one's learning from honour and dishonour, and oneself from negligence.

Verse 12 (12.187.12)

यस्य सर्वे समारम्भा निराशाबन्धना द्विज । त्यागे यस्य हुतं सर्वं स त्यागी च स बुद्धिमान् ॥

yasya sarve samārambhā nirāśābandhanā dvija | tyāge yasya hutaṃ sarvaṃ sa tyāgī ca sa buddhimān

He whose every undertaking is free from the bonds of hope, O twice-born, and in whose renunciation every offering is made, is the renouncer, and he is the wise man.

Verse 13 (12.187.13)

अहिंस्रः सर्वभूतानां मैत्रायणगतिश्चरेत् । परिग्रहान्परित्यज्य भवेद्बुद्ध्या जितेन्द्रियः । अचलं स्थानमातिष्ठेदिह चामुत्र चोभयोः ॥

ahiṃsraḥ sarvabhūtānāṃ maitrāyaṇagatiścaret | parigrahānparityajya bhavedbuddhyā jitendriyaḥ | acalaṃ sthānamātiṣṭhediha cāmutra cobhayoḥ

Harming no creature, let him go his way with friendship as his goal. Having given up possessions, let him by understanding conquer his senses. Let him take his stand on the unshakable state, in both this world and the next.

Note on the text: Three lines: line 1 = CE 12.182.12a; line 2 = CE 12.182.13a; line 3 is a variant of CE 12.182.13c (CE aśokaṃ sthānam ātiṣṭhed iha cāmutra cābhayam, "free from sorrow … fearless", for अचलं … चोभयोः). The alignment found no match.

Verse 14 (12.187.14)

तपोनित्येन दान्तेन मुनिना संयतात्मना । अजितं जेतुकामेन भाव्यं सङ्गेष्वसङ्गिना ॥

taponityena dāntena muninā saṃyatātmanā | ajitaṃ jetukāmena bhāvyaṃ saṅgeṣvasaṅginā

One who is ever given to austerity, self-controlled, a sage with restrained self, who wishes to conquer what is yet unconquered, must stay unattached amid attachments.

Verse 15 (12.187.15)

इन्द्रियैर्गृह्यते यद्यत्तत्तद्व्यक्तमिति स्थितिः । अव्यक्तमिति विज्ञेयं लिङ्गग्राह्यमतीन्द्रियम् ॥

indriyairgṛhyate yadyattattadvyaktamiti sthitiḥ | avyaktamiti vijñeyaṃ liṅgagrāhyamatīndriyam

Whatever is grasped by the senses is called the manifest; so it is established. The unmanifest is to be known as what is grasped only by inference and lies beyond the senses.

Verse 16 (12.187.16)

अविस्रम्भे न गन्तव्यं विस्रम्भे धारयेन्मनः । मनः प्राणे निगृह्णीयात्प्राणं ब्रह्मणि धारयेत् ॥

avisrambhe na gantavyaṃ visrambhe dhārayenmanaḥ | manaḥ prāṇe nigṛhṇīyātprāṇaṃ brahmaṇi dhārayet

Where there is no trust, one should not go; where there is trust, one should hold the mind steady. Let him restrain the mind in the breath and fix the breath in Brahman.

Note on the text: Line 1 = CE 12.182.12cd (avisrambhe na gantavyaṃ visrambhe dhārayen manaḥ); line 2 = CE 12.182.16ab. The alignment found no match.

Verse 17 (12.187.17)

निर्वेदादेव निर्वायान्न च किंचिद्विचिन्तयेत् । सुखं वै ब्राह्मणो ब्रह्म स वै तेनाधिगच्छति ॥

nirvedādeva nirvāyānna ca kiṃcidvicintayet | sukhaṃ vai brāhmaṇo brahma sa vai tenādhigacchati

From detachment alone let him grow calm, and let him think of nothing at all. For the Brahmana, Brahman is bliss, and by that he attains it.

Note on the text: Line 1 is a variant of CE 12.182.16cd (CE nirvāṇād eva nirvāṇo na ca kiṃ cid vicintayet, for निर्वेदादेव निर्वायात् …); line 2 = CE 12.182.16e. The alignment found no match.

Verse 18 (12.187.18)

शौचेन सततं युक्तः सदाचारसमन्वितः । सानुक्रोशश्च भूतेषु तद्द्विजातिषु लक्षणम् ॥

śaucena satataṃ yuktaḥ sadācārasamanvitaḥ | sānukrośaśca bhūteṣu taddvijātiṣu lakṣaṇam

One ever endowed with purity, possessed of good conduct and compassionate toward beings: this is the mark of the twice-born.