Shloka 7
Sāma (Sāntva) and Dāna: The Brāhmaṇa’s Conciliatory Release from a Rākṣasa
तप: श्रुतं च योनिश्चाप्येतद् ब्राह्मण्यकारणम् | त्रिभिर्गुणै: समुदितस्ततो भवति वै द्विज:
tapaḥ śrutaṃ ca yoniś cāpy etad brāhmaṇya-kāraṇam | tribhir guṇaiḥ samuditas tato bhavati vai dvijaḥ ||
মৈত্ৰেয় ক’লে—তপস্যা, শ্রুতি-শাস্ত্ৰজ্ঞান, আৰু শুদ্ধ ব্রাহ্মণকুলত জন্ম—এইবোৰেই ব্রাহ্মণ্যৰ কাৰণ। সেয়ে যি এই তিন গুণে সমন্বিত, সেয়াই সত্যাৰ্থে দ্বিজ।
मैत्रेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Brahminhood is grounded in a triad: disciplined austerity (tapas), scriptural learning (śruta), and proper lineage/birth (yoni). A person who embodies all three is affirmed as a true dvija.
In a didactic passage of the Anuśāsana Parva, the sage Maitreya states criteria for Brahmin identity, emphasizing ethical discipline and learning alongside birth, as part of broader instruction on dharma and social-religious duties.