Indra–Mataṅga Saṃvāda: On the rarity and responsibilities of Brāhmaṇya (इन्द्र-मतङ्ग संवादः)
बद्दीस्तु संसरन् योनीर्जायमान: पुन: पुनः । पर्याये तात कम्मिंश्रिद् ब्राह्मणो नाम जायते,तात! बहुत-सी योनियोंमें बारंबार जन्म लेते-लेते कभी किसी समय संसारी जीव ब्राह्मणकी योनिमें जन्म लेता है
baddhīs tu saṃsaran yonīr jāyamānaḥ punaḥ punaḥ | paryāye tāta karmāṃśrit brāhmaṇo nāma jāyate, tāta ||
Bhīṣma sprach: „An das weltliche Dasein gebunden, wandert ein Wesen durch viele Schoße, wird immer wieder geboren. Dann, bei einer Wendung dieses Kreislaufs – mein Sohn – je nach dem angesammelten Karma, wird es in dem geboren, was man den Stand eines brāhmaṇa nennt.“
भीष्म उवाच
Repeated births across many yonis are driven by saṃsāra, and a brāhmaṇa birth arises at a certain point due to karma; therefore, such a birth implies heightened obligation to live by dharma rather than pride in status.
In Bhishma’s instruction on dharma, he explains to his listener (addressed as 'tāta') how beings transmigrate and how, in the course of that cycle, one may be born as a brāhmaṇa depending on karmic causes.