Shloka 143
Pūjya-namaskārya-prakaraṇa
On Those Worthy of Honor and Salutation
सुदुर्लभं सदावाप्य नानुतिष्ठन्ति मानवा: । शतक्रतो! यदि क्षत्रिय आदि तीन वर्णोके लिये ब्राह्मणत्व दुर्लभ है तो उस परम दुर्लभ ब्राह्मणत्वको पाकर भी मनुष्य ब्राह्मणोचित शम-दमका अनुष्ठान नहीं करते हैं। यह कितने दुःखकी बात है!
sudurlabhaṃ sadāvāpya nānutiṣṭhanti mānavāḥ | śatakrato! yadi kṣatriya ādi trīṇāṃ varṇānāṃ brāhmaṇatvaṃ durlabhaṃ, tato ’pi taṃ paramadurlabhaṃ brāhmaṇatvaṃ prāpya manuṣyā brāhmaṇocita-śama-damānuṣṭhānaṃ na kurvanti—kīdṛśaṃ duḥkhasya viṣayam iti |
Matanga says: “Even when something exceedingly rare is obtained, people often fail to live up to it. O Śatakratu (Indra)! If Brahminhood is hard to attain for the other three social orders beginning with the Kṣatriyas, then how grievous it is that, even after gaining that supremely rare status, humans still do not practice the Brahmin’s proper disciplines—tranquility and self-restraint.”
मतंग उवाच
Educational Q&A
Rare privileges or statuses are meaningful only when matched by corresponding conduct; Brahminhood, in particular, is validated by practicing śama (inner tranquility) and dama (sense-restraint), not merely by attainment or label.
Matanga addresses Indra (Śatakratu), lamenting that even after attaining the highly difficult ideal of Brahminhood—especially rare for those of other varṇas—people often neglect the disciplines that define it, making it a cause for sorrow.