Shloka 43
अव्यक्तकालमान-निर्णयः
Measures of Time from the Unmanifest; Creation, Elements, and the Primacy of Mind
साध्या ऊचु: किं ब्राह्मणानां देवत्वं कि च साधुत्वमुच्यते । असाधुत्वं च कि तेषां किमेषां मानुषं मतम्
sādhyā ūcuḥ: kiṃ brāhmaṇānāṃ devatvaṃ kiṃ ca sādhutvam ucyate | asādhutvaṃ ca kiṃ teṣāṃ kim eṣāṃ mānuṣaṃ matam ||
Les Sādhyas demandèrent : « Ô Haṃsa, quelle est la “divinité” des brāhmanes, et qu’appelle‑t‑on leur sainteté ? Et encore, qu’est‑ce qui est tenu pour leur absence de sainteté, et qu’est‑ce qui est considéré comme leur nature humaine (ordinaire) ? »
हंस उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames an ethical inquiry: Brahmins are to be evaluated not merely by birth or social label but by discernible qualities—what makes them ‘divine’ and ‘saintly,’ what counts as moral failure, and what remains simply human limitation. It sets up a standards-based discussion of virtue, vice, and conduct.
In a dialogue, the celestial Sādhyas question Haṃsa, asking him to define the distinguishing marks of Brahmins: their godlike quality (devatva), their goodness (sādhutva), their lack of goodness (asādhutva), and their ordinary human aspect (mānuṣatva). This question introduces a didactic explanation to follow.