Shloka 14
Pūjya-namaskārya-prakaraṇa
On Those Worthy of Honor and Salutation
ब्राह्मणं यदि दुष्प्रापं त्रिभिर्वर्ण: शतक्रतो
brāhmaṇaṁ yadi duṣprāpaṁ tribhir varṇaḥ śatakrato
Mātaṅga berkata, “Wahai Śatakratu (Indra), bila brāhmaṇa sejati memang sukar didapati di antara tiga golongan, maka ketahuilah: kebrahmanaan bukan sekadar sebutan karena kelahiran, melainkan capaian langka yang berakar pada laku dan nilai batin.”
मतंग उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames true brahminhood as rare and difficult to attain, implying it depends on ethical qualities and disciplined conduct rather than being automatically secured by social classification.
Matanga addresses Indra (Śatakratu) and makes a pointed observation about how uncommon a genuine brāhmaṇa is among the three varṇas, setting up a discussion on what truly constitutes a brāhmaṇa.