Shloka 346
Agni’s Withdrawal to the Forest and Identification with Āṅgirasa (अग्न्याङ्गिरस-इतिहासः)
कामक्रोधौ वशौ यस्य त॑ देवा ब्राह्मण विदु: । जो जितेन्द्रिय, धर्मपरायण, स्वाध्यायतत्पर और पवित्र है तथा काम और क्रोध जिसके वशमें है, उसे देवतालोग ब्राह्मण मानते हैं
kāmakrodhau vaśau yasya taṁ devā brāhmaṇa viduḥ | yo jitendriyaḥ dharmaparāyaṇaḥ svādhyāyatātparaḥ pavitraś ca, kāma-krodhau yasya vaśe, taṁ devatā-lokā brāhmaṇaṁ manyante ||
Brahmin itu berkata: “Dia yang menundukkan nafsu dan amarah—menjadikannya di bawah kuasanya—diakui para dewa sebagai Brahmin sejati. Seseorang yang menaklukkan pancaindera, teguh pada dharma, tekun dalam svādhyāya (pengajian suci), dan suci; yang syahwat dan murkanya telah dijinakkan—dialah yang dipandang makhluk ilahi sebagai Brahmin.”
ब्राह्मण उवाच
Educational Q&A
True brahminhood is defined by inner discipline and ethical life: mastery over desire and anger, conquest of the senses, commitment to dharma, dedication to sacred study, and purity of conduct. Social label is secondary to character.
A Brahmin speaker is giving a normative definition of who deserves to be called a Brahmin, appealing to divine recognition: the gods acknowledge as ‘Brahmin’ the person who embodies self-control, dharma, study, and purity.