Shloka 393
Agni’s Withdrawal to the Forest and Identification with Āṅgirasa (अग्न्याङ्गिरस-इतिहासः)
इन्द्रियाणां निग्रहं च शाश्वृतं द्विजसत्तम । द्विजश्रेष्ठ! स्वाध्याय, मनोनिग्रह, सरलता और इन्द्रियनिग्रह--ये ब्राह्मणके लिये सनातनधर्म कहे गये हैं
indriyāṇāṃ nigrahaṃ ca śāśvataṃ dvijasattama | dvijaśreṣṭha! svādhyāyaḥ manonigrahaḥ saralatā ca indriyanigrahaś ca—ete brāhmaṇasya sanātanadharmāḥ kathitāḥ ||
Disse o brāhmaṇa: “Ó melhor entre os duas-vezes-nascidos, o domínio dos sentidos é uma disciplina perene. Ó brāhmaṇa eminente—o autoestudo do saber sagrado, a contenção da mente, a simplicidade reta e o domínio dos sentidos: isto é declarado como o dharma eterno de um brāhmaṇa.”
ब्राह्मण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse defines the brāhmaṇa’s sanātana-dharma as disciplined inner and outer restraint: study/recitation of sacred knowledge (svādhyāya), control of the mind (manonigraha), simplicity and honesty (saralatā), and control of the senses (indriyanigraha).
A brāhmaṇa speaker instructs an addressed ‘best of the twice-born’ on the enduring ethical foundations of brāhmaṇa life, emphasizing self-discipline and truthful simplicity as the basis of dharma.