Shloka 346

Agni’s Withdrawal to the Forest and Identification with Āṅgirasa (अग्न्याङ्गिरस-इतिहासः)

Devanagari script

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

Transliteration

kāmakrodhau vaśau yasya taṁ devā brāhmaṇa viduḥ | yo jitendriyaḥ dharmaparāyaṇaḥ svādhyāyatātparaḥ pavitraś ca, kāma-krodhau yasya vaśe, taṁ devatā-lokā brāhmaṇaṁ manyante ||

Translation

కామమూ క్రోధమూ తన వశంలో ఉన్నవాడినే దేవతలు నిజమైన బ్రాహ్మణుడిగా గుర్తిస్తారు. ఇంద్రియజయుడు, ధర్మపరాయణుడు, స్వాధ్యాయంలో నిమగ్నుడు, పవిత్రుడు—అతనిలో కామక్రోధాలు అదుపులో ఉంటే—అటువంటి వాడినే దివ్యులు బ్రాహ్మణుడిగా భావిస్తారు.

Word by Word

कामक्रोधौdesire and anger

वशौunder control / in subjection

यस्यof whom / whose

तंhim

देवाःthe gods

ब्राह्मणम्a brahmin

विदुःknow / consider

Speaker

ब्राह्मण उवाच

Characters & Entities

ब

ब्राह्मण (speaker)

द

देवाः/देवताः (gods, divine beings)

ब

ब्राह्मण (as an ethical-spiritual ideal)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

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.

What is happening in the narrative?

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.