Verse 1.98

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English translation by Ganganath Jha:

उत्पत्तिरेव विप्रस्य मूर्तिर्धर्मस्य शाश्वती ।
स हि धर्मार्थमुत्पन्नो ब्रह्मभूयाय कल्पते ॥ ९८ ॥

utpattireva viprasya mūrtirdharmasya śāśvatī |
sa hi dharmārthamutpanno brahmabhūyāya kalpate || 98 ||

The very genesis of the Brāhmaṇa is the eternal incarnation of Virtue; for he is born for the sake of Virtue; and this (birth) leads to the state of Brahman. (98).

 

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):

The peculiarity of the Brāhmaṇa endowed with the qualities of learning and the like having been described, some people might be led to ill-treat the mere Brāhmaṇa by birth; hence with a view to prevent this, the author has added this verse.

‘The very genesis’—i.e., irrespective of his qualities, his mere birth, the mere ‘Brāhmaṇa caste’—‘is the eternal incar nation’—body—‘of Virtue.’

‘Born for the sake of virtue,’—when the Brāhmaṇa has been duly initiated with the rites of initiation, this is what constitutes his ‘being horn for the sake of Virtue’; and ‘this birth leads to the state of Brahman’; on abandoning the ‘body of Virtue’, the Brāhmaṇa becomes the partaker of Supreme Bliss.—says the Śruti. (98).

 

Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha

‘Brahma’—stands here for the Highest Spiritual Being; and not for the Veda, as Burnell understands it to mean, even after entertaining doubts on the matter. All the commentators agree in explaining the phrase ‘brahmabhūyāya kalpate’ as ‘becomes fit for being liberated—by being absorbed into Brahman, the Supreme Self.’

 

Comparative notes by various authors

See Comparative notes for Verse 1.94 (Brahmā created the Brāhmaṇas).