Verse 3578

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

जातकर्मादयो ये च प्रसिद्धास्ते तदन्यवत् ।
आचाराः सांवृतास्ते हि कृत्रिमेष्वपि भाविनः ॥ ३५७८ ॥

jātakarmādayo ye ca prasiddhāste tadanyavat |
ācārāḥ sāṃvṛtāste hi kṛtrimeṣvapi bhāvinaḥ || 3578 ||

Hundreds of times has the ‘genus’ (universal) been rejected; whence then is this pride due to ‘caste’ (genus)? specially when no superiority over others is perceived in it, why should it be regarded as superior? In fact, men belonging to other castes also are found, on the presence of particular qualities, to be the receptacle of qualities of self-control and free from all impurities. If, by reason of their connection with the particular (Brāhmaṇa) caste, they had been superior to others, in the matter of possessing the said qualifications, then alone could they be admitted to be really superior,—not if they merely belonged to the Brāhmaṇa caste, but in actual life were like fowlers, and others.—(3575-3577)

 

Kamalaśīla’s commentary (tattvasaṃgrahapañjikā):

The following Text points out the objections to the second alternative (the superiority of the Brāhmaṇa in the proper performance of his sacraments);—[see verse 3578 above]

‘Among others’—i.e. among the artificial Brāhmaṇas.

‘Illusory’—purely artificial, like the Naming-rite.

Under the third alternative also (that of superiority being due to birth from Brāhmaṇa parents),—no pride is proper; because, as has been pointed out before, there is no difference between the body of the Brāhmaṇa male and female and that of the Śūdra male and female,—both consisting of the same unclean ingredients of Semen, Blood and so forth.—(3578)