Verse 3579-3580

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

अतीतश्च महान्कालो योषितां चातिचापलम् ।
तद्भवत्यपि निश्चेतुं ब्राह्मणत्वं न शक्यते ॥ ३५७९ ॥
अतीन्द्रियपदार्थज्ञो नहि कश्चित्समस्ति वः ।
त्वदन्वयविशुद्धिं च नित्यो वेदोऽपि नोक्तवान् ॥ ३५८० ॥

atītaśca mahānkālo yoṣitāṃ cāticāpalam |
tadbhavatyapi niścetuṃ brāhmaṇatvaṃ na śakyate || 3579 ||
atīndriyapadārthajño nahi kaścitsamasti vaḥ |
tvadanvayaviśuddhiṃ ca nityo vedo'pi noktavān || 3580 ||

A very long time has elapsed and women are very unsteady; hence it cannot be certain if there is Brāhmaṇa-hood in you. For you, there is no one who is cognisant of supersensuous things; nor has even the Veda declared the purity of your genealogy.—(3579-3580)

 

Kamalaśīla’s commentary (tattvasaṃgrahapañjikā):

Then again, the fact of your being born of a Brāhmaṇa Father is always open to doubt; hence there should be no pride on that score also.—This is pointed out in the following—[see verses 3579-3580 above]

After the lapse of a long time, it is just possible that though not belonging to a Brāhmaṇa family, you may have become a Brāhmaṇa.—Or even if your ancestors were Brāhmaṇas, your.....; so that it is possible that your birth may be defective. Because, as a rule..... You do not admit that there is any man capable of perceiving supersensuous things,—through whom certainty on this point could be obtained. Nor lastly, does the Veda declare the purity of your genealogy.—(3579-3580)