"'Bhishma said, "O blessed king, Brahmana, by birth alone, becomes an
object of adoration with all creatures and are entitled, as guests, to
eat the first portion of all cooked food.[261] From them flow all the
great objects of life (viz., Righteousness and Wealth and Pleasure and
Emancipation). They are the friends of all creatures in the universe.
They are again the mouths of the deities (for food poured into their
mouths is eaten by the deities). Worshipped with reverence, they wish us
prosperity by uttering words fraught with auspiciousness. Disregarded by
our foes, let them be enraged with these, and let them wish evil unto
those detractors of theirs, uttering words fraught with severe curses. In
this connection, persons conversant with ancient history repeat the
following verses sung of old respecting how in ancient times the Creator,
after having created the Brahmanas, ordained their duties.--'A Brahmana
should never do anything else than what has been ordained for him.
Protected, they should protect others. By conducting themselves in this
way, they are sure to attain to what is mightily advantageous for them.
By doing those acts that are ordained for them, they are sure to obtain
Brahma-prosperity. Ye shall become the exemplars of all creatures, and
reins for restraining them. A Brahmana possessed of learning should never
do that which is laid down for the Sudras. By doing such acts, a Brahmana
loses merit[262]. By Vedic study he is sure to obtain prosperity and
intelligence and energy and puissance competent to scorch all things, as
also glory of the most exalted kind. By offering oblations of clarified
butter unto the deities, the Brahmanas attain to high blessedness and
become worthy of taking the precedence of even children in the matter of
all kinds of cooked food, and endued with Brahma-prosperity.[263] Endued
with faith that is fraught with compassion towards all creatures, and
devoted to self-restraint and the study of the Vedas, ye shall attain to
the fruition of all your wishes. Whatever things exist in the world of
men, whatever things occur in the region of the deities, can all be
achieved and acquired with the aid of penances and knowledge and the
observance of vows and restraints.' I have thus recited to thee, O sinless
one, the verses that were sung by Brahma himself. Endued with supreme
intelligence and wisdom, the Creator himself ordained this, through
compassion for the Brahmanas. The puissance of those among them that are
devoted to penances is equal to the might of kings. They are verily
irresistible, fierce, possessed of the speed of lightning, and
exceedingly quick in what they do. There are amongst them those that are
possessed of the might of lions and those that are possessed of the might
of tigers. Some of them are endued with the might of boars, some with
that of the deer, and some with that of crocodiles. Some there are
amongst them whose touch resembles that of snakes of virulent poison, and
some whose bite resembles that of sharks. Some amongst them are capable
of compassing by speech alone the destruction of those that are opposed
to them; and some are competent to destroy by a glance only of their
eyes. Some amongst them, as already said, are like snakes of virulent
poison, and some of them are possessed of very mild dispositions. The
dispositions, O Yudhisthira, of the Brahmanas, are of diverse kinds. The
Mekalas, the Dravidas, the Lathas, the Paundras, the Konwasiras, the
Saundikas, the Daradas, the Darvas, the Chauras, the Savaras, the
Varvaras, the Kiratas, the Yavanas, and numerous other tribes of
Kshatriyas, have become degraded into the status of Sudras through the
wrath of Brahmanas. In consequence of having disregarded the Brahmanas,
the Asuras have been obliged to take refuge in the depths of the ocean.
Through the grace of the Brahmanas, the deities have become denizens of
the happy regions of Heaven. The element of space or ether is incapable
of being touched. The Himavat mountains are incapable of being moved from
their site. The current of Ganga is incapable of being resisted by a dam.
The Brahmanas are incapable of being subjugated. Kshatriyas are incapable
of ruling the Earth without cultivating the good will of the Brahmanas.
The Brahmanas are high-souled beings. They are the deities of the very
deities. Do thou always worship them with gifts and obedient services:
if, indeed, thou wishest to enjoy the sovereignty of the whole Earth with
her belt of seas. The energy and might of Brahmanas, O sinless one,
become abated in consequence of the acceptance of gift. Thou shouldst
protect thy race. O king, from those Brahmanas that do not desire to
accept gifts!"'"[264]
(Anusasana Parva Continued in Volume XI)