13.136
Praise of brāhmaṇas;
Yudhishthira said.
Who are to be worshipped? Who should be saluted? How should one behave, and towards whom? What kind of conduct, O grandsire, does not lead to harm when interacting with people of certain types? (13-136-1)
Bhishma said.
Even the gods could be brought down by showing disrespect to Brāhmaṇas; O Yudhiṣṭhira, one who reverences Brāhmaṇas does not suffer harm. (13-136-2)
They must be worshipped and saluted, and you should behave toward them as you would toward a son. Truly, it is the wise who sustain all these worlds. (13-136-3)
Brāhmaṇas—who are great, protectors of dharma for all worlds, delightful through their renunciation of wealth, and who delight in restraining their speech—(13-136-4)
Pleasing as the abode of beings, firm in vows; illustrious promoters of worlds and scriptures. (13-136-5)
Those whose wealth is austerity, who have constant speech that is indeed abundant, whose power and the source of all dharmas rests in them—are knowers of dharma and perceivers of subtlety. (13-136-6)
All creatures of the four kinds live, having resorted to those who desire dharma, are established in dharma, and are the bridges of dharma through virtuous deeds. (13-136-7)
The eternal paths, which guide all, bear the sacrifices, and have always carried the heavy burden belonging to fathers and grandfathers. (13-136-8)
Those who, yoked in duty, do not falter in adversity—like good cows—namely the ancestors, gods, and guests who are foremost in receiving offerings and oblations. (13-136-9)
Lamps, which indeed protect people from great fear arising from food, are the eyes of all the world—even for those who have sight. (13-136-10)
They are repositories of all arts, skilled, perceivers of what is subtle, knowers of the movement of all beings, and thinkers on the movement of the self. (13-136-11)
Those who know the beginnings, middles, and ends, whose doubts are eliminated, who understand the distinction of far and near, are those who reach the highest state. (13-136-12)
Liberated, sin-cleansed, free from the pairs of opposites and without possessions, worthy of honor, these people are always respected by the wise and noble souls. (13-136-13)
Those for whom sandalwood and filth, eating and not eating, silk cloth, linen, cotton, and deerskins are all equal— (13-136-14)
Those with restrained senses could remain without eating for many days, and by self-study could wither their bodies. (13-136-15)
Enraged, they might treat the non-divine as divine and the divine as non-divine; they might even create other worlds and their guardians. (13-136-16)
The ocean became undrinkable by the curses of great souls, and the fire of whose anger in the Daṇḍaka forest even today is not pacified. (13-136-17)
Who could overcome those gods, who are themselves the gods of the gods, the cause of the cause, and the authority of the authority, even for a wise person? (13-136-18)
Among whom the elder and the child and everyone deserves respect, but by reason of distinction in austerity and knowledge, they honor one another. (13-136-19)
An ignorant brāhmaṇa is like a great, purifying vessel—divine, but a learned brāhmaṇa is a greater deity, like a full ocean. (13-136-20)
Both the unlearned and the learned Brāhmaṇa are regarded as great divine beings. Whether well-tended or not, just as fire is always a great divinity. (13-136-21)
Even in a cremation ground, the fiery fire is never tainted; and when it carries offerings in sacrifices, it shines forth ever more. (13-136-22)
Thus, even though a Brāhmaṇa acts in all actions, even in undesired ones, in all respects the Brāhmaṇa is to be honored; know that divine being as supreme. (13-136-23)
