अलाभे न विषादी स्याल् लाभे नैव च हर्षयेत् प्राणयात्रिकमात्रः स्यान् मात्रासङ्गाद् विनिर्गतः
If he does not obtain alms, he should not be dejected; if he does, he should not rejoice. He should be content with what sustains life, free from attachment to measure.
अतिपूजितलाभांस् तु जुगुप्सं चैव सर्वतः अतिपूजितलाभैस् तु यतिर् मुक्तो ऽपि बध्यते
But if he receives excessive honor or gains, he should avoid them in every way; for even a renunciant is bound by excessive honored gains.
कामः क्रोधस् तथा दर्पो लोभमोहादयश् च ये तांस् तु दोषान् परित्यज्य परिव्राण् निर्ममो भवेत्
Having abandoned faults such as desire, anger, pride, greed, delusion, and the like, the renunciant becomes free from possessiveness.
अभयं सर्वसत्त्वेभ्यो दत्त्वा यश् चरते महीम् तस्य देहाद् विमुक्तस्य भयं नोत्पद्यते क्वचित्
Having given fearlessness to all beings, whoever moves upon the earth—when that one is freed from the body, fear does not arise for him anywhere.
कृत्वाग्निहोत्रं स्वशरीरसंस्थं शारीरम् अग्निं स्वमुखे जुहोति विप्रस् तु भिक्षोपगतैर् हविर्भिश् चिताग्निना स व्रजति स्म लोकान्
Having performed the fire-offering with his own body as the altar, the brahmin offers into the bodily fire with food obtained by alms; with the fire of the funeral pyre, he indeed attains the worlds.
मोक्षाश्रमं यश् चरते यथोक्तं शुचिश् च संकल्पितबुद्धियुक्तः अनिन्धनं ज्योतिर् इव प्रशान्तं स ब्रह्मलोकं व्रजति द्विजातिः
Whoever lives in the stage of liberation as prescribed, pure and endowed with a resolved mind, that twice-born one attains the world of Brahma, calm like a light without fuel.
सर्वज्ञस् त्वं महाभाग सर्वभूतहिते रतः भूतं भव्यं भविष्यं च न ते ऽस्त्य् अविदितं मुने
You are all-knowing, O greatly fortunate one, devoted to the welfare of all beings; past, present, and future—nothing is unknown to you, O sage.
कर्मणा केन वर्णानाम् अधमा जायते गतिः उत्तमा च भवेत् केन ब्रूहि तेषां महामते
By what action does a member of the classes attain a lower state, and by what does one attain the highest? Tell me this, O wise one.
शूद्रस् तु कर्मणा केन ब्राह्मणत्वं च गच्छति श्रोतुम् इच्छामहे केन ब्राह्मणः शूद्रताम् इयात्
By what action does a Śūdra attain the state of a Brahmin? We wish to hear by what action a Brahmin becomes a Śūdra.
हिमवच्छिखरे रम्ये नानाधातुविभूषिते नानाद्रुमलताकीर्णे नानाश्चर्यसमन्विते
On the beautiful peak of the Himalaya, adorned with various minerals, covered with many trees and vines, and filled with many wonders,
तत्र स्थितं महादेवं त्रिपुरघ्नं त्रिलोचनम् शैलराजसुता देवी प्रणिपत्य सुरेश्वरम्
There stood the great god, destroyer of Tripura, the three-eyed one; the daughter of the mountain king, the goddess, bowed to the lord of the gods.
इमं प्रश्नं पुरा विप्रा अपृच्छच् चारुलोचना तद् अहं संप्रवक्ष्यामि शृणुध्वं मम सत्तमाः
Long ago, O brahmins, the beautiful-eyed goddess asked this question; I will now explain it—listen to me, O best of beings.
भगवन् भगनेत्रघ्न पूष्णो दन्तविनाशन दक्षक्रतुहर त्र्यक्ष संशयो मे महान् अयम्
O Lord, destroyer of Bhaga's eye, breaker of Pūṣan's teeth, destroyer of Dakṣa's sacrifice, three-eyed one, I have this great doubt.
चातुर्वर्ण्यं भगवता पूर्वं सृष्टं स्वयंभुवा केन कर्मविपाकेन वैश्यो गच्छति शूद्रताम्
The fourfold class system was formerly created by the self-born Lord; by what result of action does a Vaiśya become a Śūdra?
वैश्यो वा क्षत्रियः केन द्विजो वा क्षत्रियो भवेत् प्रतिलोमे कथं देव शक्यो धर्मो निवर्तितुम्
Or by what does a Vaiśya or Kṣatriya become a twice-born Kṣatriya? In the case of reversed order, O god, how can dharma be reversed?
केन वा कर्मणा विप्रः शूद्रयोनौ प्रजायते क्षत्रियः शूद्रताम् एति केन वा कर्मणा विभो
By what action, O Lord, does a brahmin take birth in a Śūdra womb? By what action does a Kṣatriya become a Śūdra, O mighty one?
एतं मे संशयं देव वद भूतपते ऽनघ त्रयो वर्णाः प्रकृत्येह कथं ब्राह्मण्यम् आप्नुयुः
Tell me this doubt of mine, O sinless Lord of beings: how do the three classes here attain brahminhood by nature?
ब्राह्मण्यं देवि दुष्प्रापं निसर्गाद् ब्राह्मणः शुभे क्षत्रियो वैश्यशूद्रौ वा निसर्गाद् इति मे मतिः
O auspicious one, brahminhood is difficult to attain; by nature one is a brahmin, kṣatriya, vaiśya, or śūdra—this is my view.
कर्मणा दुष्कृतेनेह स्थानाद् भ्रश्यति स द्विजः श्रेष्ठं वर्णम् अनुप्राप्य तस्माद् आक्षिप्यते पुनः
By evil action here, a twice-born falls from his position; having attained the highest class, he is cast down again.
स्थितो ब्राह्मणधर्मेण ब्राह्मण्यम् उपजीवति क्षत्रियो वाथ वैश्यो वा ब्रह्मभूयं स गच्छति
Established in the conduct of a brahmin, one lives as a brahmin; whether kṣatriya or vaiśya, he attains brahminhood.
यश् च विप्रत्वम् उत्सृज्य क्षत्रधर्मान् निषेवते ब्राह्मण्यात् स परिभ्रष्टः क्षत्रयोनौ प्रजायते
And he who, abandoning the status of a Brahmin, takes up the duties of a Kshatriya—having fallen from Brahminhood, he is born in a Kshatriya womb.
वैश्यकर्म च यो विप्रो लोभमोहव्यपाश्रयः ब्राह्मण्यं दुर्लभं प्राप्य करोत्य् अल्पमतिः सदा
A Brahmin who, out of greed and delusion, performs the work of a Vaishya—having attained the rare state of Brahminhood, he always acts foolishly.
स द्विजो वैश्यताम् एति वैश्यो वा शूद्रताम् इयात् स्वधर्मात् प्रच्युतो विप्रस् ततः शूद्रत्वम् आप्नुयात्
Such a twice-born becomes a Vaishya, and a Vaishya may become a Shudra; a Brahmin who deviates from his own duty thus attains the state of a Shudra.
तत्रासौ निरयं प्राप्तो वर्णभ्रष्टो बहिष्कृतः ब्रह्मलोकात् परिभ्रष्टः शूद्रयोनौ प्रजायते
There, having fallen, he reaches hell, cast out for abandoning his class; fallen from the world of Brahma, he is born in a Shudra womb.
क्षत्रियो वा महाभागे वैश्यो वा धर्मचारिणि स्वानि कर्माण्य् अपाकृत्य शूद्रकर्म निषेवते
And if a Kshatriya, O noble one, or a Vaishya, forsaking his own duties, takes up the work of a Shudra—
स्वस्थानात् स परिभ्रष्टो वर्णसंकरतां गतः ब्राह्मणः क्षत्रियो वैश्यः शूद्रत्वं याति तादृशः
He, fallen from his own place, enters the state of mixed classes; such a Brahmin, Kshatriya, or Vaishya attains the condition of a Shudra.
यस् तु शूद्रः स्वधर्मेण ज्ञानविज्ञानवाञ् शुचिः धर्मज्ञो धर्मनिरतः स धर्मफलम् अश्नुते
But a Shudra who, by his own duty, is endowed with knowledge and understanding, is pure, knows righteousness, and is devoted to righteousness—he enjoys the fruit of righteousness.
इदं चैवापरं देवि ब्रह्मणा समुदाहृतम् अध्यात्मं नैष्ठिकी सिद्धिर् धर्मकामैर् निषेव्यते
And this, O goddess, is further declared by Brahma: the supreme spiritual accomplishment is pursued by those who desire righteousness.
उग्रान्नं गर्हितं देवि गणान्नं श्राद्धसूतकम् घुष्टान्नं नैव भोक्तव्यं शूद्रान्नं नैव वा क्वचित्
Food that is harsh, censured, or communal, food from a funeral or birth ceremony, or food that is proclaimed unclean—such food, or food from a Shudra, must never be eaten anywhere, O goddess.
शूद्रान्नं गर्हितं देवि सदा देवैर् महात्मभिः पितामहमुखोत्सृष्टं प्रमाणम् इति मे मतिः
Food from a Shudra is always condemned, O goddess, by the gods and the great souls; this is the authority established by the ancestors, in my view.