Who indeed then is brāhmaṇa? Whoever he may be, he who has directly realised his Āṭmā and who is directly cognizant, like the myrobalan in his palm, of his Āṭma that is without a second, that is devoid of class and actions, that is free from the faults of the six stains 5 and the six changes,  6 that is of the nature of truth, knowledge, bliss, and eternity, that is without any change in itself, that is the substratum of all the kalpas, that exists penetrating all things that pervades everything within and without as ākāś, that is of nature of undivided bliss, that cannot be reasoned about and that is known only by direct cognition. He who by the reason of having obtained his wishes is devoid of the faults of thirst after worldly objects and passions, who is the possessor of the qualifications beginning

with śama 1, who is free from emotion, malice, thirst after worldly objects, desire, delusion, etc., whose mind is untouched by pride, egoism, etc., who possesses all these qualities and means—he only is the brāhmaṇa.

Such is the opinion of the veḍas, the smṛṭis, the iṭihāsa and the purāṇas. Otherwise one cannot obtain the status of a brāhmaṇa. One should meditate on his Āṭmā as Sachchiḍānanḍa, and the non-dual Brahman. Yea, one should meditate on his Āṭmā as the Sachchiḍānanḍa Brahman. Such is the Upanishaḍ.

Footnotes

110:1 Lit., the diamond-needle-Upanishaḍ.

110:2 The lowest class of persons among the Hinḍūs.

111:1 One of the celestial nymphs dancing in the court of Inḍra.

111:2 The karmic affinities generated by us in our former lives, the fruit of which is being enjoyed in our present life.

111:3 The karmic affinities generated by us in our former lives and collected together to be enjoyed in our future lives.

111:4 The affinities generated by us in our present life to be enjoyed hereafter.

111:5 The six stains—hunger, thirst, grief, confusion, old age, and death.

111:6 Birth, existence, etc.

112:1 Sama, ḍama, uparaṭi, ṭiṭīkshā, samāḍhāna, and sraḍḍhā.

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