श्रीमहेश्वर उवाच शृणु मूढ गुणान् कांश्चिद् ब्राह्मणानां महात्मनाम्। ये त्वया कीर्तिता राजंस्तेभ्योऽथ ब्राह्मणो वरः।।।।
The God of wind said Hear, O deluded man, what the attributes are of Brahmanas who have all high souls. The Brahmana is superior to all those which, O king, you have named.
त्यक्त्वा महीत्वं भूमिस्तु स्पर्धयाङ्गनृपस्य ह। नाश जगाम तां विप्रो व्यस्तम्भयत कश्यपः॥
Formerly, the Earth, indulging in a spirit of rivalry with the king of the Angas, forsook her character as Earth. The regenerate Kashyapa caused destruction to befall her by actually paralysing her.
अजेया ब्राह्मणा राजन् दिवि चेह च नित्यदा। अपिबत् तेजसा ह्यापः स्वयमेवाङ्गिराः पुरा॥
The Brahmanas are always unconquerable, O king, in Heaven as also on Earth. Formerly, the great Rishi Angirasa, through his energy, drank off all the water.
स ताः पिबन् क्षीरमिव नातृप्यत महामनाः। अपूरयन्महौघेन महीं सर्वां च पार्थिव॥
Having drunk off all the waters as if they were milk, the great Rishi did not feel yet his thirst to be satisfied. He, therefore, once more caused the Earth to be filled with water by raising a mighty wave.
तस्मिन्नहं च क्रुद्ध वै जगत् त्यक्त्वा ततो गतः। व्यतिष्ठमग्निहोत्रे च चिरमङ्गिरसो भयात्॥
On another occasion, when Angirasa became enraged with me, I fled away, leaving the world, and lived for a long time concealed in the Agnihotra of the Brahmanas, through fear of that Rishi.
अथ शप्तश्च भगवान् गौतमेन पुरन्दरः। अहल्यां कामयानो वै धर्मार्थं च न हिंसितः॥
The illustrious Purandara, an account of his having coveted the body of Ahalya, was cursed by Gautama, yet for the sake of Virtue and wealth, the Rishi did not destroy outright the king of the celestials.
तथा समुद्रो नृपते पूर्णो मृष्टस्य वारिणः। ब्राह्मणैरभिशप्तश्च बभूव लवणोदकः॥
The Ocean, O king, that was full in former days of crystal water, cursed by the Brahmanas, become saline in taste.
सुवर्णवर्णो निर्धूमः सङ्गतोर्ध्वशिखः कविः। क्रुद्धेनाङ्गिरसा शप्तो गुणैरेतैर्विवर्जितः॥
Even Agni who is goldhued, and who blazes with cffulgence when destitute of smoke, and whose flames uniting together, burn upwards, when cursed by the angry Angiras, became divested of all these qualities.
महतश्चूर्णितान् पश्य ये हासन्त महोदधिम्। सुवर्णधारिणा नित्यमवशप्ता द्विजातिना॥
See, the sixty thousand sons of Sagara, who came here to worship the Ocean, have all been pulverised by the Brahmana Kapila of golden hue.
समो न त्वं द्विजातिभ्यः श्रेयो विद्धि नराधिप। गर्भस्थान् ब्राह्मणान् सम्यङ् नमस्यति किल प्रभुः।।१०
You are not equal to the Brahmanas. Do you, O king, seek your own good. The Kshatriya of even great power bows to Brahmana children who are still in their mothers' wombs.
दण्डकानां महद् राज्यं ब्राह्मणेन विनाशितम्। तालजंघं महाक्षत्रमौर्वेणैकेन नाशितम्॥
The large kingdom of the Dandakas was destroyed by a Brahmana. The powerful Kshatriya Talajangha was destroyed by a single Brahmana, viz., Aurva.
त्वया च विपुलं राज्यं बलं धर्मे श्रुतं तथा। दत्तात्रेयप्रसादेन प्राप्तं परमदुर्लभम्॥
You, too, have acquired a large kingdom, great might, religious merit, and learning, which are all difficult of acquirement, through the grace of Dattatreya.
अग्निं त्वं यजसे नित्यं कस्माद् ब्राह्मणमर्जुन। स हि सर्वस्य लोकस्य हव्यवाट् किं न वेत्सि तम्।।
Why do yu, O Arjuna, adore Agni everyday who is a Brahmana? He is the bearer of sacrificial libations from every part of the universe. Are you ignorant of this fact.
अथवा ब्राह्मणश्रेष्ठमनुभूतानुपालकम्। कर्तारं जीवलोकस्य कस्माज्जानन् विमुह्यसे॥
Why, indeed, do you allow yourself to be stupefied by folly when you are not ignorant of the fact that a superior Brahmana is the protector of all creatures in the world and is, indeed, the creator of the living world?
तथा प्रजापतिर्ब्रह्मा अव्यक्तः प्रभुरव्ययः। येनेदं निखिलं विश्वं जनितं स्थावरं चरम्॥
The Lord of all creatures, Brahman, unmanifest, gifted with power, and of unfading glory, who created this vast universe with its mobile and immobile creatures, (is Brahmana).
अण्डजातं तु ब्रह्माणं केचिदिच्छन्त्यपण्डिताः। अण्डाद् भिन्नाद् बभुः शैला दिशोऽम्भ:पृथिवी दिवम्
Some ignorant persons there are, who say that Brahman was born of an Egg. From the original Egg, when it opened, mountains and the cardinal points and the waters and the Earth and the Heavens all came into existence.
द्रष्टव्यं नैतदेवं हि कथं जायेदजो हि सः। स्मृतमाकाशमण्डं तु तस्माज्जातः पितामहः॥
No one had seen this birth of the creation. How then can Brahman be said to to have taken his birth from thc original Egg, when especially he is said to be Unborn? It is said that vast increate Space is the original Egg. It was from this in create Space that the Grandfather was born. If you
तिष्ठेत् कथमिति ब्रूहि न किंचिद्धि तदा भवेत्। अहङ्कार इति प्रोक्तः सर्वतेजोगतः प्रभुः॥
ask, Whereon would the Grandfather, after his birth from increate Space, rest for there was then nothing else? The answer may be given thus. There is an existent Being of the name of Consciousness. That mighty Being is gifted with great energy.
नास्त्यण्डमस्ति तु ब्रह्मा स राजा लोकभावनः। इत्युक्तः स तदा तूष्णीमभूद् वायुस्ततोऽब्रवीत्॥
There is no Egg. Brahman, however, is existent. He is the Creator of the universe and is its King! Thus addressed by the god of wind, king Arjuna remained silent.