Chapter 28

“Bhishma said, ‘Thus addressed by Indra, Matanga of restrained vows andwell regulated soul, (without hearkening to the counsels of the chief ofthe celestials), stood for a hundred years on one foot, O thou ofunfading glory. Sakra of great fame once more appeared before him andaddressing him, said,–The status of a Brahmana, O child, isunattainable. Although thou covetest it, it is impossible for thee toobtain it. O Matanga, by coveting that very high status thou art sure tobe destroyed. Do not, O son, betray such rashness. This cannot be arighteous path for thee to follow. O thou of foolish understanding, it isimpossible for thee to obtain it in this world. Verily, by coveting thatwhich is unattainable, thou art sure to meet with destruction in no time.I am repeatedly forbidding thee. By striving, however, to attain thathigh status by the aid of thy penances, notwithstanding my repeatedadmonition, thou art sure to meet with destruction. From the order ofbrute life one attains to the status of humanity. If born as human being,he is sure to take birth as a Pukkasa or a Chandala. Verily, one havingtaken birth in that sinful order of existence, viz., Pukkasa, one, OMatanga, has to wander in it for a very long time. Passing a period ofone thousand years in that order, one attains next to the status of aSudra. In the Sudra order, again, one has to wander for a long time.After thirty thousand years one acquire the status of a Vaisya. There, inthat order, one has to pass a very long period. After a time that issixty times longer than what has been stated as the period of Sudraexistence, one becomes a person of the fighting order. In the Kshatriyaorder one has to pass a very long time. After a time that is measured bymultiplying the period last referred to by sixty, one becomes born as afallen Brahmana. In this order one has to wander for a long period. Aftera time measured by multiplying the period last named by two hundred, onebecomes born in the race of such a Brahmana as lives by the profession ofarms. There, in that order, one has to wander for a long period. After atime measured by multiplying the period last named by three hundred, onetakes birth in the race of a Brahmana that is given to the recitation ofthe Gayatri and other sacred Mantras. There, in that order, one has towander for a long period. After a time measured by multiplying the periodlast named by four hundred, one takes birth in the race of such aBrahmana as is conversant with the entire Vedas and the scriptures,There, in that order, one has to wander for a very long period. Whilewandering in that status of existence, joy and grief, desire andaversion, vanity and evil speech, seek to enter into him and make awretch of him. If he succeeds in subjugating those foes, he then attainsa high end. If, on the other hand, those enemies succeed in subjugatinghim, he falls down from that high status like a person falling down onthe ground from the high top of a palmyra tree. Knowing this for certain,O Matanga, I say unto thee, do thou name some other boon, for the statusof a Brahmana is incapable of being attained by thee (that hast been bornas a Chandala)!’