Therefore, O
king of snakes, hearing (thee) I shall answer thy queries!'
"The serpent said, 'O Yudhishthira, say--Who is a _Brahmana_ and what
should be known? By thy speech I infer thee to be highly intelligent.'
"Yudhishthira said, 'O foremost of serpents, he, it is asserted by the
wise, in whom are seen truth, charity, forgiveness, good conduct,
benevolence, observance of the rites of his order and mercy is a
_Brahmana_. And, O serpent, that which should be known is even the
supreme _Brahma_, in which is neither happiness nor misery--and
attaining which beings are not affected with misery; what is thy
opinion?'
"The serpent said, 'O Yudhishthira, truth, charity, forgiveness,
benevolence, benignity, kindness and the _Veda_[2] which worketh the
benefit of the four orders, which is the authority in matters of
religion and which is true, are seen even in the _Sudra_. As regards the
object to be known and which thou allegest is without both happiness and
misery, I do not see any such that is devoid of these.'
[2] In as much as the rites performed by the Sudras have their
origin in the Vedas.
"Yudhishthira said, 'Those characteristics that are present in a
_Sudra_, do not exist in a _Brahmana_; nor do those that are in a
_Brahmana_ exist in a _Sudra_. And a _Sudra_ is not a _Sudra_ by birth
alone--nor a _Brahmana_ is _Brahmana_ by birth alone. He, it is said by
the wise, in whom are seen those virtues is a _Brahmana_.
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