compacted from the minute portions of
those seven divine and active principles, the great soul, or first
emanation, consciousness, and five perceptions; a mutable universe from
immutable ideas.

"Of created things, the most excellent are those which are animated; of
the animated, those which subsist by intelligence; of the intelligent,
mankind; and of men, the sacerdotal class.

"Of priests, those eminent in learning; of the learned, those who know
their duty; of those who know it, such as perform it virtuously; and of
the virtuous, those who seek beatitude from a perfect acquaintance with
scriptural doctrine.

"The very birth of Brahmans is a constant incarnation of Dharma, God of
justice; for the Brahman is born to promote justice, and to procure
ultimate happiness.

"When a Brahman springs to light, he is born above the world, the chief
of all creatures, assigned to guard the treasury of duties, religious
and civil.

"The Brahman who studies this book, having performed sacred rites, is
perpetually free from offence in thought, in word and in deed.

"He confers purity on his living family, on his ancestors, and on his
descendants as far as the seventh person, and he alone deserves to
possess this whole earth."

The following passages are from Book II., "On Education and the
Priesthood":--

"Self-love is no laudable motive, yet an exemption from self-love is
not to be found in this world: on self-love is grounded the study of
Scripture, and the practice of actions recommended in it.

"Eager desire to act has its root in expectation of some advantage; and
with such expectation are sacrifices performed; the rules of religious
austerity and abstinence from sins are all known to arise from hope of
remuneration.

"Not a single act here below appears ever to be done by a man free from
self-love; whatever he perform, it is wrought from his desire of a
reward.

"He, indeed, who should persist in discharging these duties without any
view to their fruit, would attain hereafter the state of the immortals,
and even in this life would enjoy all the virtuous gratifications that
his fancy could suggest.

"The most excellent of the three classes, being girt with the
sacrificial thread, must ask food with the respectful word Dhavati at
the beginning of the phrase; those of the second class with that word