Swami Dayanand Saraswati QUALIFICATIONS AND DUTIES OF Braahman "Studying and teaching, performing , Yajna* and assisting others

in doing it, giving alms, and receiving gifts - these six are duties of a Braahman." MANU 1: 88. But should be borne in mind that "The receiving of gifts is a mean thing." 1. "Restraining the mind from entertaining sinful thoughts. 2. Keeping the senses from the pursuit of unrighteousness and directing them, instead, in the path of rectitude. 3. Living a pure, chaste life by the practice of lifeBrahmacharya. 4. Attaining purity (of mind and body)**. 5. Having firm faith in the power of truth and righteousness and being perfectly indifferent to the applause or censure of the world, pleasure or pain heat or cold, hunger or thirst, profit and or loss, honor or disgrace, and sorrow or joy, in the discharge of one's duties. 6. Cultivating tender heartedness, humility, straightforwardness and simplicity of character. 7. Acquiring a profound knowledge of the Veda and other Shaastraas, attaining the ability to teach others, the power to discriminate between right and wrong, and the knowledge of all things (animate or inanimate) as they really are. 8. Possessing a perfect knowledge of all entities - from earthly things to God - and

*Yajna is the application of the knowledge of the physical, chemical and physiological and the like
properties of material substances and of psychological ones of mental substances. It, therefore, generally requires the association of men and objects. "The word Yajna which originally indicates any action requiring association of men and objects, productive of beneficial results is always translated by European Scholars, as sacrifice. The notion of sacrifice is a purely Christian notion and has no place in the Vedic philosophy. It is foreign to the genuine religion of India. Hence all translations in which the word sacrifice occurs are to rejected as fallacious." - The terminology fo the Vedaas and European Scholars.

** Manu says: "Water washes off the impurities of the body, truth exalts the mind, knowledge and strict devotion to duty elevate the soul and possession of ideas refines the intellect." PAGE 102 the proper application thereof.

9. Having perfect faith in the Veda,

10. God, 11. and salvation, 12. belief in the past and future life of the soul, 13. love of righteousness and knowledge and 14. association with the good and the learned, 15. always cheerfully serving the father, mother tutor, and the altruistic teachers of humanity and never maligning these. These fifteen characteristics and accomplishments must be found in a person, before he or she can be called a Braahman or a Braahmani (female)." Bhagvat Gita.