Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 9.2.17
धृष्टाद् धार्ष्टमभूत् क्षत्रं ब्रह्मभूयं गतं क्षितौ ।
नृगस्य वंश: सुमतिर्भूतज्योतिस्ततो वसु: ॥ १७ ॥
dhṛṣṭād dhārṣṭam abhūt kṣatraṁ
[dhrishtaad dhaarshtam abhoot kshatram]
brahma-bhūyaṁ gataṁ kṣitau
[brahma-bhooyam gatam kshitau]
nṛgasya vaṁśaḥ sumatir
[nrigasya vamshah sumatir]
bhūtajyotis tato vasuḥ
[bhootajyotis tato vasuh]
Word-for-word
dhṛṣṭāt
—
from Dhṛṣṭa, another son of Manu
dhārṣṭam
—
a caste of the name Dhārṣṭa
abhūt
—
was produced
kṣatram
—
belonging to the kṣatriya group
brahma-bhūyam
—
the position of brāhmaṇas
gatam
—
had achieved
kṣitau
—
on the surface of the world
nṛgasya
—
of Nṛga, another son of Manu
vaṁśaḥ
—
the dynasty
sumatiḥ
—
of the name Sumati
bhūtajyotiḥ
—
of the name Bhūtajyoti
tataḥ
—
thereafter
vasuḥ
—
by the name Vasu.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
dhṛṣṭād dhārṣṭam abhūt kṣatraṁ
dhṛṣṭāt
from Dhṛṣṭa, another son of Manu
dhārṣṭam
a caste of the name Dhārṣṭa
abhūt
was produced
kṣatram
belonging to the kṣatriya group
brahma-bhūyaṁ gataṁ kṣitau
brahma-bhūyam
the position of brāhmaṇas
gatam
had achieved
kṣitau
on the surface of the world
nṛgasya vaṁśaḥ sumatir
nṛgasya
of Nṛga, another son of Manu
vaṁśaḥ
the dynasty
sumatiḥ
of the name Sumati
bhūtajyotis tato vasuḥ
bhūtajyotiḥ
of the name Bhūtajyoti
tataḥ
thereafter
vasuḥ
by the name Vasu.
From the son of Manu named Dhṛṣṭa came a kṣatriya caste called Dhārṣṭa, whose members achieved the position of brāhmaṇas in this world. Then, from the son of Manu named Nṛga came Sumati. From Sumati came Bhūtajyoti, and from Bhūtajyoti came Vasu.
Purport
Here it is said, kṣatraṁ brahma-bhūyaṁ gataṁ kṣitau: although the Dhārṣṭas belonged to the kṣatriya caste, they were able to convert themselves into brāhmaṇas. This gives clear evidence supporting the following statement by Nārada ( Bhāg. 7.11.35 ):
yasya yal lakṣaṇaṁ proktaṁ puṁso varṇābhivyañjakam yad anyatrāpi dṛśyeta tat tenaiva vinirdiśet
If the qualities of one group are found in the men of another, those men should be recognized by their qualities, by their symptoms, not by the caste of the family in which they were born. Birth is not at all important; it is one’s qualities that are stressed in all Vedic literature.
— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
From the son of Manu named Dhṛṣṭa came a kṣatriya caste called Dhārṣṭa, whose members achieved the position of brāhmaṇas in this world. Then, from the son of Manu named Nṛga came Sumati. From Sumati came Bhūtajyoti, and from Bhūtajyoti came Vasu.
Brahma-bhūyam means they attained the position of brāhmaṇas. Nṛgasya vaṁśaḥ means son of Nṛga.
Related values & verses
Related verses
Personal Guidance
Dhṛṣṭa's kṣatriya descendants converted into brāhmaṇas — quality, not birth, decides varṇa. Identity in Vedic culture is fluid where character is firm.
Reflection Questions
- Am I living up to the quality that my current label claims, or coasting on inherited identity?
- Where is my behavior actually śūdra while I'm calling myself a brāhmaṇa?
My note
Source: vedabase.io