The Inner Conflict of Tradition: Essays in Indian Ritual, Kingship, and Society c6.s6.5

c6.s6.5

This is borne out by the passage quoted above, where the ṛtvij and the purohita are said to be equal to kṣatriyas (*Mbh 12. 76*). Here the real brahmin appears under two forms: *brahmasama* and *devasama*. The brahmasama brahmin possesses knowledge—knowledge to be taken in the Upaniṣadic sense, knowledge of the equivalences. He has the proper characteristics—i.e., according to Nīlakaṇṭha, serenity, restraint, ascesis, purity and the like—and he looks impartially on all (*vidyālakṣaṇasampannāḥ sarvatra samadarśinaḥ*). The devasama brahmin is equipped with knowledge of the Vedic texts and is engaged in his own works—that is, apparently, the performance of Vedic ritual on his own, since the ṛtvij is not included in this category. The brahmasama brahmin represents the *jñānamārga*, "the path of knowledge," the devasama brahmin the *karmamārga*, "the path of works," but both live in the individualized sphere characterized by renunciatory values.⁸⁸