The Inner Conflict of Tradition: Essays in Indian Ritual, Kingship, and Society c6.s6.9

c6.s6.9

Thus being self-contained and independent, the true brahmin does not take part in the pure-impure complementarity and exchange. His purity is not dependent on his partners, it is absolute. On this basis he can dispense religious merit by accepting food and presents without staking his purity. But the condition is that he holds on to his independence and does not engage himself in the world. As a specialist of religious merit, he can be called a priest. But in this sense, he can only be a priest by virtue of renunciation. Thus the preeminence of the brahmin is not based on his priesthood, but on his being the exponent of the values of renunciation.¹⁰⁰