It cleanses all sacrificers. Then again Brahmanas are
the foremost of gods unto their respective Sudra attendants. They worship
the gods in sacrifices, for obtaining the fruition of various wishes. The
members of the three other classes have all sprung from the
Brahmanas.[188] The Brahmanas are the gods of the very gods. Whatever
they would say would be for thy great good. Therefore, all kinds of
sacrifices naturally appertain to all the four orders. The obligation is
not one whose discharge is optional. The Brahmana, who is conversant with
Richs, Yajuses, and Samans, should always be worshipped as a god. The
Sudra, who is without Richs and Yajuses and Samans, has Prajapati for his
god.[189] Mental sacrifice. O sire, is laid down for all the orders, O
Bharata! It is not true that the gods and other (Superior) persons do not
manifest a desire to share the offerings in such sacrifices of even the
Sudra.[190] For, this reason, the sacrifice that consists in devotion is
laid down for all the classes.[191] The Brahmana is the foremost of gods.
It is not true that they that belong to that order do not perform the
sacrifices of the other orders. The fire called Vitana, though procured
from Vaisyas and inspired with mantras, is still inferior.[192] The
Brahmana is the performer or the sacrifices of the three other orders.
For this reason all the four orders are holy. All the orders bear towards
one another to relation of consanguinity, through the intermediate
classes.
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