अमन्त्रयज्ञो ह्यस्तेयं सत्यं गोविप्ररक्षणम् ॥२४॥
śūdrasya sannatiḥ Å›aucaá¹
sevÄ svÄminy amÄyayÄ
amantra-yajño hy asteyaá¹
satyaṠgo-vipra-rakṣaṇam
śūdrasya - of the śūdra (the fourth grade of man in society, the worker); sannatiḥ - obedience to the higher classes (the brÄhmaṇas, ká¹£atriyas and vaiÅ›yas); Å›aucam - cleanliness; sevÄ - service; svÄmini - to the master who maintains him; amÄyayÄ - without duplicity; amantra-yajñaḥ - performance of sacrifices simply by offering obeisances (without mantras); hi - certainly; asteyam - practicing not to steal; satyam - truthfulness; go - cows; vipra - brahmaṇas; raká¹£aṇam - protecting.
Offering obeisances to the higher sections of society [the brÄhmaṇas, ká¹£atriyas and vaiÅ›yas], being always very clean, being free from duplicity, serving one’s master, performing sacrifices without uttering mantras, not stealing, always speaking the truth and giving all protection to the cows and brÄhmaṇas — these are the symptoms of the śūdra.
It is everyone’s experience that workers or servants are generally accustomed to stealing. A first-class servant is one who does not steal. Here it is recommended that a first-class śūdra must remain very clean, must not steal or speak lies, and must always render service to his master. A śūdra may attend sacrifices and Vedic ritualistic ceremonies along with his master, but he should not utter the mantras, for these may be uttered only by the members of the higher sections of society. Unless one is completely pure and has been raised to the standard of a brÄhmaṇa, ká¹£atriya or vaiÅ›ya — in other words, unless one is dvija, twice-born — the chanting of mantras will not be fruitful.
