Page:Life in India or Madras, the Neilgherries, and Calcutta.djvu/347

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leaving the subject of caste, an answer should be given to the question, "What is a Brahmin?” Should you meet a member of this powerful caste, fresh from his morning washings and prayers, with a snow-white cloth wound around his middle, his body and shoulders bare, his head shaven and uncovered, and his brass vessel of water in his hand, walking with a stately consciousness of superiority to all created things; and should you address this question to him, he might reply—

"I am a Brahmin, of the race that sprung from the mouth of Brahma, the almighty creator. By birth I am pure, holy, and noble, a priest and guide of men, superior to all lords and kings. Twice born, and invested with the sacred thread, I am the repositary of the Vedas, (those

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