Text 21
śamo damas tapaḥ śaucaṁ
santoṣaḥ kṣāntir ārjavam
jñānaṁ dayācyutātmatvaṁ
satyaṁ ca brahma-lakṣaṇam
śamaḥ — control of the mind; damaḥ — control of the senses; tapaḥ — austerity and penance; śaucam — cleanliness; santoṣaḥ — satisfaction; kṣāntiḥ — forgiveness (being unagitated by anger); ārjavam — simplicity; jñānam — knowledge; dayā — mercy; acyuta-ātmatvam — accepting oneself as an eternal servant of the Lord; satyam — truthfulness; ca — also; brahma-lakṣaṇam — the symptoms of a brāhmaṇa.
The symptoms of a brāhmaṇa are control of the mind, control of the senses, austerity and penance, cleanliness, satisfaction, forgiveness, simplicity, knowledge, mercy, truthfulness, and complete surrender to the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
In the institution of varṇāśrama-dharma, the symptoms of a brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra, brahmacārī, gṛhastha, vānaprastha, and sannyāsī are all described. The ultimate aim is acyutātmatvam — to think always of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa, or Viṣṇu. To make advancement in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, one has to become a brāhmaṇa, with the above-mentioned symptoms.