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#h4##span class="mw-headline" id="TEXT_No._26"#TEXT No. 26#/span##/h4#
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Purusa swabhava vihitan yatha varnam yatha ashramam
Vairagya raga upadhibhyam amnato ubhaya lakshanan.
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#h4##span class="mw-headline" id="ENGLISH_SYNONYMS"#ENGLISH SYNONYMS#/span##/h4#
#div class="synonyms"#
Purasa—the human being, Swabhava—by his own acquired qualities, Vihitan—prescribed, Yatha—as it is, Varnam—classification of castes, Yatha—as it is, Ashramam—orders of life, Vairagya—detachment, Raga—attachment, Upadhibhyam—out of such designations, Amnato—systematically, Ubhaya—both, Lakshanan—symptoms.
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#h4##span class="mw-headline" id="TRANSLATION"#TRANSLATION#/span##/h4#
#div class="translation"#
On enquiry from Maharaj Yudhisthir Bhismadeva defined first of all the classification of castes and orders of life in terms of a particular person's acquired qualifications. Then he described counteraction by detachment and interaction by attachment systematically by twofold divisions.
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#h4##span class="mw-headline" id="PURPORT"#PURPORT#/span##/h4#
#div class="purport"#
The conception of four castes and four orders of life as it is planned by the Lord Himself (B.G. 4/13) is to accelerate transcendental qualities of the individual person so that he may gradually realise his spiritual identification and thus act accordingly to get free from material bondage or conditional life. In almost all the Puranas the subject matter is dealt with the same spirit of description and so also in the Mahabharata it is more elaborately described by Bhismadeva in the Shantiparva beginning from the 60th chapter.
#$p#This Varnashrama Dharma is prescribed for the civilised human being just to train one to successful termination of human life in the matter of self realisation as distinguished from the life of the lower animals engaged in eating, sleeping, fearing and mating. Bhismadeva advised that for all human beings never mind what he or they may be, nine qualifications such as (1) Not to become angry, (2) Not to tell lie, (3) equal distribution of wealth, (4) forgiveness, (5) to beget children only in one's legitimate wife, (6) to be pure in mind and hygenic in body, (7) Not to be inimical with anyone, (8) simplicity and (9) supporting the servants or subordinates. One cannot be called a civilised person without acquiring the above mentioned preliminary qualities. Besides these, the Brahmins or the intelligent class of men in the society, the administrative class of men, the merchantile community and the labourer class must acquire special qualities in terms of occupational duties mentioned in all the Vedic scriptures. For the intelligent class of men controlling the senses is the most essential qualification which is the basis of morality. Sex-indulgence even with the legitimate wife must also be controlled and thereby the plan of family control will automatically follow. An intelligent man must abuse his great qualifications if he does not follow the Vedic way of life. This means he must seriously make a study of the Vedic literatures specially of the Sirmad Bhagwatam and the Bhagwat Geeta. For learning the Vedic knowledge one must approach the actual person who is cent per cent engaged in the occupation. He must not be doing things which are forbidden in the Shastras. A person cannot be a teacher if he drinks or smokes. In the modern system of education the teacher's academical qualification is taken into consideration without any evaluation of his moral life. Therefore, the result of education is misuse of high intelligence in so many ways.
#$p#The Khatriyas or the administrative class of men is specially advised to give in charity and not to accept charity at any circumstances. Modern administrators raise subscription for some political function but never gives in charity to the citizens in any state function. It is just the reverse of the injunction of the Shastras. The administrative class of men must be well versed in the Shastras but must not take to the profession of teachers. The energy shall be specially diverted for killing the thieves, the dacoits, the black marketers and all such undesirable elements of the society. The administrators shall never pretend to become non-violent and thereby go to hell. When Arjuna wanted to become a non-violent coward in the battlefield of Kurukshetra he was severely taken in to task by Lord Krishna. The Lord degraded Arjuna at that time to the status of an uncivilised man for his avowed acceptance of the cult of non-violence. The administrative class of men must be personally trained up in the military education and some cowards only by dint of numerical votes shall not be elevated on presidential throne. The monarchs were all chivalrous personalities and, therefore, monarchy shall be maintained provided the monarch is regularly trained up in the occupational duties of a King. In the fighting the king or the President shall never return home without being hurt by the enemy. The so called king by voting strength do never visit the warfield and they are very much expert in the matter of artificially encouraging the fighting strength in the hope of false national prestige. As soon as the administrative class of men shall be turned into a gang of merchantile and labourer class of men the whole machinery of Government becomes poluted to the lowest degree.
#$p#The Vaishyas or the merchantile communities are specially advised to protect the cows. Cow protection means increasing the milk productions namely curd and butter; agriculture and distribution of the food stuff are the primary duties of the merchantile community backed by education in the Vedic knowledge and trained up for giving up in charity of the acquired wealth. As the Khatriyas were given charge for the protection of the citizens so also the Vaishyas were given charge for the protection of animals. The animals are never meant for killing. Killing of animals is a symptom of barbarian society. For human being agricultural produce, fruits and milk are sufficient and compatible food stuff; and the human society should give more attention for animal protection than killing them. Productive energy of the labourer class is misused when the same is occupied by industrial enterprises. Industry of various types cannot produce the essential needs of man namely rice, wheat, grains, milk, fruits or vegetables and production of machine and machine tools increases artificial living fashion of a class of vested interests keeping thousands of men in starvation and unrest. This is not standard of civilisation.
#$p#The Sudra class of men are less intelligent communities of the society and they have no independence of living. They are meant for rendering sincere service to the three higher sections of the society. The Sudra class of men can attain all comforts of life simply by rendering service to the higher class. It is specially enjoined that a Sudra shall never bank money. As soon as the Sudras will have accumulated wealth it will be misused for sinful activities in wine, women and gambling. Wine, women and gambling predominant in human society means the population is degraded into less than Sudra quality only without any existence of the three higher classes. The higher castes shall always look after the maintenance of the Sudras and they shall provide them with old and used garments. A Sudra shall not leave his master when the master is old and invalid and the master shall keep satisfed the servants in all respects. The Sudras must first of all be satisfied by sumptuous food and clothing before any sacrifice is performed. In this age so many functions are held by spending lakhs and crores but the poor labourer class is not sumptuously fed or given in charity clothing etc. The labourer class of men are thus dissatisfied and they get clue to make agitation against the master.
#$p#The Varnas are so to say classification of different occupation and Ashrama Dharma is gradual progress on the path of self realisation. Both are interrelated and one is dependant on the other. The main purpose of Ashrama Dharma is to wake up knowledge and detachment. The Brahmachari Ashrama is the training ground of the prospective candidates and thus in this Ashrama it is sufficiently instructed that this material world is not actually the home of the living being. The conditioned souls under material bondage are prisoners of matter and therefore, self realisation is the ultimate aim of life. The whole system of Ashrama Dharma is a means to detachment. One who fails to assimilate this spirit of detachment are allowed to enter into the family life with the same spirit of detachment. Therefore, one who attains detachment may at once adopt the order of the Fourth step namely renounced order of life and thus live on charity only not for accumulating wealth but just to pull on the body and soul together for the ultimate realisation. Household-life is for one who is attached and the Vanaprastha and Sanyas order of life is meant for those who are detached from material life. The Brahmachari Ashram is specially meant for training both the attached and detached to the material complication.
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#h4##span class="mw-headline" id="TEXT_26"#TEXT 26#/span##/h4#
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#dl##dd#puruṣa-sva-bhāva-vihitān#/dd#
#dd#yathā-varṇaṁ yathāśramam#/dd#
#dd#vairāgya-rāgopādhibhyām#/dd#
#dd#āmnātobhaya-lakṣaṇān#/dd##/dl#
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#h4##span class="mw-headline" id="SYNONYMS"#SYNONYMS#/span##/h4#
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#i##a target="_blank" rel="nofollow noreferrer noopener" class="external text" href="//vanipedia.org/wiki/Special:VaniSearch?s=puruṣa&tab=syno_o&ds=1"#puruṣa#/i# — the human being; #i##a target="_blank" rel="nofollow noreferrer noopener" class="external text" href="//vanipedia.org/wiki/Special:VaniSearch?s=sva&tab=syno_o&ds=1"#sva-#a target="_blank" rel="nofollow noreferrer noopener" class="external text" href="//vanipedia.org/wiki/Special:VaniSearch?s=bhāva&tab=syno_o&ds=1"#bhāva#/i# — by his own acquired qualities; #i##a target="_blank" rel="nofollow noreferrer noopener" class="external text" href="//vanipedia.org/wiki/Special:VaniSearch?s=vihitān&tab=syno_o&ds=1"#vihitān#/i# — prescribed; #i##a target="_blank" rel="nofollow noreferrer noopener" class="external text" href="//vanipedia.org/wiki/Special:VaniSearch?s=yathā&tab=syno_o&ds=1"#yathā#/i# — according to; #i##a target="_blank" rel="nofollow noreferrer noopener" class="external text" href="//vanipedia.org/wiki/Special:VaniSearch?s=varṇam&tab=syno_o&ds=1"#varṇam#/i# — classification of castes; #i##a target="_blank" rel="nofollow noreferrer noopener" class="external text" href="//vanipedia.org/wiki/Special:VaniSearch?s=yathā&tab=syno_o&ds=1"#yathā#/i# — according to; #i##a target="_blank" rel="nofollow noreferrer noopener" class="external text" href="//vanipedia.org/wiki/Special:VaniSearch?s=āśramam&tab=syno_o&ds=1"#āśramam#/i# — orders of life; #i##a target="_blank" rel="nofollow noreferrer noopener" class="external text" href="//vanipedia.org/wiki/Special:VaniSearch?s=vairāgya&tab=syno_o&ds=1"#vairāgya#/i# — detachment; #i##a target="_blank" rel="nofollow noreferrer noopener" class="external text" href="//vanipedia.org/wiki/Special:VaniSearch?s=rāga&tab=syno_o&ds=1"#rāga#/i# — attachment; #i##a target="_blank" rel="nofollow noreferrer noopener" class="external text" href="//vanipedia.org/wiki/Special:VaniSearch?s=upādhibhyām&tab=syno_o&ds=1"#upādhibhyām#/i# — out of such designations; #i##a target="_blank" rel="nofollow noreferrer noopener" class="external text" href="//vanipedia.org/wiki/Special:VaniSearch?s=āmnāta&tab=syno_o&ds=1"#āmnāta#/i# — systematically; #i##a target="_blank" rel="nofollow noreferrer noopener" class="external text" href="//vanipedia.org/wiki/Special:VaniSearch?s=ubhaya&tab=syno_o&ds=1"#ubhaya#/i# — both; #i##a target="_blank" rel="nofollow noreferrer noopener" class="external text" href="//vanipedia.org/wiki/Special:VaniSearch?s=lakṣaṇān&tab=syno_o&ds=1"#lakṣaṇān#/i# — symptoms.
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#h4##span class="mw-headline" id="TRANSLATION"#TRANSLATION#/span##/h4#
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At Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira's inquiry, Bhīṣmadeva first defined all the classifications of castes and orders of life in terms of the individual's qualifications. Then he systematically, in twofold divisions, described counteraction by detachment and interaction by attachment.
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#h4##span class="mw-headline" id="PURPORT"#PURPORT#/span##/h4#
#div class="purport"#
The conception of four castes and four orders of life, as planned by the Lord Himself (BG 4.13), is to accelerate transcendental qualities of the individual person so that he may gradually realize his spiritual identity and thus act accordingly to get free from material bondage, or conditional life. In almost all the #i#Purāṇas#/i# the subject matter is described in the same spirit, and so also in the #i#Mahābhārata#/i# it is more elaborately described by Bhīṣmadeva in the #i#Śānti-parva#/i#, beginning from the sixtieth chapter.
#$p#The #i#varṇāśrama-dharma#/i# is prescribed for the civilized human being just to train him to successfully terminate human life. Self-realization is distinguished from the life of the lower animals engaged in eating, sleeping, fearing and mating. Bhīṣmadeva advised for all human beings nine qualifications: (1) not to become angry, (2) not to lie, (3) to equally distribute wealth, (4) to forgive, (5) to beget children only by one's legitimate wife, (6) to be pure in mind and hygienic in body, (7) not to be inimical toward anyone, (8) to be simple, and (9) to support servants or subordinates. One cannot be called a civilized person without acquiring the above-mentioned preliminary qualities. Besides these, the #i#brāhmaṇas#/i# (the intelligent men), the administrative men, the mercantile community and the laborer class must acquire special qualities in terms of occupational duties mentioned in all the Vedic scriptures. For the intelligent men, controlling the senses is the most essential qualification. It is the basis of morality. Sex indulgence even with a legitimate wife must also be controlled, and thereby family control will automatically follow. An intelligent man abuses his great qualifications if he does not follow the Vedic way of life. This means he must seriously make a study of the Vedic literatures, especially of the #i#Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam#/i# and the #i#Bhagavad-gītā#/i#. For learning Vedic knowledge, one must approach a person who is cent percent engaged in devotional service. He must not do things which are forbidden in the #i#śāstras#/i#. A person cannot be a teacher if he drinks or smokes. In the modern system of education the teacher's academic qualification is taken into consideration without evaluation of his moral life. Therefore, the result of education is misuse of high intelligence in so many ways.
#$p#The #i#kṣatriya#/i#, the member of the administrative class, is especially advised to give charity #i#and not to accept charity in any circumstances#/i#. Modern administrators raise subscriptions for some political functions, but never give charity to the citizens in any state function. It is just the reverse in the injunctions of the #i#śāstras#/i#. The administrative class must be well versed in the #i#śāstras#/i#, but must not take to the profession of teachers. #i#The administrators should never pretend to become nonviolent#/i# and thereby go to hell. When Arjuna wanted to become a nonviolent coward on the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra, he was severely chastised by Lord Kṛṣṇa. The Lord degraded Arjuna at that time to the status of an uncivilized man for his avowed acceptance of the cult of nonviolence. The administrative class must be personally trained in military education. Cowards should not be elevated to the presidential throne by dint of numerical votes only. The monarchs were all chivalrous personalities, and therefore monarchy should be maintained provided the monarch is regularly trained in the occupational duties of a king. #i#In fighting, the king or the president should never return home without being hurt by the enemy#/i#. The so-called king of today never visits the warfield. He is very much expert in artificially encouraging the fighting strength in the hope of false national prestige. As soon as the administrative class is turned into a gang of mercantile and laborer men, the whole machinery of government becomes polluted.
#$p#The #i#vaiśyas#/i#, the members of the mercantile communities, are especially advised to protect the cows. Cow protection means increasing the milk productions, namely curd and butter. Agriculture and distribution of the foodstuff are the primary duties of the mercantile community backed by education in Vedic knowledge and trained to give in charity. As the #i#kṣatriyas#/i# were given charge of the protection of the citizens, #i#vaiśyas#/i# were given the charge of the protection of animals. Animals are never meant to be killed. Killing of animals is a symptom of barbarian society. For a human being, agricultural produce, fruits and milk are sufficient and compatible foodstuffs. The human society should give more attention to animal protection. The productive energy of the laborer is misused when he is occupied by industrial enterprises. Industry of various types cannot produce the essential needs of man, namely rice, wheat, grains, milk, fruits and vegetables. The production of machines and machine tools increases the artificial living fashion of a class of vested interests and keeps thousands of men in starvation and unrest. This should not be the standard of civilization.
#$p#The #i#śūdra#/i# class is less intelligent and should have no independence. They are meant for rendering sincere service to the three higher sections of the society. The #i#śūdra#/i# class can attain all comforts of life simply by rendering service to the higher classes. It is especially enjoined that a #i#śūdra#/i# should never bank money. As soon as the #i#śūdras#/i# accumulate wealth, it will be misused for sinful activities in wine, women and gambling. #i#Wine, women and gambling indicate that the population is degraded to less than#/i# śūdra #i#quality#/i#. The higher castes should always look after the maintenance of the #i#śūdras#/i#, and they should provide them with old and used garments. A #i#śūdra#/i# should not leave his master when the master is old and invalid, and the master should keep the servants satisfied in all respects. The #i#śūdras#/i# must first of all be satisfied by sumptuous food and clothing before any sacrifice is performed. In this age so many functions are held by spending millions, #i#but the poor laborer is not sumptuously fed or given charity, clothing, etc#/i#. The laborers are thus dissatisfied, and so they make agitation.
#$p#The #i#varṇas#/i# are, so to speak, classifications of different occupations, and #i#āśrama-dharma#/i# is gradual progress on the path of self-realization. Both are interrelated, and one is dependent on the other. The main purpose of #i#āśrama-dharma#/i# is to awaken knowledge and detachment. The #i#brahmacārī āśrama#/i# is the training ground for the prospective candidates. In this #i#āśrama#/i# it is instructed that this material world is not actually the home of the living being. The conditioned souls under material bondage are prisoners of matter, and therefore self-realization is the ultimate aim of life. The whole system of #i#āśrama-dharma#/i# is a means to detachment. One who fails to assimilate this spirit of detachment is allowed to enter into family life with the same spirit of detachment. Therefore, one who attains detachment may at once adopt the fourth order, namely, renounced, and thus live on charity only, not to accumulate wealth, but just to keep body and soul together for ultimate realization. Household life is for #i#one who is attached#/i#, and the #i#vānaprastha#/i# and #i#sannyāsa#/i# orders of life are for #i#those who are detached#/i# from material life. The #i#brahmacārī-āśrama#/i# is especially meant for training both the attached and detached.
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