Bhrigu on the Origin of the Four Classes

Verse 1 (12.186.1)

असृजद्ब्राह्मणानेव पूर्वं ब्रह्मा प्रजापतीन् । आत्मतेजोभिनिर्वृत्तान्भास्कराग्निसमप्रभान् ॥

asṛjadbrāhmaṇāneva pūrvaṃ brahmā prajāpatīn | ātmatejobhinirvṛttānbhāskarāgnisamaprabhān

In the beginning Brahma created only Brahmanas as the lords of creatures, born of his own radiance and shining like the sun and fire.

Verse 2 (12.186.2)

ततः सत्यं च धर्मं च तपो ब्रह्म च शाश्वतम् । आचारं चैव शौचं च सर्गादौ विदधे प्रभुः ॥

tataḥ satyaṃ ca dharmaṃ ca tapo brahma ca śāśvatam | ācāraṃ caiva śaucaṃ ca sargādau vidadhe prabhuḥ

Then, at the beginning of creation, the Lord ordained truth and dharma, austerity and the eternal Veda, right conduct and purity.

Verse 3 (12.186.3)

देवदानवगन्धर्वा दैत्यासुरमहोरगाः । यक्षराक्षसनागाश्च पिशाचा मनुजास्तथा ॥

devadānavagandharvā daityāsuramahoragāḥ | yakṣarākṣasanāgāśca piśācā manujāstathā

Gods, Danavas, Gandharvas, Daityas, Asuras, great serpents, Yakshas, Rakshasas, Nagas, Pishachas and human beings as well,

Note on the text: Corrected देवदानवगन्वर्गा → देवदानवगन्धर्वा (misprint in Wikisource; dropped ध and garbled वा; the critical edition reads devadānavagandharvadaityāsuramahoragāḥ).

Verse 4 (12.186.4)

ब्राह्मणाः क्षत्रिया वैश्याः शूद्राश्च द्विजसत्तम । ये चान्ये भूतसङ्घानां संघातास्तांश्च निर्ममे ॥

brāhmaṇāḥ kṣatriyā vaiśyāḥ śūdrāśca dvijasattama | ye cānye bhūtasaṅghānāṃ saṃghātāstāṃśca nirmame

and Brahmanas, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas and Shudras, O best of the twice-born, and whatever other groups there are among the multitudes of beings, all these he made.

Verse 5 (12.186.5)

ब्राह्मणानां सितो वर्णः क्षत्रियाणां तु लोहितः । वैश्यानां पीतको वर्णः शूद्राणामसितस्तथा ॥

brāhmaṇānāṃ sito varṇaḥ kṣatriyāṇāṃ tu lohitaḥ | vaiśyānāṃ pītako varṇaḥ śūdrāṇāmasitastathā

The colour of the Brahmanas is white, that of the Kshatriyas red, that of the Vaishyas yellow, and likewise that of the Shudras black.

Verse 6 (12.186.6)

चातुर्वर्ण्यस्य वर्णेन यदि वर्णो विभज्यते । सर्वेषां खलु वर्णानां दृश्यते वर्णसंकरः ॥

cāturvarṇyasya varṇena yadi varṇo vibhajyate | sarveṣāṃ khalu varṇānāṃ dṛśyate varṇasaṃkaraḥ

If the division into the four classes is made by colour, then a mixture of colours is plainly seen among all the classes.

Verse 7 (12.186.7)

कामः क्रोधो भयं लोभः शोकश्चिन्ता क्षुधा श्रमः । सर्वेषां नः प्रभवति कस्माद्वर्णो विभज्यते ॥

kāmaḥ krodho bhayaṃ lobhaḥ śokaścintā kṣudhā śramaḥ | sarveṣāṃ naḥ prabhavati kasmādvarṇo vibhajyate

Desire, anger, fear, greed, grief, anxiety, hunger and weariness arise in all of us alike; why, then, is class divided?

Verse 8 (12.186.8)

स्वेदमूत्रपुरीषाणि श्लेष्मा पित्तं सशोणितम् । तनुः क्षरति सर्वेषां कस्माद्वर्णो विभज्यते ॥

svedamūtrapurīṣāṇi śleṣmā pittaṃ saśoṇitam | tanuḥ kṣarati sarveṣāṃ kasmādvarṇo vibhajyate

Sweat, urine and excrement, phlegm, bile and blood: the body of every one of us discharges these; why, then, is class divided?

Verse 9 (12.186.9)

जङ्गमानामसङ्ख्येयाः स्थावराणां च जातयः । तेषां विविधवर्णानां कुतो वर्णविनिश्चयः ॥

jaṅgamānāmasaṅkhyeyāḥ sthāvarāṇāṃ ca jātayaḥ | teṣāṃ vividhavarṇānāṃ kuto varṇaviniścayaḥ

Moving creatures are beyond counting, and so are the kinds of the unmoving. Among these beings of every colour, how can the class of each be determined?

Verse 10 (12.186.10)

न विशेषोऽस्ति वर्णानां सर्वं ब्राह्ममिदं जगत् । ब्राह्मणाः पूर्वसृष्टा हि कर्मभिर्वर्णतां गताः ॥

na viśeṣo'sti varṇānāṃ sarvaṃ brāhmamidaṃ jagat | brāhmaṇāḥ pūrvasṛṣṭā hi karmabhirvarṇatāṃ gatāḥ

There is no distinction among the classes; this whole world is Brahma's. Brahmanas were created first, and through their deeds they have come to their several classes.

Verse 11 (12.186.11)

कामभोगप्रियास्तीक्ष्णाः क्रोधनाः प्रियसाहसाः । त्यक्तस्वधर्मा रक्ताङ्गास्ते द्विजाः क्षत्रतां गताः ॥

kāmabhogapriyāstīkṣṇāḥ krodhanāḥ priyasāhasāḥ | tyaktasvadharmā raktāṅgāste dvijāḥ kṣatratāṃ gatāḥ

Those fond of pleasures and enjoyments, fierce, quick to anger, fond of daring deeds, who gave up their own duty and became red of limb, those twice-born became Kshatriyas.

Verse 12 (12.186.12)

गोषु वृत्तिं समाधाय पीताः कृष्युपजीविनः । स्वधर्मान्नानुतिष्ठन्ति ते द्विजा वैश्यतां गताः ॥

goṣu vṛttiṃ samādhāya pītāḥ kṛṣyupajīvinaḥ | svadharmānnānutiṣṭhanti te dvijā vaiśyatāṃ gatāḥ

Those who took to keeping cattle, who became yellow, lived by farming and did not follow their own duty, those twice-born became Vaishyas.

Verse 13 (12.186.13)

हिंसानृतप्रिया लुब्धाः सर्वकर्मोपजीविनः । कृष्णाः शौचपरिभ्रष्टास्ते द्विजाः शूद्रता गताः ॥

hiṃsānṛtapriyā lubdhāḥ sarvakarmopajīvinaḥ | kṛṣṇāḥ śaucaparibhraṣṭāste dvijāḥ śūdratā gatāḥ

Those fond of violence and falsehood, greedy, living by any kind of work, black, and fallen from purity, those twice-born became Shudras.

Verse 14 (12.186.14)

इत्येतैः कर्मभिर्व्यस्ता द्विजा वर्णान्तरं गताः । धर्मो यज्ञक्रिया चैषां नित्यं न प्रतिषिध्यते ॥

ityetaiḥ karmabhirvyastā dvijā varṇāntaraṃ gatāḥ | dharmo yajñakriyā caiṣāṃ nityaṃ na pratiṣidhyate

Thus, set apart by these deeds, the twice-born passed into other classes; yet dharma and the sacrificial rites are never forbidden to them.

Verse 15 (12.186.15)

इत्येते चतुरो वर्णा येषां ब्राह्मी सरस्वती । विहिता ब्रह्मणा पूर्वं लोभात्त्वज्ञानतां गताः ॥

ityete caturo varṇā yeṣāṃ brāhmī sarasvatī | vihitā brahmaṇā pūrvaṃ lobhāttvajñānatāṃ gatāḥ

These are the four classes for whom Brahma in the beginning ordained the sacred speech of the Veda; but through greed they fell into ignorance.

Verse 16 (12.186.16)

ब्राह्मणा ब्रह्मतन्त्रस्थास्तपस्तेषां न नश्यति । ब्रह्म धारयतां नित्यं व्रतानि नियमांस्तथा ॥

brāhmaṇā brahmatantrasthāstapasteṣāṃ na naśyati | brahma dhārayatāṃ nityaṃ vratāni niyamāṃstathā

Brahmanas who abide by the discipline of the Veda do not lose their austerity, they who always uphold the Veda, vows and restraints.

Verse 17 (12.186.17)

ब्रह्म वैव परं सृष्टं ये तु जानन्ति ते द्विजाः । तेषां बहुविधास्त्वन्ये तत्रतत्र द्विजातयः ॥

brahma vaiva paraṃ sṛṣṭaṃ ye tu jānanti te dvijāḥ | teṣāṃ bahuvidhāstvanye tatratatra dvijātayaḥ

The Veda indeed was created first and supreme, and those who know it are the twice-born. Apart from them there are many other kinds of twice-born, here and there.

Verse 18 (12.186.18)

पिशाचा राक्षसाः प्रेता विविधा म्लेच्छजातयः । प्रनष्टज्ञानविज्ञानाः स्वच्छन्दाचारचेष्टिताः ॥

piśācā rākṣasāḥ pretā vividhā mlecchajātayaḥ | pranaṣṭajñānavijñānāḥ svacchandācāraceṣṭitāḥ

Pishachas, Rakshasas, Pretas and the many tribes of Mlecchas: these have lost knowledge and understanding and act and live just as they please.

Verse 19 (12.186.19)

प्रजा ब्राह्मणसंस्काराः स्वकर्मकृतनिश्चयाः । ऋषिभिः स्वेन तपसा सृज्यन्ते चापरे परैः ॥

prajā brāhmaṇasaṃskārāḥ svakarmakṛtaniścayāḥ | ṛṣibhiḥ svena tapasā sṛjyante cāpare paraiḥ

Peoples consecrated by the rites of the Brahmanas, firm in what their own deeds ordain, are brought forth by the sages through their own austerity, the later ones by the earlier.

Verse 20 (12.186.20)

आदिदेवसमुद्भूता ब्रह्ममूलाक्षयाव्यया । सा सृष्टिर्मानसी नाम धर्मतन्त्रपरायणा ॥

ādidevasamudbhūtā brahmamūlākṣayāvyayā | sā sṛṣṭirmānasī nāma dharmatantraparāyaṇā

That creation, born of the Primal God, rooted in Brahman, imperishable and undiminishing, is called the mind-born creation, and it is devoted to the rule of dharma.