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CHAPTER 18
SRIMAD BHAGAVADGITA
ब्राह्राणक्षत्रियविशां शूद्राणां च परंतप ।
कर्माणि प्रविभक्तानि स्वभावप्रभवैर्गुणै: ।। 41 ।।
शमो दमस्तप: शौचं क्षान्तिरार्जवमेव च ।
ज्ञानं विज्ञानमास्तिक्यं ब्रह्राकर्म स्वभावजम् ।। 42 ।।
शौर्यं तेजो धृतिर्दाक्ष्यं युद्धे चाप्यपलायनम् ।
दानमीश्वरभावश्च क्षात्रं कर्म स्वभावजम् ।। 43 ।।
कृषिगौरक्ष्यवाणिज्यं वैश्यकर्म स्वभावजम् ।
परिचर्यात्मकं कर्म शूद्रस्यापि स्वभावजम् ।। 44 ।।
Translation:-(41) O Parantapa! the respective duties of Brahmins
(priests), Ksatriyas (warriors), Vaisyas (tradesman) and
Sudras (menials) have been individually fixed with reference
to the qualities arising from their inherent natures, that is,
from Prakrti. (42) The inherently natural duties of a
Brahmin are peace, self-restraint, religious austerities,
cleanliness, quietness, straight-forwardness (humility),
Knowledge (that is, Spiritual Knowledge), Vijnana (that is,
Emperial Knowledge), and astikya-buddhi (that is, belief in
a future world—Trans.). (43) The inherently natural duty
(Karma) of the Ksatriya is bravery, brilliance, courage,
intentness, not running away from the battle, generosity,
and exercising authority (over subject people). (44) 'krsi'
(that is, agriculture) 'goraksya' (that is, the business of
of keeping cattle), and vanijya (that is, trade) is the
inherently natural duty of the Vaisya; and in the same way,
service is the inherently natural duty of the Sudra.
Description:-[The arrangement of the four classes has come into
existence as a result of the difference between the
inherently natural qualities; but, it is not that this
explanation has for the first time been given in the Gita.
This explanation about the difference between the qualities
has, with nominal differences, appeared (i) in the con-versation
between Nahusa and Yudhisthira, and in the
conversation between the Brahmin and the Hunter in the
Vanaparva of the Mahabharata [1];
(ii) in the conversation between Bhrgu and Bharadvaja in the
Santi-parva[2]; and (iii) in the conversation between
Uma and Mahesvara in the Anusasanaparva [3].
It has been stated before that the various activities of the
world result from the differences in the constituents of
Prakrti; and it has been proved that the four-class-arrangement,
which determines what each of these classes
has to do, is itself the result of the difference in the
constituents of Prakrti. The Blessed Lord now says, that
(i) all these Actions must be carried on by everybody with
a desireless frame of mind, that is, with the idea of
dedicating them to the Paramesvara, as otherwise, the
world will not go on; that (ii) a man acquires Perfection
when he conducts himself in this way; and that (iii) it is
not necessary to perform any other austerity for obtaining
Perfection—]
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