The Great Epic of the Bhārata dynasty 6.42.41

6.42.41

evaṃ pañcadaśe saṃsārāśvatthamasaṅgaśastreṇa cchittvā paraṃ padaṃ parimārgitavyamityuktaṃ tatrātmano'saṅgatvopapādanāya kriyākārakaphalalakṣaṇasya kṛtsnasya saṃsārasya triguṇātmakatvamuktam | na hyātmānātmanorguṇātītaguṇātmakayoḥ saṅgaḥ sambhavati | na hyākāśāntarvartipṛthivyādiguṇena gandhādinākāśaḥ saṃsṛjyate tadvadityuktam | samāptaḥ śāstrārthaḥ | athedānīṃ sarvagītāśāstrārthamupasaṃhartumasaṅgaśastrāptyupāyaṃ ca pradarśayituṃ prakaraṇāntaramārabhate -- brāhmaṇetyādinā | śūdrāṇāmasamāsakaraṇaṃ vedānadhikārāt | pravibhaktāni asaṅkīrṇāni | tatra hetumāha svabhāvaprabhavairguṇaiḥ | svabhāva īśvarasya prakṛtistriguṇātmikā saiva prabhavo heturyeṣāṃ guṇānāṃ te svabhāvaprabhavāstaiḥ | yadvā brāhmaṇasvabhāvasya sattvaguṇa eva prabhavaḥ śāntatvāt | kṣatriyasvabhāvasya sattvopasarjanaṃ rajaḥ īśvarasvabhāvatvāt | vaiśyasvabhāvasya tama upasarjanaṃ rajaḥ kṛṣyādisvabhāvatvāt | śūdrasvabhāvasya raja upasarjanaṃ tamaḥ śuśrūṣāsvabhāvatvāt | athavā svabhāvaḥ prāgbhavīyaḥ saṃskārastatprabhavairna tu jātimātraprabhavaiḥ pakṣiṇāmākāśagamanavat | ataeva jātyantaravyāvṛttānāṃ dharmāṇāṃ śamādiṣu pāṭho na dṛśyate | na hi śūdrādvyāvṛttaṃ,traivarṇikānāmadhyayanādikaṃ vā itaradvayādvyāvṛttaṃ brāhmaṇānāmadhyāpanādikaṃ vā iha paṭhyate | kintu sarve sarvajātīyānāṃ sādhāraṇā dharmāḥ śamādayo dṛśyante | yathāhi droṇādiṣu brāhmaṇeṣvapi śauryādikaṃ, bharatādiṣu kṣatriyeṣvapi śamādikaṃ dṛṣṭam evamitaratra | tasmādyasminkasmiṃścidvarṇe śamādayo dṛśyante sa śūdro'pyetairlakṣaṇairbrāhmaṇa eva jñātavyaḥ | yatra ca brāhmaṇe'pi śūdradharmā dṛśyante sa śūdra eva | tathā cāraṇyake sarpabhūtaṃ nahuṣaṃ prati yudhiṣṭhiravākyam “satyaṃ dānaṃ kṣamā śīlamānṛśaṃsyaṃ tapo ghṛṇā | dṛśyante yatra nāgendra sa brāhmaṇa iti smṛtaḥ |” tathā “yatraitallakṣyate sarpa vṛttaṃ sa brāhmaṇaḥ smṛtaḥ | yatraitanna bhavetsarpa taṃ śūdramiti nirdiśet” iti | jātidharmāstu manunā darśitāḥ “adhyāpanaṃ cādhyayanaṃ yajanaṃ yājanaṃ tathā | dānaṃ pratigrahaṃ caiva brāhmaṇānāmakalpayat | prajānāṃ rakṣaṇaṃ dānamijyādhyayanameva ca | viṣayeṣvaprasaktiṃ ca kṣatriyasya samāsataḥ | paśūnāṃ rakṣaṇaṃ dānamijyādhyayanameva ca | vaṇikpathaṃ kusīdaṃ ca vaiśyasya kṛṣimeva ca | ekameva tu śūdrasya prabhuḥ karma samādiśat | eteṣāmeva varṇānāṃ śuśrūṣāmanasūyayā |” iti | tasmāt śamādayo yatrābrāhmaṇe brāhmaṇe vā dṛśyante sa eva brāhmaṇa ityatra vivakṣitam | ‘sve sve karmaṇyabhirataḥ saṃsiddhiṃ labhate naraḥ’ ityatra tu manūktānyadhyāpanādīnyeva svakarmāṇi grāhyāṇi na tu śamadamādīni | nahi jñānavijñānavato'nyā saṃsiddhirlabdhavyāsti | tasmācchamadamādayo brahmiṣṭhasyaiva brāhmaṇasya lakṣaṇamiti dik ||