The Great Epic of the Bhārata dynasty 12.188

Vulgate (Nīlakaṇṭha's text) 12.188

bhṛguruvāca |
asṛjadbrāhmaṇāneva pūrvaṃ brahmā prajāpatīn |
ātmatejobhinirvṛttān bhāskarāgnisamaprabhān ||

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

deva-dānava-gandharvā daityāsura-mahoragāḥ |
yakṣa-rākṣasa-nāgāśca piśācā manujāstathā ||

brāhmaṇāḥ kṣatriyā vaiṣyāḥ śūdrāśca dvijasattama |
ye cānye bhūtasaṅghānāṃ varṇāstāṃścāpi nirmame ||

brāhmaṇānāṃ sito varṇaḥ kṣatriyāṇāṃ tu lohitaḥ |
vaiśyānāṃ pītako varṇaḥ śūdrāṇāmasitastathā ||

bharadvāja uvāca |
cāturvarṇyasya varṇena yadi varṇo vibhidyate |
sarveṣāṃ khalu varṇānāṃ dṛśyate varṇasaṅkaraḥ ||

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

svedamūtrapurīṣāṇi śleṣmā pittaṃ saśoṇitam |
tanuḥ kṣarati sarveṣāṃ kasmādvarṇo vibhajyate ||

jaṅgamānāmasaṅkhyeyāḥ sthāvarāṇāṃ ca jātayaḥ |
teṣāṃ vividhavarṇānāṃ kuto varṇaviniścayaḥ ||

bhṛguruvāca |
na viśeṣo'sti varṇānāṃ sarvaṃ brāhmamidaṃ jagat |
brahmaṇā pūrvasṛṣṭaṃ hi karmabhirvarṇatāṃ gatam ||

kāmabhogapriyāstīkṣṇāḥ krodhanāḥ priyasāhasāḥ |
tyaktasvadharmā raktāṅgāste dvijāḥ kṣatratāṃ gatāḥ ||

gobhyo vṛttiṃ samāsthāya pītāḥ kṛṣyupajīvinaḥ |
svadharmānnānutiṣṭhanti te dvijā vaiśyatāṃ gatāḥ ||

hiṃsānṛtapriyā lubdhāḥ sarvakarmopajīvinaḥ |
kṛṣṇāḥ śaucaparibhraṣṭāste dvijāḥ śūdratāṃ gatāḥ ||

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

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

brāhmaṇā brahmatantrasthāstapasteṣāṃ na naśyati |
brahma dhārayatāṃ nityaṃ vratāni niyamāṃstathā ||

brahma caiva paraṃ sṛṣṭaṃ ye na jānanti te'dvijāḥ |
teṣāṃ bahuvidhāstvanyāstatra tatra hi jātayaḥ ||

piśācā rākṣasāḥ pretā vividhā mlecchajātayaḥ |
praṇaṣṭajñānavijñānāḥ svacchandācāraceṣṭitāḥ ||

prajā brāhmaṇapasaṃskārāḥ svakarmakṛtaniścayāḥ |
ṛṣibhiḥ svena tapasā sṛjyante cāpare'paraiḥ ||

ādidevasamudbhūtā brahmamūlākṣayā'vyayā |
sā sṛṣṭirmānasī nāma dharmatantraparāyaṇā ||

Other recensions (1)