Hindu Administrative Institutions c6.s4.5

c6.s4.5

There is again a passage in the *Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa* which throws some side-light on the question of the origin of castes. Prajāpati created Brahma with *Bhūḥ*, Kṣatra with *Bhuvaḥ* and Viś with *Svaḥ*. Professor K. Sundararama Aiyar explains this passage following *Śrī Śankara Bhāshya* on a similar passage that occurs in the *Taittirīya Brāhmaṇa*.³ स भूरिति व्याहरन्स भूमिसृजत । That is, ‘ the earth was created by Brahma after the word *Bhū* became manifest in his mind.’ In the same way the passage in the *Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa* means that they were created by Prajāpati after these words (*Bhū*, etc.) became manifest in his mind, and so they can be said to have sprung from both Prajāpati and from *Bhūḥ*, etc., or from either.¹