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Omkara
25 September 2012, 09:14 AM
The Laws of manu thread was just closed,but one last set of quotes:

quoting Maharaja
Yudhisthira in Mahabharata (Vana Parva chapter 180) -
sudre tu yad bhavel-laksma
dvije tac ca na vidyate
na vai sudro bhavec chudro
brahmano na ca brahmanah
"If such symptoms are found in a sudra, he should never be called a sudra, just as a brahmana is not a
brahmana if he lacks these charactaristics."
Similarly, Lord Siva tells Uma in the Mahabharata (Anusasana Parva 163.8, 26, 46) —
sthito brahmana-dharmena
brahmanyam upajivati
ksatriyo vatha vaisyo va
brahma-bhuyah sa gacchati
ebhis tu karmabhir devi
subhair acaritais tatha
sudro brahmanatam yati
vaisyah ksatriyatam vrajet
etaih karma-phalair devi
suddhatma vijitendriyah
sudro'pi dvija-vat sevya
iti brahmabravit svayam
sarvo'yam brahmano loke
vrttena tu vidhiyate
vrtte sthitas tu sudro'pi
brahmanatvam niyacchati
"If ksatriyas or vaisyas become situated in the behavior of brahmanas and spend their lives in the
occupation of brahmanas , then such persons attain the position of brahmanas.
O Goddess, by the same process, a sudra can become a brahmana and a vaisya can become a ksatriya.
O Goddess, by the results of these activities and by following the agamas, then even a low-born sudra
also becomes a brahmana.
A person in this world is born a brahmana simply as a result of his nature. A sudra situated in the
profession of a brahmana also becomes a brahmana."
na yonir napi samskaro
na srutam na ca santatih
karanani dvijatvasya
vrttam eva tu karanam
"Neither birth, purificatory ceremonies, nor learning, nor progeny are qualifications for brahminical
status. Only brahminical conduct is the basis for brahminical status." (Mahabharata‚ Anusasana Parva
143.50)
The son of Maharaja Gadhi, Visvamitra, became a brahmana by the
strength of his austerities —
tapata sarvan diptaujah
brahmanatvam avaptavan
"That effulgent one (Visvamitra) performed all kinds of austerities and attained the position of a
brahmana." (Mahabharata, Adi Parva, Chapter 174)
Also in the Mahabharata (Anusasana Parva, Chapter 30) we find the example of Maharaja Vitahavya
who also became a brahmana —
evam vipratvam agamad
vitahavyo naradhipah
bhrgoh prasadad rajendra
ksatriyah ksatriyarsabha
tasya grtsamadah putro
rupendra ivaparah
sa brahmacari viprarsih
sriman grtsamado'bhavat
putro grtsamadasyapi
suceta abhavad dvija
vacah sucetasah putro
vihavyas tasya catmajah
vihavyasya tu putras tu
vitatyas tasya catmajah
vitatasya sutah satyah
santah satyasya catmajah
sravas tasya sutas carsi
sravasas cabhavat tamah
tamasas ca prakaso'bhut
tanayo dvija-sattamah
prakasasya ca vagindro
babhuva jayatam varah
tasyatmajas ca pramitir
veda-vedanga-paragah
ghrtacyam tasya putras tu
ruru-namodapadyata
pramadvarayan tu ruroh
putrah samdapadyata
sunako nama viprarsir
yasya putro'tha saunakah
"This is how Maharaja Vitahavya attained the status of a brahmana: O best of the
ksatriyas, although Vitahavya was a ksatriya by birth, by the mercy of Bhrgu he
became a brahmana. His son was Grtsamada who was as beautiful as Indra. He
became a brahmacari and a brahmana sage. Suceta, the son of Grtsamada, also
became a brahmana. The son of Suceta was Varca, and his son was Satya. The
son of Satya was Santa, whose son was Rsivara. The son of Rsivara was Tama
and his son, Prakasa, was the best of the brahmanas. The son of Prakasa was
Vagindra, whose son Pramiti, was learned in the Vedas and Vedangas. Pramiti
begot Ruru in the womb of Ghrtaci. In his wife, Ruru begot a son named Sunaka,
who became a viprarsi. The son of Sunaka was Saunaka Rsi."
The Hari-vamsa (29.7-8) explains that in the dynasty of Grtsamada, there were brahmanas headed by
Saunaka, as well as ksatriyas, vaisyas and sudras —
putro grtsamadasyapi
sunako yasya saunaka
brahmanah ksatriyas caiva
vaisyah sudras tathaiva ca
In Srimad Bhagavatam (9.2.16-17) we find that the dynasty of Maharaja Dhrsta also became
brahmanas —
dhstad dharstam abhut ksatram
brahma-bhuyam gatam ksitau
"From Dhrsta came the dynasty called Dharsta, whose members achieved the position of brahmanas in
this world."
Also in the Bhagavatam (9.2.22) we see the example of Maharaja Agnivesya, the son of Devadatta, who
began a race of brahmanas —
tato brahma-kulam jatam
agnivesyayanam nrpa
"O King, from Agnivesya came a brahminical dynasty known as Ägnivesyayana."
Other examples are Jahnu Muni, who was born as the son of Hotra in the Lunar Dynasty (SB 9.15.1-4);
in the dynasty of Maharaja Puru, Kanva Rsi was born and from him the sage Medhatithi who began the
Praskanna brahmana line (SB 9.20.1-7); Gargya, the son of King Sini, began a generation of
brahmanas; Trayyaruni, Kavi and Puskararuni, the three sons of Maharaja Duritaksaya, became
brahmanas; the descendants of Ajamidha headed by Priyamedha all achieved the position of
brahmanas, and in their family the great sage Mudgala of the Maudgalya brahmanas was born: of the
hundred sons of Rsabhadeva, eighty-one of them became brahmanas (SB 5.4.13); Nabhaga and the
son of Dista, although born as vaisyas, became brahmanas 3; Maharaja Bali begot five ksatriya sons,
and also had sons who founded brahmana dynasties (Hari-vamsa 31.33-35). Other great personalities
such as Vasistha, Gautama, Agastya, and Rsyasrnga were not brahmanas by ordinary standards, yet
who will doubt their qualification and that of their descendants?
Another supporting evidence is found in Srimad Bhagavatam (7.11.35) -
yasya yal laksanam proktam
pumso varnabhivyanjakam
yad anyatrapi drsyeta
tat tenaiva vinirdiset
"If one shows the symptoms of being a brahmana, ksatriya, vaisya or sudra, as described above, even if
he has appeared in a different class, he should be accepted according to those symptoms of
classification." (Srimad Bhagavatam 7.11.35)
Sri Lomasa Rsi in the Itihasa Samucchaya states -
sudram va bhagavad bhaktam
nisadam svapacam tatha
viksatam jati samanyat
sa yati narakam dhruvam
"A Vaisnava, even if he is born in a sudra, dogeater or even lower class family than that, if somebody
sees such a devotee in bad behavior (due to being born in that kind of family), he is certainly said to be
going to hell." (Itihasa Samucchaya)
na me bhaktas caturvedi
mad-bhaktah svapacah priyah
tasmai deyam tato grahyam
sa ca pujyo yatha hyaham
"A brahmana who is expert at chanting the four Vedas is not dear to me, but a devotee who comes from
a family of dog-eaters is dear to me. Whatever he touches becomes pure. That devotee, although born
in a family of outcastes is as worshippable as I am." (Itihasa Samucchaya)
The Padma Purana -
na sudra bhagavad-bhaktas
te tu bhagavata matah
sarva-varnesu te sudra
ye na bhakta janardane
"A devotee should never be considered a sudra. All the devotees of the Supreme Personality of Godhead
should be recognized as bhagavatas. If one is not a devotee of Lord Krsna, however, even if born of a
brahmana, ksatriya or vaisya family, he should be considered a sudra." (Padma Purana)
sva-pakam iva nekseta
loke vipram avaisnavam
vaisnavo varno-bahyo 'pi
punati bhuvana-trayam
"If a person born in a brahmana family is a nondevotee, one should not see his face, exactly as one
should not look upon the face of a dog-eater. However, a vaisnava found in varnas other than
brahmana can purify all the three worlds." (Padma Purana)
sudram va bhagavad-bhaktam
nisadam sva-pacam tatha
viksate jati-samanyat
sa yati narakam dhruvam
"One who considers a devotee of the Supreme Personality of Godhead who was born in a family of
sudras, nisadas or candalas to belong to that particular caste certainly goes to hell." (Padma Purana)
The Varaha Purana states -
raksasah kalim asritya
jayante brahma-yonisu
utpanna brahmana-kule
badhante srotriyan krsan
"Those who were raksasas in previous ages, have taken birth as brahmanas in Kali-yuga to torment the
physically weak saintly persons who are engaged in the culture of hearing about the Lord."
In other words, this verse shows that birth is no guarantee of pure spiritual pedigree in Kali-yuga, for
even demons are born in the families of brahmanas.