Brahma Purana · Chapter 223

sarvajñas tvaṃ mahābhāga sarvabhūtahite rataḥ
bhūtaṃ bhavyaṃ bhaviṣyaṃ ca na te 'sty aviditaṃ mune //

karmaṇā kena varṇānām adhamā jāyate gatiḥ
uttamā ca bhavet kena brūhi teṣāṃ mahāmate //

śūdras tu karmaṇā kena brāhmaṇatvaṃ ca gacchati
śrotum icchāmahe kena brāhmaṇaḥ śūdratām iyāt //

himavacchikhare ramye nānādhātuvibhūṣite
nānādrumalatākīrṇe nānāścaryasamanvite //

tatra sthitaṃ mahādevaṃ tripuraghnaṃ trilocanam
śailarājasutā devī praṇipatya sureśvaram //

imaṃ praśnaṃ purā viprā apṛcchac cārulocanā
tad ahaṃ saṃpravakṣyāmi śṛṇudhvaṃ mama sattamāḥ //

bhagavan bhaganetraghna pūṣṇo dantavināśana
dakṣakratuhara tryakṣa saṃśayo me mahān ayam //

cāturvarṇyaṃ bhagavatā pūrvaṃ sṛṣṭaṃ svayaṃbhuvā
kena karmavipākena vaiśyo gacchati śūdratām //

vaiśyo vā kṣatriyaḥ kena dvijo vā kṣatriyo bhavet
pratilome kathaṃ deva śakyo dharmo nivartitum //

kena vā karmaṇā vipraḥ śūdrayonau prajāyate
kṣatriyaḥ śūdratām eti kena vā karmaṇā vibho //

etaṃ me saṃśayaṃ deva vada bhūtapate 'nagha
trayo varṇāḥ prakṛtyeha kathaṃ brāhmaṇyam āpnuyuḥ //

brāhmaṇyaṃ devi duṣprāpaṃ nisargād brāhmaṇaḥ śubhe
kṣatriyo vaiśyaśūdrau vā nisargād iti me matiḥ //

karmaṇā duṣkṛteneha sthānād bhraśyati sa dvijaḥ
śreṣṭhaṃ varṇam anuprāpya tasmād ākṣipyate punaḥ //

sthito brāhmaṇadharmeṇa brāhmaṇyam upajīvati
kṣatriyo vātha vaiśyo vā brahmabhūyaṃ sa gacchati //

yaś ca vipratvam utsṛjya kṣatradharmān niṣevate
brāhmaṇyāt sa paribhraṣṭaḥ kṣatrayonau prajāyate //

vaiśyakarma ca yo vipro lobhamohavyapāśrayaḥ
brāhmaṇyaṃ durlabhaṃ prāpya karoty alpamatiḥ sadā //

sa dvijo vaiśyatām eti vaiśyo vā śūdratām iyāt
svadharmāt pracyuto vipras tataḥ śūdratvam āpnuyāt //

tatrāsau nirayaṃ prāpto varṇabhraṣṭo bahiṣkṛtaḥ
brahmalokāt paribhraṣṭaḥ śūdrayonau prajāyate //

kṣatriyo vā mahābhāge vaiśyo vā dharmacāriṇi
svāni karmāṇy apākṛtya śūdrakarma niṣevate //

svasthānāt sa paribhraṣṭo varṇasaṃkaratāṃ gataḥ
brāhmaṇaḥ kṣatriyo vaiśyaḥ śūdratvaṃ yāti tādṛśaḥ //

yas tu śūdraḥ svadharmeṇa jñānavijñānavāñ śuciḥ
dharmajño dharmanirataḥ sa dharmaphalam aśnute //

idaṃ caivāparaṃ devi brahmaṇā samudāhṛtam
adhyātmaṃ naiṣṭhikī siddhir dharmakāmair niṣevyate //

ugrānnaṃ garhitaṃ devi gaṇānnaṃ śrāddhasūtakam
ghuṣṭānnaṃ naiva bhoktavyaṃ śūdrānnaṃ naiva vā kvacit //

śūdrānnaṃ garhitaṃ devi sadā devair mahātmabhiḥ
pitāmahamukhotsṛṣṭaṃ pramāṇam iti me matiḥ //

śūdrānnenāvaśeṣeṇa jaṭhare mriyate dvijaḥ
āhitāgnis tathā yajvā sa śūdragatibhāg bhavet //

tena śūdrānnaśeṣeṇa brahmasthānād apākṛtaḥ
brāhmaṇaḥ śūdratām eti nāsti tatra vicāraṇā //

yasyānnenāvaśeṣeṇa jaṭhare mriyate dvijaḥ
tāṃ tāṃ yoniṃ vrajed vipro yasyānnam upajīvati //

brāhmaṇatvaṃ sukhaṃ prāpya durlabhaṃ yo 'vamanyate
abhojyānnāni vāśnāti sa dvijatvāt pateta vai //

surāpo brahmahā steyī cauro bhagnavrato 'śuciḥ
svādhyāyavarjitaḥ pāpo lubdho naikṛtikaḥ śaṭhaḥ //

avratī vṛṣalībhartā kuṇḍāśī somavikrayī
vihīnasevī vipro hi patate brahmayonitaḥ //

gurutalpī gurudveṣī gurukutsāratiś ca yaḥ
brahmadviḍ vāpi patati brāhmaṇo brahmayonitaḥ //

ebhis tu karmabhir devi śubhair ācaritais tathā
śūdro brāhmaṇatāṃ gacched vaiśyaḥ kṣatriyatāṃ vrajet //

śūdraḥ karmāṇi sarvāṇi yathānyāyaṃ yathāvidhi
sarvātithyam upātiṣṭhañ śeṣānnakṛtabhojanaḥ //

śuśrūṣāṃ paricaryāṃ yo jyeṣṭhavarṇe prayatnataḥ
kuryād avimanāḥ śreṣṭhaḥ satataṃ satpathe sthitaḥ //

devadvijātisatkartā sarvātithyakṛtavrataḥ
ṛtukālābhigāmī ca niyato niyatāśanaḥ //

dakṣaḥ śiṣṭajanānveṣī śeṣānnakṛtabhojanaḥ
vṛthā māṃsaṃ na bhuñjīta śūdro vaiśyatvam ṛcchati //

ṛtavāg anahaṃvādī nirdvaṃdvaḥ sāmakovidaḥ
yajate nityayajñaiś ca svādhyāyaparamaḥ śuciḥ //

dānto brāhmaṇasatkartā sarvavarṇānasūyakaḥ
gṛhasthavratam ātiṣṭhan dvikālakṛtabhojanaḥ //

śeṣāśī vijitāhāro niṣkāmo nirahaṃvadaḥ
agnihotram upāsīno juhvānaś ca yathāvidhi //

sarvātithyam upātiṣṭhañ śeṣānnakṛtabhojanaḥ
tretāgnimātravihitaṃ vaiśyo bhavati ca dvijaḥ //

sa vaiśyaḥ kṣatriyakule śucir mahati jāyate
sa vaiśyaḥ kṣatriyo jāto janmaprabhṛti saṃskṛtaḥ //

upanīto vrataparo dvijo bhavati saṃskṛtaḥ
dadāti yajate yajñaiḥ samṛddhair āptadakṣiṇaiḥ //

adhītya svargam anvicchaṃs tretāgniśaraṇaḥ sadā
ārdrahastaprado nityaṃ prajā dharmeṇa pālayan //

satyaḥ satyāni kurute nityaṃ yaḥ śuddhidarśanaḥ
dharmadaṇḍena nirdagdho dharmakāmārthasādhakaḥ //

yantritaḥ kāryakaraṇaiḥ ṣaḍbhāgakṛtalakṣaṇaḥ
grāmyadharmān na seveta svacchandenārthakovidaḥ //

ṛtukāle tu dharmātmā patnīm upāśrayet sadā
sadopavāsī niyataḥ svādhyāyanirataḥ śuciḥ //

vahiskāntarite nityaṃ śayāno 'sti sadā gṛhe
sarvātithyaṃ trivargasya kurvāṇaḥ sumanāḥ sadā //

śūdrāṇāṃ cānnakāmānāṃ nityaṃ siddham iti bruvan
svārthād vā yadi vā kāmān na kiṃcid upalakṣayet //

pitṛdevātithikṛte sādhanaṃ kurute ca yat
svaveśmani yathānyāyam upāste bhaikṣyam eva ca //

dvikālam agnihotraṃ ca juhvāno vai yathāvidhi
gobrāhmaṇahitārthāya raṇe cābhimukho hataḥ //

tretāgnimantrapūtena samāviśya dvijo bhavet
jñānavijñānasaṃpannaḥ saṃskṛto vedapāragaḥ //

vaiśyo bhavati dharmātmā kṣatriyaḥ svena karmaṇā
etaiḥ karmaphalair devi nyūnajātikulodbhavaḥ //

śūdro 'py āgamasaṃpanno dvijo bhavati saṃskṛtaḥ
brāhmaṇo vāpy asadvṛttaḥ sarvasaṃkarabhojanaḥ //

sa brāhmaṇyaṃ samutsṛjya śūdro bhavati tādṛśaḥ
karmabhiḥ śucibhir devī śuddhātmā vijitendriyaḥ //

śūdro 'pi dvijavat sevya iti brahmābravīt svayam
svabhāvakarmaṇā caiva yatra śūdro 'dhitiṣṭhati //

viśuddhaḥ sa dvijātibhyo vijñeya iti me matiḥ
na yonir nāpi saṃskāro na śrutir na ca saṃtatiḥ //

kāraṇāni dvijatvasya vṛttam eva tu kāraṇam
sarvo 'yaṃ brāhmaṇo loke vṛttena tu vidhīyate //

vṛtte sthitaś ca śūdro 'pi brāhmaṇatvaṃ ca gacchati
brahmasvabhāvaḥ suśroṇi samaḥ sarvatra me mataḥ //

nirguṇaṃ nirmalaṃ brahma yatra tiṣṭhati sa dvijaḥ
ete ye vimalā devi sthānabhāvanidarśakāḥ //

svayaṃ ca varadenoktā brahmaṇā sṛjatā prajāḥ
brahmaṇo hi mahat kṣetraṃ loke carati pādavat //

yat tatra bījaṃ patati sā kṛṣiḥ pretya bhāvinī
saṃtuṣṭena sadā bhāvyaṃ satpathālambinā sadā //

brāhmaṃ hi mārgam ākramya vartitavyaṃ bubhūṣatā
saṃhitādhyāyinā bhāvyaṃ gṛhe vai gṛhamedhinā //

nityaṃ svādhyāyayuktena na cādhyayanajīvinā
evaṃbhūto hi yo vipraḥ satataṃ satpathe sthitaḥ //

āhitāgnir adhīyāno brahmabhūyāya kalpate
brāhmaṇyaṃ devi saṃprāpya rakṣitavyaṃ yatātmanā //

yonipratigrahādānaiḥ karmabhiś ca śucismite
etat te guhyam ākhyātaṃ yathā śūdro bhaved dvijaḥ
brāhmaṇo vā cyuto dharmād yathā śūdratvam āpnuyāt //