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== महाभारते वर्णः ॥ Varna in the Mahabharata ==

== महाभारते वर्णः ॥ Varna in the Mahabharata ==

Mahabharata (12.188), on the other hand, assigns a color to each varṇa that symbolically represents the attributes/svabhava associated with that varṇa, reflecting the three qualities of the nature (prakriti): sattva, rajas, and tamas.  

Mahabharata (12.188), on the other hand, assigns a color to each varṇa that symbolically represents the attributes/svabhava associated with that varṇa, reflecting the three qualities of the nature (prakrti): sattva, rajas, and tamas.<ref name=":2" /> It is said in the Moksha Dharma Parva in the Shanti Parva of the Mahabharata that,  <blockquote>ब्राह्मणानां सितो वर्णः क्षत्रियाणां तु लोहितः । वैश्यानां पीतको वर्णः शूद्राणामसितस्तथा ॥ ५ ॥<ref name=":3">Ramnarayandatta Shastri Pandey, Mahabharata - [https://archive.org/stream/Mahabharata04SanskritHindiPanditRamnarayanGitaPress/Mahabharata05_Sanskrit-hindi_panditRamnarayan_gitaPress#page/n9/mode/2up Volume 5] (Shanti Parva), Gorakhpur: Gita Press. </ref></blockquote><blockquote>''brāhmaṇānāṁ sito varṇaḥ kṣatriyāṇāṁ tu lohitaḥ । vaiśyānāṁ pītako varṇaḥ śūdrāṇāmasitastathā ॥ 5 ॥''</blockquote>Meaning: The colour of the brahmanas is white, kshatriyas is red, vaishyas is yellow and that of the shudras is black.

ब्राह्मणाः क्षत्रिया वैश्याः शूद्राश्च द्विजसत्तम । ये चान्ये भूतसङ्घानां सङ्घास्तांश्चापि निर्ममे ॥ ४॥

Explaining how this difference of Varna came about it is said, <blockquote>न विशेषोऽस्तिवर्णानां सर्वे ब्राह्ममिदं जगत् । ब्रह्मणा पूर्वसृष्टं हि कर्मभिर्वर्णतां गतम् ॥ १० ॥<ref name=":3" /></blockquote><blockquote>''na viśeṣo'stivarṇānāṁ sarve brāhmamidaṁ jagat । brahmaṇā pūrvasr̥ṣṭaṁ hi karmabhirvarṇatāṁ gatam ॥ 10 ॥''</blockquote>Meaning: O sage, in the beginning, there was no difference among the varnas. Having originated from Lord Brahma, the entire universe was Brahmana. Later, due to the the various karmas (activities), they were differentiated on the basis of Varnas.

It is further said that,<blockquote>कामभोगप्रियास्तीक्ष्णाः क्रोधनाः प्रियसाहसाः । त्यक्त्वस्वधर्मारक्ताङ्गास्ते द्विजाः क्षत्रतां गताः ॥ ११ ॥<ref name=":3" /></blockquote><blockquote>''kāmabhogapriyāstīkṣṇāḥ krodhanāḥ priyasāhasāḥ । tyaktvasvadharmāraktāṅgāste dvijāḥ kṣatratāṁ gatāḥ ॥ 11 ॥''</blockquote>Meaning : Those who, having foresaken the duties appropriate for a brahmana, favoured material enjoyment, had sharp nature, anger and were known for their valarous deeds; and whose body became red due to this very reason, (those brahmanas) attained the Varna of a kshatriya.<blockquote>गोभ्यो वृत्तिं समास्थाय पीताः कृष्युपजीविनः । स्वधर्मान् नानुतिष्ठन्ति ते द्विजा वैश्यतां गताः ॥ १२ ॥<ref name=":3" /></blockquote><blockquote>''gobhyo vr̥ttiṁ samāsthāya pītāḥ kr̥ṣyupajīvinaḥ । svadharmān nānutiṣṭhanti te dvijā vaiśyatāṁ gatāḥ ॥ 12 ॥''</blockquote>Meaning: Those who accepted cattle rearing and farming as the means of livelihood due to which their colour turned yellow and who abandoned the duties of a brahmana attained the Varna of Vaishya.<blockquote>हिंसानृतप्रिया लुब्धाः सर्वकर्मोपजीविनः । कृष्णाः शौचपरिभ्रष्टास्ते द्विजाः शूद्रतां गताः ॥ १३ ॥<ref name=":3" /></blockquote><blockquote>''hiṁsānr̥tapriyā lubdhāḥ sarvakarmopajīvinaḥ । kr̥ṣṇāḥ śaucaparibhraṣṭāste dvijāḥ śūdratāṁ gatāḥ ॥ 13 ॥''</blockquote>Meaning: Those who deviated from cleanliness and good behaviour and favoured violence and untruth, and took up livelihood involving actions that are not praiseworthy due to greed and thereby had their bodies turn black, (those brahmanas) attained the Shudra Varna.<blockquote>इत्येतैः कर्मभिर्व्यस्ता द्विजा वर्णान्तरं गताः । धर्मो यज्ञक्रिया तेषां न नित्यं न प्रतिषिध्यते ॥ १४ ॥<ref name=":3" /></blockquote><blockquote>''ityetaiḥ karmabhirvyastā dvijā varṇāntaraṁ gatāḥ । dharmo yajñakriyā teṣāṁ na nityaṁ na pratiṣidhyate ॥ 14 ॥''</blockquote>Meaning : This is how due to the karmas (activities) those brahmanas got separated from their brahmanatva and attained the various Varnas. However, they have not been denied adherence to dharma and performance of Yajnas in day to day life.

 

 

Meaning: The colour of the brahmanas is white, kshatriyas is red, vaishyas is yellow and that of the shudras is black.

 

 

Meaning: O sage, in the beginning, there was no difference among the varnas. Having originated from Lord Brahma, the entire universe was Brahmana. Later, due to the the various karmas (activities), they were differentiated on the basis of Varnas.

 

कामभोगप्रियास्तीक्ष्णाः क्रोधनाः प्रियसाहसाः । त्यक्त्वस्वधर्मारक्ताङ्गास्ते द्विजाः क्षत्रतां गताः ॥ ११ ॥  

 

Meaning : The one who, having foresaken the duties appropriate for a brahmana, favours material enjoyment, have a sharp nature, angry and adventurous and whosebody have become red due to this very reason, attains Varna of a kshatriya.

 

गोभ्यो वृत्तिं समास्थाय पीताः कृष्युपजीविनः । स्वधर्मान् नानुतिष्ठन्ति ते द्विजा वैश्यतां गताः ॥ १२ ॥

 

Meaning: Those who have accepted the livelihood of cattle rearing and farming due to which their colour has turned yellow and those who live having abandoned the duties of a brahmana attain the Varna of Vaishya.

 

हिंसानृतप्रिया लुब्धाः सर्वकर्मोपजीविनः । कृष्णाः शौचपरिभ्रष्टास्ते द्विजाः शूद्रतां गताः ॥ १३ ॥

 

Meaning: Those who deviate from cleanliness and good behaviour, adopt violence and untruth, and take up a livelihood involving actions that are not praiseworthy thereby havetheir bodies turn black attain the Shudra Varna.

 

इत्येतैः कर्मभिर्व्यस्ता द्विजा वर्णान्तरं गताः । धर्मो यज्ञक्रिया तेषां न नित्यं न प्रतिषिध्यते ॥ १४ ॥

 

Meaning : This is how all the brahmanas get separated from thei brahmanatva and attain the various Varnas. However, they have not been denied adherence to dharma and performance of Yajnas.

 

== गीतायां वर्णः ॥ Varna in the Gita ==

== गीतायां वर्णः ॥ Varna in the Gita ==