भृगुरुवाच असृजद् ब्राह्मणानेव पूर्वं ब्रह्मा प्रजापतीन्। आत्मतेजोभिनिर्वृत्तान् भास्कराग्निसमप्रभान्॥
Bhrigu said Brahman first created a few Brahmanas who passed by the name of Prajapatis (lord of creation). Effulgent like the fire or the Sun, they were created out of the energy of that First-born Being.
ततः सत्यं च धर्मं च तपो ब्रह्म च शाश्वतम्। आचारं चैव शौचं च स्वर्गाय विदधे प्रभुः॥
The powerful Lord then created Truth, Duty, Penance, the eternal Vedas, all sorts of pious deeds, and Purity, for enabling creatures to acquire heaven (by practising them).
देवदानवगन्धर्वा दैत्यासुरमहोरगाः। यक्षराक्षसनागाश्च पिशाचा मनुजास्तथा॥ ब्राह्मणाः क्षत्रिया वैष्याः शूद्राश्च द्विजसत्तम। ये चान्ये भूतसङ्घानां सङ्घांस्तांश्चापि निर्ममे॥
After this, the gods and the Danavas, the Gandharvas, the Daityas, the Asuras, the great snakes, the Yakshas, the Rakshasas, the Serpents, the Pishachas, and mankind with their four divisions, viz., Brahmanas, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas, and Shudras, O foremost of twice-born ones, and all the other orders of creatures, were created.
ब्राह्मणानां सितो वण: क्षत्रियाणां तु लोहितः। वैश्यानां पीतको वर्णः शूद्राणामसितस्तथा॥
The complexion of the Brahmanas was white; that of the Kshatriyas was red; that of the Vaishyas yellow; and that of the Shudras was black.
भरद्वाज उवाच चातुर्वर्ण्यस्य वर्णेन यदि वर्णो विभिद्यते। सर्वेषां खलु वर्णानां दृश्यते वर्णसंकरः॥
Bharadwaja said If the distinction between the four castes be made by means only of colour, then it seems that all the four orders have been intermixed.
कामः क्रोधो भयं लोभः शोकश्चिन्ता क्षुधा श्रमः। सर्वेषां नः प्रभवति कस्माद् वर्णो विभिद्यते॥
Lust, anger, fear, cupidity, grief, anxiety, hunger, exhaustion, possess and prevail over all men. How can men be distinguished by the attributes?
स्वेदमूत्रपुरीषाणि श्लेष्मा पित्तं सशोणितम्। तनुः क्षरति सर्वेषां कस्माद् वर्णो विभज्यते॥
The bodies of all men sweat and puss urine, faeces, phlegm, bile and blood. How then can men be divided into classes?
जङ्गमानामसंख्येयाः स्थावराणां च जातयः। तेषां विविधवर्णानां कुतो वर्णविनिश्चयः॥
Mobile objects are endless in number; the immobile objects are also innumerable. How then can so many different objects be divided into classes?
भृगुरुवाच न विशेषोऽस्ति वर्णानां सर्वं ब्राह्ममिदं जगत्। ब्रह्मणा पूर्वसृष्टं हि कर्मभिर्वर्णतां गतम्॥
Bhrigu said There is in fact no distinction between the different castes. The whole world at first consisted of Brahmanas. Created equally by Brahman, men have, on account of their acts, been divided into various castes.
कामभोगप्रियास्तीक्ष्णा: क्रोधनाः प्रियसाहसाः। त्यक्तस्वधर्मा रक्ताङ्गास्ते द्विजाः क्षत्रतां गताः॥
They who found excessive pleasure in enjoyment become possessed of the attributes of harshness and anger, endued with courage, and were unmindful of the works of piety and worship,-those Brahmanas possessing the quality of Darkness, became Kshatriyas.
गोभ्यो वृत्तिं समास्थाय पीताः कृष्युपजीविनः। स्वधर्मान् नानुतिष्ठन्ति ते द्विजा वैश्यतां गताः॥
Those Brahmanas again who, unmindful of the duties laid down for them, became endued with both the qualities of Goodness and Darkness, and follow the professions of cattletending and agriculture, became Vaishyas.
हिंसानृतप्रिया लुब्धाः सर्वकर्मोपजीविनः। कृष्णाः शौचपरिभ्रष्टास्ते द्विजाः शूद्रतां गताः॥
Those Brahmanas again who were given to untruth and injuring other creatures possessed of cupidity, performed all sorts of works for their maintenance and had no purity of behaviour, and thus possessed of the quality of Darkness, became Shudras.
इत्येतैः कर्मभिर्व्यस्ता द्विजा वर्णान्तरं गताः। धर्मो यज्ञक्रिया तेषां नित्यं न प्रतिषिध्यते॥
Divided by these occupations, Brahınanas, falling away from their own order became members of the other three castes. All the four castes, therefore, have always the right to perform all pious rites and sacrifices.
इत्येते चतुरो वर्णा येषां ब्राह्मी सरस्वती। विहिता ब्रह्मणा पूर्वं लोभात् त्वज्ञानतां गताः॥
Thus were the four castes at first created equally by Brahman who ordained for all of them the observances described (in the Vedas). Cupidity alone brought about the fall of many, who were possessed by ignorance.
ब्राह्मणा ब्रह्मतन्त्रस्थास्तपस्तेषां न नश्यति। ब्रह्म धारयतां नित्यं व्रतानि नियमांस्तथा॥
The Brahmanas are always devoted to the Brahma-scriptures and practising vows and restraints, are capable of understanding Brahima. Their penances, therefore, never prove fruitless.
ब्रह्म चैव परं सृष्टं ये न जानन्ति तेऽद्विजाः। तेषां बहुविधास्त्वन्यास्तत्र तत्र हि जातयः॥
They amongst them are not Brahmanas who cannot understand that every created thing is Supreme Brahma. These, falling away, became members of various (inferior) castes.
पिशाचा राक्षसाः प्रेता विविधा म्लेच्छजातयः। प्रणष्टज्ञानविज्ञाना: स्वच्छन्दाचारचेष्टिताः॥
Destitute of the light of knowledge, living a loose life of dissolution they are born as Pishas and Rakshasas and Ghosts, and as Mleccha tribes.
प्रजा ब्राह्मणपसंस्काराः स्वकर्मकृतनिश्चयाः। ऋषिभिः स्वेन तपसा सृज्यन्ते चापरे परैः॥
The great Rishis who at the beginning were created (by Brahman's Will) afterwards themselves created, through their penances, men devoted to the duties laid down for them and rites laid down in the Eternal Vedas.
आदिदेवसमुद्भूता ब्रह्ममूलाक्षयाव्यया। सा सृष्टिर्मानसी नाम धर्मतन्त्रपरायणा॥
That other Creation, however, which is eternal and undecaying, which depends upon Brahma and has originated from the Primeval God, and which has Yoga for its support, is a mental one.