गीताभ्यासे 4-13 चातुर्वर्ण्यं मया सृष्टम्
गीताभ्यासे 4-13 चातुर्वर्ण्यं मया सृष्टम्
A study by S. L. Abhyankar
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In the scripting below, orange highlighting indicates spots of पदच्छेदा:
चातुर्वर्ण्यं मया सृष्टं गुणकर्मविभागशः ।
तस्य कर्तारमपि मां विद्ध्यकर्तारमव्ययम् ॥ ४-१३॥
पदच्छेदैः - चातुर्वर्ण्यं मया सृष्टं गुणकर्मविभागशः । तस्य कर्तारम् अपि मां विद्धि अकर्तारम् अव्ययम् ॥
(2) वाक्यांशशः विश्लेषणम्
Notes -
मया चातुर्वर्ण्यं गुणकर्मविभागशः सृष्टम् - I created the sociological system of चातुर्वर्ण्यम् on the basis of qualities, skills and aptitudes and for division of labour. Every member of a society should partake of the work OF the society, should partake of the work FOR the society on the basis of his inherent qualities, skills and aptitudes. The work for the society is broadly of four types -
ब्रह्मकर्म - See शमो दमस्तपः शौचं क्षान्तिरार्जवमेव च ।
ज्ञानं विज्ञानमास्तिक्यं ब्रह्मकर्म स्वभावजम् ॥१८-४२॥
क्षात्रं कर्म - शौर्यं तेजो धृतिर्दाक्ष्यं युद्धे चाप्यपलायनम् ।
दानमीश्वरभावश्च क्षात्रं कर्म स्वभावजम् ॥१८-४३॥
वैश्यकर्म - कृषिगौरक्ष्यवाणिज्यं वैश्यकर्म स्वभावजम् ।
शूद्रकर्म - परिचर्यात्मकं कर्म शूद्रस्यापि स्वभावजम् ॥१८-४४॥
The thought that work for the society is broadly of four types and the four-fold classification is for division of labour, (not for division of the society) has been clarified in ब्राह्मणक्षत्रियविशां शूद्राणां च परन्तप ।
कर्माणि प्रविभक्तानि स्वभावप्रभवैर्गुणैः ॥ १८-४१॥
by the words कर्माणि प्रविभक्तानि
That the division of labour be on the basis of qualities, skills and aptitudes inherent to a person is also stated very clearly by स्वभावप्रभवैर्गुणैः.
Obviously चातुर्वर्ण्यम् is a sociological system with the focus on the individual, not really related to family traditions. It does not brand that a person born in a ब्राह्मण family should partake of ब्रह्मकर्म only. What is detailed in (१८-४२) is ब्रह्मकर्म. It is with the focus on the individual स्वभावप्रभवैर्गुणैः. ब्रह्मकर्म in (१८-४२) is acknowledged to be स्वभावजम् what would be inherent to a person. ब्रह्मकर्म is not to be taken to be a family tradition by virtue of being born in a ब्राह्मण family.
In fact the word ब्राह्मण is adjective for a person, not for a family. So, a ब्राह्मण person is a ब्राह्मण, only when he is doing ब्रह्मकर्म. The same person when indulging in क्षात्रं कर्म gets the adjective क्षत्रिय.
For discharging the duties of a क्षत्रिय, the person needs to acquire ज्ञानं विज्ञानम् related to the क्षात्रं कर्म. Rather, that is the ब्रह्मकर्म aspect of क्षात्रं कर्म.
The detailing of क्षात्रं कर्म in (१८-४३) is also स्वभावजम्, with the focus on the individual, not at all related to family.
Note, in the phrase क्षात्रं कर्म, क्षात्रं is adjective of कर्म. Adjective for the person doing क्षात्रं कर्म is क्षत्रिय. These are all adjectives. And adjectives are only selectively applicable, not grossly or generally. Adjectives ‘add’ to a sub-ject or to an ob-ject.
The thought of चातुर्वर्ण्यम् is very clear in its basics and is a thought for a well-organized, progressive sociological system, such that the society will benefit from qualities, skills and aptitudes inherent to every person.
The words चातुर्वर्ण्यम् and गुणकर्मविभागशः are compound words. How do we decipher them ?
चातुर्वर्ण्यम् is actually a तद्धितम् from चतुर्वर्णा:. Note चत्वारो वर्णाः इति चतुर्वर्णाः (द्विगुः) In शब्दकल्पद्रुमः चातुर्वर्ण्यं, क्ली, (चत्वारो वर्णाः । “चतुर्वर्णादीनां स्वार्थे उपसंख्यानम् ।” इति ष्यञ् ।) ब्राह्मणक्षत्रियवैश्यशूद्राः । इति हेमचन्द्रः । ३ । ४७२ ॥ (यथा, मनुः । १२ । १ । “चातुर्वर्ण्यस्य कृत्स्नोऽयमुक्तो धर्म्मस्त्वयानघ ! ॥”) चतुर्वर्णधर्म्मश्च ॥
गुणकर्मविभागशः also is with प्रत्ययः शस् affixed to the compound word गुणकर्मविभाग. Note प्रत्ययः शस् lends the meaning “with multiples of”. Hence गुणकर्मविभागशः means with multiples of गुणकर्मविभागाः. This compound word गुणकर्मविभागाः should be deciphered as (i) गुणाश्च कर्माणि च इति गुणकर्माणि (इतरेतरद्वन्द्वः) (ii) तेषां विभागाः इति गुणकर्मविभागाः (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः) Here the word विभागाः is better interpreted as ‘permutations and combinations’.
A corollary question is “if गुणकर्मविभागशः recognizes a multiplicity of permutations and combinations of गुणा: and कर्माणि, how can चातुर्वर्ण्यम् connote only four वर्णाः ?
2 माम् अव्ययम् तस्य कर्तारम् अकर्तारम् अपि विद्धि - Know that (whereas) I am immutable, I am the one, who would do or undo it (the चातुर्वर्ण्यम्).
The mute point is, if He is the doer of चातुर्वर्ण्यम्, why would He undo it ?
Also why is अर्जुन reminded that He is immutable ?
Furthermore, since He is immutable, should not whatever He creates also be immutable ? So, can there be alternative अन्वयः “तस्य (चातुर्वर्ण्यस्य) अव्ययम् कर्तारम् अकर्तारम् अपि माम् विद्धि” ? Is such अन्वयः implied and valid ?
(3) Overall meaning सारांशतः
Actually considering the number of questions at (1-p), (2-01), (2-02), (2-03) one should not seek Overall Meaning of the श्लोकः. The overall meaning below is only as something for ready reference.
मया चातुर्वर्ण्यं गुणकर्मविभागशः सृष्टम् - I created the sociological system of चातुर्वर्ण्यम् on the basis of qualities, skills and aptitudes and for division of labour.
माम् अव्ययम् तस्य कर्तारम् अकर्तारम् अपि विद्धि - Know that (whereas) I am immutable, I am the one, who would do or undo it (the चातुर्वर्ण्यम्).
(4) छन्दोविश्लेषणम्
चातुर्वर्ण्यं मया सृष्टं (८ अक्षराणि) “मया सृ(ष्टं)” एतेषां मात्राः १-२-२
गुणकर्मविभागशः (८ अक्षराणि) “विभाग” एतेषां मात्राः १-२-१
तस्य कर्तारमपि मां (८ अक्षराणि) “रमपि” एतेषां मात्राः १-१-१
विद्ध्यकर्तारमव्ययम् (८ अक्षराणि) “रमव्य” एतेषां मात्राः १-२-१
तृतीये पादे अपवादः अन्यथा अनुष्टुभ छन्दः in (४-१३)
(5) टिप्पण्यः Notes of self-study
(1) All the notes from 1-a to 1-p and from 2-01 to 2-03 are my notes of self-study only. They are not from any other book on गीता.
(2) There is also one more thought about the word स्वभावजम् mentioned in १८-४२, १८-४३, १८-४४ in respect of ब्रह्मकर्म, क्षात्रं कर्म, वैश्यकर्म, शूद्रकर्म. It should be granted that स्वभावज means ‘inherent’, borne out of the personality स्वभाव: of a person. The question is how do a variety of qualities, skills and aptitudes become inherent in a person ? Does he inherit them from the parents, from the ancestral heritage, from the company he keeps, from his own past life and also by acquisition in this life ? If all these influences are valid, how and what स्वभाव: becomes ‘inherent’ to a person who grows up in an orphanage ? And how does he fit in in the scheme of चातुर्वर्ण्यम् ?
The best logic appeals to be the logic of गुणकर्मविभागशः !
The logic of गुणकर्मविभागशः is an inclusive logic, will admit even an orphan to partake work for the social good.
(3) There are the questions to which I would keep seeking answers. I have already quoted श्लोकाः 18-41 to 18-44. There is a long way to go until I shall come to those श्लोकाः again. Maybe, I shall get some answers by that time.
Inputs are also welcome from readers of my blogs and from viewers of my videos.
I also pray for His grace for enlightening my search. तमसो मा ज्योतिर्गमय !
शुभमस्तु !
-o-O-o-
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