Bhrigu and Bharadwaja on the caste system

1 [भृगु]
असृजथ बराह्मणान एव पूर्वं बरह्मा परजापतिः
आत्मतेजॊ ऽभिनिर्वृत्तान भास्कराग्निसमप्रभान
2 ततः सत्यं च धर्मं च तपॊ बरह्म च शाश्वतम
आचारं चैव शौचं च सवर्गाय विथधे परभुः
3 थेवथानवगन्धर्वथैत्यासुरमहॊरगाः
यक्षरास्कस नागाश च पिशाचा मनुजास तदा
4 बराह्मणाः कषत्रिया वैश्याः शूथ्राश च थविजसत्तम
ये चान्ये भूतसंघानां संघास तांश चापि निर्ममे
5 बराह्मणानां सितॊ वर्णः कषत्रियाणां तु लॊहितः
वैश्यानां पीतकॊ वर्णः शूथ्राणाम असितस तदा

"Bhrigu said, 'Brahman first created a few Brahmanas who came to be called Prajapatis (lords of creation). Possessed of splendour equal to that of the fire or the Sun, they were created out of the energy of that First-born Being. The puissant Lord then created Truth, Duty, Penance, the eternal Vedas, all kinds of pious acts, and Purity, for enabling creatures to attain to heaven (by practising them). After this, the Deities and the Danavas, the Gandharvas, the Daityas, the Asuras, the great snakes, the Yakshas, the Rakshasas, the Serpents, the Pisachas, and human beings with their four divisions, viz., Brahmanas, Kshatriyas, Vaisyas, and Sudras, O best of regenerate ones, and all the other orders of creatures that exist, were created. The complexion the Brahmanas obtained was white; that which the Kshatriyas obtained was red; that which the Vaisyas got was yellow; and that which was given to the Sudras was black.'"

6 [भरथ्वाज]
चातुर्वर्ण्यस्य वर्णेन यथि वर्णॊ विभज्यते
सर्वेषां खलु वर्णानां थृश्यते वर्णसंकरः
7 कामः करॊधॊ भयं लॊभः शॊकश चिन्ता कषुधा शरमः
सर्वेषां नः परभवति कस्माथ वर्णॊ विभज्यते
8 सवेथमूत्र पुरीषाणि शलेष्मा पित्तं सशॊनितम
तनुः कषरति सर्वेषां कस्माथ वर्णॊ विभज्यते
9 जङ्गमानाम असंख्येयाः सदावराणां च जातयः
तेषां विविधवर्णानां कुतॊ वर्णविनिश्चयः

"Bharadwaja said, 'If the distinction between the four orders (of human beings) be made by means only of colour (attribute), then it seems that all the four orders have been mingled together. Lust, wrath, fear, cupidity, grief, anxiety, hunger, toil, possess and prevail over all men. How can men be distinguished by the possession of attributes? The bodies of all men emit sweat, urine, faeces, phlegm, bile, and blood. How then can men be distributed into classes? Of mobile objects the number is infinite; the species also of immobile objects are innumerable. How, then, can objects of such very great diversity be distributed into classes?'"

10 [भृगु]
न विशेषॊ ऽसति वर्णानां सर्वं बराह्मम इथं जगत
बरह्मणा पूर्वसृष्टं हि कर्मभिर वर्णतां गतम
11 कामभॊग परियास तीक्ष्णाः करॊधनाः परिय साहसाः
तयक्तस्वधर्मा रक्ताङ्गास ते थविजाः कषत्रतां गताः
12 गॊषु वृत्तिथं समाधाय पीताः कृष्युपजीविनः
सवधर्मं नानुतिष्ठन्ति ते थविजा वैश्यतां गताः
13 हिंसानृत परिया लुब्धाः सर्वकर्मॊपजीविनः
कृष्णाः शौचपरिभ्रष्टास ते थविजाः शूथ्रतां गताः
14 इत्य एतैर कर्मभिर वयस्ता थविजा वर्णान्तरं गताः
धर्मॊ यज्ञक्रिया चैषां नित्यं न परतिषिध्यते
15 वर्णाश चत्वार एते हि येषां बराह्मी सरस्वती
विहिता बरह्मणा पूर्वं लॊभात तव अज्ञानतां गताः
16 बराह्मणा धर्मतन्त्रस्दास तपस तेषां न नश्यति
बरह्म धारयतां नित्यं वरतानि नियमांस तदा
17 बरह्म चैतत पुरा सृष्टं ये न जानन्त्य अतथ्विथः
तेषां बहुविधास तव अन्यास तत्र तत्र हि जातयः
18 पिशाचा राक्षसाः परेता बहुधा मलेच्छ जातयः
परनस्त जञानविज्ञानाः सवच्छन्थाचार चेष्टिताः
19 परजा बराह्मण संस्काराः सवधर्मकृतनिश्चयाः
ऋषिभिः सवेन तपसा सृज्यन्ते चापरे परैः
20 आथिथेव समुथ्भूता बरह्म मूलाक्षयाव्यया
सा सृष्टिर मानसी नाम धर्मतन्त्र परायना

"Bhrigu said, 'There is really no distinction between the different orders. The whole world at first consisted of Brahmanas. Created (equal) by Brahman, men have, in consequence of their acts, become distributed into different orders. They that became fond of indulging in desire and enjoying pleasures, possessed of the attributes of severity and wrath, endued with courage, and unmindful of the duties of piety and worship,--these Brahmanas possessing the attribute of Passion,--became Kshatriyas. Those Brahmanas again who, without attending to the duties laid down for them, became possessed of both the attributes of Goodness and Passion, and took to the professions of cattle-rearing and agriculture, became Vaisyas. Those Brahmanas again that became fond of untruth and injuring other creatures, possessed of cupidity,--engaged in all kinds of acts for a living, and fallen away from purity of behaviour, and thus wedded to the attribute of Darkness, became Sudras. Separated by these occupations, Brahmanas, falling away from their own order, became members of the other three orders. All the four orders, therefore, have always the right to the performance of all pious duties and of sacrifices. Even thus were the four orders at first created equal by Brahman who ordained for all of them (the observances disclosed in) the words of Brahma (in the Vedas). Through cupidity alone, many fell away, and became possessed by ignorance. The Brahmanas are always devoted to the scriptures on Brahma; and mindful of vows and restraints, are capable of grasping the conception of Brahma. Their penances therefore, never go for nothing. They amongst them are not Brahmanas that are incapable of understanding that every created thing is Supreme Brahma. These, falling away, became members of diverse (inferior) orders. Losing the light of knowledge, and betaking themselves to an unrestrained course of conduct, they take birth as Pisachas and Rakshasas and Pretas and as individuals of diverse Mleccha species. The great Rishis who at the beginning sprang into life (through Brahman's Will) subsequently created, by means of their penances, men devoted to the duties ordained for them and attached to the rites laid down in the Eternal Vedas. That other Creation, however, which is eternal and undecaying, which is based upon Brahma and has sprung from the Primeval God, and which has its refuge upon yoga, is a mental one.'"

[Mahabharata, Book 12, Chapter 181; English translation by Kisari Mohan Ganguli]

If only we better knew and appreciated our great epics...