“Although I have created the four classes (Varn) – Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vaishya and Shudr – according to innate properties and actions, know me the immutable as a non-doer.’’

Lord Krishn represents himself as the maker of the four classes.

Does this mean that he has divided men into four rigid categories determined by birth?

The truth is that he has divided actions into four classes on the basis of their inherent properties. Moreover, as he tells Arjun, he – the imperishable God – is a non-agent and should be understood as such. The innate property (gun) of a being or a thing serves as a measure, a yardstick. If the dominant property is that of ignorance or darkness (Tamas), it results in an irresistible inclination toward laziness, excessive sleep, wantonness, aversion to work, and a compulsive tendency toward evil – even while recognizing it as evil.

How can worship even begin in such a state?

This will diminish negative impressions and reinforce thoughts that support and sustain worship.

Gradually, as the forces of darkness and ignorance diminish, the quality of rajas gains greater influence, and the property of goodness and moral virtue (sattwa) also begins to awaken. Because of this, the worshiper’s ability is elevated to the Vaishya level.

Then the same worshiper spontaneously begins to imbibe qualities such as sense-control and to accumulate other virtuous impulses. As one proceeds further along the path of action, he becomes endowed with the wealth of righteousness. The property of rajas now grows faint, and tamas lies dormant. At this stage of development, the worshiper ascends to the Kshatriya level.

Prowess, the ability to remain immersed in action, unwillingness to retreat, mastery over the feelings, and the capacity to carve the way through the three properties of nature now become the inherent features of the worshiper’s disposition.

With further refinement of action, sattwa begins to manifest, and virtues such as control of the mind and senses, concentration, innocence, contemplation, abstract meditation, faith, and even the capacity to hear the voice of God—qualities that grant access to Him – start to evolve. With the emergence of these qualities, the worshiper ascends to the Brahmin level.

This, however, is only the initial stage of worship at this level. When the worshiper is ultimately united with God – at that highest point – he is no longer Brahmin, nor Kshatriya, nor Vaishya, nor Shudra. Thus, the worship of God alone is the true action – the ordained action.

And it is this one action that is divided into four stages according to the motivating properties. This division, as we have seen, was made by a saint – by a Yogeshwar. A sage dwelling in the un-manifest was the one who established this division.

Yet Lord Krishn tells Arjun to regard Him – the indestructible One and the maker of Varn – as a non-doer.

Lord Krishn declares in Chapter Sixteen, Verse Six of Bhagavad Gita:

dvau bhūtasargau loke’smindaiva āsura eva ca 
daivo vistaraśaḥ prokta āsuraṁ pārtha me śṛṇu

“There are in the world, O Parth, two kinds of beings, the pious, on whom I have already dwelt at length, and the devilish of whom you will now hear from me.”

There are, in this world, two kinds of beings: the godlike and the demon-like. When sacred impulses are active within the heart, a person is godlike; but he is filled with demoniac inclinations, he becomes devilish. Whether born in Arabia or Australia or anywhere else, people all over the world are divided only into these two classes.

“Varn” denotes “Form”. A man’s form is not his body but his inborn disposition. Sri Krishn tells Arjun in the third verse of Chapter 17:

”Since the faith of all men, O Bharat, is according to their inherent propensity and man is essentially reverent, he is what his faith is.”

Every person’s character is shaped by their faith, and that faith is determined by their dominant property. Varn is thus a scale – a yardstick – for measuring one’s capacity for action. But with the passage of time, we either became oblivious to, or deliberately discarded, the ordained action, and began to determine social status by heredity – thus treating varn as caste – and imposed rigid occupations and modes of living upon different people. This is social classification, whereas the classification given in the Bhagavad Gita is spiritual.

Moreover, those who have distorted the meaning of varn have also twisted the implications of action. With the passage of time, varn thus came to be determined by birth alone. But the Gita makes no such provision.

Lord Krishn says that He is the creator of the fourfold varn. Are we then to assume that creation existed only within the boundaries of India, since castes like ours are not found anywhere else in the world?

The number of our castes and subcastes is beyond counting. Does this mean that Shri Krishn divided people into such classes?

The definitive answer to this is found in the thirteenth verse of Chapter 4, where, he declares:

‘‘I have created the four classes (Varn) according to innate properties and action.”

Thus, He has classified action – not people – on the basis of inherent properties. The meaning of varn becomes easy to understand once we grasp the true significance of action, which, according to the core teachings of the Bhagavad Gita, is nothing other than the worship of the one God.

~ As expounded by most revered Gurudev
Swami Adgadanand Jee Paramhans ~

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