Brahma Crafts Castes and Duties
Creation - Chapter 6
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Creation - Chapter 6
Parāśara reveals Brahma's creation of castes, the role of sacrifices, and humanity's decline. Explore the realms of afterlife and the importance of duty in this Vishnu Purana epic.
Maitreya asked Parāśara about the creation of mankind, known as Arvāksrotas. He wanted to know how Brahma created the four castes and what duties he assigned to each.
Parāśara explained that Brahma created beings from different parts of his body:
From his mouth: Beings with the quality of goodness (Brāhmanas - priests)
From his breast: Beings with the quality of passion (Ksatriyas - warriors)
From his thighs: Beings with both passion and darkness (Vaisyas - merchants)
From his feet: Beings dominated by darkness (Sūdras - laborers)
Brahma created these castes to perform sacrifices. Through these rituals:
The gods are nourished
The gods provide rain
Rain supports all of humankind
Pious people perform these sacrifices. As a result, they may gain heavenly rewards or achieve ultimate liberation after death.
Initially, the beings of these castes were righteous and faithful. They:
Lived freely, without obstacles
Had pure hearts
Followed sacred practices
Were filled with wisdom
Contemplated the glory of Vishnu (Hari)
As time passed, sin began to affect created beings. This led to:
The weakening of human perfection
The rise of negative qualities like passion
Increased susceptibility to contrasts (e.g., heat and cold)
To protect themselves, humans:
Built shelters using trees, mountains, or water
Created villages and cities
Constructed dwellings for protection
They then began manual labor and agriculture, cultivating 17 types of grains.
Out of these, 14 grains are used in sacrifices:
Rice
Barley
Māșa
Wheat
Millet
Sesame
Priyangu
Kulattha pulse
Śyāmaka (a type of panic)
Nīvāra (uncultivated rice)
Jarttila (wild sesame)
Gavedhukā (coix)
Markata (wild panic)
Venu-yava (bamboo seed or barley)
These grains, along with sacrifices, play a crucial role in sustaining the human race.
However, some people rejected sacrifices and the Vedas. They strayed from their duties and became immersed in wickedness.
Brahma established different realms for those who followed their duties:
Brāhmanas: Heaven of the Pitrs (ancestors)
Ksatriyas: Sphere of Indra
Vaiśyas: Region of the winds
Sūdras: Sphere of the Gandharvas
Other realms include:
World of the eighty-eight thousand saints: For religious Brāhmanas
Realm of the seven Rsis: For pious hermits
World of ancestors: For respectable householders
Region of Brahma: For religious mendicants
Highest seat of Vishnu: For Yogis who continuously meditate on the supreme being
Those who neglect their duties or obstruct religious rites are assigned to terrifying realms of darkness and fear after death.
Thus concludes the sixth chapter of the first part of the Vishnu Purana.