Book Title: Theory of Karman in Indian Thought
Author(s): Koshelya Walli
Publisher: Bharat Manisha

Previous | Next

Page 135
________________ [ 123 ) division of labour. It is true so far as it goes but what Śrīkışņa says in the Gitā seems to imply that the entire classification was based on general principles of gupa and karma. Guna means the infinite quality of thie person concerned and karma means the action which follows from guna and is consistent with its nature, Following this line of thinking we find that the division, threefold or fourfold is not arbitrary. The entire classification of objects in the external world is based upon this principle and it is wellknown that any deficiency in Guņa or karma or efficiency in the same has a tendency to bring down or raise up the standards of the varna concerned. It is for this reason that in the course of the natural state of the society it is sometimes found that men of higher castes are sometimes lacking in higher qualities and show traces of qualities which are normal to the lower and vice versa. A Brāhmapa may have qualities of a Kşatriya and a Kşatriya that of a Brāhmaṇa. The instances of Parasurāma and Viśvāmitra will clear the point. There are of course exceptional cases and are explained in the Epics in an adequate manner. I . But in the ordinary course of the nature, a Brāhmaṇa sepresents the spiritual heredity on the one hand and the spiritual acquisition on the other and so with the others. It is said in the earliest literature on the subject as interpreted by Yājñavalkya that there are three principles involved in the philosophy of varna or caste, Jati, Karma and Vidyā. For example, the Brāhmaṇa body must be in the ordinary course a product of Brāhmapa parents. Such Brāhmaṇa is technically known as Jātibrāhmaṇa — it is Brāhmaṇa by birth just as bird or beast or a particular species is born of a bird or beast of the same species. In the same way, a Brahmana is born of a Brāhmana parents. This represents the superficial qualification of a Brāhmaṇa body, namely Játya Brāhmaṇaḥ ( FRITT ; ) This is birth in a Brāhmaṇa family with the specific characteristics inherited from his parents. 1. See Mahabharata Anušāsana Parya, Adhyāya IV. For the example of Viśvāmitra ; and Rāmāyanı, Balakanda Sarga 75-76 for the example of Paras:rāma.

Loading...

Page Navigation
1 ... 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150 151 152 153 154 155 156 157 158 159 160 161 162 163 164 165 166 167 168 169 170 171 172 173 174 175 176 177 178 179 180 181 182 183 184 185 186 187 188 189 190 191 192 193 194 195 196 197 198 199 200 201 202 203 204 205 206 207 208 209 210 211 212 213 214 215 216 217 218 219 220 221 222 223 224 225 226 227 228 229 230 231 232 233 234 235 236 237 238 239 240 241 242 243 244 245 246 247 248 249 250 251 252 253 254 255 256 257 258 259 260 261 262 263 264 265 266 267 268 269 270 271 272 273 274 275 276 277 278 279 280 281 282 283 284 285 286 287 288 289 290 291 292 293 294 295 296 297 298 299 300 301 302 303 304 305 306 307 308 309 310 311 312 313 314 315 316 317 318 319 320 321 322 323 324 325 326 327 328 329 330 331 332 333 334 335 336 337 338 339 340 341 342 343 344 345 346 347 348 349 350 351 352 353 354 355 356 357 358 359 360 361 362 363 364 365 366 367 368 369 370 371 372 373 374 375 376 377