Chapter 18 - Verse 41

Śūdras are separated from others—who are all mentioned together in one compound word—because Śūdras are of one birth and are debarred from the study of the Vedas. Divided: the duties are allotted to each class, as distinguished from those pertaining to the other classes.—By what standard?—According to the qualities (gunas) born of nature. Nature (svabhava) is the Īśvara’s Prakṛti, the Māyā made up of the three gunas. It is in accordance with the gunas of the Prakṛti that duties—such as serenity and the like—are assigned to the Brāhmaṇas, etc. respectively.

Or to explain in another way : The source of the Brāhmaṇa’s nature (svabhava) is the guna of Sattva; the source of the Kṣatriya’s nature is Rajas and Sattva, the latter being subordinate to the former; the source of the Vaisya’s nature is Rajas and Tamas, the latter being subordinate to the former; the source of the Śūdra’s nature is Tamas and Rajas, the latter being subordinate to the former. For, as we see, the characteristic features of their nature are serenity, lordliness, activity, and dullness respectively.

Or to interpret yet in another way :—Nature (svabhava) is the tendency (Samskara, Vasana) in living beings acquired by them in the past births, and manifesting itself in the present birth by way of being ready to yield its effects : and this nature is the source of the gunas, it being impossible for the gunas to manifest themselves without a cause. The assertion that nature (Samskara, Vasana) is the cause (of the gunas) means that it is a kind of specific cause.* The duties, such as serenity, are assigned to the four classes in accordance with the gunas of Sattva, Rajas and Tamas, which are brought into manifestation by their respective natural tendencies, and which lead to those duties as their natural effects.

Nimitta-karana or secondary cause, as opposed to the Upadana-karana or matearial cause of the gunas, namely, Prakriti.—A.

(Objection) :—The duties of Brāhmaṇas, etc., are enjoined by the sastra and are assigned to them by the sastra. How then can it be said that they are divided according to Sattva and other gunas?

(Answer) :—There is no room here for any such objection. By the sastra, too, are the duties—such as serenity—assigned to the Brāhmaṇas, etc., only in accordance with their respective gunas, such as Sattva, but not independently of them. Wherefore it is said that duties are assigned according to gunas, though it has also been said that they are assigned by the sastra

What then are those duties?—The answer follows :