12.181
Bhṛgu said.
Brahmā, the Lord of creatures, in the beginning created the Brāhmaṇas from his own splendor, making them as radiant as the sun and fire.
Then the Lord established truth, righteousness, austerity, the eternal Brahman, proper conduct, and purity for the sake of heaven.
Gods, dānavas, gandharvas, daityas, asuras, great serpents, yakṣas, rākṣasas, nāgas, piśācas, and humans as well.
O best of the twice-born, Brāhmaṇas, Kṣatriyas, Vaiśyas, Śūdras, and all other groups among beings—He also created all those groups.
The Brāhmaṇas are associated with the color white, the Kṣatriyas with red, the Vaiśyas with yellow, and the Śūdras with black.
Bharadvāja said.
If the fourfold order is divided by class, then indeed, a mixture of classes is seen among all the classes.
Desire, anger, fear, greed, sorrow, anxiety, hunger, and fatigue arise in all of us; so from what basis is caste divided?
Sweat, urine, feces, phlegm, bile, and blood—these are exuded by the body of all beings; so from what is color (complexion) divided or distinguished?
There are innumerable species of moving and stationary beings. Among those of various colors, how can there be a determination of color? (12-181-9)
Bhṛgu said.
There is no distinction among castes; all this world is of Brahman; it was formerly created by Brahman; indeed, by actions it has gone to castehood.
Those twice-born, fond of sensual pleasures, fierce, irascible, daring, having abandoned their own duty and with reddened limbs, have become kṣatriyas.
Those twice-born who, having made their livelihood from cows and agriculture and having drunk (milk), do not perform their own duty, have become like Vaiśyas.
Those twice-born who are fond of violence and falsehood, greedy, living by all kinds of work, dark in conduct, and deprived of purity, have become like śūdras.
Thus, by these actions, the twice-born who have become separated have entered another caste. Their duty and sacrificial acts are never prohibited.
These four letters, which are of Brahmā and Sarasvatī, were formerly established by Brahmā, but due to greed, they have now fallen into ignorance.
The austerity of Brāhmaṇas established in the system of dharma does not perish. For those who always uphold the Veda, their vows and disciplines also remain.
The Absolute and this world were created long ago; those who do not know this, being ignorant of it, for them, there are indeed many other kinds of births here and there.
There are piśāca-demons, rākṣasa-demons, ghosts, and many kinds of barbarian races, whose knowledge and wisdom are destroyed, acting as they please.
Those offspring who are sanctified by Brāhmaṇa rites and are resolute in performing their own duty are created by sages through their own austerity, while others are created by others.
She, Mānasī, the creation that arose from the primeval god, rooted in Brahman, imperishable and unchanging, is devoted to the system of dharma.
