49 - Four Varnas and ashramas 

Brahma said: 

1. O Vyasa, Hari is the creator of the world, etc. He has to be worshipped by Brahmå the self-created and others. He has to be duly adored by Brahmanas and others according to their own duties. Please listen to those duties. 

2. Six duties are assigned to the Brāhmaṇa; performing sacrifices for himself, performing them for others, giving gifts, accepting them, studying and teaching others. 

3. The common duty of Kshatriya and Vaishya is giving gifts, studying and performing yajnas. The additional duty of a Kshatriya is maintaining law and order and that of a Vaishya is agriculture. 

4. Service of the twice-born is the main duty of Sudras. Maintenance by means of various arts and crafts and paka yajña¹ is also their duty. 

1. A simple or domestic sacrifice. 

5. The special duty of a Brahmacharin is begging for alms, service to the preceptor, study, sacrificial rites and renunciation. 

6. There are two-fold conditions in all ashramas. Brahmachärin becomes Upakurvāņa or Naişhthika. This Naishthika is eager to realise Brahman. 

7. After studying the Vedas if he becomes a householder he is called Upakurvāņa. The Naisthika remains a Brahmachárin till death. 

8. O best brahmin! the duties of a house-holder are in brief — the preservation of the sacred fire, hospitality to the guests; performance of sacrifices, giving gifts, and worshipping gods. 

9. The householder is of two kinds: Udasina and Sadhaka. The householder who endeavours to maintain the house is called Sadhaka. 

10. After repaying the three debts (to sages, to gods and to the manes) and renouncing wife and wealth, he who seeks salvation alonc, is called Udasina. 

11. The duty of a Vanavasin (dealer in a forest) is lying on the ground, sustenance on fruits and roots, study, austerities and sharing of whatever he gets with others. 

12. He is the best of ascetics who performs penance in the forest, worships gods, performs sacrifices and is devoted to the study. 

13. He is to be considered a sage stationed in vanaprastha order who is very much emaciated due to penance and is extremely devoted to meditation. 

14. The Bhikshu (mendicant) who is engaged in yogic practices always, aspires to rise up, cohtrols his sense-organs and strives for knowledge is called a Parameshthika. 

15. The sage delighting in communion with the soul, ever satiated, who practises yogic exercises and moves about with sandal paste applied all over his body is called Yogin. 

16. In a Bhikshu these are the essential characteristics: beggary, Vedic study, vow of silence, austerities, special meditation, perfect knowledge and complete detachment from worldly affairs. 

17. The Parameshthika is of three types: Some renounce jnana. Others renounce Vedic Rites. The third renounces all sorts of activities. 

18. Yogin is of three types Bhautika, Kshatra and Antyashramin who relies on the Yoga-murti. 

19. In the first Yogin the Bhavana (Imagination) is primary, in the second there is Dushkara (difficult) Bhavana in salvation and in the third there is Parameśhvari (Godly) Bhavanā. 

20-24. From virtue, salvation is produced; from wealth, love issues forth. There are two types of Vedic rites -- that which is pursued with knowledge is Nivrutti (withdrawal of sense organs), and Pravrutti is the performance of fire rites and god worship. These are the common characteristics of all Ashramas: - Forgiveness, self-restraint, compassion, charity, absence of greed, straight-forwardness, want of jealousy, following great religious leaders, truthfulness, contentedness, theism, control of sense organs, worship of deities, respecting Brahmins, non-violence, pleasant speech, absence of backbiting and refraining from harshness. I shall now describe the goal of the four castes. The Brahmanas who maintain their sacred rites attain Prājāpatya (Brahma's) region. 

25. The Kshatriyas who never quit the battle ground in fear attain Indra's region. The Vaishyas who strictly adhere to their duties attain the region of the Maruts (Wind gods). 

26-27. The Shūdras who serve others attain the region of Gandharvas. The region attained by the eightyeight thousand sages who have sublimated their sensual feelings can be attained by pupils who remain continuously with their preceptors. The region of the seven divine sages is obtained by forest dweller. 

28. The region from which the sage never returns, the the region of Brahman, the Blissful, is for the ascetics who control their minds, who renounce and who sublimate their base passions. 

29. The region of Yogins is Amrutasthāna which is imperishable either, the blissful, the divine, from which the liberated soul never returns. 

30-31. Salvation is to be attained by the knowledge of the eight constituents (yama etc. hereinaftur explained). I shall describe them in brief, Yama (restraint) is of five sorts, i.e. 1) Ahimsa which is not injuring any living being; 2) Satya which is the narration of facts beneficent to others, 3) Asteya is not taking anything (belonging to others); 4) Brahmacharya is refraining from sexual intercourse; 5) Aparigraha is the renunciation of all possessions. 

32. Niyama (control) are of five sorts, Satya etc. It is both external and internal. 1) Shaucha (purity) 2) Satya (truthfulness) 3) Santosha (contentment) 4) Tapas (penance) 5) Indriyanigraha (controlling sense-organs). 

33. Svadhyaya is mastery of mantras. Pranidhana is worship of God Vishnu. Asana is the yogic posture Padmaka, etc. Pranayama is the mastery of breath. 

34. In Pranayama the garbha is attended with meditation and repetition of mantras. Prānayāma without this is agarbha. It is again of three varieties. Inhaling is Puraka. 

35. Retention is Kumbhaka. Exhaling is Rechaka. Laghu or the simplest is of twelve seconds duration; the higher one is of twentyfour seconds' duration. 

36. And the best is of thirty-six seconds' duration, Pratyahāra is the withdrawal of sense-organs from the objects. Dhyana is the meditation over the identity of the supreme soul and the individual soul. Dharana is the steadying of the mind. 

37. Samadhi is that state where one is conscious that I am Brahman and retains it. I am the Atman, the supreme Brahman, the truth, the knowledge, the endless. 

38. Brahman, the specific knowledge of the bliss that you are. I am Brahman, without the body, sense-organs.

39. And free from mind, intellect, Mahat, ego, etc. I am the Light free from the three states of wakefulness, dream and dreamless sleep. 

40. The permanent, the pure, the intelligent, Truth, Bliss, without second. The soul within the Sun is I myself, the unsevered. A brahmana who meditates over this becomes liberated from the bondage of worldly existence.