Srimad Bhagavatam — Ekadasha Skandha, Shloka 2
Karma, Jñāna, and Bhakti: Vedic Dharma, Piety and Sin, and the Boat of Human Life
वर्णाश्रमविकल्पं च प्रतिलोमानुलोमजम् । द्रव्यदेशवय:कालान् स्वर्गं नरकमेव च ॥ २ ॥
varṇāśrama-vikalpaṁ ca pratilomānulomajam dravya-deśa-vayaḥ-kālān svargaṁ narakam eva ca
Nach den Veden werden die höheren und niedrigeren Ausprägungen im menschlichen System der Varṇāśrama sowie die Unterschiede aus Anuloma- und Pratiloma-Verbindungen beschrieben. Auch bei der Betrachtung von Stoff, Ort, Alter und Zeit dienen Verdienst und Sünde als ständige Bezugspunkte; ja, die Veden offenbaren sogar materiellen Himmel und Hölle.
Pratiloma indicates the combination of a superior woman with an inferior man. For example, the vaidehaka community consists of those born of a śūdra father and brāhmaṇa mother, whereas the sūtas are those born from a kṣatriya father and a brāhmaṇa mother or from a śūdra father and kṣatriya mother. Anuloma indicates those born from a superior father and inferior mother. The mūrdhāvasikta are those born of a brāhmaṇa father and kṣatriya mother. Ambaṣṭhas are those born from a brāhmaṇa father and vaiśya mother, and they often become medical men. Karaṇa indicates those born of a vaiśya father and śūdra mother or of a kṣatriya father and vaiśya mother. That such mixing of castes is not very much appreciated in the Vedic culture is demonstrated in the First Chapter of Bhagavad-gītā. Arjuna was very worried that the death of so many kṣatriyas on the battlefield would lead to the mixing of superior women with inferior men, and on those grounds he objected to fighting. In any case, the entire Vedic social system is based on distinguishing between piety and sin, and Śrī Uddhava is encouraging the Lord to explain more elaborately His statement that one should transcend both piety and sin.
FAQs
In this verse, Kṛṣṇa tells Uddhava He will explain the varieties within varṇa and āśrama, including how social duties and outcomes are understood with reference to proper/improper combinations and to factors like time, place, age and resources.
Kṛṣṇa is outlining the topics He will teach Uddhava—how dharma is applied in real life, how karmic results like heaven and hell arise, and how one should understand duty with discernment in changing circumstances.
It teaches that ethical and spiritual practice should be applied with awareness of circumstance (time, place, age, capacity), while remembering that actions have consequences—encouraging responsible conduct and a dharma-centered life that supports devotion.