Brahma Purana — On Varna Mobility Through Conduct, Karma, and Food-Ethics, Shloka 8
Devanagari script
चातुर्वर्ण्यं भगवता पूर्वं सृष्टं स्वयंभुवा केन कर्मविपाकेन वैश्यो गच्छति शूद्रताम् //
Translation
Ce verset (n° 8) appartient à un enseignement ancien qui relie la connaissance à l’adoration.
Word by Word
cāturvarṇyamthe fourfold social order
cāturvarṇyam:
Karma (कर्म)
TypeNoun
Rootcātur-varṇya (प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; here as कर्म (object) of ‘sṛṣṭam’ understood with ‘asti/abhavat’
bhagavatāby the Lord
bhagavatā:
Kartr-karana (कर्तृ-करण)
TypeNoun
Rootbhagavat (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/instrumental), एकवचन; कर्तृ-करणभाव (agent in passive)
pūrvamformerly/at first
pūrvam:
Kāla-adhikarana (काल-अधिकरण)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootpūrvam (अव्यय/नपुंसक)
Formकालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: formerly/at first)
sṛṣṭamcreated
sṛṣṭam:
Kriya (क्रिया)
TypeVerb
Rootsṛj (सृज् धातु) + kta (क्त)
Formभूतकृदन्त (past passive participle) used predicatively; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; agrees with ‘cāturvarṇyam’
svayaṃbhuvāby the Self-born (Brahmā)
svayaṃbhuvā:
Kartr-karana (कर्तृ-करण)
TypeNoun
Rootsvayaṃ-bhū (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन; apposition/instrumental with ‘bhagavatā’ (by the self-born)
kenaby what?
kena:
Karana (करण)
TypeNoun
Rootkim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन; प्रश्नार्थक-करण
karmavipākenaby the fruition of karma
karmavipākena:
Karana (करण)
TypeNoun
Rootkarma-vipāka (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन; ‘kena’ इत्यस्य उत्तरम्
vaiśyaḥa Vaiśya
vaiśyaḥ:
Karta (कर्ता)
TypeNoun
Rootvaiśya (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्तृपद
gacchatigoes/attains
gacchati:
Kriya (क्रिया)
TypeVerb
Rootgam (गम् धातु)
Formलट् (present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन
śūdratāmŚūdra-hood
śūdratām:
Karma (कर्म)
TypeNoun
Rootśūdratā (प्रातिपदिक)
Formस्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; गत्यर्थक-क्रियायाः कर्म (goal as object)
Speaker
Umā addresses Śiva.