Shloka 14
Priyavrata Accepts Kingship by Brahmā’s Instruction; Sapta-dvīpa Formation and Renunciation
यद्वाचि तन्त्यां गुणकर्मदामभि: सुदुस्तरैर्वत्स वयं सुयोजिता: । सर्वे वहामो बलिमीश्वराय प्रोता नसीव द्विपदे चतुष्पद: ॥ १४ ॥
yad-vāci tantyāṁ guṇa-karma-dāmabhiḥ sudustarair vatsa vayaṁ suyojitāḥ sarve vahāmo balim īśvarāya protā nasīva dvi-pade catuṣ-padaḥ
వత్సా, గుణకర్మాల ప్రకారం వేదవిధులు మమ్మల్ని వర్ణాశ్రమ విభాగాల తాళ్లతో బంధించాయి; ఈ ఏర్పాటు తప్పించుకోవడం కష్టం. కాబట్టి ఈశ్వరునికి అర్పణగా మన వర్ణాశ్రమధర్మాన్ని ఆచరించాలి; ముక్కులో తాడు కట్టి నడిపించే ఎద్దులవలె।
In this verse, the words tantyāṁ guṇa-karma-dāmabhiḥ are very important. We each get a body according to our association with the guṇas, the qualities or modes of material nature, and we act accordingly. As stated in Bhagavad-gītā, the four orders of the social system — namely brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya and śūdra — are arranged according to guṇa and karma, their qualities and work. There is some controversy about this, however, because some say that since one receives a body according to the guṇa and karma of his past life, it is one’s birth that determines his social status. Others say, however, that one’s birth according to the guṇa and karma of his past life is not the essential consideration, since one can change his guṇa and karma even in this life. Thus they say that the four divisions of the social order — brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya and śūdra — should be arranged according to the guṇa and karma of this life. This version is confirmed in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam by Nārada Muni. While instructing Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira about the symptoms of guṇa and karma, Nārada Muni said that these symptoms must govern the division of society. In other words, if a person born in the family of a brāhmaṇa has the symptoms of a śūdra, he should be designated as a śūdra. Similarly, if a śūdra has brahminical qualities, he should be designated a brāhmaṇa.
FAQs
This verse says living beings are tightly bound by the ropes of their own qualities and actions, a bondage that is very difficult to cross, and thus they are compelled by material nature to act and offer the results upward to the Supreme Controller.
Priyavrata instructs his son about the condition of embodied life—how speech, qualities, and actions bind the soul—so that he may cultivate detachment and seek a higher, devotional purpose rather than remain driven like a controlled animal.
Notice how habits and identity (speech, tendencies, work) can “lead” us; then consciously redirect actions as an offering to God, reducing ego-driven compulsion and increasing mindful, devotional living.