18.41 The four kinds of work Krishna speaks
ब्राह्मणक्षत्रियविशां शूद्राणां च परंतप
कर्माणि प्रविभक्तानि स्वभावप्रभवैर्गुणैः
brāhmaṇa-kṣhatriya-viśhāṁ śhūdrāṇāṁ cha parantapa
karmāṇi pravibhaktāni svabhāva-prabhavair guṇaiḥ
The work of the priestly, the warrior, the merchant and the working classes is divided according to the qualities born of their own natures, Arjuna.
Explanation
And then the four kinds of work.
Divided according to the qualities born of their own natures.
The basis given is nature, not birth. It is the same claim as 4.13, and it sits in obvious tension with how the division has been used — a tension the text does not resolve.
Word by word
- brāhmaṇa
- of the priestly class
- kṣhatriya
- the warrior and administrative class
- viśhām
- the mercantile and farming class
- śhūdrāṇām
- of the worker class
- cha
- and
- parantapa
- Arjun, subduer of the enemies
- karmāṇi
- duties
- pravibhaktāni
- distributed
- svabhāva-prabhavaiḥ-guṇaiḥ
- work based on one’s nature and guṇas
Long-press or right-click the image to copy it. Nothing is uploaded — it is drawn here, on your device.