470
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
| Canto 3, Ch. 12
performance of religious activities in terms of the social statuses and orders of life. They are all clearly mentioned in the Vedic literatures and were manifested by Brahmā when the four  Vedas  were generated from his four mouths. Thus the duties of humankind in terms of the statuses and social orders were established to be observed by the civilized man. Those who traditionally follow these principles are called Āryans, or progressive human beings.
TEXT 36
विदुर उवाच
स वै विश्वसृजामीशो वेदादीन् मुखतोऽसृजत्। यद् यद् येनासृजद् देवस्तन्मे ब्रूहि तपोधन ॥३६॥
vidura uvāca   sa vai viśva-sṛjām īśo   vedādīn mukhato 'sṛjat   yad yad yenāsṛjad devas   tan me brūhi tapodhana
viduraḥ uvāca —Vidura said;  saḥ —he (Brahmā);  vai —certainly;  viśva —the universe;  sṛjām —of those who created;  īśaḥ —the controller;  veda-ādīn —the  Vedas , etc.;  mukhataḥ —from the mouth;  asṛjat —established;  yat —that;  yat —which;  yena —by which;  asṛjat —created;  devaḥ —the god;  tat —that;  me —unto me;  brūhi —please explain;  tapaḥ-dhana —O sage whose only wealth is penance.
TRANSLATION
Vidura said: O great sage whose only wealth is penance, kindly explain to me how and with whose help Brahmā established the Vedic knowledge which emanated from his mouth.
TEXT 37
मैत्रेय उवाच
ऋग्यजुःसामाथर्वाख्यान् वेदान् पूर्वादिभिर्मुखैः । शास्त्रमिज्यां स्तुतिस्तोमं प्रायश्चित्तं व्यधात्क्रमात् ॥३७॥