Text 29] Further Inquiries by Vidura 289
maintenance and destruction of the cosmic manifestation, they are not
the final authority. The Supreme Personality of Godhead Lord Krsna is
the ultimate goal, the cause of all causes. He is the asraya, or the final rest
of everything.
TEXT 29
THAT «| RTAAATT: |
TT TARAS Fea AANTT RSI
varnasrama-vibhagams ca
rupa-sila-svabhavatah
rsinam janma-karmadi
vedasya ca vikarsanam
varna-asrama—the four divisions of social statuses and orders of spiritual
culture; vibhagan—respective divisions; ca—also; rupa—personal features;
Sila-svabhavatah—personal character; rsinam—of the sages; janma—birth;
karmadi-—activities; vedasya—of the Vedas; ca—and; vikarsanam—categori-
cal divisions.
TRANSLATION
O great sage, kindly describe the divisions and orders of human society
in terms of symptoms, behavior and the characteristics of mental
equilibrium and sense control. Also please describe the births of the great
sages and the categorical divisions of the Vedas.
PURPORT
The four statuses and orders of human society—brahmanas, ksatriyas,
vaisyas and sudras, as well as brahmacaris, grhasthas, vanaprasthas and
sannyasis—are all the divisions of quality, education, culture and spiritual
advancement attained by practicing control of the mind and the senses.
All these divisions are based on the particular nature of each individual
person, not on the principle of birth. Birth is not mentioned in this verse
because birth is immaterial. Vidura is famous‘in history as born of a
Sudrani mother, yet he is more than a brahmana by qualification because
he is seen here to be the disciple of a great sage, Maitreya Muni. Unless one
achieves at least the brahminical qualifications one cannot understand the
Vedic hymns. Mahabharata is also a division of the Vedas, but it is meant
for women, sudras and dvija-bandhus, the worthless children of the higher
section. The less intelligent section of society can avail themselves of the
Vedic instructions simply by studying the Mahabharata.
