मुखबाहूरुपादेभ्यः पुरुषस्याश्रमैः सह ।
चत्वारो जज्ञिरे वर्णा गुणैर्विप्रादयः पृथक् ॥
य एषां पुरुषं साक्षादात्मप्रभवमीश्वरम् ।
न भजन्त्यवजानन्ति स्थानाद् भ्रष्टाः पतन्त्यधः ॥
mukha-bāhūru-pādebhyaḥ puruṣasyāśramaiḥ saha |
catvāro jajñire varṇā guṇair viprādayaḥ pṛthak ||
ya eṣāṁ puruṣaṁ sākṣād ātma-prabhavam īśvaram |
na bhajanty avajānanti sthānād bhraṣṭāḥ patanty adhaḥ ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 11.5.2; cited in Bhakti Sandarbha: 64, 97, 111, 115, 148)
“The four separate varṇas, brāhmaṇa and so forth, are born from the face, arms, thighs, and feet of the Puruṣa by means of the guṇas along with the [four] āśramas. Those [persons] among these [varṇas and āśramas] who do not worship and [thus] disrespect the Puruṣa himself, the Source of the self, Īśvara, become deviated from their position and fall down.”
Commentary
sva-janakasya guror bhagavato’nādarād guru-droheṇa durgatiṁ yāntīti vaktuṁ bhagavataḥ sakāśād varṇāśramāṇām utpattim āha—mukheti | guṇaiḥ sattvena vipraḥ, sattva-rajobhyāṁ kṣatriyaḥ, rajas-tamobhyāṁ vaiśyaḥ, tamasā śūdra iti | eṣāṁ madhye ye’jñātvā na bhajanti, ye ca jñātvāpy avajānanti | ātmanaḥ prabhavo janma yasmāt tam | tad-abhajane kṛta-ghnatām apy āha—īśvaram iti | sthānād varṇāśramād bhraṣṭāḥ |
(Bhāvārtha-dīpikā)
“To state that they [i.e., those who do not worship Śrī Bhagavān] undergo distress [alt., go to Naraka] because of an offense to a guru as a result of [their] disrespect to Bhagavān, who is their own progenitor and [consequently their] guru, he [i.e., Śrī Camasa Yogīndra] describes the generation of the varṇas and āśramas directly from Bhagavān: mukha … [i.e., he states this verse]. ‘By means of the guṇas’ (guṇaiḥ) means the brāhmaṇa [varṇa was generated] by means of sattva, the kṣatriya [varṇa] by means of sattva and rajas, the vaiśya [varṇa] by means of rajas and tamas, and the śūdra [varṇa] by means of tamas. Among these [varṇas and āśramas], [those] who, not having understood, do not worship, and also [those] who, even having understood, disrespect, [the Puruṣa,] he because of whom one’s own origination (prabhavaḥ) occurs become deviated from their position (sthānāt), that is, from their varṇa and āśrama [i.e., some persons do not understand the Puruṣa’s, that is, Śrī Bhagavān’s, rightful worthiness of compulsory worship and thus do not worship him, and others even after having understood his rightful worthiness of compulsory worship disrespect him by neglecting to worship him; both become degraded as a result]. When non-worship of him occurs, ingratitude also does [i.e., neglecting to worship him is a form of ingratitude to him]. Thus, he [i.e., Śrī Camasa] says Īśvara … [i.e., thus he specifies that the Puruṣa from whom the varṇas and āśramas are manifested is Īśvara, that is, he whose capability is the basis of the totality of existence and thus who is invariable worthy of offerings of gratitude from all living entities].”
mukha-bāhv iti virāṭ-tad-antaryāmiṇor abhedoktiḥ | ‘mukha-bāhūru-pādebhya’ ity upalakṣaṇam evāśrameṣu, yathā vakṣyate—‘gṛhāśramo jaghanato brahmacaryaṁ hṛdo mama | vakṣaḥ-sthalād vane vāso nyāsaś śirṣaṇi ca sthitaḥ ||’ iti | na bhajanty ata evāvajānantīty arthaḥ | yad vā, kecid aśrutvā na bhajanti, kecic chrutvāpi na bhajanti ced avajānanty evety arthaḥ | sthānād varṇāśrama-rūpāt svāśramād bhraṣṭāḥ santaḥ kramād adho’dho gacchantīty arthaḥ |
(Krama-sandarbha-ṭīkā)
“Mukha-bāhu … [i.e., SB 11.5.2] is a statement of non-difference between the Virāṭ and the Inner Regulator (Antaryāmī) thereof [i.e., the Paramātmā]. ‘From the face, arms, thighs, and feet’ is an elliptical reference (upalaṣaṇa) with respect to the āśramas, since it will be stated [ahead in SB 11.17.14], ‘The gṛhastha āśrama appeared from my loins, brahmacarya from my heart, and vānaprastha from my chest. Sannyāsa was situated in my head.’ ‘Do not worship and thus disregard’ is the meaning [i.e., not only showing disrespect but even neglecting to make offerings of worship is also a form of disrespect of the Puruṣa]. Alternately, ‘Some, not having heard, do not worship, but if some, even having heard, do not worship, they verily disrespect [him]’ is the meaning [i.e., in the first interpretation, anyone who does not worship the Puruṣa is guilty of disrespecting the Puruṣa, and in the second interpretation, those who have never heard about the Puruṣa and his rightful worthiness of compulsory worship from all living beings do not disrespect him by not worshiping him but those who have heard about his rightful worthiness of compulsory worship disrespect him by neglecting to worship him]. They become deviated from their position (sthānāt), that is, from their own shelter in the form of their varṇa and āśrama, and gradually go down and down [i.e., become degraded and sink into Naraka]. This is the meaning.”
bhajanīyasya bhagavato’bhajanād durgatir eveti vaktuṁ prathamaṁ bhajanīyatve yuktim āha—mukheti | guṇaiḥ sattvena viprāḥ, sattva-rajobhyāṁ kṣatriyā, rajas-tamobhyāṁ vaiśyāḥ, tamasā śūdrāḥ | atra mukhādibhya āśramaiḥ saha catvāro varṇā jajñire ity anvaye āśramāṇām api mukhādibhya evotpattiḥ prasajjate, sā ca na tathā, yad vakṣyate—‘gṛhāśramo jaghanato brahmacaryaṁ hṛdo mama | vakṣaḥ-sthalād vane vāso nyāsaś śirṣaṇi ca sthitaḥ ||’ iti | tasmān mukha-bāhūru-pādebhya ity ataḥ prāg-jaghana-hṛd-vakṣo-mastakād ity adhyāhāryam | tataś ca jaghanādibhyo mukhādibhyaś ca āśramaiḥ saha krameṇa varṇā jajñire iti saṅgatam | eṣāṁ madhye ye na bhajanti, ātmanaḥ prabhavo yasmāt tam ādi-pitaram ity arthaḥ | na bhajanty ata evāvajānanti, avaśya-bhajanīyasya guror abhajanam evāvajñeti bhāvaḥ | sthānād āśrama-lakṣaṇāt |
(Sārārtha-darśinī-ṭīkā)
“To state that distress [alt., Naraka] certainly comes about as a result of non-worship of Bhagavān, who is worthy of [compulsory] worship, he [i.e., Śrī Camasa Yogīndra] first describes the reasoning for his being worthy of worship: mukha … [i.e., he states this verse]. ‘By means of the guṇas’ (guṇaiḥ) means brāhmaṇas [were generated] by means of sattva, kṣatriyas by means of sattva and rajas, vaiśyas by means of rajas and tamas, and śūdras by means of tamas. Since the syntactical connection here [in this verse] is, ‘The four varṇas are born along with the [four] āśramas from the face and so forth,’ the [idea that the] generation of the āśramas as well occurs specifically from the face and so forth is contingent, yet that is not so, since it will be stated [ahead in SB 11.17.14], ‘The gṛhastha āśrama appeared from my loins, brahmacarya from my heart, and vānaprastha from my chest. Sannyāsa was situated in my head.’ Therefore, [a compound] ‘from the loins, heart, chest, and head’ is to be supplied prior to ‘from the face, arms, thighs, and feet’ (mukha-bāhūru-pādebhyaḥ) [i.e., therefore one should infer the presence of a compound specifying the places of origin of the āśramas earlier in the sequence of the syntactical connection (anvaya) between the words in the verse so that the compound specifying the places of origin of the varṇas is not also applied to the āśramas], and thus [the interpretation], ‘The varṇas are born sequentially from the face and so forth along with the āśramas from the loins and so forth’ is proper. Among these [i.e., among the members of these varṇas and āśramas], [those] who do not worship he because of whom one’s own origination (prabhavaḥ) occurs, meaning, [one’s] Original Father, [become deviated and fall down,] is the meaning. They do not worship and thus disrespect [him]: non-worship of a guru who is worthy of compulsory worship is certainly disrespect. This is the purport. [They become deviated] ‘From [their] position’ (sthānāt) in the form of [their] āśrama [is the meaning].”