Viṣṇu purāṇa(毘濕奴往世書)Book I- Chapter VI (第一冊-第六章)- Origin of the four castes —四個種姓的起源

Origin of the four castes: their primitive state. Progress of society. Different kinds of grain. Efficacy of sacrifice. Duties of men: regions assigned them after death.

四個種姓的起源：他們的原始狀態。社會的演化。不同種類的糧食。祭祀的效用。男人的職責：死後分配給他們的區域。

Maitreya said:—

Thou hast briefly noticed, illustrious sage, the creation termed Arvāksrotas, or that of mankind: now explain to me more fully how Brahmā accomplished it; how he created the four different castes; what duties he assigned to the Brahmans and the rest.

彌勒說：

「傑出的聖人，您已經簡要地提到了被稱為Arvāksrotas(人類的創造)或人類的創造物：現在請為我更全面地解釋梵天是如何完成它的；他如何創造了四種不同的種姓；他為給婆羅門和其他人分配了哪些職責。」

Parāśara said:—

Formerly, oh best of Brahmans, when the truth-meditating Brahmā was desirous of creating the world, there sprang from his mouth beings especially endowed with the quality of goodness; others from his breast, pervaded by the quality of foulness; others from his thighs, in whom foulness and darkness prevailed; and others from his feet, in whom the quality of darkness predominated. These were, in succession, beings of the several castes, Brahmans, Kṣetriyas, Vaisyas, and Śūdras, produced from the mouth, the breast, the thighs, and the feet of Brahmā. These he created for the performance of sacrifices, the four castes being the fit instruments of their celebration. By sacrifices, oh thou who knowest the truth, the gods are nourished; and by the rain which they bestow, mankind are supported: and thus sacrifices, the source of happiness, are performed by pious men, attached to their duties, attentive to prescribed obligations, and walking in the paths of virtue. Men acquire (by them) heavenly fruition, or final felicity: they go, after death, to whatever sphere they aspire to, as the consequence of their human nature. The beings who were created by Brahmā, of these four castes, were at first endowed with righteousness and perfect faith; they abode wherever they pleased, unchecked by any impediment; their hearts were free from guile; they were pure, made free from soil, by observance of sacred institutes. In their sanctified minds Hari dwelt; and they were filled with perfect wisdom, by which they contemplated the glory of Viṣṇu. After a while (after the Tretā age had continued for some period), that portion of Hari which has been described as one with Kāla (time) infused into created beings sin, as yet feeble though formidable, or passion and the like: the impediment of soul's liberation, the seed of iniquity, sprung from darkness and desire. The innate perfectness of human nature was then no more evolved: the eight kinds of perfection, Rasollāsā and the rest, were impaired; and these being enfeebled, and sin gaining strength, mortals were afflicted with pain, arising from susceptibility to contrasts, as heat and cold, and the like. They therefore constructed places of refuge, protected by trees, by mountains, or by water; surrounded them by a ditch or a wall, and formed villages and cities; and in them erected appropriate dwellings, as defences against the sun and the cold.Having thus provided security against the weather, men next began to employ themselves in manual labour, as a means of livelihood, (and cultivated) the seventeen kinds of useful grain—rice, barley, wheat, millet, sesamum, panic, and various sorts of lentils, beans, and pease. These are the kinds cultivated for domestic use: but there are fourteen kinds which may be offered in sacrifice; they are, rice, barley, Māṣa, wheat, millet, and sesamum; Priyaṅgu is the seventh, and kulattha, pulse, the eighth: the others are, Syāmāka, a sort of panic; Nīvāra, uñcultivated rice; Jarttila, wild sesamum; Gavedukā (coix); Markata, wild panic; and (a plant called) the seed or barley of the Bambu (Venu-yava). These, cultivated or wild, are the fourteen grains that were produced for purposes of offering in sacrifice; and sacrifice (the cause of rain) is their origin also: they again, with sacrifice, are the great cause of the perpetuation of the human race, as those understand who can discriminate cause and effect. Thence sacrifices were offered daily; the performance of which, oh best of Munis, is of essential service to mankind, and expiates the offences of those by whom they are observed. Those, however, in whose hearts the dross of sin derived from Time (Kāla) was still more developed, assented not to sacrifices, but reviled both them and all that resulted from them, the gods, and the followers of the Vedas. Those abusers of the Vedas, of evil disposition and conduct, and seceders from the path of enjoined duties, were plunged in wickedness

波羅奢羅說：

 「啊，最好的婆羅門，從前，當正思惟真理的梵天欲創造世界時，從他的口中會出現特別具有善良特質的眾生。其他則來自他的胸膛的，充滿了邪惡的特質；再其他的則來自他的大腿，其中邪惡和黑暗盛行；最後其他的從他的腳下出生，黑暗的特質占主導地位。這些人依序是婆羅門、剎帝利、吠舍和首陀羅等幾個種姓的眾生，分別從梵天的嘴、胸、大腿和腳產生的。他創造的是為了進行祭祀，四個種姓是執行祭祀的合適工具。眾神透過祭祀而得到滋養；他們賜予的雨水支撐著人類。因此，祭祀是幸福的源泉，是由虔誠的人進行的，他們恪盡職守，恪守規定的義務，走在美德的道路上。人透過它們獲得天堂的果實，或最終的幸福。死後，他們進入他們渴望的任何領域，這是他們人性的結果。梵天所創造的這四個種姓的眾生，最初都被賦予了正義和完美的信仰；他們隨心所欲地居住，不受任何障礙的限制。他們的心沒有詭詐；他們是純潔的，透過遵守神聖的制度而脫離了土壤。Hari居住在他們神聖的心靈中；他們充滿了完美的智慧，藉此沉思毘濕奴的榮耀。過了一段時間（在Tretā時期持續了一段時間之後），被描述為與Kala（時間）合一的Hari的那部分被注入受造生物體內，罪業雖然強大，但仍然微弱——或者說是慾望之類：障礙靈魂的解脫，罪惡的種子，源自黑暗和慾望。那時，人性與生俱來的完美性不再進化：①八種完美屬性(8項成就)(8 Differerent Siddhi)、Rasollāsā(液體（或身體的汁液，沒有來自外部的營養）的自發進化)和其他完美特質都受到了損害，像是因對冷、熱等對比敏感而遭受痛苦。因此，他們建造了庇護所，受到樹木、山脈或水的保護。用溝渠或牆圍住他們，形成村莊和城市；並在其中建造適當的住宅，以抵禦烈日和寒冷。這樣提供了抵禦天氣的保障，人們接下來開始從事體力勞動，作為謀生手段，並種植十七種有用的穀物——大米、大麥、小麥、小米、芝麻、山黍和各種扁豆、豆類和豌豆。

這些是供家庭種植的品種，但可以獻祭的有十四種。它們是：稻米、大麥、Māṣa、小麥、小米和芝麻；Priyaṅgu(各種具有小粒種子的穀類作物)是第七個，kulattha，豆類，第八個：其他的是，Syāmāka，一種山黍；Nīvara，未經過耕種的稻米；Jarttila，野芝麻；Gavedukā（薏苡仁）；Markata，野生的山黍；和一種稱為Bambu（Venu-yava）的種子或大麥的植物。這些，無論是栽培的還是野生的，都是為祭祀而生產的十四種穀物。而祭祀（下雨的原因）也是它們的起源：正如那些能夠辨別因果的人所理解的那樣，它們透過獻祭再次成為人類永存的偉大原因。每天都在那裡獻祭。哦，最好的牟尼阿，其表現對人類具有重要的功用，並彌補了那些觀察者的罪行。然而，那些心中源自於時間（Kāla）的罪惡渣滓更加發達的人，反對祭祀，而辱罵祭祀以及由此產生的一切，諸神和吠陀經的追隨者。那些濫用吠陀經、性情和行為邪惡、背離受命義務之道的人，都陷入了邪惡之中。」

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①eight kinds of perfectio：在印度的各家說法不少，其中：

一種說法(Yogis)

心，缺乏raja和tama－它們會污染心和靈魂。只有那些練習瑜珈、將純淨的心靈與靈魂結合的人才能獲得八項成就。

Ashta Siddhis 是：

Aavesha - 進入他人身體的能力

Chetaso jnaanam - 讀心術

Arthaanaam chandatah kriyaa - 根據意志控制自己的感官對象的能力（對感官對象的感知，即隨意的視覺、聲音、觸覺、味覺和嗅覺，當需要時）

Drushtihi - 能夠看到眼睛無法感知的物體

Shrotram - 能夠聽到遠距離發出的聲音，否則聽不到

Smrutih - 非凡的記憶力

Kanti - 非凡的光澤

Ishtatah adarshanam - 隱形的能力並且隨意可見

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The means of subsistence having been provided for the beings he had created, Brahmā prescribed laws suited to their station and faculties, the duties of the several castes and orders, and the regions of those of the different castes who were observant of their duties. The heaven of the Pitris is the region of devout Brahmans. The sphere of Indra, of Kṣetriyas who fly not from the field. The region of the winds is assigned to the Vaisyas who are diligent in their occupations and submissive. Śūdras are elevated to the + of the Gandharvas. Those Brahmans who lead religious lives go to the world of the eighty-eight thousand saints: and that of the seven Ṛṣis is the seat of pious anchorets and hermits. The world of ancestors is that of respectable householders: and the region of Brahmā is the asylum of religious mendicants. The imperishable region of the Yogis is the highest seat of Viṣṇu, where they perpetually meditate upon the supreme being, with minds intent on him alone: the sphere where they reside, the gods themselves cannot behold. The sun, the moon, the planets, shall repeatedly be, and cease to be; but those who internally repeat the mystic adoration of the divinity, shall never know decay. For those who neglect their duties, who revile the Vedas, and obstruct religious rites, the places assigned after death are the terrific regions of darkness, of deep gloom, of fear, and of great terror; the fearful hell of sharp swords, the hell of scourges and of a waveless sea.

梵天為他所創造的眾生提供了生存手段，並制定了適合他們的地位和能力的法律、不同種姓和秩序的職責，以及不同種姓遵守各自種姓的地區。職責。皮特里斯的天堂是虔誠的婆羅門教徒的地區。因陀羅的領域，即不從田野飛翔的剎帝利的領域。風域屬於勤勉恭順的吠舍人。首陀羅被提升到乾闥婆的領域。那些過宗教生活的婆羅門，去八萬八千聖人的世界：七聖人的世界是虔誠的隱士和修道者的所在地。祖先的世界是可敬的居士的世界：梵天的地區是宗教托缽僧的庇護所。瑜珈士的不朽之地是毗濕奴的最高寶座，在那裡，他們永遠冥想至高無上的存在，全神貫注於他：他們居住的領域，諸神本身是無法看到的。太陽、月亮、行星，將反覆存在和消失；但那些內心重複對神性的神秘崇拜的人將永遠不會衰敗。對於那些疏忽職責、辱罵吠陀經、阻礙宗教儀式的人來說，死後分配的地方是黑暗、深沉、恐懼和巨大恐怖的可怕區域；可怕的利劍地獄、災禍無波海地獄。