टीका

Commentary

After establishing that no being is free from the gunas (verse 40), Krishna now explains how the gunas naturally give rise to different types of people with different aptitudes and responsibilities. This is the varnashrama system — not a rigid social hierarchy, but a natural division of human tendencies and duties based on the modes of nature.

The key phrase is svabhaava-prabhavaih gunaih — “by the qualities born of their own nature.” The division is not by birth alone, but by the natural disposition of the individual, which is shaped by the particular combination of gunas predominating in them.

A brahmana is one in whom sattva predominates — they are naturally inclined toward knowledge, teaching, and spiritual practice. A kshatriya has sattva mixed with rajas — they are inclined toward leadership, protection, and administration. A vaishya has rajas mixed with tamas — inclined toward agriculture, trade, and wealth-creation. A shudra has tamas predominating — inclined toward service and manual work.

The fourfold division of society — brahmanas, kshatriyas, vaishyas, and shudras — is not a human invention. It arises naturally from the different combinations of the gunas operative in different individuals. Their duties and temperaments are distinguished by the modes born of their own nature (svabhaava).