ब्राह्मणक्षत्रियविशां शूद्राणां च परंतप । कर्माणि प्रविभक्तानि स्वभावप्रभवैर् गुणैः ॥
brāhmaṇa-kṣatriya-viśāṃ śūdrāṇāṃ ca paraṃtapa | karmāṇi pravibhaktāni svabhāva-prabhavair guṇaiḥ ||
The duties of Brāhmaṇas, Kṣatriyas, Vaiśyas, and Śūdras are distributed by the guṇas born of their own nature.
Word by word (3)
- brāhmaṇa-kṣatriya-viśāṃ śūdrāṇāṃ ca paraṃtapa
- — of Brāhmaṇas (brāhmaṇa), Kṣatriyas (kṣatriya), Vaiśyas (viśāṃ = of the viś/vaiśyas), and also (ca) of Śūdras (śūdrāṇāṃ), O scorcher-of-foes (paraṃtapa = foe-scorcher, Arjuna) — the four varṇas (social/vocational categories) all addressed together
- karmāṇi pravibhaktāni svabhāva-prabhavair guṇaiḥ
- — the duties/actions (karmāṇi) are distributed/divided (pravibhaktāni = fully-divided, from pra + vi + bhaj = to divide, distribute) by the guṇas (guṇaiḥ) born of/arisen from (prabhavaiḥ = arising-from) svabhāva (one's own nature/natural constitution) — the guṇa-analysis now applied to social duty: each varṇa's karma arises from svabhāva-born guṇas
- svabhāva-prabhavaiḥ guṇaiḥ
- — guṇas arisen from/born of svabhāva (one's own nature); svabhāva = the natural constitutional disposition that a person is born with; this disposition expresses through guṇas; the Gita's social theory is guṇa-based (natural aptitude) not merely birth-based — the person whose svabhāva has sāttvic dominance naturally gravitates toward brāhmaṇa dharma; one whose svabhāva has rājasic dominance toward kṣatriya dharma; etc.
The duties of Brāhmaṇas, Kṣatriyas, Vaiśyas, and Śūdras, O scorcher-of-foes, are distributed according to the guṇas born of their own nature.
A modern analogy
V41 applies the completed guṇa-analysis (V19-V40) to social organization. Just as a hospital has surgeons, nurses, administrators, and support staff — each with distinct duties arising from their training and natural aptitude — the Gita's four varṇas have distinct karmāṇi arising from their svabhāva-born guṇas. The system is meant to be natural-aptitude-based, not caste-by-birth.
V41 opens the svadharma section (V41-V48) — the practical application of the guṇa-analysis to social life. Having analyzed ALL human activities (jñāna, karma, kartā, buddhi, dhṛti, sukha) through the guṇa lens, Krishna now applies the same framework to vocational identity. The connection is explicit: svabhāva-prabhavaiḥ guṇaiḥ (guṇas born of one's own nature) — one's guṇic constitution determines one's natural sphere of action. V42-V44 give the specific karmas; V45 gives the telos (siddhi through svadharma).
Svabhāva-prabhavaiḥ guṇaiḥ (guṇas born of one's own nature) is the Gita's grounding for the varṇa system: it is NOT birth-determined in the Gita's framework (though historically it has been applied that way). It is svabhāva-determined — one's natural constitutional disposition. Ch.4 V13 also says cātur-varṇyaṃ mayā sṛṣṭaṃ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ (four-fold order created by Me through guṇa-karma division) — guṇa + karma, not janma (birth). The Gita's varṇa theory is a theory of natural vocational aptitude.
Public-domain translations (4) compare all →
Of Brahmanas and Kshatriyas and Vaisyas, as also of Sudras, O Parantapa, the duties are divided according to the qualities born of nature. [1]
Of Brahmanas and Kshatriyas and Vaishyas, as also of Shudras, O scorcher of foes, the duties are distributed according to the Gunas born of their own nature. [4]
MISSING from index. [9]
Tranquility, self-restraint, ascetic austerities, purity, forgiveness, rectitude, knowledge, experience, and belief (in an existence hereafter), these are the duties of Brahmanas, born of their proper nature. [13]
This verse speaks to
Where this thread continues
By bhakti one truly knows what and who I am; then knowing Me truly, one enters into Me immediately.
Where yogeśvara Kṛṣṇa is, where archer Pārtha stands — there abide fortune, victory, flourishing, and steadfast dharma.
If you know the soul is indestructible — who kills whom?
The fully self-realized person has no binding duty — their joy, satisfaction, and fullness come entirely from within.
No being — neither on earth nor among the devas in heaven — is free from these three guṇas born of Prakṛti.
Endued with pure buddhi, regulating self with dhṛti, renouncing sense-objects, setting aside rāga-dveṣa —