BhG 4.13

syntax

mayā (by me) guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ (according to guṇa and action) cātur-varṇyam (the system of four varṇas) sṛṣṭam (created) [asti] (it is).
[tvam] (you) mām (me) tasya (of this) kartāram api (even the doer)
avyayam (unchangeable) akartāram (a non-doer) viddhi (you must know).

grammar

cātur-varṇyam	–	cātur-varṇya 1n.1 n. – the system of four varṇas (from: catur – four; √varṇ – to paint, to delineate, to tell, varṇa – colour, social class, varṇya – related to colour or social classes);
mayā	–	asmat sn. 3n.1 – by me;
sṛṣṭam	–	sṛṣṭa (√sṛj – to let go, to emit) PP 1n.1 n. – emitted, created;
guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ	–	av. guṇānāṁ ca karmaṇāṁ ca vibhāgaśa iti – according to guṇa and action (from: √grah – to take, guṇa – quality, virtue, thread; √kṛ – to do, karman – activity and its result; vi-√bhāj – to divide, to separate; vi-bhāga – share, portion, division; -śas – at the end: according to, one by one; vibhāga-śas – according to share, portion, proportionally);
tasya	–	tat sn. 6n.1 m. – of this;
kartāram	–	kartṛ 2n.1 m. – the doer (from: √kṛ – to do);
api	–	av. – although, moreover, besides, even;
mām	–	asmat sn. 2n.1 – me;
viddhi	–	√vid (to know, to understand) Imperat. P 2v.1 – you must know;
akartāram	–	a-kartṛ 2n.1 m. – non-doer (from: √kṛ – to do);
avyayam	–	a-vyaya 2n.1 n. – unchangeable (from: vi-√i – to go away, to disappear, vyaya – going away, changeable, expense);

textual variants

cātur-varṇyaṁ → catur-varṇyaṁ (the system of four varṇas);
cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ → cātur-varṇā mayā sṛṣṭāḥ (four varṇas by me created);
guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ → guṇa-karma-vibhāgataḥ (from the division of guṇa and action);
viddhy akartāram → viddhi kartāram (you must know as the doer);

Śāṃkara

mānuṣa eva loke varṇāśramādi-karmādhikāraḥ | nānyeṣu lokeṣv iti niyamaḥ kiṃ-nimittaḥ ? iti | athavā varṇāśramādi-pravibhāgopetā manuṣyā mama vartmānuvartante sarvaśa [gītā 4.11] ity uktaṃ kasmāt punaḥ kāraṇān niyamena tavaiva vartmānuvartante, nānyasya kiṃ ? ucyate —

cāturvarṇyaṃ catvāra eva varṇāś cāturvarṇyaṃ mayeśvareṇa sṛṣṭam utpāditaṃ brāhmaṇo’sya mukham āsīt [rādhāk 8.4.19.2, ayatiajuḥ 32.11] ity ādi śruteḥ | guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśo guṇa-vibhāgaśaḥ karma-vibhāgaśaś ca | guṇāḥ sattva-rajas-tamāṃsi | tatra sāttvikasya sattva-pradhānasya brāhmaṇasya śamo damas tapaḥ [gītā 18.42] ity ādīni karmāṇi | sattvopa-sarjana-rajaḥ-pradhānasya kṣatriyasya śaurya-tejaḥ-prabhṛtīni karmāṇi | tama-upasarjana-rajaḥ-pradhānasya vaiśyasya kṛṣy-ādīni karmāṇi | raja-upasarjana-tamaḥ-pradhānasya śūdrasya śuśrūṣaiva karma | ity evaṃ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaś cāturguṇyaṃ mayā sṛṣṭam ity arthaḥ | tac cedaṃ cāturvarṇyaṃ nānyeṣu lokeṣu | ato mānuṣe loke iti viśeṣaṇam | hanta tarhi cāturvarṇya-sargādeḥ karmaṇaḥ kartṛtvāt tat-phalena yujyase’to na tvaṃ nitya-mukto nityeśvaraś ceti | ucyate—yadyapi māyā-saṃvyavahāreṇa tasya karmaṇaḥ kartāram api santaṃ māṃ paramārthato viddhy akartāraṃ, ataevāvyayam asaṃsāriṇaṃ ca māṃ viddhi

Rāmānuja

yathoktakarmayogārambhavirodhipāpakṣayahetum āha

cāturvarṇyapramukhaṃ brahmādistambaparyantaṃ kṛtsnaṃ jagat sattvādiguṇavibhāgena tadanuguṇaśamādikarmavibhāgena ca vibhaktaṃ mayā sṛṣṭam / sṛṣṭigrahaṇaṃ pradarśanārtham / mayaiva rakṣyante, mayaiva copasaṃhriyate / tasya vicitrasṛṣtyādeḥ kartāram apy akartāraṃ māṃ viddhi

Śrīdhara

nanu kecit sakāmatayā pravartante, kecit niṣkāmatayā iti karma-vaicitryam | tat-kartṛṇā ca brāhmaṇādīnām uttama-madhyamādi-vaicitryaṃ kurvatas tava kathaṃ vaiṣamyaṃ nāsti ? ity āśaṅkyāha cāturvarṇyam iti | catvāro varṇā eveti cāturvarṇyaṃ svārthe ṣyañ-pratyayaḥ | ayam arthaḥ — sattva-pradhānā brāhmaṇās teṣāṃ śama-damādīni karmāṇi | sattva- rajaḥ-pradhānāḥ kṣatriyās teṣāṃ śaurya-yuddhādīni karmāṇi | rajas- tamaḥ-pradhānā vaiśyās teṣāṃ kṛṣi-vāṇijyādīni karmāṇi | tamaḥ-pradhānāḥ śūdrās teṣāṃ traivarṇika-śuśrūṣādīni karmāṇi | ity evaṃ guṇānāṃ karmaṇāṃ ca vibhāgaiś cāturvarṇyaṃ mayaiva sṛṣṭam iti satyam, tathāpy evaṃ tasya kartāram api phalato ‚kartāram eva māṃ viddhi | tatra hetuḥ — avyayam āsakti-rāhityena śrama-rahitaṃ nāśādi-rahitaṃ vā

Madhusūdana

śarīrārambhaka-guṇa-vaiṣamyād api na sarve samāna-svabhāvā ity āha cāturvarṇyam iti | catvāro varṇā eva cāturvarṇyaṃ svārthe ṣyañ | mayeśvareṇa sṛṣṭam utpāditaṃ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśo guṇa-vibhāgaśaḥ karma-vibhāgaśaś ca | tathā hi sattva-pradhānā brāhmaṇās teṣāṃ ca sāttvikāni śama-damādīni karmāṇi | sattvopasarjana-rajaḥ-pradhānāḥ kṣatriyās teṣāṃ ca tādṛśāni śaurya-tejaḥ-prabhṛtīni karmāṇi | tama-upasarjana-rajaḥ-pradhānā vaiśyās teṣāṃ ca kṛṣy-ādīni tādṛśāni karmāṇi | tamaḥ-pradhānāḥ śūdrās teṣāṃ ca tāmasāni traivarṇika-śuśrūṣādīni karmāṇīti mānuṣe loke vyavasthitāni |

evaṃ tarhi viṣama-svabhāva-cāturvarṇya-sraṣṭṛtena tava vaiṣamyaṃ durvāram ity āśaṅkya nety āha tasya viṣama-svabhāvasya cāturvarṇyasya vyavahāra-dṛṣṭyā kartāram api māṃ paramārtha-dṛṣṭyā viddhy akartāram avyayaṃ nirahaṅkāratvenākṣīṇa-mahimānam

Viśvanātha

nanu bhakti-jñāna-mārgau mocakau, karma-mārgas tu bandhaka iti sarva-mārga-sraṣṭari tvayi parameśvare vaiṣamyaṃ prasaktam | tatra nahi nahīty āha cāturvarṇyam iti | catvāro varṇā eva cāturvarṇyam | svārthe ṣyañ | atra sattva-pradhānā brāhmaṇās teṣāṃ śama-damādīni karmāṇi | rajaḥ-sattva-pradhānāḥ kṣatriyās teṣāṃ śaurya-yuddhādīni karmāṇi | tamo-rajaḥ-pradhānā vaiśyās teṣāṃ kṛṣi-go-rakṣādīni karmāṇi | tamaḥ-pradhānāḥ śūdrās teṣāṃ paricaryātmakaṃ karmety evaṃ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśo guṇānāṃ karmaṇāṃ ca vibhāgaiś catvāro varṇā mayā dharma-mārgāśritatvena sṛṣṭāḥ | kintu teṣāṃ kartāraṃ sraṣṭāram api mām akartāram asraṣṭāram eva viddhi | teṣāṃ prakṛti-guṇa-sṛṣṭatvāt prakṛteś ca mac-chaktitvāt | sraṣṭāram api māṃ vastutas tv asraṣṭāram | mama prakṛti-guṇātīta-svarūpatvād iti bhāvaḥ | ataevāvyayam | sraṣṭṛtve ‚pi na sāmyaṃ kiṃcid evety arthaḥ

Baladeva

atha niṣkāma-karmānuṣṭhāna-virodhi-bhoga-vāsanā-vināśa-hetum āha cāturvarṇyam iti dvābhyām | catvāro varṇāś cāturvarṇyaṃ svārthikaḥ ṣyañ | sattva-pradhānāḥ viprās teṣāṃ śamādīni karmāṇi | rajaḥ-sattva-pradhānāḥ kṣatriyās teṣāṃ yuddhādīni | tamo-rajaḥ-pradhānā vaiśyās teṣāṃ kṛṣy-ādīni | tamaḥ-pradhānāḥ śūdrās teṣāṃ viprādi-trika-paricaryādīnīti guṇa-vibhāgaiḥ karma-vibhāgaiś ca vibhaktāś catvāro varṇāḥ sarveśvareṇa mayā sṛṣṭāḥ sthiti-saṃhṛtyor upalakṣaṇam etat | brahmādi-stambāntasya prapañcasyāham eva sargādi-karteti | yad āha sūtrakāraḥ – janmādy asya yataḥ [Vs 1.1.2] iti | tasya sargādeḥ kartāram api māṃ tat tat karmāntaritatvād akartāraṃ viddhīti svasmin vaiṣamyādikaṃ parihṛtam | etat prāhāvyayaym iti sraṣṭṛtve ‚pi sāmyān na vyemīty arthaḥ