z:\ ambedkar\vol 04\vol4 05.indd MK SJ DK YS 23 9 2013/YS 8 11 2013 196
196 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES
Desiring to produce living creatures, I performed very arduous devotion and first created ten Maharshis, Great rishis, lords of living beings, 35. viz., Marichi, Atri, Angiras, Pulastya, Pulaha, Kratu, Prachetas, Vasishtha, Bhrigu, and Narada. 36. They, endowed with great energy, created other seven Manus, gods, and abodes of gods, and Maharshis of boundless might; 37. Yakshas. Rakshases, Pisachas, Gandharvas, Apsaras, Asuras, Nagas, Serpents, great birds, and the different classes of pitris; 38. Lightnings, thunderbolts, clouds, portentous atmospheric sounds, comets, and various luminaries;
Kinnars, apes, fishes, different sorts of birds, cattle, deer, men, beasts with two rows of teeth; 40. small and large reptiles mouths; lice, flies, fleas, all gadflies, and gnats, and motionless things of different sorts. 41. Thus by my appointment, and by the force of devotion, was all this World both motionless and moving, created by those great beings, according to the (previous) actions of each creature.”
There is also another view expressed by Manu in his Smriti as to the basic reasons for dividing men into four classes [1] :
“I shall now declare succinctly in order the states which the soul reaches by means of each of these qualities. 40. Souls endowed with the Satlva quality attain to godhead: those having the rajas quality become men; whilst those characterized by tamas always become beasts—such is the threefold destination............
- Elephants, horses, Sudras and contemptible Mlenchhas, lions, tigers, and boars form the middle dark condition........ 46. Kings, Kshattriyas, a King’s priests (purohitah), and men whose chief occupation is the war of words, compose the middle condition of passion.... 48. Devotees, ascetics, Brahmans, the deities borne on aerial cars, constellations, and Daityas, constitute the lowest condition of goodness. 49. Sacrificing priests, rishis, Gods, the Vedas, the celestial luminaries, years, the fathers, the Sadhyas, form the second condition of goodness. 50. Brahma, the creators, righteousness, the Great one ( mahat ) the Unapparent One ( avyakta ) compose the highest condition of goodness.”
Manu of course agrees with the Rig-Veda. But his view is of no use for comparison. It is not original. He is merely repeating the Rig-Veda.
IV
It will be interesting to compare with these views those contained in the Ramayana and the Mahabharata.
1 Muir’s Sanskrit Texts Vol. I p. 41.