चातुर्वर्ण्यं मया सृष्टं गुणकर्मविभागशः।
तस्य कर्तारमपि मां विद्ध्यकर्तारमव्ययम्।।4.13।।
The four castes have been created by Me through a classification of the gunas and duties. Even though I am the agent of that (act of classification), still know Me to be non-agentive and changeless.
Osho’s Commentary
Krishna speaks of creating the four varnas. This has been one of the most misunderstood and abused concepts. In the hands of ignorant priests, it became the rigid, oppressive caste system based on birth. That is not Krishna’s meaning at all. He speaks of guna-karma-vibhagashah—according to the division of qualities (gunas) and actions (karma). This is a psychological classification, not a social hierarchy. There are four fundamental human types. The Brahmin: the man of knowing, the intellectual, the priest. His intrinsic nature is to seek knowledge. The Kshatriya: the man of power, the warrior, the ruler. His nature is action, courage, and will. The Vaishya: the man of wealth, the merchant, the producer. His nature is to create and manage prosperity. The Shudra: the man of service, the laborer, the artist. His nature is to serve, to create with his hands. These are not high or low. They are four different dimensions of the human soul. Krishna says this order is created by the divine, by nature itself. But then he adds a paradox: “Though I am its creator, know me to be the non-creator.” The divine creates, but without any ego, without any sense of doership. It is a spontaneous flowering, a play. The divine is the source, but remains untouched by its own creation.