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It can be said that Lord Brahma had created the four-fold division of human society. The four-fold division of the society were namely the Brahmanans, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas and the Sudras. Vishnu Purana says that the four-fold divisions of the society spring from various body parts of Lord Brahma. The four orders created by Brahma were capable of satisfactorily performing rites of sacrifices, in order to the successful celebration of them. Sacrifice according to the Vishnu Purana is important in the sense that it gratifies the celestials and as the celestials are satisfied they in turn gratify the creatures. Thus it can be said that sacrifice altogether brings about welfare. Men who walk in the path of purity, goodness, morality and righteousness are the ones who perform sacrifice in the due manner and not only that but also these men are able to achieve emancipation and heaven and also can go to places which they desire the most. Men being divided into four orders were of excellent and reverend ways. The Purana states that portion of Hari that is fraught with fatality brings in sin. And as sin progresses human beings undergo physical changes. They also get captured by all sorts of miseries with sin taking dominance over their lives. With such a change coming over men started building shelters in order to protect themselves against all kinds of odd and gradually they started using their hands for subsistence. It has been said that by sacrificing day after day an individual moves towards more and more good. According to Vishnu Purana it has been said that the sphere which has been assigned to the Brahmanas is the rule of the Order and is the sphere of the Creator himself. The sphere which has been assigned to the Kshatriyas is the sphere of Indra. The Vaishyas attain the regions of the Maruts and Shudras who serve others belong to the region of the Gandharvas. Vishnu Purana narrates that those practising the Brahmacharyya injunctions attain the legions of Marut belonging to the eight and eighty thousand ascetics that have drawn up their vital fluid. And those living in the forest reap the place of the seven sages; householders repair to the regions of the Creator; and mendicants, to the sphere named Brahma. Hence it can be concluded saying that the four-fold division of the society have been assigned various regions in the society and they carry out their activities according to the region that has been assigned to them. |
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