FolioCorpusBhagavad-gītā

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3.22.4

అతో హ్యన్యోన్యమాత్మానం బ్రహ్మ క్షత్రం చ రక్షత: । రక్షతి స్మావ్యయో దేవ: స య: సదసదాత్మక: ॥ ౪ ॥
ato hy anyonyam ātmānaṁ
[ato hy anyonyam aatmaanam]
brahma kṣatraṁ ca rakṣataḥ
[brahma kshatram cha rakshatah]
rakṣati smāvyayo devaḥ
[rakshati smaavyayo devah]
sa yaḥ sad-asad-ātmakaḥ
[sa yah sad-asad-aatmakah]
ataḥ — hence hi — certainly anyonyam — each other ātmānam — the self brahma — the brāhmaṇas kṣatram — the kṣatriyas ca — and rakṣataḥ — protect rakṣati sma — protects avyayaḥ — immutable devaḥ — the Lord saḥ — He yaḥ — who sat-asat-ātmakaḥ — the form of the cause and effect.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
ato hy anyonyam ātmānaṁ
ataḥ
hence
hi
certainly
anyonyam
each other
ātmānam
the self
brahma kṣatraṁ ca rakṣataḥ
brahma
the brāhmaṇas
kṣatram
the kṣatriyas
ca
and
rakṣataḥ
protect
rakṣati smāvyayo devaḥ
rakṣati sma
protects
avyayaḥ
immutable
devaḥ
the Lord
sa yaḥ sad-asad-ātmakaḥ
saḥ
He
yaḥ
who
sat-asat-ātmakaḥ
the form of the cause and effect.
That is why the brāhmaṇas and kṣatriyas protect each other, as well as themselves; and the Lord Himself, who is both the cause and effect and is yet immutable, protects them through each other.

The entire social structure of varṇa and āśrama is a cooperative system meant to uplift all to the highest platform of spiritual realization. The brāhmaṇas are intended to be protected by the kṣatriyas, and the kṣatriyas also are intended to be enlightened by the brāhmaṇas. When the brāhmaṇas and kṣatriyas cooperate nicely, the other subordinate divisions, the vaiśyas, or mercantile people, and the śūdras, or laborer class, automatically flourish. The entire elaborate system of Vedic society was therefore based on the importance of the brāhmaṇas and kṣatriyas. The Lord is the real protector, but He is unattached to the affairs of protection. He creates brāhmaṇas for the protection of the kṣatriyas, and kṣatriyas for the protection of the brāhmaṇas. He remains aloof from all activities; therefore, He is called nirvikāra, “without activity.” He has nothing to do. He is so great that He does not perform action personally, but His energies act. The brāhmaṇas and kṣatriyas, and anything that we see, are different energies acting upon one another.

Although individual souls are all different, the Superself, or Supersoul, is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Individually one’s self may differ from others in certain qualities and may engage in different activities, such as those of a brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya or vaiśya, but when there is complete cooperation among different individual souls, the Supreme Personality of Godhead as Supersoul, Paramātmā, being one in every individual soul, is pleased and gives them all protection. As stated before, the brāhmaṇas are produced from the mouth of the Lord, and the kṣatriyas are produced from the chest or arms of the Lord. If the different castes or social sections, although apparently differently occupied in different activities, nevertheless act in full cooperation, then the Lord is pleased. This is the idea of the institution of four varṇas and four āśramas. If the members of different āśramas and varṇas cooperate fully in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then society is well protected by the Lord, without doubt.

In Bhagavad-gītā it is stated that the Lord is the proprietor of all different bodies. The individual soul is the proprietor of his individual body, but the Lord clearly states, “My dear Bhārata, you must know that I am also kṣetra-jṣa. ” Kṣetra-jṣa means “the knower or proprietor of the body.” The individual soul is the proprietor of the individual body, but the Supersoul, the Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa, is the proprietor of all bodies everywhere. He is the proprietor not only of human bodies but of birds, beasts and all other entities, not only on this planet but on other planets also. He is the supreme proprietor; therefore He does not become divided by protecting the different individual souls. He remains one and the same. That the sun appears on top of everyone’s head when at the meridian does not imply that the sun becomes divided. One man thinks that the sun is on his head only, whereas five thousand miles away another man is thinking that the sun is only on his head. Similarly, the Supersoul, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is one, but He appears to individually oversee each individual soul. This does not mean that the individual soul and the Supersoul are one. They are one in quality, as spirit soul, but the individual soul and Supersoul are different.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
Thus, the brāhmaṇas and kṣatriyas protect each other. But the unchanging Supreme Lord, who is cause and effect, protects them both. The brāhmaṇa protects the kṣatriya by the strength of his austerity. The kṣatriya protects the brāhmaṇa by the strength of his body. Actually, however, the Supreme Lord, who is cause and effect, who is without change (avyayaḥ), protects both.
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