The Government of a certain country became disturbed by the jealousies and hatreds amongst the different members of the nation, and a civil war began. The whole machinery of the Government came to a stop and the different parties found that the deadlock helped none of them. Finally, they thought that they should go for a solution of their troubles to a certain saint-like man who lived in that country.
This saint-like man gave them a patient hearing and then said, “Once upon a time, there was a quarrel amongst the different organs of the body. The hand said that it was working day and night but it was the stomach or belly which profited by its labour. Similarly other organs of sense complained that, it was the belly that was getting all the benefit of their work and labour. They, therefore, decided to stop their functions. Gradually, the sense organs began to feel that they were getting weaker and more exhausted. They felt that they could not function properly any more. The eyes had grown too dim to see anything, the ears too feeble to hear, the hands too weak to work and the head unable to think. They came to understand that it was the stomach, which swallowed the fruits of their labour, that was the source of their strength. Then they began to work as before for the benefit of the stomach because the latter contributed its strength and vigour to all the limbs of the body. Similarly, the saint said, was the case with the body politic, i.e. the body of a nation. Some individuals were intelligent, enlightened and self-sacrificing. They deserved to work as the head or the intelligence of the nation. Those who were strong and bold deserved to form the military strength of the nation. Those who were fit to produce food-crops and earn money deserved to serve the nation in such a capacity. Others, again, were only fit to serve others and obey their words. They, therefore, deserved to work as servants. These four classes were represented by the Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas and Shudras. Each class had a particular contribution to make to the whole nation, for each in combination with the others brought about the development, prosperity and peace of the whole national body.