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this is a simple affair. It is well known that the varņa of a particular person is determined by heredity and therefore appears that for all practical purposes the birth of a particular person in particular families is determined by the karma as well as natural quality of the person who is born. If a person deserves to be born as a Brāhmaṇa, he is by natural forces transmitted to the requisite Brahmana parents. In this connection it should be remembered that in some cases there arises complications in the birth. This also is due to the influence of Karma. In other words, for instance, a man born in aparticular family is expected to have tendencies and characteristics for attaining that parentage but there are cases on record where complexity is noticeable: In all sacred books we find here and there such complex instances. The two glaring examples are those of Visvamitra and Parasurama.
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It is well known that Visvamitra was born of Ksatriya parents. His father was Gadhi, the son of Kusamba. It is well known that though by birth he was a Ksatriya, he through his parents became converted into a Brahmaņa. On the other hand Parasurama was born in a Brahmana-family but was gifted with qualities which are proper for a Ksatriya. As to how this complication was possible, the ancient literature gives detailed explanation.1
1. Mahabharata Adi Parva, Chapter IX,
