Organization of Society

In The Bhagavad-gita Krishna says that there are four divisions of society: Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vaishya and Sudra. That is natural. Some are inclined toward spiritual advancement, and these are the Brahmins. Now we are training boys who are spiritually inclined, and they are unnecessarily being forced into military service. The foolish have no knowledge that some boy is being trained up in higher science. Why should he be destroyed when he is being perfected? The intellectual persons, those boys who have brahminical qualifications, are restrained in Brahmacharya student life: they don't take to meat-eating, they don't take part in intoxication, they don't take part in gambling, they don't take part in illicit sex. They are being trained as complete Brahmins, the highest intellectuals, the most purified persons in society. If there is one Brahmin in a whole family, then the whole family-the whole society-becomes sanctified. But today they have no knowledge of how to train a Brahmin, or how to train a Kshatriya.

In the other fields of action, in the work of Sudras and Vaishyas, there is nice training. If anyone wants to be a businessman, there are colleges or technological schools. That's very nice. But why should everyone be dragged into technology? Just as in your body: for proper maintenance we require the head, the arms, the belly and the legs. All these parts of the body are required. You cannot say, "We do not require the head." That is nonsense-we require everything. Suppose there is a body without a head-it is a dead body. If the body is now intact but there is no head, it is called a dead body. The head is to be considered the intellectual part of the body. Similarly, if there is no Brahmin in the society, it is a dead body. If there is no spiritual man in the society, it is a dead society.

Therefore Krishna says, "I have created the four divisions of society, according to quality and work." If someone is working as a Brahmachary (celibate) Brahmin, and has acquired the quality of understanding Krishna, the Supreme Lord, then why should he be called for army action? The arm of the body is the Kshatriya. Of course that is required: to protect the country, to protect the society, a military arrangement should be there. No one will disapprove. But not the Brahmins. It is putting a race horse before the work cart. A race horse is required for different purposes. The other beasts of burden-asses, mules and oxen-are required for pulling carts.

I say this frankly-everybody may read it-that any society where there are no spiritual persons or Krishna Consciousness is a rascal society, because it has no head. Where there is a headless man, there is a dead body. And if there is no brain, there is no head; if the brain is not working properly then he is a madman; if he has no head at all, then he is a dead man.

Do you think in a dead society or a mad society that there can be any peace? No. If the society is full of madmen, then where is the question of peace? Therefore Krishna Consciousness is the most important study in present-day society. The men who are leading the society, the President and the Secretary of Defense should have the intelligence to understand this science of the soul.

The other day when I was coming to your country I met a secretary of the Japanese Government in Tokyo. I wanted to explain to him that he should cooperate with this movement, but he said, "Oh, we cannot co-operate with any religious movement." He is one of the chief secretaries of that Government, and he is such a fool. He is taking this movement as a religious movement, just like we have so many sentimental religions. But this is not sentimental. This is the necessity of society: that a class of men should be Krishna conscious. Otherwise the society is doomed, it is going to hell.

And, when such rascals are at the head of the government, how can there be peace? How can you expect peace in a dog's society? The dogs are by nature howling-"Woof! Woof! Woof!" as soon as they see other dogs. So do you mean to say there will be peace if you turn human society into dog society, into cat society, into tiger society? The tiger is very powerful; he can kill many other animals. But does that mean he is a very important animal? No, he has no use in society. And now we are very powerful, and we have good weapons to fight with, and we can kill many people. But these are no qualifications for good men or good society.

We are not meant to manufacture a society of monkeys or tigers or asses-or rascals who work very hard. Do you mean to say a society of asses will derive any benefit from life? No.