Varnasrama System
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As a brāhmaṇa, he must be engaged in studying Vedic literature for instructing others. That is brāhmaṇa's business. And kṣatriya's business is to give protection. Just like Kṛṣṇa was playing as a kṣatriy So it is the duty of the brahmana, it is the duty of the father, it is the duty of the public leader, it is the duty of the government to see that everyone is engaged, everyone is employed. As a brahmana, he must be engaged in studying Vedic literature for instructing others. That is brahmana's business. And ksatriya's business is to give protection. Just like Krsna was playing as a ksatriya in Dvaraka. As soon as there is some attack, immediately whole family goes to fight-Krsna, Balarama, Pradyumna. You have seen in the Bhagavata. Ksatriya's business is to give protection, and vaisya's business is to give protection to the cows. As ksatriya's business is to give protection to the citizens, human being, similarly, vaisya's business is to give protection to the cows-not to send them to the slaughterhouse-to see the cows are very well fed, they are fatty, strong, that they must be given food, sufficient food.
(More...) Imported quote 12835 In the beginning of Srimad-Bhagavatam it is established, tene brahma hrda: the Supreme Absolute Truth, the Personality of Godhead, instructed Brahma in the Vedic knowledge through his heart. Therefore the evidence that Vedic knowledge is free from the defects of mistakes, illusions, cheating and imperfection is that it is spoken by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Janardana, and has thus been followed from time immemorial, beginning from Brahma. The Vedic religion or the principles of the Vedas have been followed by the highly cultured population of India since time immemorial; no one can trace out the history of Vedic religion. Therefore it is sanatana, and any blasphemy against the Vedas is calculated to be atheism. The Vedas are described as setu, which means bridge. If one wants to attain his spiritual existence, one has to cross an ocean of nescience. The Vedas are the bridge to cross such a great ocean. The Vedas describe how to divide the human race into four divisions according to quality and working capacity. This is a very scientific system, and it is also sanatana, for no one can trace out its history, and it has no dissolution. No one can stop the system of varna and asrama, or the castes and divisions. For example, whether or not one accepts the name brahmana, there is a class in society which is known as the intelligent class and which is interested in spiritual understanding and philosophy. Similarly, there is a class of men who are interested in administration and in ruling others. In the Vedic system these martially spirited men are called ksatriyas. Similarly, everywhere there is a class of men who are interested in economic development, business, industry and moneymaking; they are called vaisyas. And there is another class who are neither intelligent nor martially spirited nor endowed with the capacity for economic development but who simply can serve others. They are called sūdras, or the laborer class. This system is sanatana-it comes from time immemorial, and it will continue in the same way. There is no power in the world which can stop it. Therefore, since this sanatana-dharma system is eternal, one can elevate himself to the highest standard of spiritual life by following the Vedic principles. It is stated that formerly the sages followed this system; therefore to follow the Vedic system is to follow the standard etiquette of society. But the followers of Lord Siva, who are drunkards, who are addicted to intoxicants and sex life, who do not bathe and who smoke ganja, are against all human etiquette. The conclusion is that persons who rebel against the Vedic principles are themselves the evidence that the Vedas are authoritative because by not following the Vedic principles they become like animals. Such animalistic persons are themselves evidence of the supremacy of the Vedic regulations.
(More...) Imported quote 12939 That the boys do not have the ksatriya spirit does not mean that they are trained in brahminical qualities; they are trained as sūdras, and thus in frustration they are becoming hippies. However, as soon as they enter the Krsna consciousness movement which is being started in America, they are trained to meet the brahminical qualifications, even though they have fallen to the lowest conditions as sūdras. In other words, since the Krsna consciousness movement is open for everyone, people in general can attain the brahminical qualifications. This is the greatest need at the present moment, for now there are actually no brahmanas or ksatriyas but only some vaisyas and, for the most part, sūdras. The classification of society into brahmanas, ksatriyas, vaisyas and sūdras is very scientific. In the human social body, the brahmanas are considered the head, the ksatriyas are the arms, the vaisyas are the belly, and the sūdras are the legs. At the present moment the body has legs and a belly, but there are no arms or head, and therefore society is topsy-turvy. It is necessary to reestablish the brahminical qualifications in order to raise the fallen human society to the highest standard of spiritual consciousness.
(More...) Imported quote 13564 As stated in the Eighteenth Chapter of Bhagavad-gita, sva-karmana tam abhyarcya: one has to worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead by his occupational duties. This necessitates accepting the principle of four varnas and four asramas. Prthu Maharaja therefore says, gunaiḥ sva-karmabhiḥ. This phrase is explained in Bhagavad-gita. Catur-varnyam maya srstam guna-karma-vibhagasaḥ: "The four castes (the brahmanas, ksatriyas, vaisyas and sūdras) are created by the Supreme Personality of Godhead according to the material modes of nature and the particular duties discharged in those modes." A person who is situated in the mode of goodness is certainly more intelligent than others. Therefore he can practice the brahminical activities-namely, speaking the truth, controlling the senses, controlling the mind, remaining always clean, practicing tolerance, having full knowledge about one's self-identity, and understanding devotional service. In this way, if he engages himself in the loving service of the Lord as an actual brahmana, his aim to achieve the final interest of life is attained. Similarly, the ksatriya's duties are to give protection to the citizens, to give all his possessions in charity, to be strictly Vedic in the management of state affairs, and to be unafraid to fight whenever there is an attack by enemies. In this way, a ksatriya can satisfy the Supreme Personality of Godhead by his occupational duties. Similarly, a vaisya can satisfy the Supreme Godhead by properly executing his occupational duties-engaging himself in producing foodstuffs, giving protection to cows, and trading if necessary when there is an excess of agricultural production. Similarly, because they do not have ample intelligence, sūdras should simply engage as workers to serve the higher statuses of social life. Everyone's aim should be to satisfy the Supreme Personality of Godhead by engaging his mind in thinking always of Krsna, his words in always offering prayers to the Lord or preaching about the glories of the Lord, and his body in executing the service required to satisfy the Lord. As there are four divisions within our body-the head, the arms, the belly and the legs-similarly, human society, taken as a whole, is divided into four classes of men according to their material qualities and occupational duties. Thus the brahminical or intelligent men have to execute the duty of the head, the ksatriyas must fulfill the duty of the arms, the vaisya class must fulfill the duty of the belly, and the sūdras must fulfill the duty of the legs. In executing the prescribed duties of life, no one is higher or lower, for although there are such divisions as higher and lower, since there is actually a common interest-to satisfy the Supreme Personality of Godhead-there are no distinctions between them.
(More...) Imported quote 14681 The word praja-sarga is very important in this verse. When the saintly King Pracinabarhi was induced by the great sage Narada to leave home and take to the devotional service of the Lord, his sons had not yet returned from their austerities in the water. However, he did not wait for their return but simply left messages to the effect that his sons were to protect the mass of citizens. According to Viraraghava Acarya, such protection means organizing the citizens into the specific divisions of the four varnas and four asramas. It was the responsibility of the royal order to see that the citizens were following the regulative principles of the four varnas (namely brahmanas, ksatriyas, vaisyas and sūdras) and the asramas (namely brahmacarya, grhastha, vanaprastha and sannyasa). It is very difficult to rule citizens in a kingdom without organizing this varnasrama-dharma. To rule the mass of citizens in a state and keep them in a complete progressive order is not possible simply by passing laws every year in a legislative assembly. The varnasrama-dharma is essential in a good government. One class of men (the brahmanas) must be intelligent and brahminically qualified, another class must be trained in administrative work (ksatriya), another in mercantile business (vaisya) and another simply in labor (sūdra). These four classes of men are already there according to nature, but it is the government's duty to see that all four of these classes follow the principles of their varnas methodically. This is called abhiraksana, or protection.
(More...) Imported quote 14759 After the Pracetas had finished their penances, they were blessed by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The Lord blessed them by telling them that after finishing their family life they would return home, back to Godhead, in due course of time. After finishing their family life, which lasted thousands of years according to the calculations of the demigods, the Pracetas decided to leave home, putting their wife in the charge of a son named Daksa. This is the process of Vedic civilization. In the beginning of life, as a brahmacari, one has to undergo severe penances and austerities in order to be educated in spiritual values. The brahmacari is never allowed to mingle with women and is thus kept from learning about sex enjoyment. The basic flaw in modern civilization is that boys and girls are given freedom during school and college to enjoy sex life. Most of the children are varna-sahkara, meaning born of undesirable fathers and mothers. Consequently the whole world is in chaos. Actually human civilization should be based on the Vedic principles. This means that in the beginning of life boys and girls should undergo penances and austerities. When they are grown, they should get married, live for some time at home and beget children. When the children are grown up, the man should leave home and search for Krsna consciousness. In this way one can make one's life perfect by going home to the kingdom of God.
(More...) Imported quote 14868 In this verse, the word dharma-pratipaksaḥ ("opponents of religious principles") refers not to a particular faith, but to varnasrama-dharma, the division of society, socially and spiritually, into four varnas (brahmana, ksatriya, vaisya and sūdra) and four asramas (brahmacarya, grhastha, vanaprastha and sannyasa). To maintain proper social order and help the citizens gradually progress toward the goal of life-namely spiritual understanding-the principles of varnasrama-dharma must be accepted. From this verse, Maharaja Priyavrata appears to have been so strict in maintaining this institution of varnasrama-dharma that anyone neglecting it would immediately flee from his presence as soon as the King warned him by fighting or administering light punishment. Indeed, Maharaja Priyavrata would not have to fight, for simply because of his strong determination, they dared not disobey the rules and regulations of varnasrama-dharma. It is said that unless human society is regulated by varnasrama-dharma, it is no better than a bestial society of cats and dogs. Maharaja Priyavrata, therefore, strictly maintained varnasrama-dharma by his extraordinary, unparalleled prowess.
(More...) Imported quote 16579 Sometimes when we meet gentlemen of so-called fashionable taste and try to interest them in the work of this Krsna consciousness movement, they very frankly say that they have no interest in such a theistic subject and even condemn our attempt to bring people in general back to the path of Godhead. According to these gentlemen, the deplorable economic conditions of the Indian people are caused by their great faith in God, and the sooner they forget everything about God, the better for them. But we cannot agree with the atheistic conclusions of such gentlemen who are so devoid of all sense of spirituality. India and the other nations of the world were never so completely dependent upon occupational service than they are now. With the advancement of godless materialistic education, the number of unemployed is increasing daily, particularly amongst the educated section of the people. Whenever there is some vacancy in some post-important or unimportant-there are thousands of applications to fill it. In India more than eighty percent of the population is not provided the bare necessities of life, and what to speak of other amenities. Some of the well-posted government servants and some of the fortunate businessmen may feel happy themselves, but ninety percent of their brother citizens do not know how to make ends meet. Therefore, the economic condition is deplorable.
(More...) Imported quote 17738 We are divisioned. Either you take it varna, asrama, or by occupation, anything, there must be some division, not that everyone is the same. Somebody is engineer. Somebody is medical man. Somebody is chemist. Somebody is philosopher. Somebody is brahmana. Somebody is sūdra. You take. Division must be there. It is not possible to make everyone all the same. That is rascaldom. That is, means, they have no knowledge. Just like the Communists. They tried to make one. They failed. That is not possible. Still, they are going on: "Laborer class and the manager class." Why you make two? So if instead of two, if we make four, what is the difference in philosophy? They could not do it. That is not possible. There must be, because Krsna says, catur-varnyam maya srstam [Bg 4.13]:
(More...) Imported quote 19941 4. The fourth item is to organize the much discussed caste system as a solution of natural division of the human beings all over the world. Nationalistic division of human races is artificial but scientific division of the caste system as envisaged in the Bhagavad-gita is natural. We shall have to pick up brahmanas and others not only from the Indian people but from the peoples of all over the world. The vitiated caste system of present India is never sanctioned by the scriptures. But the caste system is made by God according to quality and work of the subject and it was never designed for the benefit of accidental birth right. Thus whatever is made by God cannot be destroyed by man. Destruction of the caste system as contemplated by some exponents, is therefore out of question. By the modes of nature different persons are imbued with different qualities and the scientific way of division of human society, from the qualitative aspect, by the caste system is quite natural. But the basic principle of such caste system is to serve the plan of Godhead and by doing so the four orders of caste system make a headway by the co-operative method. When such spiritual progress is definitely made, the materialistic progress is automatically effected as a matter of course. That makes a real classless society.
(More...) Imported quote 21058 Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated Jan. 12, 1975 and have noted the contents carefully. Thank you for the 1,000 dollars (in checks). I am very happy to hear your report. Krishna is giving you facility there to develop a very nice varna-asrama society in New Zealand. Try your best to develop an ideal society there to set a perfect example for the human society of how one can live very simply, chanting Hare Krishna and developing love for Krishna. Make sure that you keep the whole program pure by carefully following all of the rules and regulations that I have given, rising early, attending mangala arati and holding classes, chanting 16 rounds daily, observing the four basic principles, no intoxication, meat-eating, etc. Then everything will be a great success. You are an intelligent boy, so, I think you can understand how to manage things very nicely there. I hope to be seeing you in Mayapur this year. The festival begins about the 25th of March. I hope this meets you in good health. Your ever well-wisher,
(More...)A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami The spiritual orders are divided into four āśramas-brahmacarya, gṛhastha, vānaprastha and sannyāsa-and the social orders, according to work and qualification, are made up of the brāhmaṇas, the kṣatriyas, the vai& If you did not mount your victorious jeweled chariot, whose mere presence threatens culprits, if you did not produce fierce sounds by the twanging of your bow, and if you did not roam about the world like the brilliant sun, leading a huge army whose trampling feet cause the globe of the earth to tremble, then all the moral laws governing the varnas and asramas created by the Lord Himself would be broken by the rogues and rascals.
(More...) It is the duty of a responsible king to protect the social and spiritual orders in human society. The spiritual orders are divided into four asramas-brahmacarya, grhastha, vanaprastha and sannyasa-and the social orders, according to work and qualification, are made up of the brahmanas, the ksatriyas, the vaisyas and the sūdras. These social orders, according to different grades of work and qualification, are described in Bhagavad-gita. Unfortunately, for want of proper protection by responsible kings, the system of social and spiritual orders has now become a hereditary caste system. But this is not the actual system. Human society means that society which is making progress toward spiritual realization. The most advanced human society was known as arya; arya refers to those who are advancing. So the question is, "Which society is advancing?" Advancement does not mean creating material "necessities" unnecessarily and thus wasting human energy in aggravation over so-called material comforts. Real advancement is advancement towards spiritual realization, and the community which acted towards this end was known as the Aryan civilization. The intelligent men, the brahmanas, as exemplified by Kardama Muni, were engaged in advancing the spiritual cause, and ksatriyas like Emperor Svayambhuva used to rule the country and insure that all facilities for spiritual realization were nicely provided. It is the duty of the king to travel all over the country and see that everything is in order. Indian civilization on the basis of the four varnas and asramas deteriorated because of her dependency on foreigners, or those who did not follow the civilization of varnasrama. Thus the varnasrama system has now been degraded into the caste system.
(More...) This system of brāhmaṇas, kṣatriyas, vaiśyas and śūdras has now become vitiated as the present caste system in India, but it appears that this system has been current a very long time. The system of four classifications in human society according to quality and work is very scientific. This system of brahmanas, ksatriyas, vaisyas, and sūdras has now become vitiated as the present caste system in India, but it appears that this system has been current a very long time, since it is mentioned in Srimad-Bhagavatam and Bhagavad-gita. Unless there is such a division of the social orders in human society, including the intelligent class, the martial class, the mercantile class and the laborer class, then there is always confusion as to who is to work for what purpose. A person trained to the stage of understanding the Absolute Truth is a brahmana, and when such a brahmana is veda-jna, then he understands the purpose of Veda. The purpose of Veda is to understand the Absolute. One who understands the Absolute Truth in three phases, namely Brahman, Paramatma and Bhagavan, and who understands the term Bhagavan to mean the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is considered to be the best of the brahmanas, or a Vaisnava.
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