'Yajna' or Sacrific for the Supreme
(Classless Society)
Throughout the whole universe, there are four classes of men who are working very hard for a total benefit. The different classes of men are differently designated because the works done by each class of men have different varieties of colour in respect of quality and importance. This quality and importance are judged from a neutral angle of vision, but when they are taken up for the total benefit, the quality and modes of works become one homogeneous resultant and all the different classes of men become members of one classless society.
There is a good demand for classless society nowadays everywhere and especially in India where the classes or castes have misused the division of scientific caste system. The scientific caste system specified in the authoritative scriptures like the Bhagwat Geeta etc. is different from the demoniac caste system in India now observed without any purpose. The division of classes or castes is natural, and as every natural thing is considered to have been introduced or created by the Supreme Lord, so the scientific caste system is also designed by the Lord although He does not belong to any such mundane arrangement. The Lord sometimes appears in the species of the fish, the tortoise, the swine, the horse etc. and sometimes in the family of a Brahmin, Kshatriya or Vaishya etc. but He has nothing to do with such different classes or species of life. As the Absolute independant Person, He can do whatever He likes without being affected by such qualities and yet He has no responsibility whatsoever for all such actions. The principle of "King can do no wrong" is unreservedly applicable for actions of the Supreme Lord.
The classless society so often demanded by the people in general is made possible by the process of 'yajna' or sacrifice for the Supreme. 'Yajna' is the name of the Supreme Lord who is all-pervading 'Vishnu.' In the Bhagwat Geeta it is recommended that everyone should be engaged to work for the satisfaction of Vishnu. That is the right type of 'Karma' or work which leads gradually to the stage of 'Karmayoga' or the preliminary stage of devotional activities which are performed in the realm of spiritual existence. Spiritual existence of devotional activities and classless society are two identical terms.
The one without the other has no meaning. There is a natural division of qualitative work and the class is created with reference to this context of natural division. How then it is possible to make the natural division of classes into one classless society!
The answer is very clearly mentioned in the Sreemad Bhagwat 11 canto. It is said there as follows:
Wordings
Mukha, Bahu, Uru, Padevya, Purushasya, Ashramai, Saha, Chattara, Jajneray, Varna, Gunai, Bipradaya, Prithak, Ja, Esham, Purusham, Sakshat, Atma, Prakhabam, Iswaram, Na, Bhajante, Abajananti, Sthanat, Bhrasta, Patanti, Adha.
Synonyms
Mukha-Mouth, Bahu-Arms, Uru-Thighs, Padevya-From the legs, Purushasya-Of the Supreme Lord, Ashramai-The orders of life, Saha-Along with, Chattara-The four, Jajneray-Were produced of, Varna-Castes, Gunai-By dint of qualities, Bipradaya-The Bipras and others, Prithak-Divided.
Ja-Those, Esham-Amongst them, Purusham-The Supreme Person, Sakshat-Directly, Atma-Ownself, Prabhabam-The originator, Iswaram-The Lord, Na-Do not, Bhajanti-Render service, Abajananti-Do neglect, Sthanat-From the position, Bhrasta-Deviated from, Patanti-Fall down, Adha-Downwards.
Translation
The four social orders of life (Brahmachari, Grihastha, Vanaprasth, Sannyasi) along with the four castes such as the Bipras and others (the Brahmins, the Kshatriyas, the Vaishyas, and the Sudras) were produced from the mouth, the arms, the thighs and the legs respectively of the Supreme Lord (Virata Purusha).
Those, amongst them, who do not render service directly to the Supreme Person who is the Lord and originator of such divisions of social life of one's ownself,-do fall down from their specified position.
Purport
The Virata Purusha is the gigantic material conception of the Supreme Lord who pervades all over the universe. The Brahmins, who are learned and intelligent class of the highest order by qualities and work but not by birth right, are considered to be produced from the mouth of the Virata. The function of the mouth is twofold. The one important function of the mouth is that it is the inlet opening of the whole body for taking in all foodstuff to be dispatched to the region of the stomach. There are many holes in the body but the mouth is the only one hole which is able to swallow down all kinds of foodstuff on behalf of the stomach. Stomach is the central place where all the foodstuff is given for proper assimilation and distribution of strength throughout the body. The whole energy of body is generated from the action of the stomach and therefore the complete energy of the body is meant for feeding the stomach. The power of assimilation which is the prerogative of the stomach only is an emblem of divine energy. The divine energy in the stomach has been designated as 'Vaiswanara' or an energy of intense heat representing the inconceivable power of Godhead. Incubation of heat generated in the stomach cannot be produced artificially in the physical laboratory of the material scientist. This 'Vaiswanara' is the vital power in the body. The vitamin therapy of foodstuff is dependant on the 'Vaiswanara' heat. The vitamins are produced by the heat and it is not that there is vitamin in the foodstuff offered to the stomach. This Vaiswanara heat produces different qualities of vitamin at different places. The Vaiswanara heat in the stomach of a cow produces different vitaminous energy from the one which is produced in the stomach of a human being. For example, fragments of straw itself has no vitamin value by chemical analysis but when it is put into the stomach of a cow, straw produces enormous volumes of vitamin 'D' and 'A' while the same straw put into the stomach of a human being will cause starvation to death. That is the inconceivable power of the Supreme Lord.
Pure Ghee (Clarified butter) offered on the fire of 'Yajna' produces more and more Ghee but non-acceptance of such sacrificial rites, under the plea of non-productive economy, drives away completely the production of ample pure ghee, yielding place to the harmful hydrogenated vegetable oils. In the 'Ayurvedic' scriptures oil is particularly mentioned to be harmful for the stomach but in the absence of sacrificial energy of the human being he is forced to accept harmful vegetable oil for the stomach in the name of and absence of pure unadulterated clarified butter. That is the importance of the process of 'Yajna' and that is the Law of Nature.
Foolish people think vitamin value of foodstuff in their own way and push into the stomach all sorts of rubbish thing thinking that 'Vaiswanara' heat, representative of the Supreme Lord, will accept any such rubbish thing for assimilation. The case is different. The 'Vaiswanara' representative power of Godhead in the stomach of the human being can accept only leaves, flower, fruits of the vegetable group and pure water and milk for vitaminising the human energy. The mouth being the entrance door to the region of the stomach, it must guard the tongue of every human being to acquire the quality of a Brahmin, who can accept only foodstuff of 'Satwik' quality. Description of Satwik quality foodstuff is mentioned in Bhagwat Geeta and that also of the Brahmin in fact.
The other function of the 'Brahmin' mouth is to articulate Vedic sound conducive to the welfare of the people in general. The world is now fully surcharged with the air of non-spiritual sound in the shape of different varieties of indecent literatures and common country news.
Such newspapers vibrating with mundane sound will never be able to bring in existence of a real classless society. In order to bring in classless society the following things, essential for all practical purposes, must be first of all introduced.
(1) To set up a batch of real qualitative Brahmin.
(2) Controlling the tongue and stomach by satwik food or the remnants of foodstuff offered to the Supreme Lord.
(3) Vibration of sound transcendental overwhelmingly to set at right the Country news and indecent and (?) literature.
In the multi-class society of human being everybody has fallen down due to a civil disobedience attitude of the members in the body of the Virata Purusha as described above. There is complete noncooperation with the Virata or Total stomach by the members of the body of Virata.
Even in the highest society of mundane culture the representative leaders are inimical without any cooperative spirit. For example Mrs. Bentwhich president of the London County Council while receiving the Soviet leaders expressed sentiments of detacted operation. She said, "There are many and significant differences which divide our two peoples and any action which will help to breach the differences is precious to us both and to the whole world."
The Soviet leader Mr. N. A. Bulganin replied to this and said, "Not everything is smooth and clear between the Soviet people and Englishmen today. There still are many issues on which we lack due understanding. The relations between our Countries should be expanded in every direction, for the broader they are, the greater will be the understanding between us."
Why this happened? Because everyone of us has missed the central point of cooperation. The central point of cooperation is to do everything in lieu of performing yajna. That is the central point of understanding for broadening the classless society in a universal measure. In the absence of such 'yajnic' or sacrificial spirit, there must exist multi-class society of contending interest.
In the midst of the din and bustle of our very busy life, perhaps we have forgotten the word 'Yajna' so essential for our existence. Occasionally we are reminded of this word 'Yajna' sometimes by somebody in the red garment, who may approach us and ask to contribute something for the 'Yajna'! On that occasion, if we are in a good mood, we may be pleased to contribute something and mostly we may deny it because of our past bad experience in respect of such 'Yajna' without any knowledge of it.
But 'Yajna' is a word meant for our practical action of sacrifice born along with our material tabernacle from the womb of our mother. As soon as we take our birth in this material world, we are indeed in need of so many material things for the satisfaction of our body and mind. And these material things are supplied to us by the appointed agents of the Supreme Lord, so that we may live, know ourselves, the Supreme Lord and then go back to home, back to Godhead. Such supplying agents are known as Indra, Chandra, Varuna, Surya, etc. These agents of the Supreme Lord are satisfied when 'Yajna' is duly performed by us in lieu of the goods supplied by the agents of the Lord. If we do not perform 'Yajna' these supplying gods are not only dissatisfied but also they neglect further supplies proportionately of the needs of our daily life namely, heat, air, light, water etc. and also we are designated as thieves in terms of the language mentioned in the Bhagwat Geeta.
The most important item of our material existence is dependant on the grow more food campaign or in other words on agricultural activities which in turn are dependant on the showers of rain.
Proportionate fall of seasonal rains (not in the control of the political leaders or the material scientists) produce food grains sufficiently. Ample production of food grains nourish the living being both men and animals. Rain is supplied by the agents of Godhead (admitted by the politicians) when they are satisfied by the performance of 'Yajnas' and 'Yajna' is performed by dint of human labour or energy. Our whole energy is meant cent percent for the performance of Yajnas or engagement of our full energy for the gratification of the Supreme Lord Vishnu. Vishnu is the ultimate beneficiary of all 'Yajna' as the stomach is the ultimate beneficiary of the total energy of the material body, because He is the Supreme proprietor of the universe and everything within it. He is the Sole protector and friend of all living beings. Peace is obtained when He is propitiated as happiness is felt when the stomach is fulfilled, and therefore it is our sole duty to satisfy Him by the performance of 'Yajna.'
There are different kinds of 'Yajna' recommended in different ages. The one which is recommended in this age of Kali (iron age of quarrel and fight) is the performance of yajna called the 'Samkeertan Yajna' which is a process of chanting and hearing the transcendental Name etc. of Godhead.
For the purpose of this particular type of 'Yajna' we can sacrifice everything which we may have in our possession. Formerly the people were mostly agriculturists and therefore they used to sacrifice, in most cases, food grains and clarified butter. At the present moment, we are not only agriculturists but also industrialists. And for the performance of Samkeertan Yajna, which is solely recommended in this age of Kali, all of us the agriculturists, the industrialists or the labourers all can contribute our mites in the sacrificial altars of the Samkeertan Yajna systematically undertaken by responsible men under authentic guidance.
The need of the present moment is to organise a body of spiritual association for the benefit of all concerned and see for ourselves that our contribution is rightly and properly being utilised for the benefit of all concerned.
Samkeertan Yajna is performed in the following manner.
(1) To organise the parties for melodious musical chanting of the powerful mantras of the Vedas. By such songs sung by the spiritually organised parties, the transcendental sound of the Vedas penetrate within the cores of heart of the strongest atheist and help him opening the doors of his spiritual consciousness. This is performed in the manner of surgical operation without any material pain. The patient undergoing such operational performances feels within himself a transcendental relief after such operational performances, spiritualised foodstuff is offered to him for recuperation of the spiritual health.
(2) This operation is also performed for the mass enlightenment by the process of press and platform propaganda. For such press and platform propaganda we require everything including the machine, the paper, the ink, the broadcasting equipments, the propagandists, the conveyances and all other contingencies that are meant for their maintenance.
Money is the medium of exchange for all the above articles. So people must contribute at least one to fifty percent of their income for the mass sacrifice either in cash or in kinds and we are able to make proper utilisation of each and every item of the same, by the grace of Shree Krishna the singer of Bhagwat Geeta.
Do not try to avoid participating in the performance of this 'Yajna' and thereby bring in unhappiness in the individual as well as in the total existence of the human civilization. There is already crisis in the civilization and we have to counteract it properly.
Every human being has his duty to perform for the total mass happiness of the living being. The performance of 'Yajna' is the only means to attain such end of life. It is something like pouring water in the root of the tree, whereby all the branches, leaves, and twigs of the tree are properly nourished. Or it is something like supplying foodstuffs in stomach whereby supply of energy is transmitted to all the nerves and senses namely the hands, the legs, the eyes, the ears, the tongue etc. of the body and no separate attempt is required to make for each of the above items.
Yajna (Sacrifice) Dana (Charity) and Tapa (Penances) are not to be given up at any stage of life. Even the most perfect order of human being does not give up these essential duties of humanity. The Enjoyer of the results of all the Yajnas, being the Personality of Godhead Sree Krishna Who is now in this age appeared as Sree Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, He must be satisfied by such sacrifices. He shall be donated all charities, and all sorts of penances must be undertaken for His satisfaction only.
These are Summumbonum teachings of the Bhagwat Geeta. By these practical demonstration, one can exhibit his awakening of Divine consciousness or realisation of the teachings of Bhagwat Geeta. In the absence of such practical manifestation, one is considered to be robbed of his all transcendental knowledge under the influence of the Illusory Energy (Maya) due to the demoniac attitude towards the authority of the Supreme Lord. Such men of demoniac principles are sure to undergo the threefold miseries inflicted by the physical nature.
By such one stroke of physical tricks, all the plans of the Asuras are rendered useless and we have seen this bafflement on many occasions. Let us not commit the mistake over and again repeatedly.

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