Varnasrama: serving the Lord by serving His devotees

[Guest guest]

On 4 Jun 1999, Pancaratna das wrote:

 

> Dandavad. Prabhupada kijaya!

>

> I find this thread to be very important. I would like to support Hare Krsna

> mataji's observations with a few points.

>

> Janesvara prabhu has stressed the principle of performing prescribed duties

> (regardless of the environment), whereas Hare Krsna mataji has stressed the

> satisfaction of the Lord by serving devotees.

 

 

 

I hope I have never left out of my comments or implied somehow that

varnasrama-dharma prescribed duties is NOT to be accompanied by devotional

service to the Lord through one, some or all of the nine devotional services

(sravanam, kirtanam, etc.) My stress, I thought, has been on taking up the

practice of Krsna consciousness through the prescribed duties of the Vedic

cultural institution known as varnasrama-dharma in accordance with the

instructions of A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami who said varna first, asrama later,

after varna is perfectly in order. All along the way I have stressed chanting

the Lord's holy names (Hare Krsna, etc.) simultaneously with the performance

of prescribed duties. This can be done by anyone, anywhere, in any

environment, regardless of religion, race, nationality, without the need of

any sectarian religious organizational involvement.

 

 

One can do it perfectly even if he has to kill his cousins and guru in a

fratricidal war for a kingdom lost due to gambling. One can do it by "doing

IT" as a prostitute in a city full of devotees. One does not have to become a

pure soul BEFORE doing it - it turns a crude man (defined I guess, as a person

full of crude habits, etc.) into a perfect devotee of the Lord, gradually but

surely.

 

 

My opinion of a sound social and spiritual development program for any

individual is to work hard in one's varna and chant the names of God at the

same time. We won't follow varnasrama-dharma "offenselessly" in the beginning

anymore than we can chant Hare Krsna offenselessly in the beginning but by

doing both "offensively", little by little, they will both purify us.

 

I feel the symptoms of our true advancement will be seen when we manifest our

ability to perform our prescribed varna and have the holy names of the Lord on

our lips or in our mind at the same time.