re: Brhadaranyaka Upanisad, 2.5.11

[Guest guest]

On Thu, 17 Jan 2002, john j kinney wrote:

> Also, read the Isopanishad "isa vasya idam sarvam" - one should only

> take one's share of the resources; otherwise, he is branded as a theif

> and will be punished by the laws of nature.

 

Sometimes I wonder about what reactions one gets for virtually

patronizing a "civilization" in which (among other things) some 5% of the

world's population consumes 40% of the world's resources (so producing

half the world's garbage). Less often, I think of the untold pain others

have to undergo just to insure that the "lifestyle" of so few people can

continue smoothly. Did the framers of the US constitution postulated such

"life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" as one's inalienable right?

 

In Gita 2.47, Lord Krsna says our only right is labor, while we

can't enjoy the results, can't think we produce them, and can't *not* do

our work either. As "the Law" of nature, Maya also punishes us for

neglecting our prescribed duties, which have been fairly well defined for

every type of person, in many voluminous sastras; that's also "the Law."

It isn't like Krsna wants everyone else to work hard in coal mines while

he enjoys their wives, but the above does seem to leave us fewer choices

than we might assume, if we wish to be dharmic. If we do, self

realization, leading to Krsna consciousness, becomes much easier.

 

 

 

> If

> you couple this with the yuga dharma, as propounded by Lord Chaitanya,

> that should keep you busy.

 

Yes indeed. Moreover, Krsna Kaviraja Gosvami writes in Caitanya

Caritamrta (Madhya-lila, 9.362):

 

"In this Age of Kali there are no genuine religious principles

other than those established by Vaisnava devotees and Vaisnava scriptures.

This is the sum and substance of everything."

 

There are even stronger statements from Srila Prabhupada, who sometimes

seems to acquiesce that real varnasrama is practically impossible in this

day and age (TLK, Ch. 8):

 

"O learned one, in this iron age of Kali men have but short lives.

They are quarrelsome, lazy, misguided, unlucky and, above all, always

disturbed. (Bhag. 1.1.10) In this age, there will be insufficient rainfall

and food, and the government will plunder ones income by heavy taxation.

All of these characteristics of Kali-yuga are described in Srimad-Bhagavatam.

People will become so disgusted that they will suddenly leave their wife

and children and go to the forest. How can the peaceful varnasrama-dharma

be revived when people are so harassed in this age? It is virtually

impossible."

 

We've all undoubtedly noticed this problem already. Still, he then asked

us to do it anyway. As early as 1969, Srila Prabhupada clearly had this

goal in mind (in a brahminical initiation lecture at New Vrndavana on

5/25/69):

 

So we, our... One of the item of this mission, Krsna consciousness,

is to establish real varnasrama by qualification. We have to pick up

brahmanas from everywhere, throughout the whole world, not that we have to

pick up brahmanas in India in some class. No. There are brahmanas every

part of the world. We have to pick up. Just see. None of these boys are

born in India or a brahmana family, but they have got the symptom. They

have got the brahminical... They have either acquired willingly or by some

way. So we have to pick up."

 

Similarly, on 3/29/71 in a very instructive lecture in Mumbai, Srila

Prabhupada noted the increasing prominence of illicit sex in the modern

world, and said:

 

"That has become a system, regular system in Europe and America.

And India also it is going to be introduced very soon. It is already

introduced, and it will develop. And in the Srimad-Bhagavatam there is

foretelling that in this age there will be no more marriage. Vedic marriage

will be stopped. Svikara eva ca udvahe. Simply by agreement, the marriage

function will be performed. But as far as we are concerned, we are trying

to establish daiva-varnasrama, as it is instructed by the Gosvamis, by

Hari-bhakti-vilasa, by our spiritual master. May not be very perfect, but

we are trying our best to introduce this daiva-varnasrama."

 

Because we see more and more neglect of these principles in society, we

consequently see more and more AIDs, crime, depression, terrorism, and

many other social ills which obstruct everyone else's peaceful endeavors

for Krsna consciousness. I'm told that 80% of Prabhupada's instructions

on varnasrama were given in the last few years he was physically present;

if that's true (which seems to be the case to me), I think it's telling.

 

Maybe varnasrama in this age will never be wholly pure--but

nothing in this world ever is. Srila Prabhupada knew all our endeavors

would be colored by our threefold flaws (cf. Bhagavata 12.3.45-46), he

nonetheless encouraged us to keep striving upwards anyway. To firmly

believe that Krsna will protect us (as per his instruction in Gita 18.66)

as long as we strive to please Him is one of the six aspects of surrender

(saranagati). Of course, one pleases Krsna best by pleasing his pure

devotees, through doing what they ask. There's an irony here, because

usually surrendering to Krsna involves giving up relative dharmas like

varnasrama (this, too, is clearly stated in Gita 18.66. But here we've

been mandated to surrender by establishing varnasrama for the benefit of

all mankind (presumably through our own examples)--for only human beings

can take to Krsna consciousness, while only those who practice

varnasrama-dharma are truly human beings (dharmasya hinah pasubhih

samanah). Varnasrama principles are universal, and not necessarily

stereotyped.

 

 

 

> Remember in Kali Yuga, everyone is sudra or

> less. This varna ashrama is something that does not exist today in

> present India.

 

That's clear enough to most of those I've met who were born in

brahmana families; what was once a socio-religious system has gradually

morphed into a socio-economic or political one, especially over the last

few centuries.

 

By the way, since you mentioned it, the traditional argument

defending caste by birth is that one's guna (qualities) and karma (actions)

determine one's birth (cf. Gita 4.13). In light of Bhagavata 3.31.1, it's

diffiicult to explain why and how a brahminically qualified person would

take birth in a low caste or outcaste family--even though many sastras

tacitly acknowledge the possibility. While Srila Prabhupada propounds the

pancaratrika brahminical initiation intended for this age, as well as the

fact that the potency of bhakti can elevate anyone through Hari-kirtana

and bhakta-seva, I've never seen him deny the above argument. He does

occasionally acquiesce that disciplic succession occurs either by accepting

instruction (sautra) or by birth (saukra); though the latter is usually

discouraged (e.g., Bhagavata 7.5.31), it nonetheless relates closely to

garbhadhana-samskara, which Prabhupada often encourages (e.g., Bhagavata

4.14.42).

 

 

 

> What Srila Prabhupada was exponding was the training of

> brahmins and ksaitriyas, because they are missing from today's society.

 

Yes; in Ahmedabad (12/11/72) he said:

 

"So this Krsna consciousness movement is meant for creating some

real brahmana. At least, there may be head. They are all mad after the

influence of the material energy. So there is need of some brahmana who

can give advice to the people how to live, how to become God conscious,

how to become happy. There is great need of this movement. Simply so-called

classless society will not help us. That is not Vedic civilization."

 

The immediate problems I can see in this is that people who've

been socialized in the pseudo-egalitarian ideals of modern democracy, or

what Prabhupada termed "so-called classless society," will hardly be eager

to embrace social stratification--especially in a system which is also

meant to destroy the defacto root of postmodern culture--viz., unregulated

sense gratification. The question of adhikara (individual prerogative)

seems an equally important concern, though probably more complicated;

people shouldn't be stigmatized, nor glorified, merely on account of birth.

But it is clear that Srila Prabhupada saw varnasrama-dharma as a universal

reality, merely in need of the dynamic guidance from pure devotees--which

Mahabharata holds to be the ultimate arbiters of dharma anyway. This

universalistic conception tallies with both the philosophical and

etymological meanings of the word "dharma," which respectively indicate,

"inherent nature" and "sustenance." Dharma protects anyone who maintains

it. Hence it was translated in Brhadaranyaka 2.5.11 as "the Law."

 

Thanks for your comments. Hare Krsna!

 

MDd