Guest guest Posted May 15, 1998 Report Share Posted May 15, 1998 > Radha Krsna Prabhu has written a very nice report from Croatia, and made > some useful points about Sudra. We should remember that in the past nearly > everyone was a sudra also. Out of 1000 people, 900 were sudra,90 were > Vaish. This means that only a small group of other Brahmins ( 1 ) and > Kshatriyas ( 9 ) existed to lead and protect the sudras; not the other way > around. A true Brahmin or Kshatriya was engaged primarily with guiding and > protecting the common folk (sudras); not walking around thinking that he > was superior. This superiority complex is the symptom of a low class man, > not a Brahmin or Kshatriya. Even the so called "higher castes" were simply > servants of the rest of the people. Some more inspiration from: Mahabharata, Santi-parva as quoted by Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura "O girl with the beautiful thighs, a brahmana sees everyone equally. He is beyond the modes of nature. He is pure and always situated in Brahman. That is my opinion. "However, even a sudra who is pure in heart and deed and who controls his senses is equal to a brahmana and he should be worshiped. That is the opinion of Lord Brahma himself. "A sudra who finds it natural to engage in auspicious activities is equal to a brahmana. That is my opinion. "Neither birth, nor ritual, nor scholarship, nor family designate one as a brahmana. The way one becomes a brahmana is by his work. "A so-called high-class person who is degraded in his activities should not be honoured, but a so-called sudra who knows the truth of religion and acts piously is worthy of worship." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 1, 1998 Report Share Posted June 1, 1998 >On 30 May 1998, Srila Dasa wrote: > >> > > > > I think that varnasrama should be growing from top to botton. >> >> > > This is the mISKCONception that has aborted VAD. >> >> > Harikesa Swami has a Prabhupada quote in the introduction of his new >> >> > > book >with regards to varnasrama starting from the bottom and growing >> > up. >> >> From what I have always understood, the (bona fide) varnasrama system >> >vanished as the *brahmanas* became degraded. From the above >> >*commentaries* are we now to understand that varnasrama will be revived >> >"from the bottom" -- by the *sudras*? >> > > >You may have misunderstood the quote, at least as far as I understood it. >>I read it a few weeks back in someone elses book, so unfortunately I don't >>have it here as a reference. > >I believe the point being made based on Srila Prabhupada's quote was that >>due to the preaching of the devotees there will be an increased desire >>among the population for a purer form of social organization. Obviously, >>pure hearted brahmanas are an important part of that social system. > >Particularly in a democratic system, the political leaders are very much >>in tune with earning the favor of the voting public. Actually this quote (well in the book Maharaja doesn't bring up the quote he just tells the story, since there is no quote) is one of the arguments against the idea that 90% of the population must remain sudras. He said that by chanting Hare Krishna people will gradually realize thier varna and will elect the KC government. Compared with other statements of Prabhupada we can see that this is not a 'new idea' but the idea that he even put in his SB: "The president is selected by the votes of ignorant sudras; therefore another sudra is elected, and immediately the entire government becomes polluted. If people strictly followed the principles of Bhagavad-gita, they would elect a person who is the Lord's devotee." ys ccd -------- Srimad-Bhagavatam Canto 1: Chapter Twelve, Text 18, PURPORT .... fallen to the qualities of the sudras or less, and the government is run by their representative, who is ignorant of the scriptural mode of administrative education. Thus the whole atmosphere is surcharged with sudra qualities, manifested by lust and avarice. Such administrators quarrel every day among themselves. The cabinet of ministers changes often due to party and group selfishness. Everyone wants to exploit the state resources till he dies. No one retires from political life unless forced ... Srimad-Bhagavatam Canto 4: Chapter Fourteen. As stated, prajas te bhaksayisyanti mleccha rajanya-rupinah: "These proud mlecchas [persons who are less than sudrasj, representing themselves as kings, will tyrannize their subjects, and their subjects, on the other hand, will cultivate the most vicious practices. Thus practicing evil habits and behaving ... the general population will fall down to the standard of sudras. As stated (kalau sudra-sambhavah), practically the whole population of the world will be sudra. A sudra is a fourth-class man who is only fit to work for the three higher social castes. Being fourth-class men, sudras are not very intelligent. Since the population is fallen in these democratic days, they can only elect a person in their category, but a government cannot run very well when it is run by sudras. The second class of men, known as ksatriyas, are especially meant for governing a country under the direction of saintly persons (brahmanas) who are supposed to be very intelligent. In other ages--in Satya-yuga, Treta-yuga and Dvapara-yuga--the general populace was not so degraded, and the head of government was never elected. Srimad-Bhagavatam Canto 5: Chapter Five, Text 20 PURPORT The president is selected by the votes of ignorant sudras; therefore another sudra is elected, and immediately the entire government becomes polluted. If people strictly followed the principles of Bhagavad-gita, they would elect a person who is the Lord's devotee. Then automatically there would be good government. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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