Varna: bit by bit

[Guest guest]

On 07 Jun 1999, Sthita-dhi-muni Dasa wrote:

 

> On 04 Jun 1999, Janesvara Dasa wrote:

>

> >

> >

> > I seem to remember many, many instances of Srila Prabhupada referring to

> many of his disciples as "brahmanas" and to do their prescribed duties

> accordingly. Isn't "brahmana" a varna anymore?

> >

>

> Right you are, Prabhupada encouraged brahminical qualities as he saw them as

> what was most sorely lacking within modern day society. But I still don't

> recall stories of Prabhupada saying: So and So dasa, you are now a lifelong

> ksatriya -- and chant 16 rounds and follow four regs.

 

 

That's because the leaders of the movement did not take up their guru's orders

and divide the society and themselves become expert in a varna in order to

train the devotees to become lifelong ksatriyas, brahmanas, vaisyas or sudras.

Certainly you can't be insinuating that there is something wrong in following

the example of Arjuna - becoming a lifelong devotee ksatriya?

 

 

Srila Prabhupada ordered his senior disciples to become expert in one of the

four varnas in order to become teachers in the varnasrama colleges which they

were to start in EVERY center. This is a very clear instruction.

 

Has anything even close to this been done in the last 25 years?

 

 

> Probably just a curious observation on my part, but as a Vaisnava guru,

> Prabhupada didn't seem to indulge in this form of devotional practice.

 

 

You must be forgetful of the very clear orders given to his senior disciples

to start the dividing of the society and establish training for sudras,

vaisyas, ksatriyas and brahmanas.

 

 

> > VAD "NOW"??? After 25 years, 2 months, 20 days and 6 or 7 hours? Hardly

> "NOW".

 

> It has been, oh, maybe a couple of milleniums since we could claim VAD had

> been functioning with healthy regularity. It is my own suspicion that

> re-establishing VAD, and not just a VAD fan club, will take more than a

decade

> of youthful enthusiasm.

 

 

This is another weak, negative, pessimistic attitude popular amongst ISKCON

leaders. It is a very poor excuse for not even BEGINNING the attempt at

following Srila PRabhupada's orders to start varnasrama colleges in every

center for every devotee everyday. Who in the world expects varnasrama culture

to magically manifest by some GBC snap of the fingers? It takes hard work and

conviction and most importantly it takes following the guru's order to START

from the BEGINNING. Follow the instructions given by Srila PRabhupada in

Vrindavana in 1974. They were perfect instructions how to begin the process

and gradually improve the practices of varnasrama-dharma in the society of

devotees. It has NEVER been attempted in the manner described by Prabhupada.