How to start varnasrama

[Guest guest]

There certainly seems to be a spirited discussion on the relevance of

varnasrama and how to

implement Srila Prabhupada's wishes on this matter.

 

I appreciate very much Janesvara Prabhu's spirited defense of varnasrama

principles. I do find it

somewhat unnecessary that he is being made to defend the application of

varnasrama in the

Varnasrama conference. If one doesn't agree with these principles then perhaps

their interests

would be better served in another conference.

 

>From my vantage point, it seems that the difficulty in establishing a

varnasrama society is partly

based upon that the devotees reflect our Kali Yuga societal makeup, i.e. that

98% of us are city

raised. If we are to implement varnasrama, it seems obvious that it must be

based upon

agricultural development. I have always understood that is why Srila Prabhupada

was heading to

Gitanagari to help direct us on varnasrama development. I haven't visited all

of our rural

communities but Gitanagari is certainly one of the best endowed properties for

soil and

agricultural potential. I'd love to have their soil and food growing potential

on my own farm.

 

Anthropology 101 teaches us that there are four types of society: 1. Hunters

and Gatherers; 2.

Pastoral Nomads; 3. Extensive Agriculturalists (i.e. Slash and Burn) and 4.

Intensive

Agriculturalists (that is the society that predominates the planet presently).

The one key

component shared by all of these societies, in fact how they define themselves,

is their means on

how they produce food. It is the first stepping stone of any social (varnic)

arrangement.

 

It is not difficult to research Srila Prabhupada's books to list many of the

principles of

varnasrama but to see how to start the process we should remind ourselves of

Srila Prabhupada's

journey to Gitanagari to begin the process of varnasrama development. He was

going to an area

which had ample food producing potential.

 

If we can begin the process of agricultural development, then there is

automatically engagement

for sudras. If food production is successful, i.e. that a surplus is produced,

then there is

engagement for ksatriyas in collecting taxes. From food production comes

employment and

devotees working together which will result in the development of gurukulas and

temples. The

main difficulty will be to have the devotees understand that by engaging in an

activity related to

their varna, that they somehow denigrate themselves spiritually.

 

It will likely be argued that devotees can and are coming together in many

communities such as

Alachua, Prabhupada's Village or Saranagati to suggest a few. But varnasrama

development in

any community will always be hindered unless there is agricultural development.

You cannot

substitute this by selling hats or different varieties of paraphernalia as

development of the vaisya

varna.. Vaisya activity is based upon land, cows and the trade of their surplus

production.

 

The present day food system is precarious to say the least and we cannot depend

on it to supply

us our food needs in the long term. I am not going to make any predictions but

since it is based

upon the mode of passion and ignorance it cannot last. To think otherwise is

foolhardy. I also

disagree with using doomsday forecasts to try to encourage devotees to develop

varnasrama

communities. It is shortsighted and in the mode of passion. Our motivation

needs to be simply to

serve Srila Prabhupada and understand his plan. And as can be seen by the

quotes produced in

this conference by Samba Prabhu, Srila Prabhupada's plan for varnasrama

development started

with producing one's food.

 

Respectfully,

 

Vyapaka dasa