Introducing varnasrama

[Guest guest]

On 20 Apr 1999, Samba das wrote:

 

>

> Really it seems to me that we are not going to see a highly evolved

> varnasrama society for many generations, and it is our offspring, and young

> converts who are the future.

 

 

A lot of really smart people said that Krishna consciousness, as envisioned by

Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, could not be spread all over the world, but one

person did it, because his Guru Maharaja wanted him to do it. He was not a

"leader" in the institutional sense. He was a leader because of his faith in

his guru's order, and he was willing to walk alone (though he tried to get

help from the "leaders") on the path. Such conviction attracted followers,

helpers, and well-wishers, what to speak of money and other resources.

 

I think we could go a lot farther on the road to not just implementing, but

establishing varnasrama, by thinking that it can be done, MUST be done, now,

with the willingness to put our own individual desires aside at least some of

the time to see that it does. Whoever says they want VAD has to be willing to

make the sacrifices and commitment necessary, even if it's just to grow a

garden or to become an entrepeneur or whatever seems most pressing to that

person.

 

It seems though that if one person could spread the monumental philosophy of

KC around the world in one lifetime, a whole society of that person's

followers (and it certainly matters if they're following and not just

idolizing their leader), or even just a few of them, or even just ONE of them,

could marshall the same faith, accomplishing what is a comparatively easier

goal in the same amount of time. Empowerment comes from surrender, from

commitment, in the face of all obstacles.

 

 

The children are the hope, and I feel that the

> society, instead of emphasising on the external preaching path, which we

> have done for 20 odd years since Prabhupada left (the result being shrinking

> temple populations, and the formation of splinter groups), we should

> prioritise the training of our own people, this is the future.

 

 

There's room for all kinds of activities, it's simply a matter of what the

society chooses to focus on. As Prabhupada once said, "We have enough

devotees, it's time to boil the milk." Of course, it's possible that the

shrinking temple population is a sign of milk being reduced as it's being

boiled, resulting in a sweeter, more concentrated and devoted temple

population.

 

I've also thought that Prabhupada approved the buying of so many old buildings

for temples because he knew that they would become too much handle for those

shrinking devotee populations, and that perhaps they would give up and move to

the country. If the congregation is so attached to the Deities, they can (and

should) move to the country as well. Recently I read that an entire town was

being moved resulting from an airport expansion, because they wanted to keep

their community together.

It can be done.

 

Instead of tearing down the marble of the temples (some of which are now

falling apart) to print books, should it be torn down to start farms, real

farms? New preaching centers could be started up in storefronts in the cities

(ah, the good old days) and thus the cycle would be ever-renewing. This is

just a dream.

 

When Prabhupada was asked how KC could be spread all over the world, he said,

"Any fool disciple of our Guru Maharaja could do it, but none of you all

will." Prabhupada consented to be that "fool" for his guru in "implementing"

the philosophy. Which one of us wants to be such a fool for varnasrama-dharma?

 

Ys, Tulasi-priya dasi