Is cow protection a pure devotional service

[Guest guest]

On 03 Oct 1999, Mundita Mastaka wrote:

 

> > Janesvara dasa wrote:

> > Did Arjuna practice svarupa-siddha-bhakti or was he just fully engaged

> > according to the varnasrama-dharma institution and at the same time

> > remembering Krsna?

>

> Remembering Krishna is svarupa-siddha-bhakti and performing one's

> varnasrama duties is aropa-siddha-bhakti. Simply performing one's

> varnasrama duties without remembering Krishna is material activity

> therefore Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu in Ramananda Samvad referred to

> it as external.

 

 

The only reason Lord Caitanya "rejected" varnasrama when discussing with

Ramananda Raya (Sri Arjuna), who had quoted scripture (Visnu Purana) to

support his statement, was due to the fact that unscrupulous people had

created an impersonalist philosophy known as Karmamimsat in the performance of

their occupational duties, sometimes called varnasrama. This philosophy

accepts God as being subject to one's work; He is bound to give results if the

work is performed. This creates a concept of a non-independent God. Thus Lord

Caitanya "rejected" varnasrama performed in this consciousness; He did not,

nor shall he EVER, reject daiva varnasrama-dharma as "external" or anything

else.

 

Lord Caitanya was a SANNYASI. Srila Prabhupada was a SANNYASI, too. Sannyasa

IS varnasrama-dharma. I really don't think they accepted the varnasrama title

of sannyasi out of some "external" consciousness or false ego. They honor the

divine institution of varnasrama because all great pure devotees and the

mahajanas prescribe it for EVERYONE.

 

“Maharaja Prithu did not allow himself to function outside the institution of

four varnas and four asramas, although as a Vaishnava he was a paramahamsa,

transcendental to all material activities." S.B. 4.22.50.

 

Pure devotees never "reject" the Lord's catur-varnyam system. They may be

above it or beyond its purpose, but for the example of all humanity they will

always show the best exemplary behavior.

 

Lord Caitanya was very strict in following all varnasrama-dharma rules for

sannyasis; something our ISKCON sannyasis should emulate a lot closer.

Remember Chota Haridasa?

 

 

 

> > A person engaged every waking hour in cow protection because he or she

> > knows the cows are most dear to the Lord and that they produce the perfect

> > human food, especially for brahmanas, is sure to attain perfection.

>

 

> Only if he is practising svarupa-siddha-bhakti at the same time, otherwise

> he will only make material progress from vaisya to ksatriya.

 

 

I believe that is what I stated? "A person engaged every waking hour in cow

protection because he or she knows the cows are most dear to the Lord". This

is Visnu smaranam; one of the nine (9) devotional services.

 

This conference is for those who understand the difference between daiva

varnasrama-dharma; prescribed duties performed with even a tiny speck of

God-consciousness, and conditioned duties performed purely in material

consciousness due to complete ignorance of spiritual life.

 

We encourage anyone and everyone from any walk of life to take up this

varnasrama-dharma and, at the same time, perform one, some or all of the nine

devotional services to the Lord whatever their present capacity allows. This

is the most auspicious program for all human beings.

 

Lord Caitanya accepted as the highest program the giving up of cultivation of

knowledge and speculation, hearing about the glories and activities of the

Lord (samkirtana) from realized souls, and living the honest path of living;

varnasrama-dharma, as in His own example as a sannyasi.

 

This is same program He instructed on the chariot with Arjuna. There is no

difference between the teachings.

 

 

 

 

 

> > I pray to become the servant of the servants of such devotees. And yet

> > most of them probably couldn't even pronounce the words

> > "aropa-siddha-bhakti". They needn't have to.

 

 

> If this concept were useless for us to understand then why would our acaryas

> bother to introduce and explain it?

 

 

I never said useless. Frankly, for those who want to cultivate knowledge

because of attachment to brain activity, there are so many books. But such

cultivation of "knowledge" is just as material as milking a cow in material

consciousness if done with material motive (like thinking oneself learned) and

forgetfulness of the Lord.

 

There are four classes of humans and learning sanskrit and "high"

philosophical concepts is only for a small portion of the society known as the

intellectual class, or sometimes known as brahmanas. The other classes need

not study these items. Their duties are different, but give them the same

perfection as those who study for a prescribed duty. It is not the brain that

must change, but the heart.

 

ISKCON as an institution claiming to develop human culture has failed to

institute the guidance and training for the other classes of humans and thus

there is so much chaos.

 

Sincerely,

 

Janesvara dasa