Sastra yonit vat

[Guest guest]

> It seems to me that the only chance for varnasrama to be implemented is by

> starting at the beginning, creating an independant economic system based

> on the land and cow, and working up from there, a pretty long term

> program. That is where our beloved Srila Prabhupada chose to start, so I

> would say that it is ISKCON's only chance to actualy become relevant once

> again in the eyes of this world.

 

 

The Land and the cow are indeed the basis of the Vedic economic system, but

also dont forget that the KC family is the basis of the social system and

the means of producing ideal population, the prerequisite for peace and

prosperity in human society. With the vast majority of devotees being

Grhastas these days, so many different occupations are being performed

according to the training and skills of each individual. So I would suggest

that we can "start" Varnashram either socially or economically from any one

of a variety of situations by just practicing KC according to SP's

instructions, (not to minimise Samba's point about the land and the cow

which involves more management and planning by the Institution of ISKCON,

but who these days is attracted to living on a farm without ISKCON leaders

encouraging it?.)

 

In this sense SP introduced Varnashram from day one in ISKCON when he

initiated disciples, ie performed one of the samskaras, gave titles of

Sannyasi, Brahmacari, Adhikari and performed marriages etc and encouraged

Brahminical life.

 

You could argue however that all of that is somewhat ephemeral if ISKCON

does not develop its own economic system based on the Vedic bedrock

principle of land and cows.

 

Perhaps, as an illustration of that last point, I have learned that the

Tennessee farm, once a thriving, rural community has only one couple living

there, everyone else has gone. The husband works at night and the wife has

one or more children, so deity service is occasional at best, farm animals

are zero, and any other ISKCON presence there is zero. One initiated Mataji

and her daughter recently left there and became Catholics. What to do?

 

YS PD