Guest guest Posted May 28, 1998 Report Share Posted May 28, 1998 > Dear Harikesa Maharaja, > > Please accept my most humble obeisances. > All glories to Srila Prabhupada! > > Is it proper to use designations such as vaisya-vaisnava or > brahmana-vaisnava, etc.? > > Your servant > Kasya dasa It is not nice to use designations when referring to pure Vaisnavas. Pure vaisnavas are simply the servants of the Lord and accept positions within the social structure for the sake of social harmony and stability, as well as for the livelihood of themselves and their families. Although they accept such positions, they are still Vaisnavas and their identity does not depend on their varna for being a vaisnava is superior in all respects to any varna. However, Prabhupada does speak in many places, especially in lectures, about 'brahmana-pandit, brahmana-vaisnava,' for brahmanas are usually of the higher quality since they are learned in the sastra. So such a descriptive nomenclature for a brahmana is not at all insulting to him, rather, it is quite descriptive. Similarly, if the 'vaisya' were indeed a vaisnava, he would probably not be insulted by such a designation, for he would understand his real position as a servant of the Lord within the work-area of a vaisya. After all, the vaisnava has all the good qualities of the demigods and is not restricted to the qualities of a particular varna. The main problem is that it is not the best practice to 'designate' vaisnavas, as this is a misunderstanding of their actual positions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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