Varna first, asrama later????

[Guest guest]

> You have supported your points well with relevant quotes. Not

> having studied this topic in the same depth you have, could you

> tell me, did Srila Prabhupada ever specifically say that the GBC

> should set up varnasrama dhama?

 

 

If you are willing to study a bit more on this most auspicious topic you may

determine the answers yourself, if you are truly interested. Do as you wish.

I provide herewith for your voluntary indulgence essential instructions from

the spiritual master:

 

 

The following is taken from the morning walks in Vrndavana, India directly

after the Mayapur Festival of 1974, wherein His Divine Grace talks about

setting up varna-asrama colleges and Vaisnava communities throughout the

world.

 

DAY ONE

 

"Srila Prabhupada: The politician's business will be to exploit the poor

citizens and they will be embarrassed and harassed so much. By one side no

sufficient rain and therefore scarcity of food and on the other side

taxation by the government. In this way the people will be so much harassed

that they will give up their homes and go to the forest. Unless they take

to Krsna consciousness they will not be saved. The varna-asrama college has

to be established immediately. Everywhere, wherever we have got our

centers, a varna-asrama college should be established to train all

divisions: one class brahmana, one class ksatriya, one class vaisya and one

class sudra. But everyone will be elevated to the spiritual platform by the

spiritual activities which we have prescribed. There is no inconvenience,

even for the sudras."

 

Srila Prabhupada: ... For the management of affairs we are required to

divide because there are different classes of brains. So those who have

very intellectual brains, they should become brahmanas. Those who are fit

for management and protection, they should be trained as ksatriyas. Those

who are fit for producing food and taking care of the cows, they should be

trained as vaisyas. And the balance, they are all sudras.

 

"SP: So in our society these divisions should be there."

 

"The most intelligent class of men, they should be engaged in preaching,

reading books, instruction, and taking care of Deity worship in the temple.

Another class will be strong managers to see that everything is going nicely

and everyone is engaged. Not that only eating and sleeping. Everyone must

be engaged, employed. So if one is very much adopted for eating and

sleeping, he should be engaged with plows. You see there must be activity.

Otherwise, there must be dysentery. Eating and sleeping, you cannot digest.

So in this way our society should manage. Not that, "Give me second

initiation, sacred thread, and after taking, business finished, now I am

liberated, let me eat and sleep." This should be stopped. Therefore, we

have 50 (units) of land and I have calculated in Mayapur, setting aside 20

(units) for the temple and grazing ground for the cows, 30 (units) of land.

The production should be 300 mounds of grain but we have produced only 180.

So there should be 120 excess in grain. Instead of this excess they want

10,000 rupees a month for maintenance. This management is going on! These

things are not discussed in GBC? So what kind of discussing was there?

Simply talking? No practical? "

 

 

"Srila Prabhupada: There is employment even for the women. Gandhi also

studied this. Women should be engaged for weaving, spinning. Everyone

should be engaged. That is management. So our GBC members must see that in

every temple everyone is engaged.

Devotee: That is the meaning of leadership.

Srila Prabhupada: Yes, that is the meaning of leadership."

 

 

"Devotee: So in our movement the leaders must decide how every devotee and

every resource is engaged properly.

Srila Prabhupada: Yes. That is leadership. Which man is fitted for which

work."

 

 

"Srila Prabhupada: Yes. First of all there should be instruction on

spiritual life according to his position. Our spiritual life is the main

thing — we should always remember — but for management we have to make

divisions."

 

 

 

 

> If not then perhaps this

> responsibility should not come directly under the GBC who

> nowadays and for some time to come have their hands more than

> full with one crisis after another and very little resources.

 

 

It is the leaders responsibility to see that everyone is engaged according

to their respective varnas. Are not the GBC supposed to be the leaders of

this society? If not, a ksatriya administration should be started for this

management and the GBC should just do "non-management" activities like nice

preaching of the pastimes of the Lord. Perhaps some clarification of GBC

responsibilities is in order as regards varnasrama-dharma?

 

And further, the GBC and everyone else will always find themselves with

their hands full of crises forever and until they implement

varnasrama-dharma into their lives and the lives of those to whom they are

responsible. There will be difficulties implementing VAD and also after, but

the difference is we are following Krsna's plan of human social management

not a manufactured hellish idea:

 

"(CWSP) Johannesburg Oct. 16, 1975:

Harikesa: How in the beginning... Let's say you have a king...

Prabhupada: Beginning Krsna.

Harikesa: No, no. Let's say you have a king, and he is deciding this person

is worthy of...

Prabhupada: No, no. Beginning Krsna. Why don't you read Bhagavad- Gita? You

don't know?

Harikesa: No, no. Yes.

Prabhupada: What is the social arrangement? What is that?

Harikesa: That Krsna created the four orders.

Prabhupada: Yes. So you make that four orders, and then society will be in

order. But you are not taking Krsna's advice. You are manufacturing your

hellish ideas."

 

 

 

>If

> Srila Prabhuada did say the GBC is directly responsible for

> varnasrama then at this point of time you can't blame them for

> not taking it up in the way you would like. Unfortunately, it

> may take some time.

 

 

 

Better late than never!