Le Cow Quote Du Jour # 121

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TRANSLATION

The means of livelihood of all persons, namely production of grains and

their distribution to the prajas, was generated from the thighs of the

Lord's gigantic form. The mercantile men who take charge of such execution

are called vaisyas.

 

PURPORT

Human society's means of living is clearly mentioned here as visa, or

Agriculture and the business of distributing agricultural products, which

involves transport, banking, etc. Industry is an artificial means of

livelihood, and large-scale industry especially is the source of all the

problems of society. In Bhagavad-gita also the duties of the vaisyas, who

are engaged in visa, are stated as cow protection, Agriculture and business.

We have already discussed that the human being can safely depend on the cow

and agricultural land for his livelihood.

 

The exchange of produce by banking and transportation is a branch of this

type of living. The vaisyas are divided into many subsections: some of them

are called ksetri, or landowners, some are called krsana, or land tillers,

some of them are called tila-vanik, or grain raisers, some are called

gandha-vanik, or merchants in spices, and some are called suvarna-vanik, or

merchants in gold and banking. The brahmanas are the teachers and spiritual

masters, the ksatriyas protect the citizens from the hands of thieves and

miscreants, and the vaisyas are in charge of production and distribution.

The sudras, the unintelligent class of men who cannot act independently in

any of the above-mentioned activities, are meant for serving the three

higher classes for their livelihood.

 

Formerly, the brahmanas were given all the necessities of life by the

ksatriyas and vaisyas because they had no time to spend making a living. The

ksatriyas would collect taxes from the vaisyas and sudras, but the brahmanas

were exempt from paying income tax or land revenue. That system of human

society was so nice that there were no political, social and economic

upheavals. The different castes, or varna classifications, are therefore

essential for maintaining a peaceful human society.

 

>>> Ref. VedaBase => SB 3.6.32