Varnasrama College Diary

[Guest guest]

Varnasrama College Diary

By Rabindranatha Dasa Adhikari

Saturday, January 15, 2005

 

 

Finished my 16 rounds at 7:24p.m. and was on time for both Mangala arati

(lead by Bhrigupati Prabhu) and Srimad Bhagavatam class (given by Govinda

datta Prabhu)

 

Today both me and Jagannatha Puri went for a walk at Topanga canyon state

park. We went on the Santa Ynez trail going up the Santa Ynez waterfall.

There is a lot of water in the creek now because of all the recent rains and

one has to cross the creek a number of times. The water was very cold by the

waterfall but deep enough that I could easily take a dunk.

 

 

Quote of the day

 

"Occupational duties are known as varnasrama-dharma and apply to the four

divisions of material and spiritual life-namely brahmaëa, ksatriya, vaisya

and sudra, and brahmacarya, grhastha, vanaprastha and sannyasa. If one works

according to the varnasrama-dharma system and does not desire fruitive

results, he gets satisfaction gradually. Discharging one's occupational duty

as a means of rendering devotional service unto the Supreme Personality of

Godhead is the ultimate goal of life. Bhagavad-gita confirms this as the

process of karma-yoga. In other words, we should act only for the

satisfaction and service of the Lord. Otherwise we will be entangled by the

resultant actions.

Everyone is situated in his occupational duty, but the purpose of material

occupations should not be material gain. Rather, everyone should offer the

results of his occupational activities. A brahmana especially should execute

his occupational duties not for material gain but to please the Supreme

Personality of Godhead. The ksatriya, vaisya and sudra should work in a

similar way. In this material world everyone is engaged in various

professional and occupational duties, but the purpose of such activities

should be to please the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Devotional service

is very simple, and anyone can adopt it. Let one remain what he is; he need

only install the Deity of the Supreme Lord in his house. The Deity may be

Radha-Krsna or Lakñmi-Narayana (there are many other forms of the Lord). In

this way a brahmaëa, ksatriya, vaisya or sudra can worship the Deity with

the results of his honest labor. Regardless of one's occupational duty, one

should adopt the devotional means of hearing, chanting, remembering,

worshiping, offering everything to the Lord and engaging in His service. In

this way one can very easily engage himself in the service of the Lord. When

the Lord is pleased with one's service, one's mission in life is fulfilled."

--Bhag. 4.20.9P