Le Cow Quote Du Jour # 85

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TRANSLATION

Even if one is a householder rather than a brahmacari, a sannyasi or a

vanaprastha, one should not endeavor very hard for religiosity, economic

development or satisfaction of the senses. Even in householder life, one

should be satisfied to maintain body and soul together with whatever is

available with minimum endeavor, according to place and time, by the grace

of the Lord. One should not engage oneself in ugra-karma.

 

PURPORT

In human life there are four principles to be fulfilled -- dharma, artha,

kama and moksa (religion, economic development, sense gratification, and

liberation). First one should be religious, observing various rules and

regulations, and then one must earn some money for maintenance of his family

and the satisfaction of his senses. The most important ceremony for sense

gratification is marriage because sexual intercourse is one of the principal

necessities of the material body. Yan maithunadi-grhamedhi-sukham hi tuccham

[sB 7.9.45]. Although sexual intercourse is not a very exalted requisite in

life, both animals and men require some sense gratification because of

material propensities. One should be satisfied with married life and not

expend energy for extra sense gratification or sex life.

 

As for economic development, the responsibility for this should be entrusted

mainly to the vaisyas and grhasthas. Human society should be divided into

varnas and asramas -- brahmana, ksatriya, vaisya, sudra, brahmacarya,

grhastha, vanaprastha and sannyasa. Economic development is necessary for

grhasthas. Brahmana grhasthas should be satisfied with a life of adhyayana,

adhyapana, yajana and yajana -- being learned scholars, teaching others to

be scholars, learning how to worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead,

Visnu, and also teaching others how to worship Lord Visnu, or even the

demigods. A brahmana should do this without remuneration, but he is allowed

to accept charity from a person whom he teaches how to be a human being. As

for the ksatriyas, they are supposed to be the kings of the land, and the

land should be distributed to the vaisyas for agricultural activities, cow

protection and trade. Sudras must work; sometimes they should engage in

occupational duties as cloth manufacturers, weavers, blacksmiths,

goldsmiths, brass-smiths, and so on, or else they should engage in hard

labor to produce food grains.

 

These are the different occupational duties by which men should earn their

livelihood, and in this way human society should be simple. At the present

moment, however, everyone is engaged in technological advancement, which is

described in Bhagavad-gita as ugra-karma -- extremely severe endeavor. This

ugra-karma is the cause of agitation within the human mind. Men are engaging

in many sinful activities and becoming degraded by opening slaughterhouses,

breweries and cigarette factories, as well as nightclubs and other

establishments for sense enjoyment. In this way they are spoiling their

lives. In all of these activities, of course, householders are involved, and

therefore it is advised here, with the use of the word api, that even though

one is a householder, one should not engage himself in severe hardships.

One's means of livelihood should be extremely simple. As for those who are

not grhasthas -- the brahmacaris, vanaprasthas and sannyasis -- they don't

have to do anything but strive for advancement in spiritual life. This means

that three fourths of the entire population should stop sense gratification

and simply be engaged in the advancement of Krsna consciousness. Only one

fourth of the population should be grhastha, and that should be according to

laws of restricted sense gratification. The grhasthas, vanaprasthas,

brahmacaris and sannyasis should endeavor together with their total energy

to become Krsna conscious. This type of civilization is called

daiva-varnasrama. One of the objectives of the Krsna consciousness movement

is to establish this daiva-varnasrama, but not to encourage so-called

varnasrama without scientifically organized endeavor by human society.

 

>>> Ref. VedaBase => SB 7.14.10