Why not varnasrama?

[Guest guest]

In the excellent Varnasrama references below a picture of what Srila

Prabhupada wanted is portrayed. But different devotees will see it

differently... Can the essence be extracted in a way that EVERYONE sees the

same picture? A picture that incorporates both the city and the country.

For example, Varnasrama was applied in Krishna's city of Dwaraka as well as

the country areas outside Dwaraka.

 

> TRANSLATION

>

> On enquiry from Maharaj Yudhisthir Bhismadeva defined first of all the

> classification of castes and orders of life in terms of a particular

> person's acquired qualifications. Then he described counteraction by

> detachment and interaction by attachment systematically by twofold

> divisions.

>

> PURPORT

>

> The conception of four castes and four orders of life as it is planned by

> the Lord Himself (Bg. 4.13) is to accelerate transcendental qualities of

> the individual person so that he may gradually realise his spiritual

> identification and thus act accordingly to get free from material bondage

> or conditional life. In almost all the Puranas the subject matter is dealt

> with the same spirit of description and so also in the Mahabharata it is

> more elaborately described by Bhismadeva in the Shantiparva beginning from

> the 60th chapter.

>

> This Varnashrama Dharma is prescribed for the civilised human being just

> to train one to successful termination of human life in the matter of self

> realisation as distinguished from the life of the lower animals engaged in

> eating, sleeping, fearing and mating. Bhismadeva advised that for all

> human beings never mind what he or they may be, nine qualifications such

> as (1) Not to become angry, (2) Not to tell lie, (3) equal distribution of

> wealth, (4) forgiveness, (5) to beget children only in one's legitimate

> wife, (6) to be pure in mind and hygenic in body, (7) Not to be inimical

> with anyone, (8) simplicity and (9) supporting the servants or

> subordinates. One cannot be called a civilised person without acquiring

> the above mentioned preliminary qualities. Besides these, the Brahmins or

> the intelligent class of men in the society, the administrative class of

> men, the merchantile community and the labourer class must acquire special

> qualities in terms of occupational duties mentioned in all the Vedic

> scriptures. For the intelligent class of men controlling the senses is the

> most essential qualification which is the basis of morality.

> Sex-indulgence even with the legitimate wife must also be controlled and

> thereby the plan of family control will automatically follow. An

> intelligent man must abuse his great qualifications if he does not follow

> the Vedic way of life. This means he must seriously make a study of the

> Vedic literatures specially of the Sirmad Bhagwatam and the Bhagwat Geeta.

> For learning the Vedic knowledge one must approach the actual person who

> is cent per cent engaged in the occupation. He must not be doing things

> which are forbidden in the Shastras. A person cannot be a teacher if he

> drinks or smokes. In the modern system of education the teacher's

> academical qualification is taken into consideration without any

> evaluation of his moral life. Therefore, the result of education is misuse

> of high intelligence in so many ways.

>

> The Khatriyas or the administrative class of men is specially advised to

> give in charity and not to accept charity at any circumstances. Modern

> administrators raise subscription for some political function but never

> gives in charity to the citizens in any state function. It is just the

> reverse of the injunction of the Shastras. The administrative class of men

> must be well versed in the Shastras but must not take to the profession of

> teachers. The energy shall be specially diverted for killing the thieves,

> the dacoits, the black marketers and all such undesirable elements of the

> society. The administrators shall never pretend to become non-violent and

> thereby go to hell. When Arjuna wanted to become a non-violent coward in

> the battlefield of Kurukshetra he was severely taken in to task by Lord

> Krishna. The Lord degraded Arjuna at that time to the status of an

> uncivilised man for his avowed acceptance of the cult of non-violence. The

> administrative class of men must be personally trained up in the military

> education and some cowards only by dint of numerical votes shall not be

> elevated on presidential throne. The monarchs were all chivalrous

> personalities and, therefore, monarchy shall be maintained provided the

> monarch is regularly trained up in the occupational duties of a King. In

> the fighting the king or the President shall never return home without

> being hurt by the enemy. The so called king by voting strength do never

> visit the warfield and they are very much expert in the matter of

> artificially encouraging the fighting strength in the hope of false

> national prestige. As soon as the administrative class of men shall be

> turned into a gang of merchantile and labourer class of men the whole

> machinery of Government becomes poluted to the lowest degree.

>

> The Vaishyas or the merchantile communities are specially advised to

> protect the cows. Cow protection means increasing the milk productions

> namely curd and butter; agriculture and distribution of the food stuff are

> the primary duties of the merchantile community backed by education in the

> Vedic knowledge and trained up for giving up in charity of the acquired

> wealth. As the Khatriyas were given charge for the protection of the

> citizens so also the Vaishyas were given charge for the protection of

> animals. The animals are never meant for killing. Killing of animals is a

> symptom of barbarian society. For human being agricultural produce, fruits

> and milk are sufficient and compatible food stuff; and the human society

> should give more attention for animal protection than killing them.

> Productive energy of the labourer class is misused when the same is

> occupied by industrial enterprises. Industry of various types cannot

> produce the essential needs of man namely rice, wheat, grains, milk,

> fruits or vegetables and production of machine and machine tools increases

> artificial living fashion of a class of vested interests keeping thousands

> of men in starvation and unrest. This is not standard of civilisation.

>

> The Sudra class of men are less intelligent communities of the society and

> they have no independence of living. They are meant for rendering sincere

> service to the three higher sections of the society. The Sudra class of

> men can attain all comforts of life simply by rendering service to the

> higher class. It is specially enjoined that a Sudra shall never bank

> money. As soon as the Sudras will have accumulated wealth it will be

> misused for sinful activities in wine, women and gambling. Wine, women and

> gambling predominant in human society means the population is degraded

> into less than Sudra quality only without any existence of the three

> higher classes. The higher castes shall always look after the maintenance

> of the Sudras and they shall provide them with old and used garments. A

> Sudra shall not leave his master when the master is old and invalid and

> the master shall keep satisfed the servants in all respects. The Sudras

> must first of all be satisfied by sumptuous food and clothing before any

> sacrifice is performed. In this age so many functions are held by spending

> lakhs and crores but the poor labourer class is not sumptuously fed or

> given in charity clothing etc. The labourer class of men are thus

> dissatisfied and they get clue to make agitation against the master.

>

> The Varnas are so to say classification of different occupation and

> Ashrama Dharma is gradual progress on the path of self realisation. Both

> are interrelated and one is dependant on the other. The main purpose of

> Ashrama Dharma is to wake up knowledge and detachment. The Brahmachari

> Ashrama is the training ground of the prospective candidates and thus in

> this Ashrama it is sufficiently instructed that this material world is not

> actually the home of the living being. The conditioned souls under

> material bondage are prisoners of matter and therefore, self realisation

> is the ultimate aim of life. The whole system of Ashrama Dharma is a means

> to detachment. One who fails to assimilate this spirit of detachment are

> allowed to enter into the family life with the same spirit of detachment.

> Therefore, one who attains detachment may at once adopt the order of the

> Fourth step namely renounced order of life and thus live on charity only

> not for accumulating wealth but just to pull on the body and soul together

> for the ultimate realisation. Household-life is for one who is attached

> and the Vanaprastha and Sanyas order of life is meant for those who are

> detached from material life. The Brahmachari Ashram is specially meant for

> training both the attached and detached to the material complication.