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Caste System and Varnasrama Dharma - varna.txt [1/5]
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- Hari Krishna Susarla - "Engage your mind always in thinking of Me,
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- susarla@owlnet.rice.edu - become My devotee, offer obeisances to Me
and -
- Rice University - worship Me. Being completely absorbed in Me,
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- Class of 1995 - surely you will come to Me."
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- Biochemistry - - Bhagavad-Gita 9.34
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Varnasrama-dharma
>From the book "Renunciation through Wisdom"
By His Divine Grace A.C.Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
(c) The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International
Used with permission
In Praise of the Supreme Lord's Devotees
The pious and saintly Vaisnavas understand the exact meaning of the
Bhagavad-gita. The simple message of the Gita is self-illuminated like the
sun. Its knowledge is not hidden under a gloomy shroud of impersonalism.
There is actually no room for extracting some alternative meaning and
then giving a so-called esoteric dissertation on it. The devotees of Lord
Krsna alone can fully take to heart the instructions of the Gita, and by
acting accordingly they are liberated from the awesome and eternal
enslavement of the cycle of karma. Such persons are not restricted to a
particular country, race, or society. The Lord's devotees belong to a class of
their own - they form a spiritual society unhindered by geographical
conditions. God is not the monopoly of any particular group. Therefore the
message of the Gita, being universal, can be followed by anyone and
everyone. After all, it is in the Gita (9.32) that Lord Krsna has
unconditionally declared,
O son of Prtha, those who take shelter in Me, though they be
of lower birth - women, vaisyas [merchants], as well
as sudras [workers] - can attain the Supreme destination.
The demons misinterpret the words of Lord Krsna concerning caste and
social division, and they act capriciously on that basis. But this cannot
blemish Lord Krsna or His words. In the Bhagavad-gita (4.13) Lord Krsna
clearly says,
According to the three modes of material nature and the work
associated with them, the four divisions of human society are
created by Me. And, although I am the creator of this system,
you should know that I am yet the nondoer, being unchangeable.
The four divisions of society - namely intelluctuals, administrators,
merchants, and laborers - should be determined not by birth but by merit,
just as one becomes a doctor or a judge not by birthright but by merit
alone. In this world of the three modes of material nature, social classes
have always existed. Therefore a person's birth should never determine
his caste or class in society. The four classes were created according to a
person's qualifications.
Doctors are available in every country and society; similarly, the four
classes of men are also present in every country and society. A son born to
a doctor is not necessarily sure to grow up to be a doctor; similarly, the
progeny of the four classes of society do not automatically fix their future
career according to that of their parents. The scriptures describe in detail
the divisions of society, with their inherent characteristics. Therefore we
commit a serious mistake when we regard the different classes of men as
belonging to particular countries or races. The Indian culture of today is
restricted by the hereditary caste system and kept in the custody of
narrow-minded people who are like frogs in a well. If, instead, India had
spread the transcendental message of Bhagavad-gita in the generous
manner befitting a noble brahmana, then peace and tranquillity in this
world would not be in such acutely short supply. By the propagation of
brahminical culture, the world would have greatly prospered. Instead, the
Vedic culture has been seriously maimed by the imposition of the
hereditary caste system and this has had grievously adverse effects on the
world. The Supreme Lord in His incarnation as Lord Caitanya has opened
many avenues to peaceful living by propagating the brahminical culture,
which He calls the religion of the soul. Those who are fortunate can
emulate His life, follow His divine teachings, and perfect their lives.
Varnasrama-dharma, the system of four spiritual orders and four social
orders of life, is of two kinds: demoniac and transcendental. They have
nothing in common. The divisions of society mentioned in the scriptures
are present at all times and in all lands. If one with knowledge of the
scriptures scrutinizes the different societies, he can easily discern the four
classes. Persons possessing brahminical or priestly qualities in varying
degrees are seen in practically every society. In modern terms they are
called intellectuals. All the other classes are also present. Therefore it is an
established fact that the four divisions of society, according to merit, are,
were, and will be present everywhere.
Those who think that brahmanas and the other three castes exist only in
Indian society are sadly mistaken. The scriptures have declared that in
Kali-yuga everyone is born a sudra, or a menial laborer, a member of the
fourth class. Still, India has many persons endowed with high, brahminical
characteristics, and without doubt such persons are also seen in every
other country. Every country has these four classes of men, determined
according to merit. As a matter of fact, even those who are less than
sudras - the candalas, or dog-eaters - are eligible to perform devotional
service. If a candala becomes an elevated devotee of the Lord, then on the
basis of his merit he should be respected by all other classes. There is
much scriptural evidence in this regared: the Hari-bhakti-vilasa (10.91)
states, "A devotee candala achieves the same spiritual success as the
devotee brahmana." And in the Bhagavatam (7.9.10), Prahlada Maharaja
says, "A devotee candala is many times elevated than an ordinary
ritualistic brahmana." Indeed, such a devotee candala can be the guru of
the brahmanas; this has been shown throughout history by many spiritual
preceptors who were born in a low caste but who initiated persons of
higher castes. So, the castes are classified according to merit and activity,
but a pure devotee of the Lord is beyond all these classifications. He is
transcendental to everything material. How can a person who is elevated
beyond all castes, a saint, be adequately worshiped if he is worshiped only
as a brahmana? Therefore one who has taken shelter of the Supreme
Personality of Godhead is the recepient of all good fortune in all countries
at all times. The Bhagavad-gita mentions this in several places.
Whatever part of this world a person belongs to, if he follows the
instructions of the Supreme Lord in the Bhagavad-gita, then he attains
the transcendental platform and can become even more elevated than a
brahmana. As Lord Krsna says in the Gita (4.24),
A person who is fully absorbed in Krsna consciousness is sure
to attain the spiritual kingdom because of his full
contribution to spiritual activities, in which the consummation
