A Structural Review of the Main Topics of Srimad-Bhagavatam. Lecture 13
Bhakti Vijnana Goswami · 2021
Chapters
Overview of Srimad-Bhagavatam structure
Om namo bhagavate vāsudevāya, Om namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Nārāyaṇam namaskṛtya naraṁ caiva narottamam, devīṁ sarasvīṁ vyāsaṁ tato jayam udīrayet.
Naṣṭa-prāyeṣv abhadreṣu nityaṁ bhāgavat-sevayā, bhagavaty uttama-śloke bhaktir bhavati naiṣṭhikī. taṁ prāha cānyair ahahr-vṛtākṣair āruhya rajuḥ putrite'ta māyā, tayā ca dinas tam sarva-bhūta-hṛdayam munim anatas me.
petakritiam dwa ypai no virahaka ta radjuha, putre titan maya taiw taw dinus Tam Sarva Bhuta Hridayamuni Manatos Me. So once again, I'm happy to be with you.
Initially, when we started this series of lectures, I thought it would be just 3-4 lectures. Now we're already on the 12th session, as it was announced by Rasakrida Prayana Prabhu.
And we are trying to understand the message of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and the structure of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, how Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is organized structurally to give
is organized structurally to give us the complete understanding of Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, which is repeated again and again, not easy. To understand Brahman is difficult but not so difficult.
To understand Paramātmā is difficult, more difficult but not extremely difficult. But to understand Krishna as a person and especially in his highest manifestation
as Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa is actually very difficult. Even though it may seem to be easy for us. So Bhagavatam is purifying our heart to give us this experience because ultimately to understand means to have the experience.
Therefore, Vedas, they come from the Sanskrit root vid and the meaning of the Sanskrit root vid to know is actually to see. To know God means to see God. Ātmā vā are draṣṭavyaḥ.
One who didn't see the God in person doesn't know Him yet.
So and therefore the whole Bhāgavatam is a darśana, it's darśana of the Lord, and ultimately it facilitates us to have darshan of the Supreme Personality of Godhead in person.
Bhāgavatam, 10 topics: atra, sarga, visargaś ca sthānaṁ poṣaṇa-mūtayaḥ, Bhagavatam, 10 topics, Atra, Sarga, Visargas, Chastanam, Pausana, Mutaya, and through the cantos of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, which roughly corresponds to these topics, even though all the topics are described in all the cantus, but still there is some emphasis to a certain topic in each particular canto.
As we are progressing slowly, we are preparing our heart to the advent of Lord Krishna.
Introduction to Narada's teachings on varnashrama
The end of 9th canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is this event, advent of Lord Krishna, who is Lord Krishna, and then ultimately, the beginning of the 10th canto, the Advent of Lord Krishna will say the Advent of Lord Krishna within our heart, within our consciousness, within our Buddhi intelligence.
So we are on the seventh skanto, and as you probably remember, I described general structure and the message of the seventh scant in the last class, but because it was little rust, I couldn't describe the second part.
And the second part is very important because second part of the seventh Skandha is describing varṇāśrama according to Śrīmad- Bhāgavatam. And this is what Prabhupada called his 50% unfulfilled mission.
And this is what puzzles many, many devotees, how to fulfill it, and there are very diverse opinions about this. Some people say that just forget about it, it's impossible in our present day and age.
Others say no, no, no. Let's go for it, let's become very traditional, right on the spot. Get into some remote village, cut off electricity, cut off internet and start plowing the field with the bulls.
So there are different recipes or different ideas of how to apply this and therefore it's very important for us to understand what is described here.
Therefore, I decided not to go to the Eighth Scenta today but to devote our whole session today to these remaining five chapters of the 7th Kanto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. And try to elucidate some points.
Obviously, I will not be able to do justice to this important topic within short time. But you know, nevertheless, try to explain important points which Nārada Muni is doing.
And in fact, this five chapters of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is Narada Smriti. We all know that there is Manu Smriti, Yagyavalkya Smriti, Parashra Smriti, Vishnu Smriti, there are twenty dharma shastras.
Only few of them are still extant, six as far as I know. The law of Dharma, the law of Vishnu, the law of Parasara, the law of Yagyavalkya, and few others.
So here we have the 21st Smriti, Narada Smriti, or the laws of Varnashrama described from the Bhakti point of view, because Narada is bhakti-avatāra.
He is the living manifestation of Bhakti of Devotional Service and he is redefining Varnasrama from the vantage point of bhakti, from this angle of vision. And therefore, it's very important for us.
What is the place of Varnashrama? What is the system of Farnashrama? What are the main principles of varnashrama, what is the purpose of varnashrama for those who practice bhakti?
Because sometimes it is said that for those who are practicing bhakti, varnashama is not necessary at all. And there are you know you can make a strong case to this,
uh especially taking the quotes from Bhakti-rasamrita-sindhu, Srila Rupa Goswami. So that's m that will be the topic of our discussion today and I don't know for how long I will go.
Uh but please prepare your questions if you have. I will try to answer or uh if you have some questions from the last session,
Root of religious principles in Canto Seven
uh I will also be happy to try to answer these questions about the seventh canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. So let's start.
I will read a very important verse from the beginning of this section of Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, eleventh chapter of the seventh canto, the perfect society for social classes. Text number seven: Dharma-mūlam hi bhagavān sarva-veda-mayo hariḥ smṛtaṁ ca tad-vidāṁ rājan yena ātmā prasīdati Dharma-mūlam, the root of religious principles. He, indeed, Bhagavan, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Sarva-veda-mayaha, the essence of all Vedic knowledge.
Hari, the Supreme Being, the Supreme Person. Smṛtaṁ ca, and the scriptures which belong to the category of Smriti.
There is Vedas Shruti. Sarvaveda-mayo hari is you know consists of all this Vedas, he is the living manifestation of all Vedas, but not only the Shruti, but also Smritis, smṛtaṁ ca, tad-vidāṁ rājan, of those who know the Supreme Lord, rājan, O King. Yena, by which, by which, by this dharma, religious principles, ca, ātmā, mind, body and everything, prasīdati, become fully satisfied.
So translation and purport by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda. The Supreme Being, the personality of Godhead is the essence of all Vedic knowledge.
Vedaaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyo vedānta-kṛd veda-vid eva cāham. Krit Vedaviteva Chaham. Krishna Himself says, I am to be known by all the Vedas. The root of all religious principles and the memory of great authorities.
Śrīla Prabhupāda gives a very special translation of these line, smṛtaṁ ca tad-vidām. He is the memory of all those who know Vedas. Very beautiful. O King Yudishtira, this principle of religion is to be understood as evidence.
The word mulam here can be translated as a root, that's ordinary translation, but mūlam is also evidence. Can be translated as evidence.
On the basis of this religious principle everything is satisfied, including one's mind, soul, and even the body. So if you want to have satisfaction, you should know dharma and you should know what is the root of dharma?
Where you can from where you can get dharma? How you can follow these religious principles? That's the only way to be satisfied in this material world. So let's read the purport by Śrīla Prabhupāda.
As stated by Yamaraja, dharmantu sākṣād bhāgavata-praṇītaṁ, that was one of the most favorite quotes of Śrīla Prabhupāda. Yamaraja, the representative of the Lord who takes care of the living entities
of the living beings after their death, gives this verdict as to how and when the living being will change his body.
He is the authority, and he says that the religious principles consist of the codes and laws given by God. Ultimately, the religious principles emanate from God.
That's a very important point, which Śrīla Prabhupāda starts with. No one can manufacture religion and therefore manufactured religious systems are rejected by the followers of the Vedic principles.
In Bhagavad-gītā, it is said, vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyo Vedic knowledge means to understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa. Therefore, whether one speaks of the Vedas, scriptures, religion
or the principles of everyone's occupational duty all of them must aim at understanding Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of God.
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam therefore concludes: sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhokṣaje ahaituky apratihatā yayātmā suprasīdati.
In other words, religious principles aim at learning how to render transcendental loving service to the Lord, that service must be unmotivated and unchecked by material conditions, then human society will be happy in all respects.
The Smṛti, the scriptures, following the principles of Vedic knowledge, are considered the evidence of Vedic principles. There are twenty different types of scriptures for following religious principles,
and among them the scriptures of Manu and Yagyavalkya considered to be all prevailing authorities.
In the Yājñavalkya-smṛti it is said, śrutiḥ smṛtiḥ sadācāraḥ svasya ca priyam ātmanaḥ samyak-saṅkalpa-jā kāmo dharma-mūlam idaṁ smṛtam. Swasya Cha Priam at manahas samyak sankalpa ja kamo dharma mulam idam spritam.
Three perspectives on the root of dharma
That's the version of Dharma Mulam according to Yagyvalkas Brit. And there is a version of what is Dharma Mulam or the root of Dharma according to Manu Smrithi, which we will quote.
So we will have three different versions of Dharma Mulam, what is the root of Dharma? How to get Dharma rooted within our heart. And the three different versions are quite distinct.
They're different according to different audiences. So we will understand this topic we will start understanding this topic of uh varṇāśrama-dharma while comparing these three different versions of what is Dharma Mulam.
Dharma Mulam Hibhagavan, Sarva Veda Mayo Harih as in Bhagavatam Samyaksan kalpa Jakama Dharma Mulum Adam Smritam. So Swasya Cha Priyamat Manaha, Dharma Mulam
according to Yagyawalki Smriti, and we will also read what is there in Manu Smrithi about Dharma Mulam. Utpatanaaiva Utpatayva Kalpate. The purport is that to become a devotee one must follow the principles
laid down in Sruti Sbriti. One must follow the courts of the Puranas and Pancharatri Kavidi. One cannot be a pure devotee without following the Srutian Smriti.
And the Shrutian Smriti without devotional service cannot lead one to the perfection of life.
So Prabhupada beautifully puts everything in place. He said that yes, being a devotee we should follow śruti and smṛti, which means following varṇāśrama-dharma, but the following varṇāśrama Dharma without being a devotee is useless. It will not bring you to the ultimate goal of life.
So both things have to be there and definitely Bhakti
is the first, but nevertheless varṇāśrama-dharma following the duty is also very important because uh śruti-smṛti Puranadi Pancharatra Vidim vina i cantiki harbaktir uh society even if it is iconicki ekant e kantabhakti.
Even if you are following it very. you know in a very determined way. If you don't follow Sruti and Smriti, it will only create chaos.
And that's a very appropriate statement because we know sometimes devotees become very fanatical and they say only Bhakti, only Bhakti, only Bhakti, nothing of this and that creates disturbance in the society.
That actually has created a very bad um reputation to ISKCON when the devotees, especially in America in early days, they started violating or breaking all the regulative principles of pious life.
They were lying, they were stealing, they were doing all kinds of strange things. And that created you know great uproar among people in general and brought about this repute to Iskon which we are gradually coming out, or maybe have come out in some countries of the world.
So it's right there in Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu by Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī, śruti-smṛti. Therefore, varṇāśrama is very important. But in just one sentence, Prabhupada puts it in a proper perspective.
One cannot be a pure devotee without following śruti and smṛti, and śruti and smṛti without devotional service cannot lead one to the perfection of life.
And therefore, from all the evidence, the conclusion is that without bhakti devotional service there is no question of religious principles. God is the central figure in the performance of religious principles.
Almost everything going on in this world as a religion is devoid of any idea of devotional service and therefore condemned
by the verdict of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, without devotional service, so-called religious principles are only cheating. Prabhupada is extremely strong in this purport at the end.
Almost everything going on in this world as religion is devoid of any idea of devotional service and therefore condemned by the verdict of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.
What Prabhupada means is that, yes, the desire to please the Lord as a person is the root of religious principles. This is what Nārada Muni is saying here: Dharma-mūlam hi bhagavān.
Indeed, the root of dharma is Bhagavān, the personality of Godhead, Hari, who is sarva-veda-maya, whose will, whose desire how to please Him is described in all the Vedas.
All the Vedas are describing how you should behave to please the Lord. And if we don't have this very clear understanding that by following all these rules and regulations, ultimately, what is the purpose to be achieved?
The purpose which we should achieve is the pleasure of the Lord, the satisfaction of the Lord that Haritoṣaṇam and that Hari is ultimately satisfied, then whatever we do is śrama eva hi kevalam, is indeed a pure waste of time, pure uh pure useless labor.
So, therefore, this verse is basically the foundation for the whole second part of the seventh
skandha of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Dharma-mūlam hi bhagavān sarva-veda-mayo hariḥ, smṛtaṃ ca tad-vidāṁ rājan yenātmā prasīdati. And ultimately, if the Lord is pleased, you
yena chatmaprasida And ultimately, if the Lord is pleased, you will be also pleased. You will be satisfied. Everyone will be satisfied. All the people around you will be satisfied. If you're really pleasing the Lord by your actions, by your behavior.
If not, then you will get all kinds of dissatisfied people, starting with yourself, somebody whom you see in a mirror every day.
So that's the that's the reading uh uh before we start uh describing the general review of this uh part so let me chant Mangalachan.
Namāṁviṣṇupādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale śrīmate bhaktivedānta-svāmin iti nāmine Namaste sarasvate deve gaura-vāṇī- प्रचारिणे निर्विशेष-शunyavādi-pāścātya-deśa-tāriṇe Vāñchā-kalpatarubhyas ca kṛpā-sindhubhya eva ca patitānāṁ pāvanebhyo vaiṣṇavebhyo namo namaḥ Śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya prabhu-nityānanda śrī-advaita gadādhara śrīvāsādi-gaura-bhakta-vṛnda Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare
was rigubhakta vrinda, Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna, Krishna, Hare Hare, Hari Rama, Hari Rama, Rama, Rama, Hare Hare.
Yāṁ pravrajantam anupetam apeta-kṛtyaṁ dvaipāyano viraha-kātara-ājuhāveti putreti tanmayatayā taravo 'bhineduḥ taṁ sarva-bhūta-hṛdayaṁ munim ānato 'smi Svasty astu viśvasya khalaḥ prasīdāṁ dhyāyantu bhūtāni śivaṁ mitodhīḥ manaś ca bhadraṁ bhajatād adhokṣaje Swasyastu Swasya Kalah Prasidatam de Antu Bhutani Sivam mit Hodi Yamanas Chabadramba
Jatata Doksa James.
Prahlāda Mahārāja in this prayer from the fifth canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, he prays: let our mind will go deep into the Supreme Personality of God And dwell there in the Supreme Personality of Godhead without any reason
Āveśatāṁ no matir apy ahaitukī let him be concentrated on Bhagavān without any expectation in return. So that's what we're trying to do by reading Srimad Bhagavatam and discussing Srimad Bhagavatam.
Impartiality of God and access to bhakti
So let's start, let's go a little back in time, the seventh canto, as we said several times, is describing
Uti, the impetus, the nature which we have, the impetus to act, why some people have such a strong urge to act in a sinful way, and why other people are more inclined to act in a pious way why some people have Daivasampati divine wealth, divine nature, and other people have Asurasampati, the demonic nature.
And this whole topic is being described in connection with the broader philosophical point that is impartiality of the Lord, how the Lord is impartial.
Because when we look around We will apparently see that there are some people who have the nature which is more pleasing to the Lord. They are born with this nature.
And there are some people like Hiranya Kasipu who are, born with the nature which is not pleasing to the Lord, and as a result of it, they're bound to create abominable actions. And what to do in this regard?
You know, the Lord doesn't seem to be. It seems to be that He is favoring other people, they're born with certain nature.
And even if we take the idea of The previous life that it's according to your previous action, still nevertheless. You know, what is the... Really impartial? You know, He has to create equal opportunity system.
Like in America, the democracy. Democracy means everyone has equal opportunities. Nobody is born with some privileges, even though in reality everyone has some privileges.
But people are trying to say that we should have the system of equal rights it means that nobody has privileges from the start, from the scratch.
So, how the Lord is impartial if we see that people have different starting positions, how it is. And the answer, of course, which we give is that bhakti is universal, anyone can practice bhakti.
It doesn't matter whether you're rich or poor, whether you're intelligent or completely dumb, whether you are eloquent or you cannot even hardly speak.
You know, I know at least one case or a few cases of people who were deaf and dumb.
And nevertheless, they started, even though they were dumb because they couldn't speak, because of their contact with Bhakti, they started develop the ability to chant the holy name.
So there is ample proof that bhakti is available to everyone. That's okay, that's fine.
If bhakti is available and anyone can achieve the perfection in bhakti, at least in human form of life, of course, for the lower species of life.
Even Srila Prabhupada says in his famous speech about Hare Krishna mantra that even a dog even a child can do it, even a dog can do it. He says, even a dog can come to the kirtan and join the kirtan.
And sometimes we see this videos in the internet: the dog goes around Tulasi in Vrindavan or dogs join arati in Vrindavan and try to chant together with people who are glorifying the Lord.
So the Lord gave this completely very democratic arrangement with Bhakti, and he says basically again and again and again, everywhere that yes, bhakti is available for everyone.
You don't need to have any preliminary qualification. Therefore, the only qualification to execute bhakti is faith. And anyone can develop faith.
Faith is nothing, it's not a result of your intellectual capacity. It's not even a result of your previous good karma or bad karma.
Sometimes people who are criminals who are really desperate and who committed a lot of sins are much more receptive to bhakti than those so-called pious people because they know that all these sinful activities didn't make them happy.
You know, I I have a I have a person acquainted, or whatever he is, you know, he is from completely, totally, extremely sinful background. You know, he started taking heavy drugs in early life.
He was taking so much heavy drugs that three times he was clinically dead because of the overdose of this heavy drugs, and he couldn't just get rid of it. And then he just got in prison and he committed some crimes.
And in prison, he got Prabhupada's Bhagavad-gītā. And somehow or other, by Prabhupada's mercy, he read a part of this book, he developed a very strong faith in Krishna and in this process, which enabled him to give up all these heavy drugs just like this.
You know, he said I gave them up immediately on the spot. Of course, I don't know, in uh in prison he didn't have this facility, but he said, I never returned to this even though it's physiologically,
clinically practically impossible because the heavy drugs destroy your mind and the impression is so strong that people cannot function as a normal human being.
Now he is a, you know, he is a great devotee of Jagannātha prasāda. He is getting, you know, tons of Jagannātha prasāda and distributing Jagannātha prasāda because he believes very firmly.
So, what I want to say is that yes, Lord is impartial, there's no doubt about it. Why? Because of this fact, because he gave us bhakti, because he and there is no requirement for bhakti.
But then there is another question which arises: not everyone is inclined to bhakti. Some people are not inclined to bhakti.
And the example of it is in the previous part of the seventh canto, Prahlāda Mahārāja is preaching to his demons' friend, and we don't know what really happened with all of them, whether all of them became devotees or not.
But Prahlāda Mahārāja is also preaching to his father. And his father became only agitated by his preaching. He didn't become a pure devotee.
He is in contact with pure devotee, with mahā-bhāgavata devotee. He is hearing him from his lotus lips, very important instructions. He doesn't become a devotee.
Prahlāda Mahārāja's wife, sorry, not his wife, not his wife, but his mother, Kayādū, she was listening to Nārada Muni.
Prahlāda Mahārāja was listening, Nārada Muni, and Kayadu was listening to Nārada Muni. And Kayadu was probably sleeping all the time during Bhāgavatam class by Nārada Muni.
And Prahlāda Mahārāja being just seven months old or whatever in her womb, he very intently heard everything, not only heard, but also digested everything, realized everything, and became mahā-bhāgavata, pure devotee. So again, we see that there is apparent impartiality.
And as I said last time, it's a habit of demons, of the demons, to accuse the Lord of being partial, as Hiraṇyakaśipu does in the seventh canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Shippu does in the seventh canto of Shimad Bhagavatam.
So, the idea of a devotee is to protect the Lord and to explain how the Lord is impartial.
We can see that in the first canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Queen Kuntī, she actually proves in a very beautiful way how the Lord is impartial.
In her prayers she's standing in front of the Lord, and she's saying you're equal to everyone. You're not only equal to me, but you're equal to everyone, and everyone gets from you what he wants to get.
And everyone indeed has equal opportunity to become a devotee and to render service to you. So here there is a return to this topic of
and as a return to this topic of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam well returning to this topic of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam again we have to try to prove that and understand how the Lord is impartial.
And we will definitely understand how the Lord is impartial by giving alternative system. So we already said that this seventh canto Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam describes how to get pure devotion.
And the direct way to get pure devotion is to come in contact with the pure devotee, open your heart, listen to him, show śraddhadhānasyāṁ bhaktyā, from him about the topics of the Lord Vāsudeva-kathā-ruciḥ.
And then mahat-sevāṁ dvāram āhur vimukteḥ, if you start serving mahat, these great people, serving these great mahān pure devotees, then you will get bhakti. This is how bhakti starts.
You will get śraddhā, and when because you will get śraddhā, you will get bhakti, because śraddhā is the qualification for pure devotional service.
Role of varnashrama in preparing for bhakti
But because not everyone is ready to do this, there is an alternative indirect way of how to come to this point, how to prepare one's heart for devotional service and that alternative
way is varṇāśrama-dharma. What is varṇāśrama-dharma? Varṇāśrama-dharma is nothing but a preparational process, a process, a very amazing and beautiful system created by the Lord Himself, cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ.
He Himself created this and He says about this in Bhagavad-gītā, Chaturvarṇam mayā sṛṣṭam.
And the Lord says this only because he wants to be impartial, only because he is merciful to everyone and he wants to give chances to everyone.
So basically, the essence of our varṇāśrama, or the essence of the second part of the seventh Kanto, is to understand how by following the duties of varṇāśrama one prepares one's heart for bhakti and how one becomes receptive to bhakti. What does it mean to become receptive to bhakti?
And how varṇāśrama is always subsidiary to bhakti. That's a very important point, cause oftentimes even devotees they try to put varṇāśrama over bhakti or to overemphasize varṇāśrama.
Maybe not without the reason, maybe because varṇāśrama is not a very favorite child in the devotional circles and sometimes we do neglect varṇāśrama. So to kind of create balance in this regard.
This devotee starts overemphasizing varṇāśrama. But that's a remedy which is more dangerous than the disease itself.
So again from the start I want to say that if we study this section of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, we will get a very balanced and proper view of what varṇāśrama is, and we will be able to practically understand how to apply varṇāśrama in the modern context. And that's basically what I will try to explain.
And before I go into some little details of this thing, I wanted to read a section
from Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura's Śrī Caitanya-śikṣāmṛtam, where he explains the evolution of a human being and the rules which are followed on every stage of development of a human being.
Varṇāśrama is a certain stage of development.
So we should very clearly distinguish between varṇāśrama as a natural stage of development for the human being, for the civilized human being, and varṇāśrama followed by us as devotees.
There is a distinction, and basically
Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura will say that there is a tension between bhakti and varṇāśrama. Even though varṇāśrama is a very beautiful system which makes people pious and which facilitates, on one hand, facilitates smooth transition from you know material
piety towards higher version of piety which is bhakti, transcendental piety, transcendental dharma, from material dharma to transcendental dharma, varṇāśrama-dharma is very important as a transition stage or as a springboard from one stage to another.
Nevertheless we should not underestimate that there will always be some tension between those people who follow the rules of a lower stage and those people who follow the rules of the higher stage.
And let us not fall into this trap. Why I want to read this paragraph from Chaitanya Shiksamrita, because I'm sure if you listen to it attentively, you will understand certain dynamics which we can see in our society.
When ardent followers of varṇāśrama system condemn some people who are apparently neglectful to varṇāśrama.
And again, you know, it really has to be judged very carefully whether somebody is neglectful to varṇāśrama, or he is neglectful to the details of varṇāśrama, but not neglectful to the essence of varṇāśrama.
So let's hear what Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura has to say in this regard, the reason is that man's life takes the form of ascending steps.
Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura was saying that our whole life is like a ladder, and we have to take one step after another step and follow very strictly the rules.
That's from the section where Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura explains the following the rules on each stage of our life and each stage of our development. Those outside the varṇāśrama system are on the lowest step.
Those people who don't follow the varṇāśrama system, they're the lowest of all. I mean that's unfortunately all of us. Atheistic moralists are on the second step.
Very pertinently, Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura calls followers of varṇāśrama as atheistic moralists because a pure varṇāśrama system is about the morals, not about God. God is there, but it doesn't have to be there.
And therefore, Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura says that the varṇāśrama system is basically for those people who want to be moral but they are atheistic. And the second step, theistic moralists, are the third step.
Theistic moralists also are included into the varṇāśrama system. Or you may say that atheistic moralists are outside of varṇāśrama. But no, but Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura makes these two stages within varṇāśrama. First, are followers of varṇāśrama who don't believe in God or place him into some subsidiary role and second varṇāśrama division is those followers of varṇāśrama who believe in God and who know that the God is the main point of our.
But then he says, Why the bhaktas are the fourth step, higher than them are those people who follow Vaidi Bhakti. And Raganuga Bhaktas are the fifth step. Yet higher than the vaidhi-bhaktas are rāgānuga-bhaktas.
They are the fifth. stage. So we have outside of varnāśrama two stages within varṇāśrama: Atheistic moralist and theistic moralist.
Then we have bhaktas and we have the highest, uh, rāgānuga bhaktas, the bhaktas who are spontaneously following the heart, uh, the rāga, the attachment to the Lord in the practices of bhakti.
So let's try also to identify where we are, whether we are primarily theistic
moralists, followers of varṇāśrama who strive for God and who actually on the stage over in essence, or in our identity are vaidhas or maybe we are rāgānuga bhaktas, who knows. So please listen, it's very important point.
It's very important. It is the nature of the soul to ascend to the next stage, to the next higher step. But he should not ascend prematurely or too quickly. So it's the nature of the soul to try to progress.
We want to be higher and higher and higher ultimately every one of us wants to reach the highest stage. We all want to reach the perfection. So, and therefore, he describes this letter and he says that:
yes, please go further, don't stay in the place where you are. It doesn't matter where you are now, you are entitled to go all the way up there. That's no problem. But please don't be too much in a hurry.
Don't try to do it prematurely or too quickly because it will only create disturbance in your own life and in the life of others.
Don't imagine that you already rāgānuga, rāgātmikā, rāga, whatever bhakta, you're serving the Lord in your spiritual body whereas, you know, as again I think Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī used to say this, people don't know how to go to toilet properly, and they imagine that they are already practicing rāgānuga sādhana.
That's why Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura told Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī, and Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī instilled this desire in his followers: establish varṇāśrama.
Because that's a gradual progression, and you cannot reach the highest step without going through these steps. If you try to jump over all these steps, uh, you know, like Prabhupāda, he was laughing, you know.
Big big monkey, big big belly, uh, Lanka jumping melancholy. That's uh English translation of some verse or Bengali verse than that.
When big monkey with big belly try to imitate Hanumān and jump to the Lanka, they ended up the same in a big disgrace in the water. Because they just cannot jump too much belly.
So basically, Prabhupada used this example to say that you should not, you should not, you should not go prematurely. Therefore, varṇāśrama is an important stage of development.
But you at the same time have to know where you have to reach. And therefore, Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura continues. Um after only after only after being firmly established on one step it is possible to ascend the next step.
So you cannot jump because you have to have very firm foundation, so you have to establish yourself in this step, in this one step, and then go to the next step, and then go to the next step.
That is why being qualified with steadiness on each level has been emphasized.
Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura is explaining very important verse from the 11th canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Svesve 'dhikāri yaḥ niṣṭhaḥ guṇānāṁ parikīrtitaḥ. Parikīrtitaḥ.
What is when Uddava asks, please tell me what is guna, what is the proper behavior, what is the virtue?
Śrī Kṛṣṇa answers to him: Svesve 'dhikāri yaḥ niṣṭhaḥ, when you are established in your own position, in your own adharma. And this being established is guna. Everything else is dosha.
And therefore, uh Krishna repeats twice this verse.
What is this svadharma, niḥśreyasaḥ svadharmaḥ su-guṇaḥ paradharmāt sv-anuṣṭhitāt? It's better to perform one's own duty than to perform somebody else's duty, even if it's a higher duty.
Therefore, Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura stresses this: only after being firmly established in one step, it is possible to ascend to the next step. That is why being qualified with steadiness on each level has been emphasized.
When a person is qualified to ascend the next step, he must also give up attachment to the next step, to the previous step, to the old step.
But if you reach the qualification, if you are established in a certain position, you have to go further.
Because the tendency is, and Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura will say it, the tendency to cling to the old stage is called niyamāgraha. Clinging to outmoded rules. It's a very prominent, you know, there is one tendency
is to rush, and that is niyamāgraha, you neglect the rules of each stage and you try to follow the rules which you cannot really follow. Another tendency is to cling to the old rules,
and it is called also niyamāgraha. When you are too much attached to the rules and regulations and you're not progressing through this ladders, through this steps and this two ways of Niyama Agraha are being described here.
Because of this, the outcasts have no respect for atheistic moralists. It's very interesting. Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura says that those who follow the rules of the lower stage they disrespect those who follow the higher rules.
Paradoxically enough, instead of saying humbly, you know, okay, they follow the higher principles, I cannot follow the higher principle, they try to denigrate the followers of higher principles to their level
and say that they just pretenders. The outcasts who for all this out-dated rules. And Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura says that those who don't follow this they deride theistic moralists, no, atheistic moralists.
Those who are outside of varṇaśrama, then we can see. Those people like in America, if you tell them follow, they say no, no, no, this is not modern. Like this is too conservative. Like Allen Ginsberg.
He loves Śrīla Prabhupāda in a personal way, but he didn't like Prabhupāda's preaching too much because he thought it's too conservative.
And many times he would introduce Śrīla Prabhupāda to the modern people, to the modern hippies of the age. And he was the leader of these hippies, more or less. They were all praying to him and worshipping him.
But he would always kind of apologize: please forgive this Swamiji for being so conservative. He doesn't believe in free sex. So he's too conservative.
So, and basically, that's what Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura is saying here: that people outside of varṇaśrama they will always disrespect people who follow varṇaśrama. Even the atheistic moralists. The atheistic moralists have no respect to pseudo-atheistic moralists.
Pseudotheistic moralists or those who follow varṇaśrama don't like those people in varṇaśrama who follow the higher rules of varṇaśrama with the idea that they should reach God. Pseudo-theists have no respect to theistic moralists.
Theistic moralists have no respect to vaidī-bhaktas and vaidī-bhaktas have no respect to rāgātmikā-bhakti. Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura goes all the way through, and he says that it's a human tendency. If you are on a certain stage, you will try to deride those people who follow the higher stage.
And therefore, the ardent followers of varṇaśrama they will criticize vaidī-bhakti. And those who are following Vaidi Bhakti they will criticize those who follow Raganuga Bhakti.
That's unfortunately human nature. So we should not fall into this trap. We should understand this is my level. I follow it very diligently and honestly and sincerely.
Those who are higher than me, they're worshipable for me, I really you know respect them, but I cannot do this now. I'm not trying to imitate them.
But at the same time, when we develop uh when we develop such a respect towards those who are higher, then when we will reach uh the qualification of the higher stage, we will not cling to the lower rules and lower standards of our life.
Because of such habit, the followers of varṇāśrama often do not respect Vaidabhaktas. So this is this tension which I spoke about in the beginning of this section of my speech.
The tension is there, we have to be very clear. And we have to understand the nature of this tension. And this tension is in our society, unfortunately. This tension actually came initially from those critics
who criticized Prabhupāda because he introduced varṇāśrama in his temples, introduced all these things, and they said he's destroying Vedic culture.
Prabhupāda, who probably made the most to establish Vedic culture all over the world and to glorify Vedic culture and to give people the idea of all kinds of Western people, the idea how glorious the Vedic culture is. By the followers of Vedic culture, he is criticized. Severely, he was severely criticized.
But what happened within these 50 years which separate
us from these times of criticism of Śrīla Prabhupāda? Now the followers, some followers of varṇāśrama are criticizing within our society that you don't follow too much varnashama because you're too much into Vaidhi Bhakti, you're neglecting some important rules of Varnashama. That's the dynamic which is going on unfortunately.
Here and there. I don't say that there is no basis of this, but you know let's be clear of what's going on.
Therefore, again, the balance is very important. This does not affect Bhakti itself, but it is a misfortune for those who do not take up interest in their own advancement.
When they neglect bhakti, the pure devotional service with the emphasis on serving the devotees, emphasis on chanting the holy name, emphasis on Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Bhagavatam, serving the deity and residing in the holy Dham.
When we don't put this on a higher possible position, studying the Srimad Bhagavatam, chanting the holy name, then our following varṇāśrama will become something which may not be so much desirable.
But if we understand that this is the highest, and this is my stage I'm gradually following, but I will reach this stage of vidhi-sādhana-bhakti, pure devotional service, starting with Shravanam and Kirtanam, getting developing the attachments through the following of the rules of varṇāśrama, as the means to reach this stage, then it's very good, then it's very useful, then it's glorious, then it has to be emphasized again and again and again.
Those at the higher stage naturally have compassion for those at the lower stage but until the lower situated people are fortunate they cannot give up their stage and develop the taste for the higher stage.
So I mean Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura said everything here.
Sanatana-dharma as a means to know God
And therefore this is the this is the way how Nārada Muni is describing varṇāśrama in this section of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.
And therefore, this section of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam starts with the question of Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, and Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira asks, this is the second verse of this chapter. Bhagavān śrotum icchāmi.
O my Lord, O my teacher, O Bhagavān, the representative of God, śrotum icchāmi, I want to hear from you nṛṇāṁ dharmaṁ sanātanam, I want to hear about you the sanātana-dharma, the eternal occupational duty, varṇāśrama-ācāra-yutaḥ, connected with varṇāśrama.
I want to hear about sanātana-dharma which is varṇāśrama-ācāra-yutaḥ yutaḥ yat pumān vindate param, by which one gets vindate param. Vindate means to know by which one gets the highest knowledge.
What is the highest knowledge? Is the highest knowledge of God. So varṇāśrama-dharma here is described as the means to know God.
This is Sanatana Dharma, this is the eternal occupational duty with the idea to understand God. To vindate. Śrīla Prabhupāda often translates this vindate, this again from the same root vid to see, vindate, Govinda.
Madhvācarya, he explains what the word Govinda means. Gauḥ means Vedas. One who is known by the Vedas is Govinda. Who is described everywhere in the Vedas.
So vindate param, vindate in this verse, in the second verse, yat pumān vindate param, by which one can get the highest knowledge.
Varṇāśrama is the way to get the knowledge of Krishna. To get the knowledge. And we have to always remember this. This is the purpose, not Varnashrama for the sake of being varnashrama.
So that's what it is, and this is Sanatana Dharma by which person actually gets the highest possible knowledge. And we can see that those who are follow the rules of varṇāśrama, their understanding becomes deeper.
As opposed to those who say, you know, I am pure bhakta and I have I can I can neglect all the rules and regulations.
No, you will never get real knowledge of Bhagavān unless you know what are the duties which you should perform.
And that's why uh Krishna uh established varṇāśrama. Uh I wanted to share with you some realization which I had this morning while I was reading these verses and these passages
of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, it's interesting that as I said, what is varṇāśrama? Varṇāśrama is an institution which has been at one point of was at one point of time spread
all over the world, and we can see the remnants of varṇāśrama in ancient culture of Greek culture, Romans and etc. But it was dismantled especially after the Industrial Revolution.
And so there is this crazy system of egalitarianism when everyone is deemed to be equal. Very dangerous impersonal system. Therefore, Prabhupāda said that the whole West is Māyāvāda. Why?
Also because varṇāśrama was destroyed and neglected and deprecated in the West. So, but the realization which I wanted to share is that that's the proof in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam in the seventh canto that the Lord is impartial.
If you are ready to prep to practice bhakti, if you can develop this attitude of shraddha, of respect towards the Lord and towards the devotees, fine, very good you can practice it.
And at the same time, you know find out what you have to follow also. All this you know four regulative principles, which is the foundation of varṇāśrama, and so on and so forth.
If you are not ready, varṇāśrama is for you. And Krishna says exactly this thing in Bhagavad-gītā. In Bhagavad-gītā, first he says, in 4.11 ye yathā māṁ prapadyante tāṁs tathaiva bhajāmy aham. I am impartial.
I am just reciprocating with the people. How people relate to me, I reciprocate with them accordingly, I do what they you know. I just reciprocate.
So then the question says, yes, what if the nature of the people is not so conducive for Krishna Bhakti? So what to do? Krishna says, yes, there are some people who have material desires.
In the next verse, in the 12th verse, he says that and they worship demigods. And then he says, Chaturvarnam Mayas Ristam Varnasam Vibhasa. I created the system for those people who have material desires.
For those people who are described in the previous verse, this is how Baladeva Vidyabhushana explains this. For those people who are described in the previous verse, I created the varna-śrama system.
What is the essence of the varna-śrama system? The essence of the varna-śrama system is to help people to get purified from material desires.
And when they get purified from material desires, very easily they will develop Shraddha in the process of bhakti and they will start worshipping the Lord, and the Lord will start reciprocating with them.
So, again, in the very gist, the essence of varṇa-śrama is a social system for those people who have material desires, for those people who are full of material desires, who want to fulfill their material desires, that's the system for them, which will satisfy their desires and will gradually purify their heart from the material desires and help them to develop bhakti
in the Supreme Lord and become pure devotees like Prahlāda. So that's again in in gist very the message of this section of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.
That's an indirect way which helps to purify the heart for those who are not ready to practice bhakti.
Contrast between varnashrama and modern economic systems
So I'm a little tired. But it's an important topic. So I I promise to you that I how how varnashama works, what is the mechanism? You know, if we take modern society, what is modern society?
Modern society is the social system which tries to increase the material desires within the people. It increases Krishna, the thirst, unsatiable thirst.
You know, you take some chips, salty, and chips will get you more thirst and then you get some Pepsi. And you take Pepsi to satisfy your thirst. And you satisfy your thirst and you take more chips.
And then you take more chips and you take more Pepsi. So that's how the modern system works. The modern economical system cannot work for people who are satisfied in themselves.
It will collapse because it just produces more and more and more useless things, and it can only be sustainable if the
thirst within the heart of the people becomes more and more insatiable, and therefore you create all kinds of artificial needs in people, and it goes on, and ultimately it will collapse, but it will be a huge tragedy for many many people who are not prepared.
So that's a crazy, absolutely insane modern system which destroys the world, destroys sentiments and human heart destroys everything. Merciless, cruel, insane social system. With egalitarianism attached to it.
Everyone is equal. Everyone is equal. So, what is the system? What is the alternative to this system?
Alternative to this system is varṇāśrama system with its understanding and I will explain essential points of varṇāśrama as opposed to non-essential details of varṇāśrama? But still, but let's proceed.
The question which I am answering now: how varṇāśrama works? What is the mechanism by which mechanism varṇāśrama helps us to get rid of the material desires. For that, the verse from Yājñavalkya smṛti is very important.
The verse from Yājñavalkya smṛti, which Śrīla Prabhupāda already quoted in the Purport, and I explained to you that I will. I promise to you that I will explain these three versions of Dharma Mulam.
Again, let's read this Yājñavalkya smṛti verse. Śruti smṛti sadācāraḥ svasya ca priyam ātmanāḥ.
So what is the mechanism how the varṇāśrama system works? You follow Śruti, you follow Smṛti, you develop sadācāra, habit for sadācāra, for your pious conduct. What is the result? Svasya ca priyam ātmanāḥ.
As a result, you become happy.
If you follow the rules of varṇāśrama, you become happy and and therefore you become satisfied and because you become satisfied you don't have material desires, material desires which you you saw that you will become happy by fulfilling these desires, and you realize that it doesn't really work, but you're anyway happy because you're pious.
It's actually the point, main point of preaching by Socrates. Socrates was saying that those people who are pious are happy. And if you don't follow the rules and regulations, you're not happy. You cannot be happy.
No way to be for you to become happy. But anyway, let's not get into it. And therefore, it is said here Samjaksan kalpa ja kama dharma mullem dam spritah. So what happens?
You become happy by following the rules, and then you develop samyaksankalpa, you develop desire to follow more and more properly all these rules because you feel the happy, you feel the reciprocation, Atma is happy, mind is happy, your family is happy, everyone is happy.
Then you develop desire to follow this samyaksankalpa, determination. And because you are determined, you have the desire, dharma mulam, idam spritam. You become very pious.
So actually, what is said in this Yajnavalkya Smriti is that the root of Dharma is your desire to be satisfied, and when you experience this satisfaction by following dharma, then you will become pious. So in this way the you know you give people some initial impetus to be pious and then they will
naturally become pious because it's nice to be pious, because it's pleasing to the heart to be pious, because it's actually happy life, happy, simple, pure life which people lead.
So Yajnavalkya Smriti said, that's the root of dharma. The root of dharma, dharma of its root should be just you, your intelligence, if you are intelligenced enough to understand that by following the pious way of life, the pious way of life, dharma, you will become happy, then you will become dharmic, you will become pious.
That's version of Yajnavalkya Smriti. Let's see the version of Manu Smriti. Vedo Akhila Dharma Mulam.
The dharma-mulam, the root of all dharma is Veda, Vedas. All the Vedas is the root of all dharma. You read the Vedas, you have respect to the Vedas, and you understand that you should follow the Vedas.
Because in the Vedas it is said, do this, don't do this. What is Dharma? Dharma is this Vidhi of the Vedas. Do this and nishedas. Don't do this. If you have the faith in scriptures, you will follow this.
Vedokila Dharma Lam smriti Shili Chatadvidam also Smriti which is which is according to the Vedas and Shili the behavior of those or character of those who know this, Tadvidam, who know these things, Acharaschapi Sadunam, the behavior of Sadhu e Atmanas Tush Tereva he. So ultimately it's interesting
that Yagyavalkyasmriti says the root of Dharma is your desire to be satisfied and your experience of being satisfied by following dharma. Manu says, no, the root of Dharma, Manu gives the higher conception.
Root of Dharma is your faith in Veda. If you believe in Veda and if you see these people, and you also follow this people, you also feel satisfaction. Atmanastusti Reva Cha. That's the last proof of Dharma.
You do something good according to the Sruti Smriti and the behavior of good people of sadhus, and you feel satisfaction, that's also root of dharma, but that's the last root of dharma.
The higher root of dharma, the higher understanding of how to establish dharma in the society on how to become pious yourself is to believe in vedas who say do this, don't do that.
But here we have Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam version of the same of the same statement, and Narada Muni says, no, no, no, no. It's not the satisfaction of the soul which is the root of dharma.
It's not the Vedas which is the root of Dharma. What is the root of dharma? Dharma Mula Hiban.
If you understand that Bhagavan is the source of all the Vedas, if you understand that ultimately you have to please Bhagavan, then as a result, Dharma Mula, you will lead a pious life. That's the real root of Dharma.
The desire to please Bhagavan. You can only become perfectly pious, absolutely pious, absolutely dharmic. Follow all the rules.
If this desire to please Bhagavan will become overwhelming and by this desire to please Bhagavan, Ye Yatma Suprasidati.
It is also said here that by this you will become satisfied. yena atma, a yena chatma prasidati. Yes, you will become also satisfied, but that's not the starting point.
Yagywalti spiriti says, be intelligent enough, you want to be happy, follow Dharma. Manu says, be intelligent enough, read Vedas, Vedas. Say you will become happy. Follow the Vedas. This is the root of Dharma.
Nārada Muni in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam says understand that Bhagavan is the root of everything. If you understand this, if you follow this, you know this varṇāśrama-dharma, you will become perfectly okay.
So that's uh that's the foundation of Nārada-smṛti. The Dharma Shastra according to Nārada Muni, the Dharma Shastra according to, yes.
Yeah, uh the Nārada uh the Nārada-smṛti, the Dharma Shastra according to Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. So that's an important part which I wanted to say, and I'm already speaking for quite a long time.
So, yeah, let me say just a few more important things. So, what are the essential rules of Varnashama Dharma? We described the tension between Varnashama and Vaidhi Bhakti.
We describe the proper place of varṇāśrama, that varṇāśrama is an instrument for us to achieve the highest goal of devotional service. We have to follow Varnashama, no doubt about it.
We should not forget about the ultimate goal of Varnashama rules. Varnashama works, we also established uh how varṇāśrama works. It helps us to purify our heart from uh material desires which are bothering us. We all know.
We start chanting: this material desire, that material desire. You want to get up and run here and there and chant your japa while you know. Doing some healthy japa walk. No.
The most important japa, everything else is after that. All the health is important, everything else is important, but there has to be hierarchy of our goals.
So concentrate on at least for a few rounds, for two, three, four rounds on the holy name. Then you can walk no problem. So this is what we established so far.
We described different versions of different Dharma Shastras, three Dharma Shastras, including Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam as a Dharma Shastra, special Dharma Shastra. From the bhakti point of view, what is the root?
Dharmaḥ sākṣād bhagavat-praṇītaṁ na vai vidur ṛṣayo nāpi devāḥ na siddhā mukhyāḥ kuta eva bhū-pāḥ. vedyaṁ vāstavam atra vastu śivadaṁ He understands that vedyaṁ, the knowable, vedyaṁ vastavam.
the what you can understand is vāstavam. The most important essence of all creation is God. And if you understand God, tāpa-trayonmūlanaṁ, he is Shivadam.
If you understand this, you will get auspiciousness and you will get rid of all the unhappiness. And in this way, you get yayatma suprasiddhati. The special, very special satisfaction of the soul, not just prasiddatih,
not just satisfaction, but suprasiddhati, then you will follow varṇāśrama as it is described by Narada Muni here.
And I will leave it for you to read this section of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and understand what you can follow what you what you cannot follow.
Like for example, you know you cannot really be dressed in a bark of a tree nowadays, not very practical. Some rules are not so essential.
Thirty general qualities of civilized human behavior
But so far, this is what we have said. So, what is the essence of the rules for varṇāśrama? It is described next in the verses 8 to 12. In seventh verse we read together with the purport and
8 to 12 describe these verses, five verses. Describe 30 qualities which are general. Which are the qualities of civilized human beings for everyone, everyone has to follow them. It starts with what?
Satya daya tapa, which means satya, tell the truth. Four pillars of dharma. Satya, daya, mercy, tapa, austerity, śauca, cleanliness. For satya, we don't we don't engage in gambling because that's cheating.
Among the cheating means gambling is the most abominable way of cheating.
Therefore we follow this daya, mercy, therefore we don't eat meat because cruelty towards other living entities is against this principle of religion.
And if we want to be civilized or belong to varṇāśrama, yes, we have to strictly follow this. Tapa. Austerity.
Śauca means we don't take intoxicants, because if we take intoxicants, you cannot become austere because you only magnify your thirst within your heart.
And śaucam. We are very strict about following the four so-called four regulative principle. We are not engaged in illicit sex relationship because this is the most contaminating things of our consciousness.
If you are engaged in this or you're you know looking pornography or whatever it is it's very contaminating. So that's the beginning, that's the foundation of our varṇa system.
And then very interestingly, Nārada Muni goes further: titikṣā, samo, damo, ahiṁsā, brahmacarya, tyāga, svādhyāya, ārjavam, santoṣa, samadṛk-sevā, and so on and so forth.
He describes all these rules or principles of behavior which any civilized people should follow. And then he says: śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ cāsya smaraṇaṁ mahatāṁ gate. Sevā ijyā dāsyaṁ sakhyam ātma-nivedanam samarpaṇam.
He basically repeats the same verse: śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ smaraṇaṁ pāda-sevanam. And that's the trick. What is varṇāśrama? Within varṇāśrama bhakti is hidden. You have your desire.
You have little pious credit, uh, some most bit that... No... Okay. It's constantly the electricity goes up and off and therefore it's, it's really disturbing. It's better to turn it off completely.
Wycussi of some bocack today-surda. It's really disturbing. So, bhakti is hidden within varṇāśrama. Bhakti is actually the active principle of varṇāśrama. Everything else follows from bhakti.
If you hear about the Lord, if you are a member of varṇāśrama, you will have to hear Bhagavad-gītā, you will have to do japa, you will have to hear Purāṇas and everything else. And then ultimately ātma-samarpaṇam.
That's how varṇāśrama works and that's why varṇāśrama works. Varṇāśrama only works because there is this electric battery of bhakti which gives energy.
If we take away bhakti from varṇāśrama and if we follow all the strict rules of varṇāśrama, uh, this and that, uh, it will become a dead, uh, instrument for exploitation of one people of another.
And that's what unfortunately happened in India. Why this reaction is there, and still people worship Ambedkar who created this Indian constitution and said
that everyone is equal because varṇāśrama was misused. Grossly misused. Why it was grossly misused?
Because the element of bhakti which purifies the whole varṇāśrama and electrifies, enlivens whole varṇāśrama, makes varṇāśrama proper, gives the proper mood, bhakti, which is the mood of love.
If you take bhakti from varṇāśrama, it's a useless cruel instrument of exploitation. That's what it will become, and therefore people rejected it.
But not because it's bad, it's a good instrument, but because people misused
it and they somehow rather through the historical development or the degradation throughout the time they deprived or divorced Bhakti from varṇāśrama.
Discipline and hierarchy in varnashrama
So that's the essence. And what varṇāśrama does, varṇāśrama does, how, what is the role of varṇāśrama? Varṇāśrama makes us disciplined and varṇāśrama makes us very humble and respectful.
The main principles of varṇāśrama is: follow strictly all these little details, you become disciplined. And when it comes to worshiping the deity, you become perfect in worshiping the deity.
For Western people, it's very difficult to follow strictly the rules of pancharatra. Why? Because they're not trained in varṇāśrama. Of course, nowadays nobody is trained in varṇāśrama.
But varṇāśrama means little details, you know, you get up early, you the the all the rules of cleanliness are naturally there in varṇāśrama. So first is discipline. You do.
You go and you, you know, you you take bath three times a day or at least one time a day, not every ekādaśī. You clean, you maintain cleanliness, you you do this, all the things which we do automatically.
That's an essential part of varṇāśrama which Nārada Muni described interestingly in these things. I will not go into details.
Another essential part of varṇāśrama — that's the first one: discipline. Try to follow the rules without being too much attached to it, but still kind of. You like to follow the rules. You you like to be regulated.
I remember I met long ago one very ardent follower of varṇāśrama, and uh it so happened that we lived together for quite some time for a couple of months. We were in a very close association.
And then I overheard him speaking something about me. And he was glorifying me actually to my surprise. And he said, oh yeah, he follows all the rules, he follows all the rules. He was glorifying me.
He is very sattva. Very sattva. Very, very sattva. Why? Because we are bhakti and this sattva-guna is natural.
And we ultimately, develop some taste for following these rules, you you know, the rules of cleanliness and everything, which followers of varṇāśrama-dharma really appreciate. So that's one thing, discipline.
Second thing is respect. In varṇāśrama, why I several times quite strongly spoke against the modern trend of being egalitarian. Everyone is equal because nobody is equal. Nobody is equal. It's a big cheating.
And Prabhupada was very strong about it. Very strong. Everyone is different. There is a natural hierarchical system.
This natural hierarchical system will become a useless instrument of exploitation, those who are higher to those who are lower, if there is no bhakti.
But if there is bhakti within this system, this system is beautiful because it helps those who are on a lower position develop natural humility and it helps them to experience the natural protection which comes from the from up down.
So the proper varṇāśrama system where the bhakti is the living force is that those who are on a lower position they show respect and service attitude towards who are higher and those who are in a higher position, their heart melts. And they want to do everything for those who serving them and they bless them by giving them knowledge, by giving them riches, by giving them whatever is within their position. That's a beautiful system.
And Prabhupada explains that without varṇāśrama, without this following this dharma, there cannot be peace in the society. That's the key.
You know, you become humble, naturally humble, and respect those who know more than you, who are more senior in age, who are more you know more powerful than you, and you know you manifest this who have more money, they are also worthy of respect because that means they are more intelligent than you. And especially those who have more bhakti, more devotion, who are chanting more, who have more.
And then those who hire, their heart will melt and they will give everything to you.
And you know, another important feature of varṇāśrama is ahiṁsā: you should not inflict pain to anyone, you should be very straightforward, satyam, it's very important, and you should feed everyone.
Still, this element of varṇāśrama-dharma is still here in India. Everyone wants to feed you. That's culture of varṇāśrama. That's the culture of varṇāśrama based on love.
And by this, you will develop love to Krishna, you will develop natural humility towards Krishna.
Being disciplined, you will become first class bhakta because you will follow your Guru strictly and you will uh also uh do it with natural humility.
Being disciplined you will follow strictly you will do it uh without rebellious attitude. You will become first class devotee. This is how varṇāśrama works.
Varṇāśrama trains you in some qualities, which helps you to execute devotional service. And that's the essence of varṇāśrama. You know, that the natural hierarchical system, which we have to respect, is very important.
Like I'm here in Bangalore and Madhva Mata, the Madhva line is very prominent here. And Madvas they they have this Taratanya system, the hierarchical system.
And they have, you know, position: this is Lord Brahma, this is Mukya Pran Vayudev. Then they have 49 Maruts which are different aspects of Vayu. And they have different positions for different Vayus.
Recently I just found out about it. This is Mukhya Pran, he is the highest viol. This is this. There is transcendental Mukhya Pran or Pran in the spiritual world.
There is this demigod, there is this Vayu who is the number seven in hierarchy of demigods. There is this Vayu who is number thirteen in hierarchy of demigods. This is this Vayu who is number 35 in the hierarchy of the demigods?
So it's not just 49 marots. It's it's they're different grades of this. So they are into this. Into hierarchy. And there is nothing wrong with it if I understand the essence of it.
Yes, there is this natural hierarchical system which I have to respect, but there is also a feeling of love which makes me equal with everyone. By his love Krishna elevates everyone to the equal position and by manifesting love towards others, we will also not develop
all this inferiority complex by occupying the position the natural lower śūdra position which we are in. So having said this, I really have to finish because I already overtime and leave some time for questions.
I didn't describe the details, but I wanted to describe the essence of our varṇa-āśrama system.
Superiority of devotion over social position
But what I want to say at the end is very important. Because all of a sudden, at the end, Narada Muni starts describing his own story.
I was a Gandharva in a previous life, and then because I was singing cinema songs in the assembly of saṅkīrtana of pure devotees, they cursed me and I became a śūdra.
And because I became a śūdra, I was born in a śūdra family, but then I served pure devotees and I became personal associate of the Lord, Nārada Muni. So why?
He basically wants to re-emphasize again that varṇāśrama is important, but bhakti is more important. And therefore, he says to Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira: Your Pandavas are the most glorious because you have bhakti.
It doesn't matter that you are the kings, you are higher than any munis.
At the end of the 10th chapter, he says, Nārada Muni continued, my dear Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, all of you are extremely fortunate, for the Supreme Personality of Godhead lives in your palace just like a human. Great saintly persons know this well, and therefore they constantly visit this house.
The great saintly persons, those who are highest in the varṇāśrama system, the highest rulers of varṇāśrama, the purest of the brāhmaṇas, they go to Pandavas and they bow down towards Pandavas. Why? Because Pandavas are pure devotees.
And having said this, Nārada Muni again repeats this uh at the end of the 15th chapter of uh this uh 7th canto. He again repeats this.
So, King Yudhiṣṭhira, because of your service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, all of you Pandavas defeated the greatest dangers posed by numerous kings and demigods by serving the lotus feet of Krishna.
You conquered great enemies. You were like... who were like enemy elephants, and thus you collected ingredients for sacrifice by His grace may you be delivered from material involvement.
So, he says that all the achievements of varṇāśrama: the highest knowledge, the highest respect, the highest power, military strengths, heroic feats, conquest over your enemies, money by which you uh collected all the m ingredients of the sacrifice, you performed the most greatest sacrifice ever, and ultimately liberation, everything is coming to you because of your bhakti.
It's bhakti which is the root of everything else. And if you place bhakti as the rule, bhakti towards Bhagavan as the rule, then you become naturally pious. And then you follow all these rules, you become a pious Brahman.
If you have this constitution, if you become very powerful kshatriya, you'll become very rich Vaisya, you'll become very good Sudra.
And ultimately, you know, even if you Sudra, if you are following this by the association of devotees, you will become completely purified and you will become pure bhakta.
And that's why this example of Narada Muni of himself being Kandarva is there at the very end to re-emphasize the importance of Bhakti and how Bhakti overrules all the rules of Varnashrama, not contradicts the rules of Varnashrama, but actually supersedes all the rules of Varnashama and helps one to get in contact with pure devotees.
But Varnasama nevertheless is very important because it's also an instrument av indirect bhakti, a very glorious invention of the Lord to help those who are not ready to practice bhakti directly, to purify their hearts, and ultimately get prepared for pure bhakti. And this is what we're doing.
We're following some sort of vaidhi, sometimes mixed with Varnashrama duties. Sometimes Varnashrama duties is very important for us, according to our position. No problem. It's very good. Be very good grihastha.
Be very good vanaprastha or brahmacharya or whatever. Follow this very strictly. Very important. Read this section of Srimad Bhagavatam. But understand that ultimately you have to become a pure devotee, and the only
means to become a pure devotee is while performing this duties of varnashrama, is to associate with the devotees, serve the devotees, and especially serve Śrīla Prabhupāda as a pure devotee, serve his representatives.
And in this way, Yayatma Suprasidati obtained the complete satisfaction of the soul.
So that was my not so short presentation of this important section of Srimad Bhagavatam and how it is connected with the main topic of the seventh
canto, why how we develop our nature. We can purify, rectify our nature, and material desires if we follow Varnasama, and that's very important.
Questions on applying varnashrama in modern times
Thank you very much Hare Krishna. Maharaj today's uh session by far brought
the most clarity on this subject of varṇāśrama which you rightly mentioned right in the beginning of your session uh has a lot of uh you know not question marks but certainly there are a lot of differences of opinions.
And I think um at least for myself it brought a huge amount of clarity that varṇāśrama has its own place under the umbrella of bhakti it is
something where it is enabling uh uh to take us into the realm of bhakti as opposed to uh be you know existing in its So uh there are quite a few questions. I have two and Arubama Radharani is also got two.
So can we take about three, four questions? Yeah, yeah, let's let's take three format, not more, because I have so many other things to do also.
I have one question which is the idea and the ideals of Varnaashram uh how do they fit in with the reality of particularly I'm talking about Iskhan and Isgan devotees as it has manifested from Srila Prabhupada's time to now, which is from a temple-based devotee institution to a largely congregation base.
So how does varṇāśrama fit in in this new reality of this form? Where is it heading and the outcomes
that you spelled out of following the key essence of varṇāśrama uh does it fit into the the current reality where our majority of our devotees are in the congregation and are only one of them. If you could throw some light on that, Rupa.
We are living in a very hostile environment which is definitely anti-varṇāśrama because the ideals and ideas of the modern society of the philosophers who are behind the modern society, all this propaganda which is going on in a very vehement way, everywhere in the internet, all this democratic ideas and ideals they're very hostile to varṇāśrama ideals.
And we should not underestimate the extent of this hostility even in India. You know, I remember I was in Govardhana and I met with some Indian people, and I think they uh and we uh at one
point we started talking about varṇāśrama. I don't remember how it developed. But I found out that they came to Govardhana to celebrate I believe Ambedkar's birthday and on
the occasion of Ambedkar's birthday they burned Manusmṛti. They they did this public Auto Dafi which Nazis do did you know by burning these sacred books.
This so the the that's the extent which hostility to ideas and ideals of varnāśrama is there even in some sections of Indian society unfortunately. That's a reality which you are dealing with.
And therefore, it's very unpopular to propagate this idea. And therefore, Prabhupada is very bold. You know, in this day and age.
He's in the West, he's propagating varnāśrama and ideals of varnāśrama, and describing these ideals of chaste wife, how she should be chased, she should be chaste to her husband and everything else.
So, having said this, so how to incorporate these ideals living in this environment? It's not going to be easy, but at the same time, it's not entirely impossible.
We have to you know honestly define our nature according to varṇa inclinations. Of course, which is probably which probably will be varṇa-saṅkara because we are varṇa-saṅkara.
We will find out different inclinations within our heart. But still there is some prominent nature that is there. Try to you know execute it very honestly try to do you
know uh it's also interesting anyway, I I will not touch this. No, this is too controversial. Anyway, so uh at least we should definitely do āśrama-dharma, which Prabhupada calls the spiritual stages of life.
And Ashramadharma means to be proper student of Vedic literature you know to study Vedas to become proper gṛhastha, execute proper duties of gṛhastha, earning money, taking care of dependents, feeding others.
It's fun to be a gṛhastha because you, you know, you have to work hard and then feed others. And that's that's very good. Host in your home so many people, invite, take, you know, do some bhakti-vṛkṣa program or whatever.
That is to their heart's content. That's that's varṇāśrama. That's a duty of gṛhastha. And then become little detached from it.
And then vānaprastha means basically go to some holy place, travel and you know share your experience, teach others, and then become sannyāsī if you are if you are brāhmaṇa by nature and you know dedicate completely fully yourself by teaching others.
So at least this everyone can do. Try to be proper gṛhastha proper, vānaprastha proper, renunciate proper, brahmacārī, proper wife, proper husband. You know, execute your duties.
And as far as the Varna duties, it's more difficult in the present society. So, you know, what can we do? Just do the needful. Try to at least be engaged in some not a sinful enterprise. That's also a very important thing.
Not be involved in this gross sinful activities like meat industry or vine industry or tobacco industry. This kind of stuff. That's the extent which we can and then ultimately establish
some communities where we can more properly practice varṇāśrama. That's also important. Especially nowadays when the world is so unstable and it can, The present economic system can collapse at any moment of time.
And it will collapse. Well, when it will, and it will be a big tragedy. So be well established in this regard. At least have some plot of land where you can grow your vegetables and little rice.
You know, or if you cannot do this understandable enough, support those communities which due to crazy economic system require unfortunately extra support from outside.
Support those rural communities which are there, which are gradually coming up. Help them. That's also important. That will serve a purpose in the future. That's very far sighted to help people.
Those dedicated people who are you know leading very difficult life in the modern day and age to lead their life. But if you're brāhmaṇa, live in the city and teach others, preach.
Unless you are very reclusive brāhmaṇa and... Thank you very much uh the next question is basically an extension of the same and uh the perspective is from a preaching point of view.
Uh, so you have given the dharma of a gṛhastha and the qualities of a brāhmaṇa and then preach even in the city if that's your nature. But my question, there is a little twist to it, that how do we
preach this notion of varṇāśrama that you have taken us through today? Uh let's say in the congregations that we are in. You know, that's the world that we live in. How do we take this subject and uh speak about this and establish in its true uh form as we have heard from you today?
Well, the true form is to be humble, to respect uh seniors and superiors, to respect the devotees, serve the devotees, feed the devotees, be truthful, be sincere, try to speak the absolute truth to others.
That's the essence of it. And be honest, do some honest occupation.
Don't be greedy, because you know that's the 15th chapter of this book 7th Skandha where it is said that if you are not satisfied, you know there's no question of you being satisfied. Just be satisfied.
Try to develop this saṁtuṣṭa and the quality of satisfaction. And then, if you live this life, you will have the power to preach about it.
And you will be able to also preach about the rural communities where it can be established in a more proper way. But in the context of living in the city, just preach these principles
of our varṇāśrama, general principles of varṇāśrama.
Feeding others, respecting seniors, respecting devotees, serving devotees, you know, being honest, doing some honest occupation. But you know, most importantly, respecting the devotees, respecting those preachers, respecting Prabhupāda's followers, Prabhupāda's disciples, respecting, respecting.
That's the essence of varṇāśrama. And being honest yourself and feeding others and doing your duties. And then you know helping the agricultural
communities where people are trying to live a simple life, which is also important. Thank you very much. And uh the next question is from Anupama Radharani Mataji.
Hare Krishna Maharaj, please accept my respectful obeisances. Thank you for an enlightening class on bhakti and varṇāśrama. You mentioned that one requires a little faith to begin with.
Those who are atheistic are devoid of faith. They are envious of the Lord and they derive no benefit from associating with a pure devotee. As was the case with Hiraṇyakaśipu.
It appears then there is a cycle in which the demoniac are caught in and cannot make progress on the spiritual path. In the Bhagavad-gītā, the Lord states that the demoniac are cast into hellish planets again and again.
What hope is there for such souls? How do they make progress?
Are such souls condemned to suffer in the material world forever? Thank you very much for this compassionate question. There is a compassion which is behind this question. See, therefore that it's very beautiful question and beautifully asked.
Even if demons or people with demonic mentalities live in the society which is organized properly will have the opportunity to break this vicious circle by doing some ajñāta-sukṛti to great devotees.
You know, everyone is bowing down. And to uh to sannyāsī, and you reluctantly you also bow down because there is some sort of social pressure which you feel.
You would feel really stupid if you stand straight and everyone is going down. That's just a simple example how the social mechanisms work.
You are in this society and sannyāsī is respected, so you know, maybe a little reluctantly, maybe not so wholeheartedly, but still you, kind of show some signs of respect.
Or because of you know social custom, even though you have little demonic nature, somewhat demonic nature, still, you you know you invite some brāhmaṇas to eat in your home.
Or for your, you know, because it's also a custom that you know you you do some rituals. So many ways.
In so many ways, if you are in a properly socially organized society, you will have an opportunity to get some pious credits, some ajñāta-sukṛti, which ultimately will accumulate,
and when this uh ajñāta-sukṛti will accumulate, uh you will uh you know you will develop uh an open a taste for associating with with the devotees. You will uh develop the appreciation of a devotee.
So there is no bar, you know, even demoniac people, if they live in a properly organized society, they will develop spiritually.
Even if demoniac people join ISKCON with some, you know, with maybe not join, but you know, come and visit ISKCON. I recently heard a story. One scientist came to a lecture.
And he didn't believe his friend somehow or other he said, you know, let's go with me. And he kind of reluctantly he didn't have much to do. So he reluctantly went to Hare Kṛṣṇa temple and he heard Sunday feast class.
And he didn't believe it, he didn't take it seriously. He he was listening to it with some some sort of you know attitude which was not very conducive. But still he was there.
He was when everyone was chanting, he chanted a little bit. So he came back home and his wife put a plate with meat which he was very attached to. And he looked at this meat and he realized that he cannot eat it.
He just it was so repulsive to him. He just he he just he went to bathroom and he you know he he became nausea and he threw up because of this. So he was not, he was somewhat demonic, one can say, but
he came to an atmosphere which purified himself. Purified him. He heard kīrtana, he heard some class, he heard something, some kathā. It purified him. So that's how it works. Agyata Sukriti.
Even though intentionally he was not really prepared to be open to bhakti. Hare Krishna. So the next question now we go to is from Dinesh Kumar.
His inquiry is the varṇāśrama-dharma is established by Supreme Lord Krishna who is absolute, then why this varṇāśrama Dharma gets deteriorated with time? What is the force that overpowers?
Sakaleneha Mahatha Yoganashtha Paranta Pakrishni himself says that by the influence of time, the time destroys everything. That's the definition of time. What is time?
Time according to the Sanskrit definition is kalayati itikalaha the something Kalaiti sarvam sarvam the something which uh uh put puts an end to everything is colour is, the time.
Time is the destructive power, and Krishna himself says that I come and destroy everything in the form of time. That's another form of Krishna and his destructive feature.
So Krishna Himself creates varṇāśrama, Krishna himself maintains varṇāśrama, and Krishna himself in the form of time destroys varṇāśrama when Kali Yuga comes. But why he destroys varṇāśrama?
Because Kali Yuga is a very special time where all those unfulfilled desires, people with unfulfilled desires which they could not possibly fulfill in a more pious social organization and more pious societies.
Unhörd of desires. And you know they come and they fulfill it. And therefore Krishna gives them facility to fulfill these desires. But those who are intelligent they can understand.
There's no use to contaminate myself by fulfilling these dirty desires, let me do something worthwhile. Thank you Maharaj. Next question.
The last one is from Neerjah Shiku Vindaprabhu: How can we implement varṇāśrama-dharma in the industry-based economy? So many people depend on industries for their livelihood. I want to find out if there are some questions.
No, there is no questions in Oh. Says that there is no there is no translation on YouTube. There was no translation on YouTube. Ah okay. That's why there is no there is no why? Okay. Okay, so I already answered this that
it's not possible to establish varṇāśrama in industry-based society. Therefore it's better to try to create at least little pockets of agriculturally based society, society where agriculture is the basis of economy.
And then you know this industry-based society inevitably it will collapse, especially because the monetary basis is so artificial, this whole, you know, society is based on the value of some green paper.
You know, with little pattern in the green paper with some faces of American presidents in it. So that's not a very solid foundation for the economy. Sooner or later, this green paper will become what it is. Yatharu Pam.
It will become as it is. Just green paper, which is not very useful. Now it has some artificially applied uh value which is conventional. But this convention, as any convention will be destroyed by the force of time.
And at that time, you know, the industry-based society will collapse. And I'm not into doomsdays, and I'm not into saying that it will happen now or whatever.
But it's destined to happen. Because there's no foundation of this society, there is no piety in this society. There will be something.
So we have to be prepared, at least mentally, we have to be prepared, if not in a better way.
By establishing some base, by trying to finance the agriculturally based communities. Like in Hungary they do it, and they have this beautiful community.
And all the people who live in the cities contribute a little bit to this Krishna's Valley, to this community. They help because they know that ultimately this is where they can get shelter in this society.
So that's just common sense. And therefore all these little communities are important. But they are struggling because of... They are trying to establish something in a very hostile atmosphere.
So those people who have intelligence and who want to promote the cause of varṇāśrama, which is important, they should help them to do it by giving some little financial support to their yatra.
There's a last comment that comes from one of the devotees on YouTube, Raj Prabhu, Harikrishna Maharaj, Dhanvantari Swami, one of the most sensitive topics, varṇāśrama-dharma, it justifies itself to qualify for a whole session dedicated for it.
So I think uh that's a nice comment uh to end our session with uh because I think the session was really very, very useful considering the confusion
in the minds of devotees on the subject of varṇāśrama. And I think this brought in a lot of clarity. I hope it didn't create more confusion. That's my only hope.
Because nowadays we are in Kali Yuga, it is a very confused stage, and whatever you say will be misinterpreted and confused even more. Anyway, let's see. I tried. useful. Thank you.
Well, I know that next week there is not going to be a session. We will... I'll be in touch with Anupama Govinda Prabhu to find out when the next session will be.
We would be eagerly waiting for that so that we can inform everyone about