Social Order According To Quality And Work
А. Ч. Бхактиведанта Свами Прабхупада
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Scientific division of human society
Etāvalīṁ manye kṛta-bhūri-bhāgāṁ sanātanam prabhuṁ kurvanti. So Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu accepted the sannyāsa order of life with a view upon preaching.
Otherwise, He was a large scholar, born in a very highly respectable brāhmaṇa family. His family life was very happy because He was a great scholar. According to the system, a brāhmaṇa is supposed to be a teacher.
Paṭhana-pāṭhana yajana-yājana dāna-pratigraha. This is a brāhmaṇa's occupation. Everyone has got some means, some livelihood. Not like that at the present moment.
Whatever you like you can do, or whatever profession you get, that's all right. But the system is guṇa-karma. The quality, and according to that quality, one works.
Not that everything... just like at the present moment in your country, the government is finding difficulty to recruit soldiers. They are calling anyone that's born.
But these poor people, they do not know that they are calling some śūdras. A śūdra cannot be fit for a fight. Neither the brāhmaṇa. That must be kṣatriya.
In India, it's still... because the caste system is still maintained somehow or other, it is already lost. But still, the fragmental portion is still there.
You find this distinction remaining faintly, and therefore the government has no problem for recruiting military soldiers. There is a kṣatriya class still. They will be very glad to become military.
They take pleasure in a fight. The kṣatriya. Even at this time of death, at the risk of death, I see one picture.
One Sikh soldier fighting in the last First World War in France. Because the British, there were many more Indian soldiers to fight. They had no soldiers. All their expansion of empire was due to Indian soldiers.
Therefore, when they gave up governing India, they gave up governing all the Eastern countries because they could not maintain them. There is no possibility of taking British soldiers.
If you want to rule, there must be soldiers. So they were expanding the British Empire on account of these Indian soldiers.
India, Burma, Cyprus, Mesopotamia, and Egypt, Sistan, and so many surrounding India, they conquered with Indians. Because still in India there is a class. Well, very well, that is. You cannot conquer.
The Vaiśya class is still there, who are so expert in business that you give them, give one Vaiśya a little capital, say 10 rupees, 20 rupees, he will start some business. And in no time he becomes a master of money.
He knows how to do business. Others who do not know the business, you may give them millions of dollars, they simply make a loss. Everything has not changed.
Therefore, scientific division of human society should be as it is prescribed in the Bhagavad-gītā, and Lord Kṛṣṇa says, God says, that "I have created four divisions of the social order according to quality and work."
Everyone cannot work for everything. But everyone can be trained. Trained. That's why we are training you.
Qualifications and training for brahmanas
The Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is training everyone to become a perfect brāhmaṇa, Vaiṣṇava. Never mind where he is born. It's like a medical man's son can be trained to become an engineer. That is not difficult.
The training must be. It is a question of training. According to Vedic civilization, we Europeans, Americans, and others, they are called mlecchas and yavanas. But it is not that mlecchas and yavanas cannot become brāhmaṇa.
You can become, or the brāhmaṇas can go down to become mlecchas and yavanas. It is simply on the quality. These are the qualities.
The flower students following four principles: not to be contaminated by sinful activity, no meat-eating, no illicit sex, no gambling, no intoxication. These are the four pillars of sinful life.
So because they are giving it up, therefore they are becoming eligible to become brāhmaṇa and Vaiṣṇava. The contamination is there, but if one gives up the contamination, then he becomes qualified.
If one is infected with some disease, there is counteracting medicine, injection, you give it. He becomes pure. So there is no stereotype caste system.
Krishna says: "guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ", according to quality and according to work. So if you change your quality, if you change the modes of your work, then you come to the position.
So we are recruiting by changing their quality and by engaging them into the particular work. So the brāhmaṇa's occupation is that he must be qualified. Guṇa, what is that?
Śamo damas tapaḥ śaucaṁ kṣāntir ārjavam eva ca, jñānaṁ vijñānam āstikyaṁ brahma-karma svabhāva-jam. See that described in the Bhagavad-gītā you are reading. These are the brahminical qualities. Truthful.
The brāhmaṇa will never talk lies to the ultimate. Paraṁ satyaṁ dhīmahi. That, like Vyāsadeva, was the... in offering his obeisances in the beginning,
he said: "janmādy asya yato 'nvayād itarataś ca artheṣv abhijñaḥ svarāṭ tene brahma hṛdā ya ādi-kavaye muhyanti yat sūrayaḥ..." Paraṁ satyaṁ dhīmahi. Dhīmahi.
You, those who are twice initiated, you know this word, dhīmahi. This is found in Gāyatrī. So this dhīmahi is Gāyatrī mantra. This is chanted by brāhmaṇa, dvija-janmanā, or brāhmaṇa, twice-born.
Brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, and the vaiśya, they are called twice-born. Vaiśyas are not actually mixed. There are three qualities: goodness, passion, ignorance. So goodness is brahminical,
and ignorance is śūdra quality, and mixed, that is vaiśya. Everything, any color, like three colors. Pure color is red, yellow, and blue. These are three pure colors.
Now we can mix up. Those who are artists better, who mix up this color and they are multicolorized.
Similarly, you find so many different types of population in different countries, in different societies, simply due to this color or quality. So the quality can be changed. That's like there is white, blue color.
So you can cover it by red color. There is red color, you can cover it by black color. Similarly, it doesn't matter where one is born. It doesn't matter. Krishna does not say janma. He does not take this word janma.
He says guṇa, karma. Quality can be changed and his work can be changed. That is Brahman. Our Krishna consciousness movement means we are trying to change the quality of the world. That is quality. That is actually happening.
Now you are not guṇa-vān. Because your quality is being changed. Your work is being changed. You are coming to the platform of Brahman. Therefore we wait to see how a student is working,
therefore then after some time we offer the sacred thread. And those who have been offered sacred thread, they must be responsible to their position. You have been recognized as a qualified brāhmaṇa.
Now if you don't be that like a brāhmaṇa, then you will be falling. And it's in India. One is actually not a qualified brāhmaṇa, but he's speaking all the time.
That is the symptom of Kali-yuga: simply by taking a two-cent worth thread, one will say, "I am that." No, that is not the way.
Vedic reformatory methods and samskaras
The brāhmaṇa must be truthful. He must be controlling the mind, controlling the senses: śama, dama. Titikṣā, he must be tolerant, ārjava, simple, not duplicity.
And talking something in mouth and in mind, heart, saying something else. These are practices. He must have full knowledge. What is full knowledge? Full knowledge that "I am not this body." You must become neat.
You must properly know that you are not this one. You are pure soul, on Brahman platform. One who knows what Brahman is, he is called brāhmaṇa. So these are the things there are.
But by the grace of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, things have become very easy. All these very big time there, there is in India there is mata, brāhmaṇa.
They say that unless one is born in the brāhmaṇa family, he cannot be claimed that he is brāhmaṇa. But that is not the verdict of the śāstra. There are many instances of those who are qualified in brāhmaṇical quality.
In Upaniṣads, there is Satyakāma Jābāla Upaniṣad. So this Satyakāma went to a great sage, Gautama Rishi, and he requested him to accept him as his initiate. The Gautama Rishi asked him, "Are you brāhmaṇa?"
Because according to the Vedic system, nobody can be initiated unless he is a brāhmaṇa. And the brāhmaṇa means brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, especially brāhmaṇa, they must have garbhādhāna-saṁskāra.
The Vedic system is very complicated. Garbhādhāna-saṁskāra. There are ten kinds of reformatory methods. This one can be changed from one quality to another, but there are difficult methods and processes.
So a pure brāhmaṇa means he must have garbhādhāna- saṁskāra. Garbhādhāna means there is a ceremony. When the father goes to beget a child, before sex life, there must be a ceremony. It is no secret thing.
There must be a very sanctified spiritual ceremony so that both the male and female should be spiritually inclined, and in that mentality, that situation, if there is sex life, the child will be born with very nice... that is called bhāva.
Because the body is formed according to the mentality of the male and female. The mind of the child is formed. Just like the father is white, the child is white, the mother is white.
Similarly, and the form, at this place, everything is there. So the system to create a brāhmaṇa is found in the very beginning of the birth. But it is not so easy.
Therefore, at the present moment nobody is observing this ceremony. Therefore, it is hard to say nobody is present. Śūdra-samala. And they say Kali-yuga, everyone is a śūdra. Not only outside India, but in India.
Because this saṁskāra outside is not observed. Children are getting born like cats and dogs. So where is the brāhmaṇa? So that cannot be, one cannot be converted into brāhmaṇa according to Vedic system in this age.
But there is pāñcarātrika system for this, given by Nārada. The pāñcarātrika system, if the spiritual master finds somebody that he has a tendency for understanding the Supreme Truth, he should be trained now.
He should be trained properly. And Caitanya Mahāprabhu has made this training very easy by chanting Hare Krishna Mahā-mantra. Ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam. He has given us this authorized movement.
Anyone who chants regularly, the mirror of his heart will be clean and will gradually understand that he is not this body; this will be so, and that is the basic principle of brāhmaṇa.
Duties of different social classes
So the brāhmaṇa's duty is, we are talking as Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Brāhmaṇical duty is to read all the Vedic literature, Pura... Mah... Paṭhana, this is called paṭhana. And then pāṭhana, paṭhana.
First of all, you must be well-versed. Then you can teach them. Paṭhana, pāṭhana, yajana, yājana. Yajana means worshipping the Lord. And yājana means teaching others how to worship. Yajana, yājana. Dāna, pratigraha.
The brāhmaṇa can collect money from others and spend it for Krishna consciousness movement. Dāna, pratigraha. Dāna means charity. Not that "I have collected now so much money in the name of Krishna consciousness. Oh my God.
Now let me make some fat belly." No, that is not that. He must say he can take money from others, but he must immediately spend for Krishna. These are the six professional duties: yajana, yājana...
This is the brāhmaṇa's duty. This is karma. Guṇa and karma are in play. Truthfulness, śama, dama, titikṣā... Similarly, these are nine qualities; some say twelve qualities. So anyway, the nine qualities.
And similarly, kṣatriyas have seven qualities. Besides the seven qualities, they must have a mentality of ruling over others. They must have a mentality for giving in charity. That is the kṣatriya.
Big, big kings in India, all big, big temples... Even by big, big kṣatriya kings. Those who have gone to Vrindavan, you have seen many big, big temples.
And still there is Govinda, this old temple, very fine artistic work on stone. It cannot be manufactured at the present moment if you spend billions on those. It was so nice that...
Not very long ago, about 500 years ago, Maharaja Mān Singh, the commander-in-chief of Emperor Akbar, he came to Rūpa Gosvāmī: "Sir, can I serve you anyway?"
This is kṣatriya's duty: to go to the brāhmaṇa and vaiṣṇava and offer his service. This is kṣatriya. The kṣatriya approached Rūpa Gosvāmī. Rūpa Gosvāmī saw that this man is a very rich man.
So he said, "All right, you can construct a temple for Govindajī." So that temple was built at that time, spending lakhs. When you go to India you see this temple, how much fine work is there. What is there?
The Mohammedans had attacked this temple and broken it. That is now... it was seven stories; out of that, only three stories are still remaining, and four stories were dropped by the Mohammedans. So this is the kṣatriya.
Their business is to collect tax. And the brāhmaṇa's business is to take charity. But the brāhmaṇa spends for Krishna and the kṣatriya spends for Krishna. The karma is one: for serving Krishna. That is the key.
Just like we have got four divisions in our own body: The division of this face, the division of this arm, the division of this belly, and the division of the leg. The brāhmaṇa is the division, social division of the face.
They must give intelligence. Because from the brain, the intelligence is there. As when somebody comes to attack me, I spread my hand. Arms. Kṣatriya, kṣatriya's business is to give protection. The military.
The king, the laws, to give protection from rogues, from thieves, from attack, from any means, the king is responsible for giving protection.
Cow protection and agrarian economy
The vaiśya's business is very particularly how to secure food. Therefore, vaiśya business is kṛṣi-go-rakṣya-vāṇijyam. Kṛṣi, kṛṣi means agriculture. Unless you produce foodstuff, how the people will live?
That is business of the vaiśya. There is no prescription for killing, slaughterhouse. Kṛṣi. Kṛṣi means producing food grain by tilling the ground, field. Immense production can be there. Especially in America.
So much land is lying vacant. In Africa, so much land, land is vacant. If they are utilized for producing grain, ten times what you need, the whole population of the world can be given ten times more than what they eat.
But the rascals, they do not know. They're killing animals and eating. This is animal civilization. Tiger civilization. It's called... what? Now, what is the use of becoming a tiger? Has a tiger any use?
Has a tiger the brain to understand Krishna consciousness? He may be expert in killing other animals. But has he got the brain to understand? So if you become a tiger, you can become a tiger.
But what is the use of this tiger? Tiger is meant for shooting immediately, killing. That is being done. They're killing one another. Because it is a tiger civilization.
Everyone is becoming tigers, cats, and dogs, and what they will do? They will fight and kill each other. Well, in the brain to understand the responsibility of you, that is entrusted with the Brahman.
Therefore, we are creating some brain to understand what is meant to human life. You must understand. So the brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, and vaiśya, śūdra duty. And how economic problems can be solved? You produce grain.
He produced milk. Go-rakṣya. This is go-rakṣya. Unless you give protection to the cow, how is it you can get immense milk? If you get immense milk, they are all full of vitamins.
A, B, C, D... scientifically, except milk has got the vitamin A, B, C, D, especially K and... So you produce enough milk and you produce enough grain, enough vegetables. There is no question of want.
So it is the most scientific movement, this ISKCON movement, means the things which have been selected in the Bhagavad-gītā. The vaiśya means kṛṣi-go-rakṣya-vāṇijyam. And
he meant milk, and from milk you make so many vitamins and foodstuff: sandeśa, rasagullā, rabri, dahi, so many things you do not know.
The milk is nothing but the blood of the cow, but the baby with his hand gets the blood in a very uh... from his mother, everything.
So our Krishna is teaching us from His very childhood, Kṛṣṇa-bhāva, that these things are required. You eat butter. Instead of killing cows, you take the milk, make butter, and eat it. It will be completely healthy.
Butter, milk, sugar. There are miracles. Milk is so nice preparation. So nice thing that it is never lost.
If you have enough milk, suppose you cannot consume it, then you can turn into butter, and from butter you keep ghee, and ghee you can keep. But
if the milk is decomposed, then you get from curd, you make rasagullā, you make some sweets. So the buttermilk, chāṭ, you eat, you start drinking water. So anywhere, milk is available.
And anything you eat, mean the prasāda, giving you strong health and good brain. This is the beauty of it.
Vedanta and the goal of knowledge
I can think that, but they are not giving protection to the cow. They are giving protection to steel plant. So when there is a need of bread, steel bread. This is as we can see.
Then no protection for cow, then protection to the dog, which is you. Simply creating disturbance. In all self-passion they will let us up. No quiet, but they do. It is very difficult to walk in your country.
So many disturbances will be gone. So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, because you are serious students and feeling so many pains, it is complete reformation of this modern civilization. This is not human civilization.
Human civilization means Vedānta. Veda means knowledge. Ultimate knowledge. Anta means ultimate. Vedānta. What is that Veda? Knowledge, this know: how to eat, how to sleep, how to have sexual intercourse, how to defend.
This is animal knowledge. The animal knows also how to eat, how to sleep, how to have sexual life, and how to defend.
So you suppose you have discovered an atomic bomb for defending your country, that does not mean you have advanced in defense. That is defense. The defense animal also knows how to defend. You must go above.
Above these four principles, then you are more than animal. Otherwise, you are animal.
If you are simply encumbered with these four principles of life: eating, sleeping, mating, and defending, then you are no more than animals. It may be fat animal. It may be polished, but it is animal simply.
If you go above, which the animal cannot. The animal cannot know what is this. That is not possible. I cannot invite the dogs and cats and sit down peacefully here to the end. No, they cannot.
Therefore, the special priority of the human being is vijñāna. Vijñāna is knowledge. This knowledge is not for animals. Ultimate knowledge.
Ultimate knowledge is brahma-jijñāsā, to understand: "What I am? What is this world? What is God? What is my relationship with Him? How shall I live? Where from I have come? Where I have to go?" So many questions.
These questions, as we saw, that is human. That is Brahman vision. It is a great science. Krishna consciousness movement is not sentiment. It is a great science.
Unfortunately, those who are so-called scientists, philosophers, they are thinking that it is a movement for a class of men like that. They have no intelligence. Let them come and understand what is this movement.
But if they are not coming, you become trained up nicely and go to these foolish men and teach them. What do you think? I do it. I mean... Any questions? I think it's not good,
I Allez là, les mains, allez, ma Avec la crispa, de la vela Oh no.