A brahmin is brahmin. A ksatriya is ksatriya. Vaisya is vaisya. That is real understanding. If you say: "Everyone is brahmana," that's not good

Expressions researched:
"A brāhmin is brāhmin. A kṣatriya is kṣatriya. Vaiśya is vaiśya. That is real understanding. If you say: "Everyone is brāhmaṇa," that's not good"

Conversations and Morning Walks

1977 Conversations and Morning Walks

Indian man (3): Swāmījī, excuse me. I don't see any difference between the person to person. Prabhupāda: There is difference. Cat and dog, there is difference. An intelligent man and a rascal is difference. There must be difference. Cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ (BG 4.13). How you say there is no difference? A brāhmin is brāhmin. A kṣatriya is kṣatriya. Vaiśya is vaiśya. That is real understanding. If you say: "Everyone is brāhmaṇa," that's not good. Indian man (3): But we have been told to see only one consciousness, one life, between indi . . . Prabhupāda: That oneness is on the spiritual platform. Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā na śocati na kāṅkṣati, samaḥ sarveṣu (BG 18.54). That is another thing.

770422 - Conversation B - Bombay

Prabhupāda: Whatever your mission, I am talking of Bhagavad-gītā. The many missions are there. I am not concerned with them. I am concerned with Kṛṣṇa. Why don't you do that?

Indian man (3): We are here to take His message only.

Prabhupāda: But who is taking your message? It is not effective. But here you see, they have taken message. They have dedicated their life for Kṛṣṇa. You could not do so. The message must be effective. Otherwise, simply talking, what is the benefit?

Indian man (3): Swāmījī, excuse me. I don't see any difference between the person to person.

Prabhupāda: There is difference. Cat and dog, there is difference. An intelligent man and a rascal is difference. There must be difference. Cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ (BG 4.13). How you say there is no difference? A brāhmin is brāhmin. A kṣatriya is kṣatriya. Vaiśya is vaiśya. That is real understanding. If you say: "Everyone is brāhmaṇa," that's not good.

Indian man (3): But we have been told to see only one consciousness, one life, between indi . . .

Prabhupāda: That oneness is on the spiritual platform. Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā na śocati na kāṅkṣati, samaḥ sarveṣu (BG 18.54). That is another thing. But so long you have got a bodily concept of life, you must divide: cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ (BG 4.13). That is wanted. Just like in my body there is division. There is head. There is hand. There is leg. There is belly. So they have got different activities. The head is important. If you cut the head, then whole thing is finished.

Indian man (3): We need the substratum because of which we identify with the processes.

Prabhupāda: Hmm?

Indian man (3): We need the substratum because of which we see the differences.

Prabhupāda: Difference is there in your body. Do you think the head and the leg the same thing?

Indian man (3): But certain occupation . . .

Prabhupāda: No, no, I mean to say that you have to take work from the head and from the leg, but head and leg different. Sva-karmaṇā tam abhyarcya (BG 18.46). That is science.