All these are described in the Bhagavad-gītā, who is brāhmaṇa, who is kṣatriya, by symptoms. By symptoms we have to accept whether one is brāhmaṇa or kṣatriya or vaiśya, not by birth. That is the injunction of the śāstras. So this has to be observed. If we want actually deliverance from this material entanglement, so these rules and regulations of kula-dharma, we must observe. If we do not observe, then immediately we become irreligious. Dharme naṣṭe kṛtaṁ kṛtsnam adharmam abhibhavati iti uta. Uta, Arjuna said, "It is said." He has learned from higher authorities. Uta, "it is said" means "said by authorities." So "If adharma, irreligious life, is propagated, on account of loss of kula-dharma, then everything is lost, my dear Kṛṣṇa. So why shall I kill?" Other things also will be described later on, that the, when the male members are killed, the female members become widow, and they, their character becomes polluted. So many things Kṛṣṇa will speak about this family life.
By birth (Lectures)
Lectures
Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures
"Now I shall fight." And Kṛṣṇa gave him certificate: bhakto 'si priyo 'si me (BG 4.3). "You are very dear friend, and My great devotee." Now, fighting is not very good business, killing. But sometimes, by killing, one can become a great devotee of Kṛṣṇa. He was a warrior, fighter. His business was to fight, but he fought for Kṛṣṇa. Then he became a devotee. That is sva-karmaṇā tam abhyarcya (BG 18.46). He... Arjuna, brāhmaṇa and kṣatriya. Similarly, our..., means sva-karma, guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ. Our, according to Vedic system, there are four divisions. Cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ (BG 4.13). Not by birth, but by quality and actual activities. So there are brāhmaṇas. There are kṣatriyas. There are vaiśyas. There are śūdras. There are brahmacārīs. There are gṛhasthas, vānaprasthas, sannyāsa. So everyone should be engaged to satisfy Kṛṣṇa. That is the whole philosophy. Sva-karmaṇā tam abhyarcya (BG 18.46). "You work as brāhmaṇa, you work as a kṣatriya, you work as a vaiśya or śūdra. It doesn't matter." Even Kṛṣṇa has advised that "If you, even if you think that I am working as a vaiśya, it is not very good, because sometimes I have to speak lie for business's sake. And brāhmaṇa's business is very nice. No." Kṛṣṇa has advised: sa-doṣam api na tyajet: (BG 18.48)
Prabhupāda: Therefore, nobody is absolutely controller. He's controlled by the laws of nature. How he's absolutely controller? You are controlled by death, you're controlled by birth, you're controlled by disease, you're controlled by old age. How you became controller? So therefore you are not God!
Revatīnandana: All right. (applause) So if you have further discussion, you can discuss further later. After the program, we'll be all around to talk with you. For now, any more questions, it becomes difficult to follow. If there's any more questions, we'll take them after the next, this chant now. So just like my spiritual master is inviting that if you want to further understand this philosophy, you can discuss with us, and we have got many volumes of books. But you may not be very philosophically inclined. But anyone can experience Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa consciousness just by chanting this simple mantra with the names of God, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. And now, for concluding the formal part of the program, we're going to chant this Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra and invite you all to join in and experience Kṛṣṇa in the form of His name, this transcendental sound. Just chant Hare Kṛṣṇa with us, and then afterward, if there are more questions or you want to see our literature, we have so many books, we can do that. But for now, please, for a minute make an experiment in Kṛṣṇa consciousness by chanting this mantra. (devotee, first Revatīnandana then Nanda-kumāra, leads kīrtana and Prabhupāda chants along.
A brāhmaṇa will not be required to work like śūdra. A brāhmaṇa will not be required to work like vaiśya. Therefore brāhmaṇa can beg. Paṭhana pāṭhana yajana yājana dāna pratigrahaḥ. This is brāhmaṇa's business. He must be good scholar in Vedic literature and he must teach others. Not that "I have learned everything; I'll not teach anything." No. Brāhmaṇa must be well-versed in the Vedic literature and he must preach also, make others also brāhmaṇa, paṭhana pāṭhana. Not that "I have become brāhmaṇa. So there is no need of others becoming brāhmaṇa. There will be competition." Just like in India they have become very much afraid that I am making Europeans and Americans brāhmaṇas, so they are very much against me. They come to fight with me. In Hyderabad they came to fight. "Sir, you are making brāhmaṇas, these Europeans and Americans? This is not good." "And why not?" So we had some discussion. So actually it is not that brāhmaṇa is made by birth. Brāhmaṇa means, cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ (BG 4.13). By quality and work. Similarly, everything, by quality and work. This is confirmed by Nārada Muni.
The other day I cited the example of Jābāli Upaniṣad. He could not say even his father's name. But because he was so sincere that he declared before Gautama Muni that "Either my mother or myself, I do not know who is my father," Gautama Muni ac..., "Oh, you are brāhmaṇa. You are truthful. You are truthful." So these are the qualifications, saṁskāra, cultural birth. Cultural birth makes the twice-born. Saṁskārād bhaved dvijaḥ. Janmanā jāyate. By birth everyone is śūdra. And when he is reformed, when he is culturally rebirth, taken rebirth, then he is dvija, twice-born. And after being dvija, veda-paṭhād bhaved vipraḥ. Veda-paṭhāt means this knowledge, scriptural knowledge, Vedic wisdom. By studying this Vedic wisdom he becomes a vipra. And after studying, when he knows, "Oh, I am spiritual. I am not this matter," and he knows the constitution of himself, constitution of the Supreme Lord, then he is brāhmaṇa. Therefore the whole mission of human society should be how to prepare brāhmaṇa. Then peace and prosperity will be there. If you keep them just like cats and dogs in the platform of śūdra, how can you expect? Do you mean to say there is any peace in the dog society? No. That is not possible. Peace can be had only, really—human society.
And one who dies with the knowledge of this brahma-jñāna, self-realization, he is called brāhmaṇa. Brāhmaṇa means brahma jānāti iti brāhmaṇaḥ. One who knows Brahman, the Absolute Truth, he is called brāhmaṇa. Therefore our business is to become a brāhmaṇa. Don't think that brāhmaṇas are produced only in India. No. Brāhmaṇa can be produced any part of the world. Simply by knowing Brahman, he can become brāhmaṇa. Everyone of you can become brāhmaṇa, if you understand what is Brahman, because brāhmaṇa means one who knows the Brahman. Janmanā jāyate śūdra, by birth everyone is a śūdra, illiterate, without any knowledge. He is called śūdra, worker class. Illiterate maybe, but without any sufficient knowledge. He is called śūdra. So everyone is born śūdra. By the father and mother, when one is born, he is to be accepted as a śūdra, uncultured. Janmanā jāyate śūdraḥ saṁskārād bhaved dvijaḥ, by education, by reformation, he is become a dvija. Dvija means twice-born. Just like the bird. Bird is called also dvija, because the bird is once born within the egg, and then fermentation of the egg, he comes out from the egg.
That is not Bhagavad-gītā. If you want to understand Bhagavad-gītā, then you should understand as they are said. You don't interpret in your own way.
Now, because there should be some doubt of the ordinary man, that "How Kṛṣṇa could say to the sun-god?" that is explained in the next verse. Because Arjuna was taking instruction from Kṛṣṇa, he knew Kṛṣṇa, what He is. Otherwise he would not have accepted him as a spiritual master. But because others would doubt, "This is fictitious that Kṛṣṇa said to the sun-god. How it is possible?" so you will find Arjuna said, "The sun-god Vivasvān is senior by birth to You. How am I to understand that in the beginning You instructed this science to him?" Kṛṣṇa is taking our position, er, Arjuna. Persons who are thinking of Kṛṣṇa as ordinary person, so Arjuna is trying to clear that point, that Kṛṣṇa is not ordinary person. He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore he has put this question, that "The sun-god Vivasvān is senior by birth to you."
"Two tablets, twice in a day after meals." So you have to follow the instruction. Then you get benefit. You cannot take any instruction about taking that medicine from a friend or from an expert educationist. No. You have to take direction only from the physician. He is the expert in that line.
Similarly, here is the direction, the bottle of Bhagavad-gītā. Kṛṣṇa says, "It should be understood by the devotee, or you have to understand Bhagavad-gītā from a devotee." This is the direction of this medicinal bottle. How you can go otherwise? Then you will get the benefit. That is explained.
Madhudviṣa: "Arjuna said: The sun-god Vivasvān is senior by birth to You. How am I to understand that in the beginning You instructed this science to him? The Blessed Lord said..."
Pradyumna: Translation: "Arjuna said: The sun-god Vivasvān is senior by birth to You. How am I to understand that in the beginning You instructed this science to him?"
Prabhupāda: Hm. Where is book?
- aparaṁ bhavato janma
- paraṁ janma vivasvataḥ
- katham etad vijānīyāṁ
- tvam ādau proktavān iti
Arjuna knew it perfectly well that Kṛṣṇa, his friend, is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. But to clarify the matter for others.... Because those who are not devotee, they cannot understand Kṛṣṇa or Bhagavad-gītā. That we have explained in the previous verse. Kṛṣṇa says that "The subject matter of Bhagavad-gītā is a great mystery, rahasyam, but because you are My devotee and because You are My friend, therefore I am again, speaking to you the same yoga system which was long long, millions of years ago I spoke to the sun-god." Imaṁ vivasvate yogaṁ proktavān aham avyayam (BG 4.1). It is lost now. Sa kāleneha yogo naṣṭaḥ parantapa. "Because the paramparā system has been diverted or misused, therefore it is now lost. But still, I shall again repeat the same yoga system, which is very, very old, purāṇam. Although I spoke it first to Vivasvān, the sun-god..."
"Because my father is lawyer, then I am also lawyer." How he can become? The son also must be qualified lawyer. He must pass the bachelor of law degree, examination. Then he can be lawyer. So similarly, here Kṛṣṇa says... Don't misunderstand the Indian caste system as hereditary. No. It is, according to Vedic literature, it is according to the quality.
And what is that quality? Janmanā jāyate śūdraḥ. Janmanā jāyate śūdraḥ: "Anyone who takes his birth, by his birth he's a śūdra." Śūdra means the lowest, in the lowest order. Everyone. Even if he is born in the family of a brāhmaṇa, he is to be considered as a śūdra, janmanā, by birth. And perhaps some of you know that the brāhmaṇas, the kṣatriyas and the vaiśyas, they are called dvija. Dvi means twice, and ja means birth. Twice-born. Twice-born.
The bird is also called twice-born. Why? The bird birth is first of all in the egg. The egg is fermented. Then the real bird comes out. Therefore bird is called in Sanskrit language also dvija, twice-born. Similarly, a man, unless he is twice-born, he is a śūdra. Twice-born. How is that twice-born? Because by birth anyone, everyone has got some father and mother because without father and mother, there is no question of birth. So the beast has also got father and mother, and the bird has also father and mother. Similarly, a human being has also got father and mother. So this birth, by father and mother, is not sufficient for becoming a dvija. He has to take his birth again.
So therefore the system in the, according to varṇāśrama-dharma, that not only by birth, before birth, when the father and mother is going to be combined to beget a child, there are cultural saṁskāras or reformatory measures. How much carefully these things are. They wanted first-class son, not sons like cats and dogs, first-class son. So there is some saṁskāra. There is some purificatory measures, which is called garbhādhāna-saṁskāra. Garbhādhāna means pregnancy, the cultural ceremony before making the mother pregnant. And it is enjoined, you will find in the Bhāgavata, that any family, the brāhmaṇas, the kṣatriyas and vaiśyas, if they give up this garbhādhāna-saṁskāra, birth-giving ceremony, then that family turns immediately to the classification of the śūdras.
And why this temporary material world is created? Just to give the rebelled, I mean to say, living entities who are averse to God consciousness, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, to give another chance for developing, for developing. So if we miss this chance, then again, when this material world will be dissolved, oh, we do not know how many millions of years we have to become unconscious. We shall remain in the unconscious, sleeping stage. Then again there will be creation. Then again our body will be created, and... So these are very subtle laws. We should not miss. We should be very much serious about this life.
So the whole program is made: cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭam (BG 4.13). So by birth one is supposed to be the lowborn. Janmanā jāyate śūdraḥ. Śūdra means without any culture. The man who has no cultural life, he is called a śūdra. And those who are cultured, they are called dvija. Dvija means twice-born. So one has to take his birth twice. He should not be satisfied simply by taking birth by the father and mother.
One must know what is Kṛṣṇa. Paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma pavitraṁ para... (BG 10.12). Brahma. Brahma jānātīti brāhmaṇaḥ. One who is aware of Kṛṣṇa, what is Kṛṣṇa, he is above brāhmaṇa. Brāhmaṇa qualification is already there. Because a brāhmaṇa means one who knows Kṛṣṇa, Para-brahman. That is brāhmaṇa. Brahma jānātīti brāhmaṇaḥ. Veda-pāṭhād bhaved vipro brahma jānātīti brāhmaṇaḥ. Janmanā jāyate śūdraḥ saṁskārād bhaved dvijaḥ, veda-pāṭhād bhaved vipro brahma jānātīti brāhmaṇaḥ. This is the process.
Janmanā, by birth, everyone is śūdra or caṇḍāla. Those who are satisfied that "I have taken birth in my brāhmaṇa family, so now my business is over." No. Janmanā jāyate śūdraḥ. The birth by the father and mother, that is śūdra, that is not brāhmaṇa. Saṁskāra. If a man is born brāhmaṇa, then why there is necessity of sacred thread ceremony? No. That is the saṁskāra. Saṁskāra means the sacred thread is the symbol. It is offered by the ācārya. It is the certificate that "This boy has been trained up as a brāhmaṇa."
He's given the chance of being born in such good family. Etaddhi durlabhataram. Now this kind of birth, in a family of devotee and yogi, is very, I mean to say, rare, and it is far better than the other two lives, to have birth in rich family or in pious family. Actually, they are acting. Just like when a boy is born of a father who is a medical man... We have seen it. So naturally he becomes a medical man. Because he sees his father and the inclination inherits. In that way, in the Indian caste system, originally it was a division. But because the son imitated the father, in this way, it has come to be a caste system by birth. So anyway, these chances are given. The purport is that we, everyone, every man should begin spiritual life.
Either any yoga system, any spiritual life is called yoga. Yoga means to link. We are part and parcel of the supreme absolute, Brahman or Bhagavān, whatever you call, Paramātmā, it doesn't matter. But yoga means linking. So the linking, either you link with impersonal formless, the Supreme Brahman, that is also linking. And if you by meditation you link up with the Supersoul within yourself that is also transcendental activity.
That another thing is brahma-jijñāsā. Athāto brahma jijñāsā. A human being should be inquisitive to learn what is Absolute Truth. So that education is lacking. Therefore without this brahma-jijñāsā education, brahma jānātīti brāhmaṇaḥ. According to Vedic civilization, a brāhmaṇa is learned. Paṇḍita. A brāhmaṇa is called paṇḍita because brāhmaṇa means one who knows Brahman. Brahma jānātīti brāhmaṇaḥ. Therefore he is called paṇḍita. In India the brāhmaṇa is addressed as paṇḍita. Paṇḍita means a brāhmaṇa is expected to know Brahman; therefore he is brāhmaṇa. Not by birth. Brahma jānāti. Janmanā jāyate śūdraḥ. By birth everyone is śūdra, fourth-class man. Janmanā jāyate śūdraḥ saṁskārād bhaved dvijaḥ. And when he's reformed by the purificatory process...
If one is born in a brāhmaṇa family, he has got the opportunity to develop the brāhmaṇa qualities. Similarly, if one is born in the family of a kṣatriya, he gets the opportunity of kṣatriya spirit. Similarly vaiśya. Cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ (BG 4.13). But the quality and actual action. Just like a boy is born of a medical practitioner. He has got greater chance of becoming, becoming a medical student, medical practitioner. But simply by getting birth as a son of medical practitioner is not sufficient. He has to take education. So cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ (BG 4.13). Kṛṣṇa does not say "By birth." By acquiring the qualities and action. One must have the brahminical qualities and act as a brāhmaṇa; then he'll be accepted as brāhmaṇa.
According to the association of particular type of modes of nature and working in that way, it makes a division of the human society. That is required. For upkeep of the human society in order, according to the quality and work there must be division. But that is not that division as we are thinking at the present moment in India—a man is born in the brāhmaṇa family, he is brāhmaṇa. No. He must have the brahminical qualification. That is first consideration. Śamo damaḥ satyaṁ śaucam ārjavaṁ titikṣā, jñānaṁ vijñānam āstikyaṁ brahma-karma svabhāva-jam (BG 18.42). That is the verdict of the śāstra. Not by birth. Birth is a facility. If you have the opportunity to take birth in a brāhmaṇa family, then you have got the best opportunity to acquire the brahminical qualification. Just like a person born as the son of a medical man, from the childhood he is learning all the medical terms and how his father is treating patient. So before entering medical college he is half medical man. That is the facility. But if we don't take the facility, we go astray... They are called brahma-bandhu.
This is the, way. But nobody is interested with yajña, nobody is interested with food grain, and if you create your own scarcity, then it is not God's fault; it is your fault.
So take anything, any question—social, political, philosophical, religious, anything you take—and the solution is there. Just like India is facing about this caste system. So many are in favor of the caste system, so many in not favor. But Kṛṣṇa makes the solution. So there is no question of in favor or not in favor. The caste system should be designated according to the quality. Cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma (BG 4.13). Never says, "By birth." And in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam it is confirmed,
- yasya yal lakṣaṇaṁ proktaṁ
- puṁso varṇābhivyañjakam
- yad anyatrāpi dṛśyeta
- tat tenaiva vinirdiśet
- (SB 7.11.35)
- Clear instruction of Nārada Muni.
"In this age, Kali-yuga, because this garbhādhāna-saṁskāra is not observed regularly," kalau śūdrāḥ sambhavāḥ, "everyone in the Kali-yuga is a śūdra because the garbhādhāna-saṁskāra is not observed." Of course, those who are observing... But it is very hard to say who is observing. But if it is not observed, then any child born, either in the brāhmaṇa family or kṣatriya family or vaiśya family, because the garbhādhāna-saṁskāra is not observed, it is to be understood that that child is śūdra. Even if the garbhādhāna-saṁskāra is observed, still, by birth, it is accepted that every child is a śūdra. Janmanā jāyate śūdraḥ saṁskārād bhaved dvijaḥ. And if the regulative purificatory processes are adopted, then he becomes dvija. Dvija means twice-born. First-born by the father and mother, and his second birth is by the spiritual master and Vedic knowledge. Veda-mātā. Vedic knowledge and the spiritual master gives another birth. Upanayana-saṁskāra. Upanayana. Upanayana, means coming nearer to the understanding of Vedic knowledge, upanayana, or coming nearer to the spiritual master. Then he begins studying of Vedas. Veda-pāṭhād bhaved vipraḥ. When he has studied nicely Vedas, then he becomes a vipra. And when he understands the Supreme Lord or the Para-brahman, then he is brāhmaṇa. This is the process.
They are happy with Kṛṣṇa. That is brāhmaṇa's business. Brāhmaṇa-vaiṣṇava. Brāhmaṇa must be a Vaiṣṇava, Kṛṣṇa conscious. If a brāhmaṇa is not Vaiṣṇava, then he cannot become guru. That is the injunction of the śāstra. Ṣaṭ-karma-nipuṇo vipro mantra-tantra-viśāradaḥ. A vipra, a brāhmaṇa, a learned... Vipra means a learned brāhmaṇa. Veda-pāṭhād bhaved vipraḥ. One who has learned, studied all the Vedic literatures and has acquired knowledge, he is called vipra. So simply studying Vedic literature will not do. Brahma jānātīti brāhmaṇaḥ. He must realize what is Brahman. Then he becomes brāhmaṇa. Brāhmaṇa is a qualification. It is not by birth. Brāhmaṇa...
Just like high-court judge is a qualification. It is not by birth. The high-court judge's son is not a high-court judge unless he has the qualification of a high-court judge. Similarly, a son of a brāhmaṇa by birth is not a brāhmaṇa. When he has got the brahminical qualification, then he becomes brāhmaṇa. That qualifications are stated in the Bhagavad-gītā. It is not imagination. Śamo damas titikṣavo 'rjavam, jñānaṁ vijñānam āstikyaṁ brahma-karma svabhāva-jam (BG 18.42). So these things are lost.
Simply by jugglery of words they manufacture their truth. No. Satyaṁ paraṁ dhīmahi. That is in the big Bhāgavatam. You'll find. And what is satyam? Janmādy asya yato 'nvayād itarataś cārtheṣv abhijñaḥ svarāṭ tene brahma hṛdā... (SB 1.1.1). Everything is there.
So don't remain in the ignorant stage of life. That is called śūdra. Try to become brāhmaṇa. That is the meaning. It is not prohibited that one cannot become brāhmaṇa. No, one can become brāhmaṇa. If he gets association of a brāhmaṇa, if he agrees to be trained up by a brāhmaṇa, he can become brāhmaṇa. And brāhmaṇa means brahma jānāti iti brāhmaṇa, not by birth. Anyone who has full knowledge of the Supreme, he is brāhmaṇa. Janmanā jāyate śūdraḥ. By birth everyone is śūdra. Even if he's born in a brāhmaṇa family he is śūdra. Janmanā jāyate śūdraḥ saṁskārād bhaved dvijaḥ. The saṁskāra means purification. That is satyaṁ śaucam. But the asuras, they do not want to be purified. They want to remain in the degraded stage of life. That is the difficulty.
There must be four varṇas and four āśramas, ideal. Then you may be a śūdra, you may be a gṛhastha, or you may be a brāhmaṇa. Everyone will get salvation, everyone attain the perfection, if we adopt this process. So there must be one class of men, first-class men, ideal, that people will learn that "Here is an ideal class of men. Let me try to imitate or follow them." But there is no ideal men now, at the present moment. Everyone is śūdra. Kalau śūdra-sambhavaḥ. Then how the society will be happy? It is not possible because there is no ideal men. So here Kṛṣṇa says that we should create, we should educate a section of men who are by brāhmaṇa, by guṇa, and karma, not by birth. Then society will be happy. Śamo damas... This is the brahminical qualification,
- śamo damas tapaḥ śaucaṁ
- kṣāntir ārjavam eva ca
- jñānaṁ vijñānam āstikyaṁ
- brahma-karma svabhāva-jam
- (BG 18.42)
So our, this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is that for the time being we are trying to create a section of men, not from India, not from Hindus. Never, Kṛṣṇa never said that "These things can be done only in India and amongst the section, Hindu." No. It is open for everyone.
Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures
This is the mission of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. He has advised every Indian... Bhārata-bhūmite haila manuṣya-janma. Every human being born in India, they should take up this cult of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. They can take it. Because by birth they have got the right because this Bhāgavatam is produced in India, Bhagavad-gītā is produced in India. That is the glory of India. So the sons of India, those who are Indians, those who are proud of becoming Indian, they should take up this mission. Janma sārthaka kari'. First of all make your life successful by understanding what is Bhagavad-gītā and what is Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Janma sārthaka. If you are yourself unsuccessful in the mission of your life, you cannot preach anything. Therefore Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu says janma sārthaka kari': "After making your life successful." That means by understanding the value of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and Bhagavad-gītā, you preach this knowledge all over the world.
Therefore, according to our Vedic civilization, people are advised to act piously. If a man is very poor, he has nothing to give in charity or make sacrifice, "Go to the Ganges, take your bath." That is also pious. Pious activities. So in this way the whole life, whole Vedic civilization, is based on inducing people to engage, to be engaged in pious activities. Because by acting piously, one day they come to the stage of bhajana.
India is trained... By culture, by birth, the land of Bhāratavarṣa is puṇya-bhūmi. Still, you will find in Kumbha-mela many millions of people will come to take bath, to take a dip into the Ganges, because they think it is pious. So through the veins of Indians, the spiritual fluid is flowing. Unfortunately the leaders are misguiding them, and they are becoming atheists generally. It is very regretful situation.
So anyway, after many pious activities, one may come to the platform of bhagavad-bhajana.
That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā. Manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu kaścid yatati siddhaye (BG 7.3). Because we are coming from animal by the evolutionary process... According to śāstra, it is said that... The Darwin's theory says from monkey. That is also fact, that after monkey the living entity comes to the human form. Somebody says after lion. Somebody says after cow. So from the animals, we, the human form is developed. So unless that human body also reformed, so he remains animal. That reformation required, saṁskāra, reformation, enlightenment, cultural life. That cultural life culminates when one actually becomes a brāhmaṇa, Vaiṣṇava. That is real cultural life. Not by birth but by cultivation of knowledge, education, advancement, spiritual knowledge, one comes to the platform of brāhmaṇa.
So I have repeatedly said: "Why do they avoid?" In India still we have got some martial races, the Gerkhas, the Sikhs. They will be very glad to accept military training. Still. Because there is kṣatriya spirit. But in other countries they have been made all śūdras. How they can take up kṣatriya spirit? That is not possible.
So according to this varṇāśrama, there must be training. Some classes of men must be trained as nice brāhmaṇas. Some people must be trained as nice kṣatriyas. Some people must be trained as nice vaiśyas. And śūdra does not require any... Everyone is śūdra. Janmanā jāyate śūdraḥ. By birth, everyone is śūdra. Saṁskārād bhaved dvijaḥ. By training, one becomes vaiśya, one becomes kṣatriya, one becomes brāhmaṇa. Where is that training? All śūdras. And how can you expect good government, śūdra government? All the śūdras are taking vote by hook and crook. And they are occupying government post. Therefore their only business is..., Kali, in this age especially, mlecchā rājanya-rūpiṇaḥ, eating and drinking, eating flesh, drinking wine. Mlecchas, yavanas, they are accepting government post. What good government you can expect?
The Vedic civilization is based on four varṇas: brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra; and four āśramas: brahmacārī, gṛhastha, vānaprastha, and sannyāsa. So Lord Ṛṣabhadeva planned in such a way to teach His sons—He had one hundred sons—that it will be honored by all the āśramas. Out of His one hundred sons, nine became sannyāsī. Nava Yogendra, very highly elevated spiritually, nine sons. And eighty-one sons... Out of hundred, nine gone, ninety-one sons? So out of them, eleven became kṣatriyas, and others became brāhmaṇas, like that. So this proves that not that by birth one becomes brāhmaṇa or kṣatriya or vaiśya or śūdra, but it is by different qualification. Otherwise how Ṛṣabhadeva's son... He was kṣatriya, supposed to be kṣatriya. So His sons are also kṣatriya. How they became brāhmaṇa? No. That was the Vedic culture. Janmanā jāyate śūdraḥ. As soon as one is born, he is accepted as śūdra. Neither brāhmaṇa nor kṣatriya nor... Raw. By training, either he becomes a brāhmaṇa or a kṣatriya.
Just like a man has got several sons, but all of them, in the beginning, they are illiterate. Now, in their grown-up age, by accepting different departmental knowledge, one becomes a medical practitioner, one becomes engineer, one becomes lawyer, or one becomes vagabond. So not by birth, one becomes engineer or medical man or this or... No. Everything by culture, by education. Similarly, the Vedic culture means everyone is given the chance to become first-class brāhmaṇa. That is called brahminical culture. Everyone is given. Because without becoming a brāhmaṇa, nobody can understand what is God. And the human life is meant for understanding God. That is the only business of human form of life. Not like cats and dogs—how to eat, how to sleep, how to have sexual intercourse, and how to defend. These the animals know. The birds, bees, they know how to do it.
So at the present moment the society is chaos because there is no proper training for the particular class of man. A brāhmaṇa should be trained up, a kṣatriya should be trained up, a vaiśya should be trained up, a śūdra should be trained up, cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ (BG 4.13), according to quality. Why Vedic culture has failed in India, it is simply remaining in name? Because everyone claims to become brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, by birth only, no qualification. The brāhmaṇa has no qualification of a brāhmaṇa, and because he is born of a brāhmaṇa father or brāhmaṇa family he is claiming, "I am brāhmaṇa." This is not śāstra's sanction.
So just see, here is a kṣatriya, ideal kṣatriya, Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira. How he is lamenting. He has done right thing; still, he is conscious that he has killed his family members, bandhu. Bandhu bandhaya, relatives. Then? Go on. Hm? Yes. What is the time? Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. All right, chant more. Hare Kṛṣṇa.
That is not possible. Yasya yal lakṣaṇaṁ syāt varṇābhivyañjakam. In the śāstra it is said that there are symptoms of varṇa. Just like in the Bhagavad-gītā you will find the symptoms, who is a brāhmaṇa. So these are the symptoms. Satyaṁ śamo damas titikṣā ārjavam, jñānaṁ vijñānam āstikyaṁ brahma-karma svabhāva-jam (BG 18.42). So if you don't find these symptoms, then how one can become brāhmaṇa? That is not possible.
Therefore in our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, we are trying to develop the symptoms of brāhmaṇa. Not by birth; to educate them, how to become śamo damas titikṣā ārjavam. So therefore you all, you should know that... You are not born in the brāhmaṇa family. It may not be very hard word, but actually it is mleccha-yavanas. Mleccha-yavanas means the cow flesh eaters, meat-eaters. They are called mleccha-yavanas. Especially mleccha means cow-eaters. So you are coming from the mleccha-yavanas' family, but you are being accepted as brāhmaṇa. Why? For the symptoms. You are being trained up to acquire the symptoms, śamo damas titikṣā. If you think that "Now I have got the sacred thread, I have become victorious," no.
So Aryamā was acting. Yathāvad agha-kāriṣu. Agha-kāriṣu. Agha-kāri means... Agha means sinful activities, and kāriṣu. Kāriṣu means those who commit sinful acts. And yathāvat. Yathāvat means exactly to the point, how he should be punished. Yathāvad agha-kāriṣu. Yāvad dadhāra śūdratvam. So long Yamarāja continued as a śūdra, Aryamā was officiating in his place as Yamarāja. This is the purport. (reads purport:) "Vidura, born in the womb of a śūdra mother, was forbidden even to be a party of royal heritage along with his brothers Dhṛtarāṣṭra and Pāṇḍu. Then how could he occupy the post of a preacher to instruct such learned...? Answer is that even though it is accepted that he was a śūdra by birth, because he renounced the world for spiritual enlightenment by the authority of Ṛṣi Maitreya and was thoroughly educated by him in transcendental knowledge, he was quite competent to occupy the post of an ācārya or spiritual preceptor." Vidura was a śūdra, born śūdra. Then how he became a preacher?
He says that "If I forget You and take by birth as Lord Brahmā, I don't want it. I don't want it." What is the use of taking a birth like Brahmā? "But I shall like to take my birth as even a small insignificant insect, where a devotee is there." This is the ambition of devotee. "I shall prefer to become an insect." Because there are different varieties of living entities, beginning from Brahmā down to the insect, insignificant. In the middle, there are so many varieties—aquatics, trees, plants, demigods, and men, human being. So many thing. So this is the end and one end to another. Ābrahma-bhuvanāl... Kīṭa-janma, insignificant ant, nobody cares for, and Brahmā is very important, supreme person within the... So Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura says that "I will not prefer a birth like Brahmā if I forget You. But I will prefer to become an insect if I remain with Your devotee." Because if one remains with a devotee, he will not forget Kṛṣṇa. That is the advantage. Just like when you go, people address you, "Hare Kṛṣṇa." Oh, it is very great benefit. Automatically they chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. We have seen it all over the world. And when I was going from London to Nairobi, we stopped at Athens, the dead of night. We are in the..., what is called? That transit room.
I am boss. I must order you." And the other is thinking, "Why you shall be boss? I am also boss." So (laughs) fighting will go on. So this is going on. At the present moment there is no intelligent class of men. But kalau śūdra-sambhavaḥ. Therefore things are all in chaos. Everywhere you go, any part of the world, nobody is happy, either in family or community and society, nationwide, you take. Everyone is distrust, unhappiness, godlessness. Because the intelligent class of men is finished.
So the king, his duty was that if you are professing yourself as a brāhmaṇa, then it is the king's duty to see that you are acting as a brāhmaṇa. Brāhmaṇa is not by birth but guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ (BG 4.13). Guṇa means quality. And karma, and work also. Simply "I have got now sacred thread, I have become brāhmaṇa, doubly initiated; now my business is finished. I can work, I can do whatever we like, like less than śūdra, caṇḍāla." No, sir. If you are initiated as a brāhmaṇa, you must act as a brāhmaṇa. Truthfulness—satyaṁ śamo damas titikṣā ārjavaṁ jñānaṁ vijñānam āstikyaṁ brahma-karma (BG 18.42)—everything is there. A brāhmaṇa must be truthful. That is the first business of a brāhmaṇa—truthful. He'll speak truth even before an enemy. Nobody speaks truth before an enemy because he wants to hide something. But brāhmaṇa's business is to become truthful even before an enemy. That is stated.
So naturally little touch will make him... That is initiation. Even though one is born in a brāhmaṇa family, why does he required initiation and sacred thread ceremony? Because simply by taking birth in a brāhmaṇa family one does not become a brāhmaṇa. He has to be raised to the brāhmaṇa standard. Otherwise, there was no initiation, there was no necessity of initiation or offering the sacred thread. That is called saṁskāra. Otherwise, by birth everyone is śūdra. Janmanā jāyate śūdraḥ saṁskārād bhaved dvijaḥ. So it is very good that one has taken his birth in a brāhmaṇa family, but provided he has learned the brāhmaṇa's activities nicely from the parent, he is brāhmaṇa. Kiṁ punar brāhmaṇaḥ puṇyaḥ(?).
By his practical life, He was asking Generally, questions are asked to the superior person, and the superior person answers. But Caitanya Mahāprabhu, although He was superior in everything, He was asking Rāmaṇanda Rāya to answer. He made Haridāsa Ṭhākura—he was Muhammadan by birth—nāmācārya, the ācārya of spreading Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra. These are the wonderful activities. Sanātana Gosvāmī, he practically became Muhammadan. Why practically? Absolutely. He was rejected by the brāhmaṇa society because he was minister, he was mixing with the Muhammadan and everything. He was eating with them. So the brāhmaṇa society rejected him. The name was also changed, Sakara Mallika. Nawab Hussain Shah's very confidential man. Nawab Hussain Shah was keeping Sanātana Gosvāmī as his representative in everything. The government was being managed by him. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu accepted them, and they became the Gosvāmīs, Sanātana Gosvāmī.
That is human life. So if we make these divisions, so any class of men, if he comes to this social system of varṇāśrama-dharma, then automatically... Just like if you admit your son in a school, there is first class, second class, third class or eighth class. In this way he makes progress. One day that son comes out as a graduate. So the human society must accept. This is school of varṇāśrama-dharma. Then gradually he will be educated and he will come to the understanding. Brahma jānātīti brāhmaṇaḥ. One day he will understand what is Brahman, and that is brāhmaṇa. Veda-pāṭhād bhaved vipro brahma jānātīti brāhmaṇaḥ. Janmanā jāyate śūdraḥ. By birth everyone is a śūdra. He has to be educated. Saṁskārād bhaved dvijaḥ. Dvija means twice-born. One birth is by the father and mother, and the next birth is by the spiritual master and Vedic knowledge. So Vedic knowledge is the mother, and spiritual master is the father. Then one becomes dvija. Therefore the sacred thread is offered, that "He is now divja. He has accepted the spiritual master to learn what is spiritual life." That is the significance. Then he is allowed to read this Vedic literature, the essence of Vedic literature. Nigama-kalpa-taror galitaṁ phalam idam (SB 1.1.3), this Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.
You can take some teachings even one is born in lower-grade family. And the wife you can accept even she is, if she is qualified, and... Strī-ratnaṁ duṣkulād api. Strī-ratnam. Ratna means jewel. If one girl is very qualified or beautiful, even she is born of lower family, you must accept. You can marry. This is Cāṇakya Paṇḍita. Strī-ratnaṁ duṣkulād api. Viṣād amṛtaṁ grāhyam amedhyād api kāñcanam, nīcād apy uttamā vidyā. If a man born in nīca, in lower-grade family, but if he's qualified, it doesn't matter. That is practically being done.
So this is Vedic system. Not that one is lower in the estimation of the society by birth or so on. But he must be qualified. So here also it doesn't matter. This is going on. That is Vedic system. Devahūti does not deny to take instruction from her son. It is the system. It doesn't matter whether he's inferior. That is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's... Yei kṛṣṇa-tattva-vettā sei guru haya: (CC Madhya 8.128) "You will accept anyone as guru if he knows the science of Kṛṣṇa." That is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's... And Caitanya Mahāprabhu instructed everyone to become a guru. The world is suffering for want of Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
"These foolish villagers, or my neighbor men, they call me 'Paṇḍitajī.' " He was brāhmaṇa. Actually he was paṇḍitajī. You know, in India, the brāhmaṇa is addressed as "paṇḍita." Because a brāhmaṇa is expected to become very learned. A foolish man cannot be a brāhmaṇa. Learned means Vedic knowledge. Veda-pāṭhād bhaved vipraḥ. How one becomes brāhmaṇa? By studying thoroughly the Vedic literature, when one can understand Brahman, he realizes himself, hṛdayānanda, then he becomes brāhmaṇa. Therefore a brāhmaṇa means naturally paṇḍita. But nowadays simply by birth. That is another thing.
But Sanātana Gosvāmī was a great learned scholar in Urdu, Farsi, Sanskrit. And he was a very rich man, minister. Everything honorable. Coming of a very respectable, aristocratic family, Sārasvata brāhmaṇa. But still, he says to Caitanya Mahāprabhu that grāmya-vyavahāre paṇḍita tāi satya māni. "These, my neighborhood men, they call me 'Paṇḍitajī',and I am very much satisfied that I am paṇḍita." "Why you are dissatisfied?" Now, he says, āpanāra hitāhita kichui nā jāni: "I am such a paṇḍita that I do not know what is the goal of my life and what is real benefit for me. I am such a paṇḍita." That means, "I am mūrkha.
Therefore he does not care for suffering. That is the difference between a devotee and nondevotee.
Therefore it is said that tapanti vividhās tāpā na etān mad-gata-cetasaḥ. Just like Prahlāda Mahārāja. So how much suffering he had to undergo, the five-years-old boy, and his father was putting in dangers, sometimes under the feet, leg of the elephant, sometimes throwing from the mountain, sometimes on burning oil, sometimes amongst the snakes, so many ways. But he was silent. Haridāsa Ṭhākura. Haridāsa Ṭhākura was a Muhammadan by birth. So he became a very good devotee and always chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. That was his fault. So the Muslim Kazi called him, that "You are Muhammadan. You born in a such great family, Muhammadan family, and you are chanting Hindu's Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra? What is this?" So he mildly replied, "My dear sir, there are many Hindus, they also have become Muhammadan.
Who can become guru? Generally a brāhmaṇa, a sannyāsī, that is, that is, they are forced. Brāhmaṇa is the guru of other varṇas, and sannyāsī is the guru for all varṇāśrama. This is... But Caitanya Mahāprabhu says that is social system. If there is a brāhmaṇa, if there is a sannyāsī, one should accept, give preference to him, to accept guru. But Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, "That is not the criterion. One must be well expert, experienced, well aware of the science of Kṛṣṇa. He shall be guru." Not that particularly because one is born in a brāhmaṇa family or one has taken sannyāsa, he is immediately by the dress, or by birth, one can become guru. No. That is going on. Now it is diminishing. Formerly, in India it was the practice. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu says that "It doesn't matter." Kibā vipra, kibā śūdra. Vipra means brāhmaṇa, and śūdra means the fourth class, less than the vaiśyas. So kibā vipra, kibā śūdra, nyāsī kene naya. Nyāsī means sannyāsī. Never mind nyāsī, or without nyāsī, because śūdra cannot be sannyāsī. Without becoming brāhmaṇa, there is no question of becoming sannyāsa. In the Śaṅkara-sampradāya they are very strict.
The social system, as Kṛṣṇa says, cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭam... (BG 4.13). You cannot violate the laws given by Kṛṣṇa, God. You must have. You must make, train. Just like you are training some men as engineer, some men as medical men, some men as lawyer, some men as technologist. There are so many divisions in the society. Therefore, similarly, if you want to make the human society perfect, then you must have these four classes of men: brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, and śūdra. Otherwise there is no possibility. If you make all classes one, very liberal—"Very good idea. There is no classification"—no, there must be classifi... But that classification is not by birth. That is not by birth. Guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ (BG 4.13). Kṛṣṇa never said, "This classification should be by birth." No. Janmanā jāyate śūdraḥ. By birth everyone is rascal, śūdra. That is to be accepted. Even if one is born in a brāhmaṇa family, he is to be accepted as śūdra, janmanā, by birth. Otherwise why, even a person is born in a brāhmaṇa family, he requires to be educated, he requires to be initiated, sacred thread? Saṁskārād bhaved dvijaḥ. There must be saṁskāra. If he is born brāhmaṇa, then where..., there is no need of saṁskāra.
So the brāhmaṇas, why they are accepted as the supreme in the human society? On account of these qualities. We have discussed this point, that either brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, especially dvijottama... The brāhmaṇas are called dvijottama. Dvija-śreṣṭhā. Ataḥ pumbhir dvija-śreṣṭhā. Dvija means twice-born, one birth by the father and mother and the other birth by Vedic knowledge and spiritual master. Twice-born. So the daśa-vidhā-saṁskāra, purificatory processes... Saṁskarād bhaved dvijaḥ. Unless one undergoes the purificatory process, he cannot be called twice-born. Janmanā jāyate śūdraḥ: "By birth everyone is a śūdra, fourth-class man." Practically we see that children, they are sent to school. Why they are sent to school? Because by birth he is foolish, abodha-jātaḥ. There is no knowledge. Therefore he should be sent to school, as he makes progress, to colleges, to learn higher, higher. This is the material arrangement.
The same arrangement for spiritual education... Not that by birth, because one is born of a brāhmaṇa family, he remains a brāhmaṇa although he becomes less than śūdra. No. There must be education. The twice-born, he must approach the spiritual master. Tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet (MU 1.2.12). Just like the Sattva Satyakāma, Jabala-Satyakāma Upaniṣad. The boy approached Gautama Muni that "Kindly accept me, your disciple. Initiate me." Formerly, without becoming a brāhmaṇa specially, they were not initiated. So in those days all the families were very pure. Therefore born of a brāhmaṇa father is understood that he has got the training of a brāhmaṇa. That is a facility. Śucīnāṁ śrīmatāṁ gehe yoga-bhraṣṭaḥ sañjāyate (BG 6.41). By pious activities or by practice of bhakti-yoga, if one has not completed, yoga-bhraṣṭa, one who falls down from the yoga practice, such person is given another chance to take birth in a nice family, a brāhmaṇa family or a rich mercantile family. The brāhmaṇa family is rich in knowledge, and the kṣatriyas and the vaiśyas, they are rich in opulence, wealth, material riches. And śūdras, they are not rich either in material wealth or in knowledge. Therefore they are called śūdras.
As there are heavenly planets, similarly there are hellish planets. Those who are pious, in the modes of goodness, they are promoted to the higher planetary system, and those who are very much abominable, condemned, they are degraded to the lower planetary system. There are different planets, and our modern scientists, they say that "Except this earthly planet, there is no life." This is their knowledge. But actually that is not the fact. Everywhere there is life—but the life of different grades. Just like here also we see. In this planet some of them are very well situated, and some of them are very much degraded in every respect, by birth, janma aiṣvarya, by opulence, and by education, by beauty. There is such arrangement, by nature's law, that you are promoted or degraded. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ (BG 3.27). In the Bhagavad-gītā it is said that prakṛti, we are under the guidance or rulings of material nature. That is It is not a fact that "We are independent," "There is no life after death." These are all foolish man's theory. We are eternal, there is life after death, and that life also has got different gradation. So this has been described, and this is the fact.
Faith in Vedas, that is called āstikyam. Just like Bhagavad-gītā, part of Vedas. Here Kṛṣṇa says, "I am the Supreme Lord." So you have to accept Him by faith. This is called āstikyam. Āstikyam, jñānam. Not foolishly, but with knowledge, full knowledge. And vijñānam, practical application in life. Brahma-karma svabhāva-jam. This is the natural symptoms of a brāhmaṇa.
So you are all initiated to become brāhmaṇa. You have become brāhmaṇa. Don't become false brāhmaṇa. Real brāhmaṇa. It is not by birth; it is by education, by practice, by knowledge. So we are offering the sacred thread to the Americans and Europeans in the Western countries, and some of our Indian contemporaries, they are not very happy with my action. They are under contemplation that a brāhmaṇa can be, I mean to say, seen by birthright. No. No. Brāhmaṇa is by qualification. Brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra. That is the verdict of Kṛṣṇa. We are concerned with Kṛṣṇa, not any other else. Kṛṣṇa says, cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ: (BG 4.13) "By division of quality and, guṇa, and work, one must have the symptoms, the quality of a brāhmaṇa, and work as a brāhmaṇa." Not that... Quality will be tested by work.
Guest (5): Eighty percent. Accepted by birth.
Prabhupāda: But here Bhāgavata says, naṣṭa-sadācāra. As soon as... How? Dāsyāḥ saṁsarga-dūṣitaḥ: "Because he is attached with a prostitute, he has lost all his qualifications." At the present moment to become attached to a prostitute is no fault. The society accepts: "Oh, that's all... Young man goes to that." Does not mind. But he does not know that this association will make him fall down to the lowest stage of human life. And that is stated next, that he used to live on these principles—beg, borrow, steal and gambling—and he was degraded. And how he was degraded? That will be explained. So people do not take care of their śāstras. They make their own interpretation and therefore India's position is so fallen. They are guided. The great ṛṣis and great sages, they have given them guidance. Vyāsadeva has given guidance. Lokasyājānato vidvāṁś cakre sātvata-saṁhitā. It is stated. "People are rascals, fools. In order to teach them nicely, this highest learned personality, Vyāsadeva, created the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam." Lokasya ajānataḥ. Ajānataḥ means rascals who has no knowledge.
Therefore we find the brahminical class of men, the kṣatriya class of men, the vaiśya class of men, the śūdra class of men. That is natural. Natural. A śūdra class of man, his behavior, and a brāhmaṇa class of man, his behavior, is different. And Nārada Muni says, and Bhāgavata also says, that we have to see the symptoms, how one is acting. Yasya yal lakṣaṇaṁ proktaṁ puṁso varṇābhivyañjakam. Varṇa, this catur-varṇa-brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra—there are symptoms. By symptoms... Just like a physician diagnoses the disease by the symptoms of the disease, similarly, we have to accept one as brāhmaṇa by the symptoms of his behavior, not by birth. It is not said in the Bhagavad-gītā or any śāstra. That is going on in India at the present moment. By birthright one is claiming "I am brāhmaṇa," "I am kṣatriya." That is the cause of falldown of India's civilization. Without any qualities they are claiming, and it is passing on. Here, in every śāstra, the Nārada Pañcarātra, Bhāgavata, Bhagavad-gītā, everywhere... It is said, yasya yal lakṣaṇaṁ proktam. Yasya: the varṇasya, of the varṇa, of the class, there are symptoms.
These are qualifications of the most exalted person. In the society the brāhmaṇa is the topmost division of human society, not by caste or by birth but by qualification. These things are spoken about Ajāmila. These are ajāmila-upākhyāna, the history of Ajāmila. Ajāmila, although he was a very well trained brāhmaṇa boy at the beginning of his life, but later on, on account of bad association he became the most sinful man in the world. But at the end of his life he chanted the holy name of Nārāyaṇa, not meaning Nārāyaṇa the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but his youngest son's name was Nārāyaṇa. He called the holy name of Nārāyaṇa, calling his son. He did not know that he is chanting the holy name of Nārāyaṇa, and still, he got salvation. That is the purport of this history, that the holy name of God, Nārāyaṇa, Kṛṣṇa, Rāma... There are many names of the Lord. Nāmnām akāri bahudhā. He has got thousands of names, and you can chant any one of them, either Kṛṣṇa or Rāma, Govinda, Nārāyaṇa, like that. So you get the result.
That is not. That is illegal. Therefore kṣatriya can levy tax because he gives protection. And a brāhmaṇa, he elevates the society to spiritual standard. Then simply protection and advancing in spiritual life will not do. We must have food also. So that is vaiśya's business. Kṛṣi-gorakṣya-vāṇijyaṁ vaiśya-karma svabhāva-jam (Bg 18.44). The vaiśyas should produce food. Annād bhavanti bhūtāni (BG 3.14). Unless people eat, how they will live? Simply becoming king for levying tax and simply becoming brāhmaṇa to teach how to worship, but if you have no food, then what you will do? There must be arrangement for food. That is entrusted to the vaiśyas. In this way this is classification. Not by birth one becomes brāhmaṇa, and working less than a śūdra, and he is still brāhmaṇa. This is nonsense. One must be Guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ (BG 4.13). The society is divided. According to the quality, he is working accordingly.
"That kind of cheating religion is rejected." Projjhita. Prakṛṣṭa-rūpeṇa ujjhita. That is not religion. Religion is for... Religion means the relationship between Bhagavān and me, or everything. Bhāgavata-dharma. So the Bhāgavata-dharma is spoken by Bhagavān Himself, Bhagavad-gītā. So He says that cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ (BG 4.13). The human society must be divided into four classes: brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra. He says. That is bhāgavata-dharma. If you abolish this, everyone is śūdra, no brāhmaṇa. That brāhmaṇa means guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ-guṇa, quality and action, not by birth. He never says, "by birth." Anyone who is qualified... Just like in ordinary life, anyone who is a qualified medical man, he is given the title "doctor," "medical practice," not that a doctor's son is necessarily a doctor. Even if he is a son of a doctor, still, he has to be educated as a medical man, then he will be accepted as doctor. This is bhāgavata-dharma. Cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭam (BG 4.13). And in another place it is stated, yasya hi yad lakṣaṇaṁ proktaṁ varṇābhivyañjakam. It it said by Nārada Muni to Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, yasya hi yad lakṣaṇaṁ proktam. There are symptoms that he has.
We have started a school. So do not take this movement very insignificantly. Try to understand this movement with all your intelligence. As Caitanya-caritāmṛta author says, caitanyera dayāra kathā karaha vicāra. Vicāra. Just put your judgment. Try to understand with logic and try to understand with philosophy. Not as a fanatic. Vicāra. Vicāra karile citte pābe camatkāra. And if you rightly judge this movement, you will find it very sublime.
So we have got four branches now in India, out of 102 branches all over the world. But especially this movement is easier for the Indians because by birth they are imbibed with the Kṛṣṇa consciousness idea.
So pāpa-yonayaḥ. Kṛṣṇa says openly, ye 'pi syuḥ pāpa-yonayaḥ. Anyone, it doesn't matter, even if he is born in a pāpa-yoni Pāpa-yoni means generally less than the śūdras. According to our Vedic system, four classes, varṇāśrama, social and spiritual division, the social division is brāhmaṇa first, then kṣatriya, then vaiśya, then śūdra. This is social division, and there is a spiritual division: brahmacārī, gṛhastha, vānaprastha, sannyāsa. This is compulsory regulation for becoming human being. Without varṇāśrama institution there is no recognition of human being. Without being trained up in the varṇāśrama system there is no question of becoming human being. So actually it is not by birth as human being but by culture. Janmanā jāyate śūdraḥ saṁskārād bhaved dvijaḥ.
"You are just like..., speaking like an anārya, not an ārya. It is your duty. You must do it." Anārya-juṣṭam akīrtiṁ karam arjuna. "You'll be defied by others. Don't do it." So an ārya... Aryan means who accepts this varṇāśrama-dharma, four varṇas, four āśrama. Varnāśramācāravatā puruṣeṇa paraḥ pumān viṣṇur ārādhyate (CC Madhya 8.58).
The real aim is to go back to home, back to Godhead, Viṣṇu. So this is the process. If we execute this varṇāśrama-dharma rightly, then we gradually make progress towards spiritual realization. It is so arranged in that way, brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra, not by birth but by qualification. Cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭam (BG 4.13). If these qualifications are found anywhere else, you should accept that. Even...
That is explained by Nārada, that yasya hi yal-lakṣanaṁ proktaṁ varṇabhivyañjakam. Just like in the court, there is no such race or caste as lawyers. Anyone who knows law, he is accepted a lawyer. Similarly, the quality of brāhmaṇa is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, śamo dama titikṣa satyaṁ śaucam ārjavam, jñānaṁ-vijñānam āstikyaṁ brahma-karma svabhāva-jam (BG 18.42). So you can train anyone.
Take to this process of chanting and hearing of the Lord's name. Everything will be all right. (break) ...entities, we have no such distinction. It is confirmed by Caitanya Mahāprabhu when he was discussing with Rāmānanda Rāya. He was a governor of this Madras province under the regime of Mahārāja Pratāparudra of Orissa. And he was politician but he was a very learned scholar in Kṛṣṇa science. Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu was talking with him. So because he was a śūdra by birth and Caitanya Mahāprabhu was not only very exalted position, brāhmaṇa and sannyāsī... So Caitanya Mahāprabhu was questioning and he was answering, so he felt little hesitation, that "Sir, You are so exalted. I am a gṛhastha and a politican, and how can I..." Immediately Caitanya Mahāprabhu encouraged him, "No, no, no, don't hesitate."
The Manipuris, Assamese, they are considered as khasādaya. So there is no distinction. Caitanya Mahāprabhu has given open declaration: kṛṣṇa-bhajanete nāhi jāti kulādi vicāra. Anyone who is desirous of becoming Kṛṣṇa conscious, it is open. Anyone can come. By proper training by the expert spiritual master everyone can be raised to the brahminical platform and then Vaiṣṇava platform. śudhyanti. So how śudhyanti? Śudhyanti. So how śudhyanti? The general process is that unless one is born in brāhmaṇa family, he is not śuddha; he is impure by birth. That is fact. But the devotee can change. This is new birth, undoubtedly. Just like these, our European, American students. They are new birth. They have given up their old birth practices. So birth is changed. Punar janma. So that is possible only by Kṛṣṇa consciousness. If one has to change his body without changing body... The body is changed, but we see that the same body..., but it is not the same body. It is cin-maya. The same example, that the iron rod put into the fire, it becomes red hot, so it is no longer iron; it is fire.
Therefore here cannot be pure goodness. Pure goodness is Kṛṣṇa consciousness platform, devotional service. If you keep yourself rigidly on the platform of devotional service, then you are pure goodness. And as soon as you are slack, immediately the other two base qualities will attack you. Therefore it is very difficult to keep pure goodness. Take for example: goodness is brāhmaṇa. How at the present moment the brāhmaṇa, the hereditary brāhmaṇa, by birth, how they have fallen on account of attack of these base qualities. But they're trying to keep their brahminical platform in spite of being polluted by the other two base qualities. Therefore the Caitanya-caritāmṛta author's statement that ei bhāla, ei manda, saba bhrama: even if you are raised to the brāhmaṇa quality, there is always chance of falling down. Therefore you have to keep always in the transcendental platform, brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā na śocati na kāṅkṣati... (BG 18.54). Even from brahma-bhūtaḥ platform one falls down.
"It should be understood that all species of life, O son of Kuntī, are made possible by birth in this material nature, and that I am the seed-giving father." The Supreme Lord, Nārāyaṇa, is the seed-giving father of all living entities because the living entities are parts and parcels of the Supreme Lord (mamaivāṁśo. .. jīva-bhūtaḥ (15.7)). As there is no difficulty in establishing the intimate relationship between a father and son, there is no difficulty in reestablishing the natural, intimate relationship between Nārāyaṇa and the living entities. Svalpam apy asya dharmasya trāyate mahato bhayāt: if one performs even very slight devotional service, Nārāyaṇa is always ready to save one from the greatest danger. The definite example is Ajāmila. Ajāmila separated himself from the Supreme Personality of Godhead by performing many sinful activities and was condemned by Yamarāja to be very severely punished, but because at the time of death he chanted the name of Nārāyaṇa, although he was calling not for the Supreme Lord Nārāyaṇa but for his son named Nārāyaṇa, he was saved from the hands of Yamarāja.
So Prahlāda Mahārāja, he says, "I think." So whatever he thinks, we have to accept. That is very nice. And what he thinks? He thinks, manye viprād dvi-ṣaḍ-guṇa-yutād aravinda-nābha pādāravinda-vimukhāt, śvapacaṁ variṣṭham. He says that "If a brāhmaṇa..." Brāhmaṇa is considered to be the highest qualified man in the human society. Why? Because he has got twelve qualification. We don't speak brāhmaṇa by birth. Brāhmaṇa does not become by birth. Brāhmaṇa is a qualification. That is the injunction of Vedic literatures. The most intelligent man is called brāhmaṇa. And how his intelligence is exhibited? There are twelve qualities. If you find those twelve qualities in any person... It doesn't matter whether it is in India or in Czechoslovakia or anywhere. Simply you have to find out whether that man is qualified. These qualifications are stated in Bhagavad-gītā also: satyam śaucam sam dama titikṣā ārjavam, jñānam vijñānam āstikyaṁ brahma-karma svabhāva-jaṁ (BG 18.42). If a person is a brāhmaṇa, then his natural qualification will be like this. What is that? Satyam: he is truthful. In any circumstances he will be truthful.
This verse we have been discussing. (aside:) You can open. So vipra. Vipra means one who is fully conversant with Vedic knowledge. He is called vipra. For spiritual elevation there are gradual evolutionary stages. So vipra stage is just before becoming a qualified brāhmaṇa. That is called vipra. The first stage, by birth everyone is śūdra. Śūdra means affected by the miseries of this world. He is śūdra. Śocati. The material condition is full of anxiety, so anyone who is full of anxiety, he is śūdra. This is the... So if you analyze the present society, that who is not anxiety, full of anxiety, oh, nobody will say that "I am not full of anxiety." "I have got so many anxieties." So that means he is a śūdra. Kalau śūdra-sambhavaḥ: "In this age, everyone is śūdra." That is concluded. A brāhmaṇa is not afraid. He is not anxious because he is dependent on God. He knows that "I have surrendered unto God completely, and He is all-powerful. Therefore I have no anxiety." Just like a small child, he has no anxiety. Why? Because he is completely dependent on the parents. He knows confidently that in any danger, "Oh, my mother is there." As soon as he feels there is some danger, "Mother!" That's all. Finished. Similarly, one who is completely confident that "The supreme father is there. He will protect me, give me protection," so he has no anxiety.
So to come to this platform of confidence or Kṛṣṇa consciousness, there is training. That training is called viddhi-mārga, regulative principles, following the regulative principles. So this whole varṇāśrama system, Vedic system, the different caste—brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra, a brahmacārī, gṛhastha, vānaprastha, sannyāsa—they are very scientifically designed to elevate one gradually to the standard of "no fear," "fearfulnessless," no more fear, confident. So vipra means just the previous stage of becoming completely a brāhmaṇa. Janmanā jāyate śūdraḥ: "By birth everyone is born a śūdra." Saṁskārād bhaved dvijaḥ: "When he goes to the spiritual master and the spiritual master initiates him, at that time his second birth is there, dvija." Dvija. The birds are called also dvija because they get twice birth.
The first birth is by father and mother, and the second birth is by the spiritual master and Vedic knowledge. There is also mother. The Vedic knowledge is mother, and the spiritual master is the father. So saṁskārād bhaved dvijaḥ. The spiritual master trains the student gradually. That is called initiation. That is called dvija. Janmana jāyate śūdraḥ: "By birth by the father and mother, everyone is śūdra." It doesn't matter where he takes his birth, not that only India they are brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra. Everywhere. Cātur-varṇyam mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ (BG 4.13). In the Bhagavad-gītā you'll find that these four system of social division—brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra—they are all over the universe, not that... Don't think that it is in India. Everywhere.
So saṁskārād bhaved dvijaḥ. By reformation, by following the regulative principle of how to elevate oneself to the knowledge of Brahman... That is called saṁskāra. There are ten kinds of saṁskāras, reformatory. This Vedic system is very scientific system to elevate the humankind to the highest perfection of life. So saṁskārād bhaved dvijaḥ. Then, when the saṁskāra is given, when his, the spiritual master sees that "This boy is now competent to study Vedas..." That requires a qualification.
Just like Rāmānanda Rāya, he was very rich man, he was governor, but he always engaged himself in Kṛṣṇa's service. He was one of the most confidential servants and devotee of Lord Caitanya. So the conclusion is that richness or aristocracy, they are not qualification and they are not disqualification also, provided we agree to hear about Kṛṣṇa from the right source. This is the conclusion.
Then he says, viprād dvi-ṣaḍ-guṇa-yutād aravinda-nābha-pādāravinda-vimukhāt śvapacaṁ variṣṭham. Viprād, brāhmaṇa, dvi-ṣaḍ-guṇa, a brāhmaṇa not by birth but with quality. Guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ. That is śāstra. Śāstra means, Lord Kṛṣṇa says, cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ (BG 4.13). A brāhmaṇa or a kṣatriya or a vaiśya or a śūdra or a brahmacārī or a gṛhastha, vānaprastha, sannyāsī, they are divided according to the quality. According to the quality. Never says janma. Quality. So here also it is said viprād dvi-ṣaḍ-guṇa-yutād. Dvi means double, twice, and ṣaḍ means six, then means twelve. Twelve kinds of qualities a brāhmaṇa meets. The twelve kinds of qualities are also mentioned here. (reads from Śrīdhara Swami commentary:) Evaṁ bhaktyeva kevalaya hari (indistinct) sambhavati tukta idaniṁ bhaktiṁ vinā na kiñcit toṣa (indistinct) dviṣaṭ (indistinct) guṇa (indistinct) variṣṭhaṁ manye.
Just this morning I was explaining vipra, who is vipra. Vipra means one who has studied Vedas nicely, or one who has passed in the studies of Vedas, he is called vipra. And before becoming a vipra, there is sacred thread ceremony. Janmanā jāyate śūdraḥ. There are stages: śūdra, dvija, vipra, and brāhmaṇa. These four steps. One is born a śūdra. Śūdra means the lowest class, almost animal. So anyone who is born of father and mother, he is accepted as śūdra. And Janmanā jāyate śūdraḥ. By birth, everyone is born a śūdra, the lower class. And saṁskārād bhaved dvijaḥ. And if that man, the boy, or the child, is reformed by education gradually, then he is, saṁskārad bhaved dvijaḥ, his second birth is there. So amongst the higher class, the brāhmaṇas, the kṣatriyas, and the vaiśyas, especially amongst the brāhmaṇas and kṣatriya, the boys were trained very nicely. Very nicely. So by reformation, when the boy is, I mean to say, mature, at the age of twelve years or thirteen years, he goes automatically to a spiritual master. He automatically goes to a spiritual master for becoming initiated. Just like sometimes some students come to me also: "Swamiji, get me..." That is the process. When one understands the importance of spiritual life, that is reformation. So automatically he offers to a learned person to accept him as his disciple. That point is, acceptance of a disciple, is the second birth.
Just like those who are scientists or philosophers, religionists, they are supposed to be first-class men. But unfortunately, now nobody can recognize who is first-class and last class. So for proper management of the whole society the first-class, second-class, third-class men must be there. Just like in your body there are different parts of the body. The head, the arm, the belly, and the leg. This is natural. So without head, if we have simply the arms and belly and legs, it is a dead body. So unless you are guided, the human society, by the first-class men, the whole society is dead society. There must division according to cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma... (BG 4.13), not by birth, but by quality. So anyone can be trained up first class, second class, as he likes. That is called civilization. Some men should be trained up as first-class men, some men should be trained up as second-class men, and some men should be trained up as third-class men, and balance, who cannot be trained up, they can assist the other three higher class. That is called śūdra. So... (break)
...that is not possible. A human being, if he is properly trained up, if he is willing to take the instruction he can be made first-class. Never mind. By birth one may be born in a low class, it doesn't matter. But by training, he can become first class. That is the injunction of the Bhagavad-gītā.
Festival Lectures
The main point or the main information which we're considering now is that by understanding Kṛṣṇa's existence, understanding Kṛṣṇa's appearance before the perception of ourselves, that we can terminate this material existence which we now face. This life we're now conscious of through these bodies which were born... Now these bodies were very small. They develop into impressive size. The bodies will dwindle and the bodies will be gone ultimately, lost. But all these living entities here in the room will go on existing. This process of birth and death we should understand. And we should especially understand how Kṛṣṇa appears before us who are trapped by birth and death. If we understand that Kṛṣṇa's appearance is not like ours, because He's perfect and because He's appearing for our benefit, then we may be able to reach out and grab hold of the lifeline that can... (break) ...of our own suicidal bogs.
So anyway, everybody has been coming here knows that we're recommending, simply associate with us, chant with us and listen to the teachings of our spiritual master. Put questions to us. Any question. And at this point I'd also like to invite questions. Is there any question?
So here it is said, "My dear brāhmaṇas, learned brāhmaṇas, according to the division of the social status and spiritual status, everyone's duty is..." What is that duty? Svanuṣṭhitasya dharmasya. Everyone has got particular, specific occupational duty. A brāhmaṇa has got his occupational duty. The kṣatriya has occupational duty. Similarly, brahmacārī, householder, and retired—everyone has got specific duty. That is mentioned in all the śāstras. In the Bhagavad-gītā also, that is mentioned, and in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is also mentioned. And one is to be understood what he is according to his quality and work, not by birth. When it is default, it is taken on the basis of birth. But actually, in the śāstras, or scripture, there is no question of birth. Anyone can become a brāhmaṇa, anyone can become a kṣatriya, anyone can become a sannyāsī, anyone can become a brahmacārī provided he acts according to the quality of the work.
So here Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, svanuṣṭhitasya dharmasya: "Everyone has got a particular type of occupational duty, but the ultimate goal of that duty is saṁsiddhir hari-toṣaṇam (SB 1.2.13).
Without following the rules and regulations of Vedic injunctions, without reference to the regulative principles mentioned in different smṛtis, without reference to the Purāṇas and without reference to the pāñcarātrikī-vidhī...
The pāñcarātrikī-vidhī means it is a special concession for this age. Vaidika-vidhī and pāñcarātrikī-vidhī. Vaidika-vidhī is very authorized, but this Vaidika-vidhī is specially meant for those who are highly elevated brāhmaṇas. In this age it is accepted as a fact by the śāstras, kalau śūdra-sambhavaḥ. In this age nobody is actually bona fide brāhmaṇas by birth. Formerly they used to be. The family tradition, the garbhādhāna system, the saṁskāras were strictly followed; therefore a son born of a brāhmaṇa father was accepted as a brāhmaṇa, not immediately, but going through the process. But in this age because it is very difficult to find out a person who is born of a qualified brāhmaṇa, therefore Nārada Pañcarātra is there. So these Gosvāmīns, Rūpa Gosvāmī specially recommends, śruti-smṛti-purāṇādi-pañc... (Brs. 1.2.101). Either you follow the principles of śruti, Vedas, followed by smṛti, purāṇādi, or you follow the pāñcarātrikī-vidhī.
Initiation Lectures
Even in rigid families they have already given up. And the śāstra injunction is, as soon as one gives up this ceremony, garbhādhāna ceremony, he at once falls down to the classification of a śūdra. The whole family, no more. Because who knows by whom this child is born? Nobody knows whether he's a brāhmaṇa's son or a śūdra's son or a rascal's son or a paṇḍita's son. Because there is so much freedom.
So kalau śūdra-sambhava. Therefore the general enunciation is that in this age everyone has to be accepted as born-śūdra. But this principle is accepted always, by birth everyone is śūdra. Janmanā jāyate śūdraḥ. Everyone is born śūdra. Then? Saṁskārād bhaved dvijaḥ. Dvijaḥ means this saṁskāra. This saṁskāra... By gradual process of cultivation of knowledge, of behavior, of rules and regulations, one becomes a dvijaḥ. Dvijaḥ means twice-born. The first birth is by the father and mother, and the second birth is by the spiritual master and Vedic knowledge. At that time, the second birth means mother is the Vedic knowledge and father is the spiritual master. So Sanātana Gosvāmī says, because he has enunciated this rule for the so-called rigid brāhmaṇas, they say, "Without taking birth in a brāhmaṇa family there is no possibility of one's becoming a brāhmaṇa." But Bhagavad-gītā does not say like that. Bhagavad-gītā says, cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ (BG 4.13).
You see? So these things were done. People have misused the whole thing: "Now I am born of a brāhmaṇa. By force I am brāhmaṇa." You see? Just like Paṇḍitajī, our late Prime Minister Paṇḍitajī. He was less than the caṇḍāla, but he was addressed as "Paṇḍitajī." "Paṇḍitajī" is the address of the brāhmaṇa. You see? By lakṣaṇam... Nobody cared for lakṣaṇa because his forefather, somebody, was a brāhmaṇa, although there was no garbhādhāna ceremony, no system, still. This is not accepted. People misunderstand Hindu culture, Vedic culture, that there are forced caste system. No. It is varṇābhivyañjakam, by the symptom, quality, qualification. It is not by birth.
So we, our... One of the item of this mission, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, is to establish real varṇāśrama by qualification. We have to pick up brāhmaṇas from everywhere, throughout the whole world, not that we have to pick up brāhmaṇas in India in some class. No. There are brāhmaṇas every part of the world. We have to pick up. Just see. None of these boys are born in India or a brāhmaṇa family, but they have got the symptom. They have got the brahminical... They have either acquired willingly or by some way. So we have to pick up. Anyone who is truthful, who is controlling the senses, no illicit sex life... That is controlling senses. There are many other things. This is the most important thing.
Apavitra. And pavitra means pure condition. Apavitraḥ pavitro vā. One may be in impure condition and one may be in pure condition. Sarvāvasthām, in all conditions. Avastha means all conditions. Gato 'pi vā, situated, in any condition situated; yaḥ, anybody; smaret, remembers; puṇḍarīkākṣam. Puṇḍarīkākṣam means "the Lord whose eyes are like the lotus petal." Lotus eyes. Puṇḍarīkākṣam. Sa, that person becomes; sa bahyābhyantaram. Bahya means externally and abhyantara means internally. Bahyābhyantaraṁ śuciḥ. Śuciḥ means purified. Another śuci means brāhmaṇa. A brāhmaṇa is called śuci. A brāhmaṇa means a purified person. Not that by birth one becomes pure. No. The purificatory process. There are purificatory processes. Just like in infectious condition, those who are vaccinated, given injection, he is supposed to be purified. He cannot be attacked or infected by the disease. Similarly, in spiritual life also one has to remain purified. The whole process, this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, is to purify the people in general from the contaminated condition of material existence.
The ekadaṇḍī-sannyāsīs of the Māyāvādī school give up the sacred thread and do not keep any tuft of hair. Therefore they are unable to understand the purport of tridaṇḍa-sannyāsa, and as such, they are not inclined to dedicate their lives to the service of Mukunda. They simply think of merging into the existence of Brahman because of their disgust with material existence. The ācāryas who advocate the daiva-varṇāśrama, the social order of cātur-varṇyam mentioned in Bhagavad-gītā, do not accept the proposition of asura-varṇāśrama, which maintains the social code of varṇa is indicated by birth. The most intimate devotee of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, namely Gadādhara Paṇḍita, accepted tridaṇḍa-sannyāsa and also accepted Mādhava-upādhyāya as his tridaṇḍī-sannyāsī disciple. It is said that from this Madhvācārya, the sampradāya known in Western India as Vallabhācārya sampradāya has begun. Śrīla Gopāla Bhaṭṭa Bose(?), who is known as smṛti-ācārya in the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava sampradāya, later accepted the tridaṇḍa-sannyāsa from Tridaṇḍipāda Prabodhānanda Sarasvatī.
So this purificatory process... According to Vedic system, there is purificatory process. Janmanā jāyate śūdraḥ. "By birth everyone is born a śūdra." A śūdra means without any knowledge and simply full of lamentation. Śocati. So the Vedic process is that, from the low-grade position, to bring the human society to the highest, topmost position. Generally it is... The first, topmost position is to become a brāhmaṇa in the society. Cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ (BG 4.13). Four divisions of the social system are there according to quality and work. That is very natural in this world. Everyone is accepted on quality and work. If you have got a qualification of a good lawyer and if you have done very nicely your activities, then you are selected as the high-court judge. The high-court judge is selected amongst the lawyers in the court. It is not appointed from outside. The... A lawyer who has done his legal profession very nicely, the government offers him the post, that "You become a high-court judge."
He never accepted this, that by birth, no. Either he is a brāhmaṇa or he is a śūdra, by caste or by birth, kibā vipra kibā śūdra nyāsī kene naya, either he's a gṛhastha or a sannyāsī, it doesn't matter. He can become a guru. How? Yei kṛṣṇa-tattva-vettā. One who knows the principles of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, one who understands Kṛṣṇa, he can become a guru. So guru is the post given to the sannyāsīs, to the brāhmaṇas. Without becoming a brāhmaṇa, nobody can become a sannyāsī, and sannyāsī is supposed to be the guru of both all the āśramas and all the varṇas. So the preaching work... We require so many sannyāsīs. People are suffering all over the world for want of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. My Guru Mahārāja used to say that there is no scarcity. This is false propaganda. The only scarcity is that there is no Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is the difficulty. Actually that is the fact.
There is blood, there is flesh, there is vein, there is so many things, all common things. Then what is the difference between the cat's body and dog's body and your body? The advancement of knowledge and consciousness. So for that divyam, knowledge, one has to be initiated. Divyam, dīkṣā means beginning of transcendental knowledge. So Vedic civilization is janmanā jāyate śūdraḥ. By birth, everyone is born a śūdra, fourth-class man. But there is chance of the fourth-class man to become the first-class man. That is possible. Janmanā jāyate śūdraḥ. Everyone, when he's born by the sex behavior of the father and mother, he's a śūdra. Then saṁskārād-bhaved dvija. By saṁskāra, by the purificatory method, this tapasya, he's becomes a dvija. Dvi means twice and ja means birth, second birth. Saṁskārād-bhaved dvija. Then when he becomes dvija, properly initiated, then he's allowed to read Vedic literature.
Then saṁskārād-bhaved dvija. By saṁskāra, by the purificatory method, this tapasya, he's becomes a dvija. Dvi means twice and ja means birth, second birth. Saṁskārād-bhaved dvija. Then when he becomes dvija, properly initiated, then he's allowed to read Vedic literature. Veda-patha. Śūdra cannot. If you remain a śūdra, no saṁskāra, no purification, then you have no right to understand Vedic knowledge. Either you have no right or you cannot understand. Why... The Bhagavad-gītā is there throughout the whole world. Everyone knows Bhagavad-gītā. But they have misunderstood, because they are kept śūdra. Veda-patha. First of all, by birth, he's a śūdra, and when he's purified, then he becomes dvija. Dvija, the sacred thread is, means that this man... Upanayana. This is called upanayana. Upa means near and nayana means bringing. So when one is brought nearer to the spiritual master and he accepts him as his disciple, he gives the sacred thread as badge, that "This man is now dvija, twice-born. He's no more śūdra. He's brāhmaṇa." So he has the right to read the Vedic literature.
General Lectures
Why? From the beginning of our life I know that "I am this body," although I am not this body. Therefore we are all born fools, everyone. And therefore, according to Vedic civilization, one has to take his second birth. One birth is made possible by conjugation of the father and mother. That birth is called animal birth. Janmanā jāyate śūdraḥ. Everyone, by birth, is śūdra, or the lowest class of man. And saṁskārād bhaved dvijaḥ: "By reformation, one becomes twice-born." And what is that reformation? By understanding oneself, "What I am." Saṁskārād bhaved dvijaḥ, veda-pathād bhaved vipraḥ: "And after twice, after his second birth, if he tries to understand the spiritual science, the science of God, then he is called vipra." Vipra means quite cognizant. And brahma jānātīti brāhmaṇaḥ: "And when he understands that he is Brahman, he is spirit soul, then he becomes a brāhmaṇa." Perhaps you have heard that in India the brāhmaṇas are called the topmost men of the society. Why? Because he knows that "I am Brahman; I am not this matter." Brahma jānātīti brāhmaṇaḥ. So by understanding Brahman your position will be that prasannātmā, you'll be joyful, na śocati na kāṅkṣati, you will never lament any loss, neither you will hanker after any so-called gain, na śocati na kāṅkṣati, samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu, and you will look every living entity on the same level. Mad-bhaktiṁ labhate parām (BG 18.54).
They require some preliminary qualification to enter into the scientific college. They require some preliminary qualification to enter into the law college, in the postgraduate classes. Similarly, to understand the subtle or finer implications of spiritual science, one has to become brāhmaṇa. Without becoming brāhmaṇa it is not possible.
Therefore in the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ (BG 4.13). There are four classes of men created by God: cātur-varṇyaṁ. How they are divided? How the classification is made? Guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ: by classification of quality and work. Not by birth. In India, of course, this classification of guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ was originally planned from the Vedic age. But later on, a class of men, without any qualification, without any practical work, they claimed that "I belong to such and such class." Therefore India's falldown was inevitable. So Bhagavad-gītā says, "Not like that." Bhagavad-gītā says that these classes of men, cātur-varṇyaṁ—the brahminical class, the kṣatriya class, the vaiśya class, and the śūdra class—is everywhere. Not only in India, but also throughout the whole universe, in every country, in every nation, in every society, there must be some people who have brahminical tendency.
So our Vedic system was so nicely designed that automatically one will be elevated to the understanding of Brahman. This caste system is condemned because they have been vitiated by designing person. Actually, caste system, as it is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ... (BG 4.13). According to division of qualities, there are caste system everywhere. Goodness, passion, and ignorance—these three qualities are working in the material nature. The persons who are in goodness, they are called brāhmaṇas. Not that birth. Kṛṣṇa does not say, "By birth." Cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ. There is no question of birth. Simply by quality. Quality, the division is everywhere: intelligent class of men, administrative class of men, productive class of men, and laborer class of men. This is brāhmaṇa, śūdra... That's all. So everything should be taken scientifically. Human... That is human civilization, human life; otherwise animal life. Spiritual life means human life, and material life means animal life. That's all. So we have to make adjustment, as it is recommended in the Bhagavad-gītā, yuktāhāra-vihārasya. It does not mean because I am going to be spiritual man, I shall give up eating.
A paṇḍita, if one has actually elevated to that stage of perfect wisdom, then he is sama-darśinaḥ, that actually sama... How sama-darśinaḥ? Vidyā-vinaya-sampanne brāhmaṇe. A brāhmaṇa, according to Vedic culture, a brāhmaṇa is considered... Brāhmaṇa means vidyā-vinaya-sampanne. He is very gentle and very learned. That is the first qualification of brāhmaṇa. Not by birth but by qualification. Gentle and learned. Vidyā-vinaya-sampanne brāhmaṇe gavi, brāhmaṇe gavi hastini, paṇḍitaḥ sama-darśinaḥ (BG 5.18). Because his vision is no more on the platform of this body. Sama-darśinaḥ. He sees a learned brāhmaṇa is also a spirit soul, and a dog is also a spirit soul, an elephant is also a spirit soul, or a low-born man, he is also spirit soul. Beginning from the high-born brāhmaṇa up to the caṇḍāla, there are social stages in the human society. But if a man is really learned, he sees everyone, every living entity, on the same level. That is the stage of learning.
Prabhupāda: This is... Abodha-jāta. Therefore a living entity is called abodha-jāta, "born ignorant, born rascal, born foolish." Abodha-jāta.
Indian man (1): Abodha-jāta.
Prabhupāda: Yes. Abodha means no knowledge, and jāta means born. By birth he is fool, and he is claiming, "I am God." By birth he's a fool, and he's claiming, "I am God." Just see. This is illusion. This is the māyā. He cannot... He does not know how the hairs are growing, and he is God. Just see. "I am God." This has become a fashion, dangerous fashion. And these Māyāvādī philosophers, daridra-nārāyaṇa, this Nārāyaṇa, that Nārāyaṇa... Because Nārāyaṇa is there, therefore he's Nārāyaṇa. Because you are within your coat, therefore you are coat. This is their argument. Because I am in the room, I am room. Is that very sound argument? Because Nārāyaṇa is there, therefore he is Nārāyaṇa. Aiye.
That is human form of life, not to waste our time simply going to the market and inquire, "What is the rate of rice and what is the rate of dahl?" That should go on, but along with it there should be inquiry what is the Absolute Truth and what is Kṛṣṇa, what is God. That is beginning of human form of life. Therefore in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam it is said, parābhavas tāvad abodha-jāto yāvan na jijñāsata ātma-tattvam. The foolish persons, foolish living entities, abodha-jāto... All of us, we are born ignorant; otherwise why we are sent to a school? Why the children are sent to a school? Because they're abodha-jāto. By birth they are all śūdras, abodha. Therefore according to Vedic system there are saṁskāras, reformatory methods, and when the child is taken for saṁskāra, that is called upanayana. Upanaya means bringing him nearer to understand spiritual life. That is sacred thread ceremony. Janmanā jāyate śūdraḥ. Everyone is born ignorant. Otherwise why a person even born in brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya family, why this upanāya saṁskāra is there? Because it is to be understood that when a person takes birth, he's śūdra. He has to be educated.
That is the aim of human life. Unfortunately, these things are now stopped.
So actually we are begetting like cats and dogs, and how can you expect peace and prosperity in the society of cats and dogs or hogs? It is not possible. So in this age especially, kalau śūdra-sambhavaḥ. The population is increasing simply śūdras. But there is great necessity of brāhmaṇas and kṣatriyas. There are some population who are vaiśyas and śūdras, but practically the civilization is going on in the hands of vaiśyas and śūdras. I don't mean that brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdras by birth-right; by qualification. These are all explained in Bhagavad-gītā. Cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭam guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ (BG 4.13). The society must be divided into four classes of orders. There must be intelligent class of men, who are called brāhmaṇas. They must give spiritual education to society. Not that everyone should remain laborer and work hard day and night like hogs and dogs for sense gratification. It is a very dangerous civilization. You cannot expect any peace and prosperity in this type of civilization.
Nitāi:
- sarva-yoniṣu kaunteya
- mūrtayaḥ sambhavanti yaḥ
- tāsāṁ mahad-yonir brahma
- ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā
- (BG 14.4)
"It should be understood that all species of life, O son of Kuntī, are made possible by birth in this material nature, and that I am the seed-giving father."
Prabhupāda: So according to Vedic conception, any living entity, in any form of life, they are all part and parcel of God. (someone yells out, "No!" and yells some things in French) Your Bible says that in the beginning there was word only, and the word is God. So before the creation, the God was there. Then all the created creatures, wherefrom they came? They came from God. It is clearly stated in this verse, "All things were made by Him." So original creator of everything was God. Everything means including all, not only a certain person or certain thing. Everything means everything, all. So all things were made by God means..., "made by Him" means that all these creatures... There are different creatures, 8,400,000. They were created by God. One who creates, he is the father. Just like in the material sense also, a father creates his children. So how can you say "No"? Because here in the Bible it is said that "All things were made by Him, created by Him." Therefore He is the father of everything.
Philosophy Discussions
So who can become engineer? Guṇa-karma, one who has acquired the qualification of engineering profession and is actually acting as engineer. That is wanted. Guṇa-karma. Kṛṣṇa never says, "Birth" But later on, because an engineer trains his boy as engineer, so naturally he becomes also engineer. Formerly, as we understand from the history of Ajāmila... He was a son of a brāhmaṇa, and he was being trained up as a brāhmaṇa. That was the system. Not that because he has born in the brāhmaṇa family he becomes brāhmaṇa. No. He has got the chance of being trained up as brāhmaṇa by the brāhmaṇa father. So it became later on as caste, by birth, because naturally a brāhmaṇa father trains his son to become brāhmaṇa. But when the brāhmaṇa's son becomes a cobbler, that does not mean he is still brāhmaṇa. That we find from the... Tadīya lakṣaṇaṁ dṛśyeta tat tenaiva vinirdiśet (SB 7.11.35). If a brāhmaṇa's son has become a cobbler, he should be called a cobbler, or a cobbler's son has become a brāhmaṇa, he should be called a brāhmaṇa. Not by the birth. But it became a qualification of birth because formerly it was easy, because he is dealing with his father and father is brāhmaṇa, so automatically, fifty percent he becomes brāhmaṇa, and fifty percent by training, then he becomes complete brāhmaṇa—by association, by family.
| Page Title: | By birth (Lectures) |
| Compiler: | Mayapur, RupaManjari |
| Created: | 06 of Oct, 2011 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=87, Con=0, Let=0 |
| No. of Quotes: | 87 |