Gṛhastha life, householder life, is meant for begetting nice children. If there are Kṛṣṇa conscious children in the society, there will be no disturbance. According to Vedic system, the population is divided into two divisions. Illegitimate sons are called varṇa-saṅkara. In the Bhagavad-gītā it is said that when the population becomes varṇa-saṅkara, the whole social situation becomes hellish. Actually that is the fact. So one should be very careful to beget nice children so that society, social order, political order will be calm, quiet, peaceful. That is the idea of gṛhastha life.
And many devotees . . . there are twelve selected personalities who are considered to be the authority of this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Out of twelve authorities, seven authorities were all gṛhasthas, householders. Caitanya Mahāprabhu's associates, Nityānanda Prabhu, Advaita Prabhu, Gadādhara and Śrīvāsa, and Caitanya Mahāprabhu Himself, they were all householders.
So it is not that simply sannyāsī or brahmacārī can realize Kṛṣṇa consciousness and not the householders. No. So in our association we welcome this sort of marriage between trained brahmacārī and brahmacāriṇī so that we can welcome nice children for future Kṛṣṇa conscious generation. That is our viewpoint.
So . . . and initiation . . . initiation means to begin spiritual life. According to Vedic culture, there are two births. One birth is from the gṛhastha parents, father and mother, and the other birth is between the spiritual master and Vedas. The Vedic knowledge is considered mother, and the spiritual master is considered the father. And by the help of the spiritual master, when one gets into transcendental knowledge, that is called second birth.
So janmanā jāyate śūdraḥ: "Everyone is born śūdra." Śūdra means without any culture. They are called śūdras. According to Vedic scripture, there are four classes of men: brahmins, kṣatriyas, vaiśyas and śūdras. Out of these four classes of social order, the brahmins, kṣatriyas and vaiśyas are considered higher caste.
Brahmins means the most intelligent class of men in the society, and kṣatriya means the administrative class of men, and vaiśyas means the mercantile class of men, and śūdra means the laborer class of men. That division is everywhere, not only in India. These four classes of men are present in every country, every society. It may be in different names only, but the four divisions are already there everywhere. It cannot be without it.
In the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭam (BG 4.13). These four classes of divisions are there according to different qualities, and Kṛṣṇa says, or God says: "That is My creation." So there cannot be any exception of His creation. Just like God's creation is sun. In every country there is sun, not that a sun can be seen in India. In every country there is moon. Similarly, this caste system is present in every country, in every society, but it may be called in different names.
So the śūdras means the lowest class of men, who have no culture. But the higher classes, the brahmins, the kṣatriyas, they are considered highly cultured. And how they are called highly cultured? Because they are twice-born. First birth, janmanā jāyate śūdraḥ saṁskārād bhaved dvijaḥ. Saṁskārāt, by following this ritualistic ceremony of initiation or marriage, they are called dvija, twice-born. Saṁskārād bhaved dvijo veda-pāthād bhaved vipraḥ.
This initiation means this boy is being accepted as initiated in order to give him Vedic instruction so that he may live as a student, as a brahmacārī, within this Society and (break) get complete instruction of Vedic knowledge. And when he is competent, he is called vipra. Veda-pāthād bhaved vipro brahma jānātīti brāhmaṇaḥ. And when he realizes the Supreme Self, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he will be called brāhmaṇa . . . brahmin. At that time we offer thread ceremony.
So this process are there, we are observing, and our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is gradually making progress with these principles. We have got already eleven branches, and one of our principal student, Śrīman Hayagrīva Brahmacārī, and Kīrtanānanda Swami, they are attempting to open a new social community project in West Virginia, New Vrindaban. So this Kṛṣṇa conscious movement is taking ground gradually, and we hope in future these gṛhasthas, these householders, vānaprasthas, sannyāsīs, they will implement this Vedic culture gradually, and people will be more and more happy.