When Rāmānanda Rāya was questioned by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu: "What is sādhya and sādhana, what is human duty, sādhya, and what is the end of sādhana...?" Sādhana, sādhana means cultivating something with a aim of objective. So this question was put to Rāmānanda Rāya by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu: "What is the aim of human life and what is the process of executing that will?" So immediately Rāmānanda Rāya said that varṇāśramācāravatā. The beginning of human life is to execute the varṇāśrama-dharma. Varṇāśramācāravatā puruṣeṇa paraḥ pumān (CC Madhya 8.58). Why varṇāśrama? Now viṣṇur ārādhyate. If you properly execute your varṇāśrama-dharma... Actually, it is now pervertedly spoken as Hindu dharma. Hindu dharma is a vague term. Real dharma is varṇāśrama-dharma. Hindu dharma we don't find, any Vedic literature. Neither in the Bhagavad-gītā. It is a, a nomenclature given by the Muhammadans—"Hindus." From Sindhu, "Hindu." Anyway, now we are known as Hindus. The "Hindu" is a vague term. Real term is varṇāśrama, varṇāśrama, four varṇas and four āśramas. This is dharma and this is given by God Himself. Just like Kṛṣṇa says, cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ (BG 4.13). It is given by God. You cannot manufacture dharma, religion. No. Dharmaṁ tu sākṣād bhagavat-praṇītam: (SB 6.3.19) "Dharma means the codes, the regulations given by God." That is dharma. That is dharma. Otherwise, it is not dharma.
Therefore Kṛṣṇa said, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). That is dharma, obedience to God. Religion means obedience to God. Nowadays it has become a fashion to drive away God and make a so-called show of religion. Drive away: "No God." Just like our secular state. "Don't think of God. This is botheration. Kill God." Kaṁsa. Kaṁsa secular state. "Don't talk of God." Rāvaṇa's secular state. Without God, what is life? Without... If you do not follow the codes or the rules or the laws given by God, then what is your religion? That is not religion. Dharmaṁ tu sākṣād bhagavat-praṇītam (SB 6.3.19). Just like the state can give you laws. There is legislative assembly of the state. They can enact laws. You cannot do at home. You cannot do. That will not be accepted as law. Similarly, our Vedic principle is: "Religion means the codes and the rules and regulations given by God." That is religion. Kṛṣṇa says, God says, man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru (BG 18.65). This is religion. Vāsudeva-paro dharmaḥ. Vāsudeva-paro dharmaḥ. Dharma, here it is said that it should be given by Vāsudeva, or it must be approved by Vāsudeva, Kṛṣṇa. Vāsudeva means son of Vāsudeva, Kṛṣṇa. So oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya.
So either you perform dharma, either you perform yajña, either you study Vedas, either you work, whatever you do, it must be targeted—the ultimate goal should be Vāsudeva. Then it is perfect. In many places it is explained. Svanuṣṭhitasya dharmasya saṁsiddhir hari-toṣaṇam (SB 1.2.13). You may accept any kind of dharma. It doesn't matter. Svanuṣṭhitasya dharmasya. But the perfection, how you are becoming perfect in executing your dharma, will be tested how far you have satisfied the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Svanuṣṭhitasya dharmasya. Ataḥ pumbhir dvija-śreṣṭhā varṇāśrama-vibhāgaśaḥ. Everything is very nicely explained in every śloka, in every chapter of the Vedic literature, especially in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Svanuṣṭhitasya dharmasya. Ataḥ pumbhir dvija-śreṣṭhāḥ. Ataḥ, "Therefore, after saying so many things," dvija-śreṣṭhāḥ... Naimiṣāraṇya, Naimiṣāraṇya... So still Naimiṣāraṇya is there. Naimiṣāraṇya. So in that Naimiṣāraṇya, all the sages assembled, and the conclusion, the resolution was: ataḥ pumbhir dvija-śreṣṭhāḥ. All the great brāhmaṇas, learned brāhmaṇas, dvija-śreṣṭhāḥ... Dvija, dvija means brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, but śreṣṭha means brāhmaṇa. Dvija-śreṣṭhāḥ. Ataḥ pumbhir dvija-śreṣṭhāḥ. Ataḥ pumbhir dvija-śreṣṭhāḥ varṇāśrama-vibhāgaśaḥ. Because human civilization means accepting this varṇa-āśrama. There must be classification. Not that everyone is the same, everyone on the same level. Everyone on the same level means śūdra, no knowledge. No knowledge, no philosophy, no culture, simply eat, sleep and... Animals' life.
So ataḥ pumbhir dvija-śreṣṭhā varṇāśrama... Varṇāśrama-vibhāgaśaḥ must be there. The present civilization is suffering because there is no such thing as varṇāśrama-vibhāgaśaḥ. There is no selection that there must be the most intelligent class of men, brāhmaṇa, the real kṣatriya who can give protection to the people, kṣatriya. That is real kṣatriya. And vaiśya who can actually give protection to the cows and produce agriculture, agricultural products and trade. And śūdras, ordinary laborer class. There must be divisions. They must be trained up. I have repeatedly said in America that there is draft board. They call, conscription, they call any young man to the military department, but most of the boys, young men, they try to avoid this, this military. Most of them. One of the causes of the hippie movement is due to the government's draft board. They want to avoid it. 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? Forget, forget good government for millions of years, unless you establish this varṇāśrama-dharma. There is no question of good government. There must be first-class kṣatriya who can take charge of the government. Just like Parīkṣit Mahārāja. He was on his tour, and as soon as he saw that one black man was trying to kill a cow, immediately he took his sword: "Who are you, rascal, here?" That is kṣatriya. That is vaiśya, who can give protection to the cows. Kṛṣi-go-rakṣya-vāṇijyaṁ vaiśya-karma svabhāva-jam (BG 18.44). Everything is there clearly. Where is the culture?