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You cannot put a cart before a horse. That is not possible. Of course, the Communists, they are trying to do that, but they have also failed

Expressions researched:
"you cannot put a cart before a horse. That is not possible. Of course, the Communists, they are trying to do that, but they have also failed"

Conversations and Morning Walks

1971 Conversations and Morning Walks

Dr. Singh: We go to work in the office, which is equally which is equally (laughs) hard, I can assure you. (laughs) We go from morning till evening. I wish I could go to the field, in fact.

Prabhupāda: Of course, you cannot put a cart before a horse. That is not possible. Of course, the Communists, they are trying to do that, but they have also failed. I went to Moscow. They have got a worker class and they have got a manager class. Manager class. They cannot do without it. Must be there . . . someone must be there manager.

Prabhupāda: Caturthaḥ platform. And that is possible by this Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Kṛṣṇa says:

māṁ ca 'vyabhicāreṇa
bhakti-yogena ya sevate
sa guṇān samatītya etān
brahma-bhūyāya kalpate
(BG 14.26)

So two sides we are trying to define the natural division of human society. The intelligent class, the administrator class, the productive class and the worker class. There is natural division. You cannot say that everywhere simply there are intelligent class of men. No. Because we are infected with the three kinds of the material modes. You cannot expect all men are on the same level. That is not possible.

Someone is in the modes of goodness, someone is on the modes of passion, someone is in the modes of ignorance and someone is in the modes of mixture. That is the natural division—brahmiṇ, kṣatriya, vaisya, śūdra. Those who are purely in goodness, they are brahmiṇ. Next to that, passion, kṣatriya. And next to that, vaiśya, mixture. And next to that, śūdra. And next to that, caṇḍāla.

Dr. Singh: But is it not necessary today for each person to have for example . . . he's got to have his . . . he's got to have knowledge of the dharma. He's got to have the capacity to act . . .

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Dr. Singh: . . . of the kṣatriya.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Dr. Singh: He's got to have the capacity for commerce and trade and nipunata (perfect skills) for example, and service.

Prabhupāda: Yes, that, that, that . . .

Dr. Singh: Can't we all be combined in a single person rather than dividing them into four, at least in the present age?

Prabhupāda: No. That is not possible. Suppose if, if you are a kṣatriya, you are ruling, you cannot go to work in the field.

Dr. Singh: We go to work in the office, which is equally which is equally (laughs) hard, I can assure you. (laughs) We go from morning till evening. I wish I could go to the field, in fact.

Prabhupāda: Of course, you cannot put a cart before a horse. That is not possible. Of course, the Communists, they are trying to do that, but they have also failed. I went to Moscow. They have got a worker class and they have got a manager class. Manager class. They cannot do without it. Must be there . . . someone must be there manager. So this, this division of the society . . .

Just like natural division, one can study by his own body. This body has got four divisions—the head division, the arm division, the belly division and the leg division. All of them are important in cooperation. But the hand cannot do the work of the legs, nor the leg can do the work of the head.

Dr. Singh: But they are all four in the same body, Swāmījī . . .

Prabhupāda: That is, that is wanted.

Dr. Singh: That is what is wanted.

Prabhupāda: That is Kṛṣṇa. Either you may be in brahmiṇ or either you may be kṣatriya, either you may be vaiśya or śūdra, it doesn't matter. But you try to satisfy Kṛṣṇa, that is your perfection. That is stated in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam: ataḥ pumbhir dvija-śreṣṭhā varṇāśrama-vibhāgaśaḥ. Vibhāgaśa is accepted, varna āśrama. Svanuṣṭhitasya dharmasya. Now everyone has got particular duty to perform. Saṁsiddhir hari-toṣaṇam (SB 1.2.13). You remain kṣatriya, you remain brahmiṇ, you remain śūdra, it doesn't matter. But try to satisfy Kṛṣṇa by your activities. That is wanted.

Page Title:You cannot put a cart before a horse. That is not possible. Of course, the Communists, they are trying to do that, but they have also failed
Compiler:Nabakumar
Created:2022-12-02, 12:55:05
Totals by Section:BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=0, Con=1, Let=0
No. of Quotes:1