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Vyavahara-kanda
Section Concerning
Behavior
The readers have already
been introduced to material and spiritual personalities in the previous two
chapters. In this chapter we will discuss the comparison in the behavior of
these two.
According to mundane
consideration, one has to be qualified for any activity that he engages in.
Otherwise, if an activity is performed by an unqualified person, there will be
so many obstacles. Intelligent persons at different times have introduced various
processes in order to benefit the people in general. Among these processes,
some are beneficial for the present life and some are beneficial for the next
life. Any simple-minded person can easily understand what is beneficial for the
present life, yet being unable to experience subjects of the next life they
introduce complex fallacious arguments. According to the variety of people's
taste, behavior, and expertise, they reach various conclusions while discussing
topics regarding the next life. People with similar natures who follow such
people become attached to a particular opinion and reject contrary opinions.
Generally, people in the mode of goodness have different opinions in every
subject from those who are influenced by the modes of passion and ignorance.
And when one is situated in pure goodness and exhibits a mood of indifference,
his activities are distinct from the activities of one in goodness, which
counteracts passion and ignorance. Conceptions regarding the next life in the
hands of the four above-mentioned classes of thinkers assume four different
forms. Thus there will certainly be differences among unregulated sense
enjoyers, fruitive workers, mental speculators, and devotees. These four
categories have descended through disciplic succession in various branches
since time immemorial. People accept whatever they find favorable, and in this
way they exhibit their individual qualifications.
If one speaks only of his
own qualification without understanding other's qualifications, then there will
be no benefit for the other party; rather this will create innumerable,
never-ending arguments. That is why instructions according to one's
qualification produce better results. We often hear about quarrels between two
parties, and by taking sides we identify our position. This is called
partiality. Yet as far as possible one should maintain neutrality on the
strength of superior, noble education.
When realized through
only the samvit aspect, the Absolute Truth appears devoid of eternal bliss and
is called Brahman; when realized through the combined samvit and sandhini
aspects, the Absolute Truth still appears devoid of hladini, or spiritual
bliss, and is called Paramatma; and when the sac-cid-ananda aspects are
simultaneously manifest, the Absolute Truth is called Bhagavan. Although the
Absolute Truth is one, the knowers of the Truth have realized this
advaya-jnana, or nondual supreme consciousness, in three different features. An
absence of hladini, or eternal bliss, from the Absolute Truth is contradictory
to advaya-jnana.
In the Shrimad Bhagavatam
(1.2.11) it is stated:
vadanti tat
tattva-vidas tattvam yaj jnanam
advayam
brahmeti paramatmeti bhagavan iti shabdyate
Dualist consciousness is
called maya from the aspect of knowledge, viyoga from the aspects of existence
and awareness, and abhakti (nondevotion) from the aspects of eternity,
knowledge, and bliss. Learned transcendentalists who know the science of the
Absolute Truth call this nondual consciousness “the nondual reality”
(advaya-tattva). They call that one entity by the three names Brahman,
Paramatma, and Bhagavan. When the Mayavada philosophy is resorted to, Brahman
and Paramatma are considered different from Bhagavan.
Some learned scholars are
brahmanas, some are yogis, and some are bhagavatas. None of these three
categories of men maintain material desires. Practically it is seen that when
any of the above-mentioned transcendentalists forget their constitutional
position as a result of dualistic consciousness born of material absorption and
they consider themselves to some extent the doers in the field of activities
due to various material desires, they then exhibit mutual differences in their
tastes. They are then swallowed by the material kingdom's conceptions of
superiority and inferiority. But when they realize their constitutional
position, their fruitive mentality is diminished and they develop equal vision.
At this point we do not wish to enter further into the complexities of the
scriptures. But we can say this much: for one who has a particular material
taste, that taste appears supreme. The faith of living beings is determined by
how they identify themselves. Therefore if we want to make an impartial
comparison, we should not be overcome by distorted understanding like the karmis.
Our impartial statements will never be in agreement with those of the karmis.
Therefore, until the karmis advance to a higher platform, they will not be able
to understand our impartial statements; they will wrongly consider us selfish
like themselves and hold us in contempt, thus uselessly wasting their time.
We have already discussed
eligibility and position. One kind of eligibility may be strange to another
person, but when he also attains that eligibility it beomes palatable to him.
Although there are different positions, steadiness in one's own position is
called piety and the opposite is called impiety. When one is situated in a
particular position, he can see the faults of others; but if the statuses are
equal, then there is no opportunity for such differences. If the brahmanas,
yogis, and devotees do not consider each other's qualifications, there will
certainly be quarrels among them and various difficulties in ascertaining their
relative positions. If one impartially and carefully determines the position
and eligibility of a subject, he will be able to reconcile everything properly;
otherwise he merely becomes disturbed and accomplishes nothing.
Persons whose behavior we
are presently comparing have various goals. Hence, the differences in their behavior
are inevitable. Prakriti-jana refers to an enjoyer of temporary sense
gratification. The term Prakrity-atita-jana, or one who is transcendental to
material nature, is used to refer to a renunciate, while the term Hari-jana
refers to the community of those who give up the propensities for enjoying and
renouncing and are interested in the eternal service of Hari. Just because the
Prakriti-janas do not respect the behavior of the Prakrity-atita-janas or the
Hari-janas, that does not mean that the behavior of the Hari-janas is not
respectable. Although the Hari-janas appear similar to the Prakriti-janas while
living in this world, that does not mean that their behavior will not differ.
While living with the Prakriti-janas, the Prakrity-atita-janas approve their
activities, and since they deny their own liberated position they do not feel
inclined to behave differently from others while living in this world. But
because the contrary moods of the Hari-janas' eternal position are more or less
opposite to those of the Prakriti-janas of this material world, there are bound
to be differences between them. Differences in transcendental realization is
the cause of this discrimination.
The three features of the
nondual Absolute Truth are endowed with energies. Bhagavan is the supreme
controller of all illusory and spiritual energies, Paramatma, as the indwelling
Supersoul, is the Lord of most of the illusory energy and a portion of the
spiritual energy, while Brahman is pure consciousness in isolation from all qualities
that are known in terms of the Supreme Lord's energies. As an object is
perceived differently by different senses, so the Absolute Truth, although one,
appears in three forms. These three, however, should not be considered actually
different. It has already been described that the possessor of the material and
spiritual energies cannot be perceived simply through impersonal knowledge.
Although through the combined features of the sat and cit aspects the Supreme
Lord's mastery over the illusory enery and the variegatedness of Vaikuntha is
found, these features do not reveal the fullness of the expanded pastimes of
the energy and the energetic. The Supreme Lord fully manifests only through the
combination of the sat, cit, and ananda aspects. Thus the indifferent brahmanas
who know Brahman, the yogis who realize the Supersoul, and the devotees of the
Supreme Lord are all engaged in serving the advaya-jnana Absolute Truth. The
karmis, who are full of material desires, the jnanis, who have renounced material
desires, and the devotees, who have developed faith in topics of Lord Hari, are
all yogis. The difference between them is that some are karma-yogis, some are
jnana-yogis, and others are bhakti-yogis. These three types of persons have the
advaya-jnana Truth alone as their asset. The devotees of the Lord are in full
knowledge of Krishna, the yogis are in full knowledge of the indwelling
Supersoul, who resides in the heart of everyone and is the master of Vaikuntha,
and the brahmanas are in full knowledge of impersonal Brahman, which is devoid
of variegated, transcendental, blissful pastimes. On the pretext of
philosophical argument, no one should say that the devotees have no knowledge
of Krishna, the yogis have no knowledge of the Supersoul, and the brahmanas
have no knowledge of Brahman. All three in their own capacity are actually
worshipers of the advaya-jnana Truth.
If the brahmanas who know
Brahman desire to practice yoga, they can do so; and if they desire to worship
Krishna, they can also do so. If the devotees of Krishna become averse to
worshiping Krishna, in other words, if they fall from the path of devotional
service, they can become karma-yogis or jnana-yogis; and if they fall from
knowledge of Krishna or knowledge of the Supersoul, they can become brahmanas
on the platform of impersonal knowledge. The yogis are situated on a platform
below the devotees of the Lord, and the brahmanas who know Brahman are situated
on a platform below the yogis. The yogis who have realized the Supersoul can
advance to the postion of the devotees or degrade to the position of
impersonalist brahmanas. When brahmanas accept the doctrine of fruitive
activities in the world of material qualities, they also become affected by
material qualities. In such a condition, the brahmanas' impersonal knowledge
becomes dormant. And when they are freed from material qualities by the
influence of impersonal knowledge, they can also become transcendental
brahmanas.
When the mode of passion
is mixed with the mode of goodness, then a brahmana becomes identified as a
kshatriya. When ignorance is mixed with passion, one is known as a vaishya. And
when the mode of ignorance is prominent, then one gives up the mode of
goodness, the status of a twice-born, and becomes known as a shudra. Since materialistic
brahmanas are conditioned by the material mode of goodness, they accept various
varnas within the material kingdom. When they are situated in the nonmaterial
kingdom free from material qualities, they become known as transcendental
impersonalist brahmanas in the form of knowers of exclusive, pure
consciousness. When they are in the nonmaterial kingdom free from material
qualities and endowed with knowledge of both matter and spirit, they become
known as yogis in the form of mixed jnanis. When they are in the nonmaterial
kingdom free from material qualities, those yogis who are knowers of Brahman
endowed with all spiritual qualities are known as devotees of
Vrajendra-nandana, who is the personification of spiritual pastimes. Therefore
all living entities are eternal servants of Krishna. Giving up their eternal
propensities, these servants of Krishna become yogis, brahmanas, members of the
four materially conditioned varnas, animals, birds, insects, flies, worms,
plants, and so on.
The Supreme Lord eternally
enjoys pastimes in various forms as svayam-rupa, prakasha, tad-ekatma, svamsha,
and vibhinnamsha. The vibhinnamshas are known as “separated parts” because
there is a quantitative difference between them and the others like the
svamsha. But there is no difference in their spiritual qualities. Since the
vibhinnamshas possess spiritual qualities in minute quantity, they are prone to
come under the control of maya, the illusory energy of the fully spiritual
svamsha; but they are not eternally under the control of the external material
energy. The impersonal Brahman is the incomplete manifestation of the Supreme
Lord. Due to the Supreme Lord's complete manifestation, the same unbroken Truth
appears as the Paramatma, or Supersoul. When this feature of the Supreme Lord
takes the role as controller of the living entities, He is known as Paramatma.
The unlimited energies of
the Supreme Lord are divided into three categories. His internal energy
manifests His eternally relishable qualities in the form of His spiritual
pastimes. His external energy creates superior and inferior undesirable
conditions within finite time and produces the temporary nature of things. When
His separated marginal energy, the living entities, become conditioned, they
become enjoyers of the external energy; but when they become liberated, they
eternally engage in the service of the Lord, who is the supreme enjoyer. When
the infinitesimal living entities become inclined to serve the undivided
supreme consciousness, they no longer remain controlled by the external energy.
The multitotal energetic Vishnu, who resides in everyone's heart as the
Supersoul, maintains entire universes through His external energy. The Supreme
Lord as the antaryami, the inner witness, resides in the topmost abode of
Goloka, in the spiritual sky of Maha-Vaikuntha, in the three bodies of water
[karanodaka, garbhodaka, and kshirodaka], in the vibhinnamsha living entities,
and in the kingdom of Durga. In Goloka and in the Vaikunthas He is eternally
present in His original identity as svayam-rupa and svayam-prakasha. He appears
in the kingdom of Durga from time to time for particular purposes. Although the
fully independent Lord is the master of maya, He descends into her kingdom. His
eternal associates, the Vaishnavas, can and do come to this material world in
their eternal spiritual forms. When the vibhinnamsha living entities become
averse to the service of Hari due to being subject to the control of maya, they
enjoy the fruits of their activities through their enjoyment prone material
minds and bodies. But when such living entities become free from the coverings
of karma and jnana and devoid of material desires through the process of
sadhana-bhakti, they then cultivate the favorable service of Lord Krishna.
Being liberated from the bondage of maya, they are established in the kingdom
of bhava and prema, or ecstasy and love, and become famous as sadhana-siddha
devotees.
Due to being situated in
the marginal position, living entities who are averse to Hari assume the nature
of mixed consciousness; in other words, when the marginal energy living
entities mix with the external energy, they consider themselves the enjoyers
and then enter the material world. The cause of the spirit soul's coming to
live in this world in aversion to Krishna is his misuse of his free will. When
this aversion becomes strong, the living entities accept a material mind and
body in order to enjoy the temporary material world and thus come under the
control of fruitive reactions. And when, on the strength of pious activities,
they become transcendental to the varnashrama principles, which distinguish
superior and inferior behavior in this world, they become paramahamsas by
perfecting themselves through sadhana. Those who become paramahamsas are the Hari-janas.
And those who fall from the platform of paramahamsa and engage in fruitive
activities while associating with matter are situated on the platform of
varnashrama. Conditioned souls who are situated on the platform of varnashrama
consider that the Vaishnava paramahamsas are also situated on the platform of
varnashrama. But when they see that the Hari-janas are actually different from
the Prakriti-janas, they become favorably inclined towards Krishna. When
conditioned souls take shelter of the Vaishnavas' lotus feet without duplicity,
they give up their ideas of impersonalism and fruitive work. The living
entities in this material world who are subject to punishment from Yamaraja
consider the Hari-janas, who are offered obeisances by Yamaraja, as Prakriti-janas.
In order to exhibit their humility, the swanlike paramahamsa Hari-janas follow
varnashrama principles and thus deceive the Prakriti-janas. Actually the
Prakriti-janas and the Hari-janas are completely opposite in nature to each
other, like illusion and reality.
While remaining in the
material world, the living entities display two different tastes regarding
their object of worship. The first taste is for Brahman, which is impersonal,
without variety, and without qualities. Because Brahman is eternally without
variety, it is not a suitable object of enjoyment for the living entities who
are impelled by the illusory energy. That is why those who have a taste for
impersonalism imagine five or seven demigods as worshipable, while in reality
they are establishing various material things as their objects of worship. The
second taste is for eternal spiritual variegatedness. The worshipable object
for such living entities has an eternal name, an eternal form, eternal
qualities, eternal associates, and eternal pastimes. The impersonalatists,
however, consider that in the liberated state there is neither variegatedness
nor spiritual pastimes-this mundane, proud explanation is conceived by those
who are nondevotees of Vishnu. Some of these persons even deny the existence of
the spiritual world and become known as atheists.
There are three main
opinions found among the living entities-full rejection of the existence of the
spiritual world, full acceptance of the existence of the spiritual world, and
the uncertain position of both accepting and rejecting the existence of the
spiritual world. Among those who reject the existence of the spiritual world,
some have concluded that the spiritual world has no existence at all, some have
concluded that its existence is doubtful, and others say it is unknowable.
Those who fully accept the existence of the spiritual world realize the
supermundane Personality of Godhead in two different features-aishvarya and
madhurya, or opulence and sweetness. And those who both accept and reject the
existence of the spiritual world consider that the transcendental eternal
existence of the living entities is to be either in complete knowledge or
devoid of knowledge. Due to their lack of faith in the existence of the
spiritual world, those who reject its existence endeavor for material enjoyment
while living in this world. In their independent spirit they do not serve
anyone other than themselves. Following in their footsteps, those who claim to
accept the existence of the spiritual world accept the impersonal Brahman as
the supreme goal while concocting various objects of worship for themselves.
There are two concepts of
impersonal philosophy-denial of spiritual propensities and denial of spiritual
activities, both devoid of eternal worship. When people consider the absense of
the conscious function as the goal of life it results in shunyavada, or
voidism. And when they consider the idea that consciousness is devoid of
activity it is called Mayavada, or spiritualism without variety. In their ordinary
activities, the voidists give respect to the niti-shastras, or social codes.
And the Mayavadis, considering consciousness covered by ignorance as the
Supreme Lord, create five different idols and address the totality of ignorance
as the Supreme Lord. Due to the absence of nondual knowledge, the so-called
liberated Mayavadis consider themselves as temporary worshipers and worship
five gods. Observing their complete absence of devotional propensities, Shri
Vyasadeva has written in the Padma Purana as follows:
dvau bhuta-sargau loke
'smin daiva asura eva ca
vishnu-bhaktah smrito
daiva asuras tad-viparyayah
“There are two kinds of
created beings in this world, godly and demoniac. Those dedicated to the
devotional service of Lord Vishnu are godly, and those opposed to such service
are demoniac.”
In other words,
varnashrama-dharma is of two varieties. That which is established on the basis
of devotional service to Lord Vishnu is called daiva, and the opposite variety,
meaning that kind of varnashrama in which there is no exclusive devotion to the
Supreme Lord, which denies His eternal name, form, qualities, and pastimes, and
which considers spiritual objects as illusory and thus recomends the worship of
five gods is called material enjoyment-prone adaiva.
An elaboration on this
verse is given by Shri Krishna-dvaipayana in the Shrimad Bhagavatam (11.5.3) as
follows:
ya esham purusham
sakshad atma-prabhavam ishvaram
na bhajanty
avajananti sthanad bhrashtah
patanty adhah
“If any of the members of
the four varnas (brahmanas, kshatriyas, vaishyas, or shudras) and four ashramas
(brahmacari, grihastha, vanaprastha, or sannyasa) fail to worship or
intentionally disrespect the Personality of Godhead, who is the source of their
own creation, they fall down from their position, in other words, they fall
from daiva-varnashrama into the contrary situation of the demonic varnashrama.”
The varnashrama followed
by the atheists or those who worship five gods is nothing like the daiva-varnashrama
ascertained by the devotees of Vishnu. It is stated in the Shrimad Bhagavatam
(7.11.35) as follows:
yasya yal lakshanam
proktam pumso varnabhivyanjakam
yad anyatrapi
drishyeta tat tenaiva vinirdishet
“If one shows the
symptoms of being a brahmana, kshatriya, vaishya or shudra, as described above,
even if he has appeared in a different class, he should be accepted according
to those symptoms of classification.” If one rejects this process, he will
incure sin. The process of assigning designations is that one should give an
unreformed person the opportunity to purify himself by the ten purificatory
processes, engage in studying the Vedas, engage in the six activities beginning
with worship and teaching worship, become situated in pure conduct, eat the
remnants of the spiritual master, become attached to the spiritual master,
observe regular vows, and be truthful. But if the symptoms of vaishyas and
shudras appear in a brahmana who has undergone the ten purificatory processes,
then either he should be deprived of his purified status or he should be
engaged appropriately as a vaishya-this is honesty. To act contrary to this is
selfishness and laxity in following the injunctions of scripture.
From the statements of
the smritis, as quoted by Nilakantha in his commentary on Mahabharata
(Shanti-parva 189.2), we receive the following information:
yasyaite
'shta-catvarimshat samskarah sa brahmanah
“One who has performed
these forty-eight kinds of samskaras is a brahmana.7
In Shri Yamunacarya's
Agama-pramanya it is stated:
yad apy uktam
garbhadhanadi-dahanta-samskarantara-sevanad bhagavatanam abrahmanyam iti,
tatrapy-ajnanam evaparadhyati, na punar ayushmato doshah; yad ete
vamsha-paramparaya vajasaneya-shakham adhiyanah katyayanadi-grihyokta-margena garbhadhanadi-samskaran
kurvate; ye punah savitry-anuvacana-prabhriti-trayi-dharma-tyagena
ekayana-shruti-vihitan eva catvarimshat samskaran kurvate te 'pi
sva-shakha-grihyoktam artham yatha-vad anutishthamanah na
shakhantariya-karmanushthanad briahmanyat pracyavante, anyesham api
para-shakha-vihita-karmanushthana-nimittabrahmanya-prasangat.
“Those who say that the
bhagavatas are fallen from the status of brahmanas because they have given up
the Vedic samskaras beginning with the garbhadhana-samskara and ending with the
funeral ceremony and have accepted an alternative system of purificatory
rituals are ignorant offenders. In fact, however, the long-lived speakers of
these statement are not at all wrong, since having studied the Vajasaneya
branch of the Vedas which belongs to their family tradition, the bhagavatas
perform their garbhadhana and other samskaras in accordance to the methods
prescribed by the Grihya-sutras of Katyayana and others. Furthermore, these
bhagavatas who have abandoned Vedic duties such as savitry-anuvacana (chanting
the Vedic mantras which establish someone as a wearer of the sacrificial
thread) and instead observe the forty samskaras enjoined in the Ekayana-shruti
are properly adhering to the principles enunciated in the Grihya-sutras of
their own branch and thus have never fallen from the status of brahmanas on
account of not performing the rituals of a different branch. After all, if by
not following the rules of all the Vedic branches a brahmana becomes fallen,
then the followers of other branches would also have to be considered fallen
from brahminical status because they do not perform the rituals of other
branches.”
The community of sense
enjoyers who are devoid of devotional service and bereft of simplicity
disrespect the Absolute Truth and can never be accepted by the inititiated
devotees of Lord Vishnu. In order to maintain their self-interest, the ignorant
asslike community exhibit envy of daiva-varnashrama and thus prove their
disqualification. Simply because the demoniac community is fallen, that does
not mean the daiva-varnashrama community has to join them. The devotee
community is always ready to disassociate from the demoniac followers of
Vishvashrava's son [Ravana] and always eager to associate with Hiranyakashipu's
son, Prahlada. The godly devotees of Vishnu also appear in demoniac families.
And it is not unheard of for those who are averse to the devotional service of
Lord Vishnu to take birth in the families of demigods and brahmanas. The
devotees of Vishnu can take birth in all types of families. Yet if one
considers that they are following demoniac varnashrama because they are
situated in an inappropriate family due to their past activities and birth in a
particular family, the daiva-varnashrama community, who are devoted to Vishnu,
do not agree. The acaryas of the Vaishnava sampradayas do not accept either the
worship of five gods by the impersonalist sampradaya or the immature
application of varnashrama principles. Due to humility, the swanlike Vaishnavas
do not formally accept the symptoms of varnashrama. That is why the Vaishnava
acaryas did not always push them to give up their humility and perform ordinary
Vedic rituals. Whenever the Vaishnavas are abused by the followers of demoniac
varnashrama, pure varnashrama is protected by the understanding that varna is
determined according to qualification.
We have cited the
histories of more than a thousand followers of pure varnashrama in the
Prakriti-jana-kanda of this book. Apart from those, many other topics
concerning the topmost position of Vaishnavas who renounce nondevotional
varnashrama and nondevotee behavior are found in the scriptures. Particularly
due to their Vaishnava behavior, there was no obstacle in accepting them as
initiated brahmanas.
The following of pure
varnashrama has not been stopped in the Shri Ramanandi branch of the Shri
Ramanuja-sampradaya. Pure varnashrama was functioning in this same way in
ancient times. Due to the gradual increase in selfishness and material
absorption the real purport of varnashrama has been forgotten and a lifeless
varnashrama has become current. We cannot call the current system
daiva-varnashrama. Shrimad Gopala Bhattapada, the smrity-acarya of the Shri
Gaudiya Vaishnava-sampradaya, has given the arrangement for purifying qualified
students of all varnas through ten Vedic samskaras in pursuance of the
daiva-varnashrama principles. Following his directions, the samskara of
brahmana initiation by qualification was begun long ago and is still practiced
today in the sampradaya of Shri Shyamananda-deva, the branch of Shri
Nityananda, the sampradaya of Shri Krishnadasa Navina-hoda, and the branch of
Gaura's follower Raghunandana. Moreover, descendants of various branches of the
Gaudiya Vaishnava grihasthas who have fallen from the standard due to their
indifference to spiritual life consider themselves as belonging to their
previous seminal caste. It is the nature of unqualified people to identify
themselves as belonging to a low class. Sometimes the seminal descendants of an
acarya become bereft of devotional service and think that following the
principles of demoniac varnashrama is their constitutional duty. Fearing their
social degradation, such people even associate intimately with nondevotee
worshipers of the five gods. Such exchanges are meant only for fallen people
who are indifferent to spiritual life.
Although it is accepted
that out of Vaishnava magnanimity a devotee of Vishnu can take birth among
miscreants, the statement of the scriptures that says, “A Vaishnava purifies and
delivers whichever family he appears in,” has now simply turned into some
words. All the same, we should know that a Vaishnava does not take birth in any
family at all. It should be understood that even if Vaishnavas do take birth,
demoniac self-centered communities do not accept them. The pure form of
varnashrama can never be found in any society that has become degraded due to
the absence of devotion to Vishnu. The Padma Purana states:
shva-pakam iva
neksheta loke vipram avaishnavam
vaishnavo varno-bahyo
'pi punati bhuvana-trayam
na shudra
bhagavad-bhaktas te tu bhagavata
matah
sarva-varneshu te
shudra ye na bhakta janardane
shudram va
bhagavad-bhaktam nishadam
shva-pacam tatha
vikshate
jati-samanyat sa yati narakam
dhruvam
bhaktir ashta-vidha hy
esha yasmin mlecche 'pi vartate
sa viprendro
muni-shreshthah sa jnani sa ca
panditah
tasmai deyam tato
grahyam sa ca pujyo yatha harih
“If a person born in a
brahmana family is an avaishnava, a nondevotee, one should not see his face,
exactly as one should not see the face of a candala, or dog-eater. A Vaishnava,
however, can purify the three worlds, no matter what varna he was born in.
“Devotees of the Lord are
never shudras, rather they are all first-class bhagavatas. But if one is not a
devotee of Lord Krishna, he should be considered a shudra even if he was born
in a brahmana, kshatriya or vaishya family.
“One who considers a
devotee of the Supreme Personality of Godhead who was born in a family of shudras,
nishadas, or candalas to belong to that particular caste certainly goes to
hell.”
“If these eight types of
devotional service are seen in a person, even if he was born in a family of
mlecchas, then such a topmost brahmana, best of sages, jnani, and pandita
should be offered food and his remnants should be accepted, for such a
Vaishnava is as worshipable as the Supreme Personality of Godhead.”
All these statements of
the scriptures are meant for uplifting the fallen followers of varnashrama and
for humiliating the followers of varnashrama who are devoid of devotional
service.
The Shrimad Bhagavatam
(11.17.10, 12-13) states:
adau krita-yuge
varno nrinam hamsa iti smritah
krita-krityah praja
jatya tasmat krita-yugam viduh
treta-mukhe
maha-bhaga pranan me hridayat
trayi
vidya pradurabhut
tasya aham asam tri-vrin makhah
vipra-kshatriya-vit-shudra mukha-bahuru-pada-jah
vairajat purushaj
jata ya atmacara-lakshanah
“In the beginning, in
Satya-yuga, there is only one social class, called hamsa, to which all human
beings belong. In that age all people are unalloyed devotees of the Lord from
birth, and thus learned scholars call this first age Krita-yuga, or the age in
which all religious duties are perfectly fulfilled.
“O greatly fortunate one,
at the beginning of Treta-yuga Vedic knowledge appeared from My heart, which is
the abode of the air of life, in three divisions-as Rig, Sama, and Yajur. Then
from that knowledge I appeared as threefold sacrifice.
“In Treta-yuga the four
social orders were manifested from the universal form of the Personality of
Godhead. The brahmanas appeared from the Lord's face, the kshatriyas from the
Lord's arms, the vaishyas from the Lord's thighs and the shudras from the legs
of that mighty form. Each social division was recognized by its particular
duties and behavior.”
In the beginning there is
only one social class called hamsa. Later, when Satya-yuga was finished and
Treta-yuga began, the four varnas were divided according to qualifications and
activities.
In the Shrimad Bhagavatam
(11.5.2) it is stated:
mukha-bahuru-padebhyah purushasyashramaih saha
catvaro jajnire
varna gunair vipradayah prithak
“Each of the four social
orders, headed by the brahmanas, was born through different combinations of the
modes of nature, from the face, arms, thighs and feet of the Supreme Lord in
His universal form. Thus the four spiritual orders were also generated.”
In other words, the
brahmanas were born from the mouth of the universal form through the mode of
goodness, the kshatriyas were born from His arms through the mode of passion,
the vaishyas were born from His thighs through the modes of passion and
ignorance, and the shudras were born from His feet through the mode of
ignorance.
In the Shrimad Bhagavatam
(11.17.14) it is also said:
grihashramo
jaghanato brahmacaryam hrido mama
vakshah-sthalad
vane-vasah sannyasah shirasi
sthitah
The sannyasis appeared
from the head of the universal form, the brahmacaris came from the heart, the
vanaprasthas appeared from the chest, and the grihasthas appeared from the
loins. In course of time, people deviated from the principles of varnashrama
and began to ignore the qualifications. That is why the varnas are presently
ascertained only by seminal consideration. If the ascertainment of varna by
qualification is completely discarded, however, and ascertainment only through
seminal consideration is followed, then the upanayana-samskara, or sacred
thread ceremony, should be given along with the jata-samskara, or birth
ceremony. But instead of this, a person's propensities should be examined, and
if the mode of goodness is seen, then he should be awarded the sacred thread
and be allowed to study the Vedas. The upanayana-samskara must be awarded in
the early stage of one's life. After undergoing this samskara one is allowed to
study the Vedas and perform other rituals. But if one wants to become a
brahmana at the end of one's life, there are many Vedic mantras that oppose
this. If one does not begin to study the Vedas at the proper time, one will not
have the fortune of becoming competent. If one spends most of his life
uselessly as a kshatriya, vaishya, or shudra, then his spiritual progress is
hindered. That is why persons like Vishvamitra and Vitahavya had to struggle
hard to become brahmanas. Many times kshatriya, vaishya, and shudra children
were awarded the upanayana-samskara and accepted as brahmanas after their
propensity or nature was examined by an acarya. Those who failed to exhibit
higher propensities at the proper time were obliged to accept a varna according
to their nature. The Mahabharata, the Hari-vamsha, the eighteen Puranas, and
other ancient histories of India are evidence of this fact. Whenever an acarya
was not able to determine a person's varna, he was considered as being of the
same varna as his father. In the Mahabharata it is mentioned that in the age of
Kali there will be doubts about deciding a person's varna according to seminal
consideration. The principle qualifications of brahmanas, who are in the mode
of goodness, are simplicity and truthfulness. But there are many opinions
regarding seminal qualifications.
The time for examining a
person's worldly inclination is between the ages of eight and twenty-two.
According to worldly considerations, if a student's position remains
undetermined through this period of examination, he is called a vratya. This
does not mean, however, that the spiritual inclinations of a person should be
examined in the same way. The reason for this is that a person's inclination
for spiritual life may arise by some good fortune at any time. Then he should
no longer be considered a fallen vratya, and if evidence of devotional service
to Lord Vishnu is found in him, there is no harm in calling him a
Brahman-realized spiritualist. Unqualified vratyas are often awarded spiritual
or pancaratrika initiation. The spiritual activities of a duly initiated
brahmana are called performance of Vedic sacrifice. The Vedic initiation of a
vratya who has not first acquired the qualfications for brahminical initiation
should not be accepted as authentic. Since it is not possible to properly
execute the Vedic ritualistic ceremonies in this age of quarrel, Kali-yuga,
those who have taken savitrya brahminical initiation should be known as
shudra-kalpa, as good as shudras. Therefore, all sampradayas agree that rather than
considering how to enhance one's position, one should accept inititation
according to the pancaratrika system and engage oneself in the activities
enjoined in the Vedas. In this way the biased opinions of conflicting parties
are reconciled through the combined help of the Vedas and Pancaratras. During
the Buddhist revolution in India, when it became impossible to carry out Vedic
duties without deviation, such instructions were often accepted in order to
reestablish the principles of varnashrama. When people's spiritual endeavors
gradually diminished and society fell from the devotional service of Lord
Vishnu, people began following a distorted system of varnashrama.
There are two kinds of
varnashrama-demoniac and divine. The system of varnashrama that is based on
fruitive activities meant for material enjoyment that is followed by those who
are averse to Lord Hari is called demoniac varnashrama, and the other is the
varnashrama of the community of those who want to serve Hari. This has already
been elaborately described. Both the seminal brahmana community and the
initiated brahmana community can progress side-by-side towards spiritual life
if they put aside their quarrels. But if they fall from their goal and become
the servants of worldly lust, then they will not have the good fortune of
becoming eternal Hari-janas. If one gives up spiritual practices to protect
demoniac society and if one glorifies the system of materialistic varnashrama,
it will certainly hamper one's eternal auspiciousness. Pseudo devotees should
impartially consider what benefit can be achieved if one's spiritual life is
covered by mundane selfishness. We will hereby refrain from publicly discussing
their foolishness. If we see that they are gradually and silently progressing
toward the spiritual kingdom, then our happiness will increase.
The followers of
varnashrama who are on the path of spiritual life under the guidance of the
paramahamsas are not mad with the false pride of the temporary material world;
therefore they can become transcendentally situated. When they actually attain
such an impartial platform, they will understand that worship with material
desires is mundane and that there is no conflict between one's constitutional
duties, in the form of love for Krishna, and daiva-varnashrama. When a person
is maddened to defy a Vaishnava with his body and mind, it is to be understood
that he is not situated in his constitutional position as spirit soul. Only
Vaishnavas are qualified to worship Lord Vishnu. The material body and mind
cannot worship Vishnu through the medium of matter. The followers of demoniac
varnashrama can never worship Vishnu. Their worship of Vishnu pricks Him like a
pin. It is not possible to worship Vishnu without first worshiping the
Vaishnavas. Most persons who have studied the scriptures should know that
before worshiping Vishnu one must worship the spiritual master and Ganesha, who
is a Vaishnava and the destroyer of obstacles. According to the logic of
half-hen, or ardha-kukkuti, there is no value in worshiping Vishnu without
worshiping the Vaishnavas.
Only a Vaishnava is
capable of giving others the right to worship Vishnu. Those who are envious of
the Vaishnavas can never give Vishnu mantras to others. A person who does not
worship or who criticizes the spiritual master and the Vaishnavas is not
qualified to receive a Vishnu mantra. If a person is not qualified to own
something, how can he give it to others? Therefore the scriptures declare that
one cannot worship Vishnu with mantras that are received from a nondevotee. One
should give up the association of such nondevotees and take initiation, in the
form of transcendental knowledge, from a Vaishnava spiritual master. Unless one
gives up the bad association of persons who are averse to the Vaishnavas, he achieves
no benefit. Wise Vaishnava acaryas like Shrila Ganga-narayana Cakravarti and
Shri Ramakrishna Bhattacarya took initiation from Vaishnavas and thus
established spiritual life as the highest goal in this world.
Learned persons who want
to act piously in human life perform the sacrificial performance called
shraddha in order to show gratefulness to their forefathers and deliver them
from ghostly life. Although this ceremony is taken seriously by the general,
ungrateful human society, in spiritual life it is not practiced in the same
way. All living entities are servants of Krishna. When they forget that they
are transcendental servants of the Lord, they are seen to traverse the field of
activities through the endeavors of their bodies and minds. But this is not the
eternal function of the pure soul. It is superficial and based on nothing more
than material desires. The spiritual community serves their worshipable
departed elders by faithfully offering them shri maha-prasada. This is
completely different from the fruitive method of offering shraddha. The
Vaishnavas are completely unable to concur with the beliefs of the fruitive
workers, because this would obstruct their spiritual progress. Simply because
the Vaishnavas live in the social shadow of the godless materialists, they
should not deviate from their goal and forsake their spiritual life. The
process of Vaishnava shraddha mentioned in Shri Hari-bhakti-vilasa should be
followed by devotees in all respects.
The conceptions of purity
and impurity and proper and improper codes of conduct are accepted by the daiva
and asura varnashrama systems in different ways. A Vaishnava does not subscribe
to any activity that hinders his spiritual life. The worldly smartas simply
consider the purity and impurity of objects. Since they have no spiritual
knowledge at all, whatever standards they establish may not necessarily be
accepted by transcendentalists. It is not logical to try to place the smartas
and Vaishnavas on equal level, because their behavior and activities are
different. Though a brahmacari is forbidden from sexual activities, in the
grihasthas' code of conduct there are various circumstances in which sexual
activity is appropriate. Should grihasthas therefore be condemned? Behavior in
accordance with one's status is said to be virtuous, although the same cannot
be accepted as proper for someone whose status is different. The behavior of a
Vaishnava or paramahamsa is totally different from the behavior of a follower
of varnashrama. Therefore attempts to consider their activities on an equal
level are offensive.
This Vyavahara-kanda
needs to be elaborately discussed, and since such discussion is not feasible at
this time we are ending this comparative essay, waiting for the opportunity for
further discussion.
om harih.