Science of Daiva Varnasrama

This is an excerpt from “The Science of Daiva Varnasrama” by His Holiness Bhakti Raghava Swami, pages 29-31. 

Very often this argument is presented by some devotees, i.e., the position of Lord Caitanya giving less importance to varnasrama or even rejecting varnasrama, both in his conversation with Ramananda Raya and also in his conversation with the Tattvavadis when visiting South India. We need to analyze these discussions very closely.

Actually, Lord Caitanya did not reject varnasrama. Lord Caitanya is Lord Krsna Himself. He has established varnasrama. He cannot reject it; it is his own creation. The conversation in the context of Ramananda Raya and Lord Caitanya was what is the best activity that one can take up to actually become successful in life, to attain self-realization. So Ramananda Raya began by explaining the importance of varnasrama. Lord Caitanya considered that as externaland explained that actually there is something higher. So we need to understand that varnasrama is not an end in itself. In that conversation Lord Caitanya rejected varnasrama as being the ultimate goal and also as being the highest activity for attaining that higher goal. The higher goal, as we mentioned before, is to attain pure love of Krsna-Krsna prema. Varnasrama is a means to attain that and  the process which will actually help one to develop pure love of Krsna is bhakti, or devotional service.

When we see it in this way, we should understand that Lord Caitanya rejected ordinary varnasrama as a means, let us say as the best means, and that’s why Srila Prabhupada spoke about daiva-varnasrama which has the element of devotional service. When that varnasrama is imbued with bhakti then that varnasrama, although normally seen as a material arrangement or material system, when covered with bhakti, becomes transformed as devotional activity. So Lord Caitanya’s purpose in the whole conversation was meant to bring out the bhakti element. That is how varnasrama, without bhakti, is simply a material activity and is generally motivated. So it is not the ultimate aim of life. It is not the best or the highest way by which one can attain bhakti for bhakti in itself or varnasrama imbued with bhakti is what will help us attain that highest goal.

In the conversation with the Tattvavadis in South India, the initial question raised by Lord Caitanya was related to the goal, being liberation, and the means to attain that goal, being varnasrama dharma. So Lord Caitanya naturally rejected it because the goal even within daiva varnasrama dharma is not liberation. The goal in daiva varnasrama ramains bhakti or to develop pure love for Krsna. So Lord Caitanya replied to the Tattvavadis that actually activities of bhakti are the best means to attain the highest goal, which is not liberation. The highest goal is to develop love for Krsna. So automatically liberation is included. For Vaisnavas that is actually liberation.

Srila Prabhupada mentions that the simple fact that Lord Caitanya accepted sannyasa, means he accepted varnasrama because sannyasa is part of the varnasrama system. So we should not prematurely or wrongly conclude that bhakti replaces varnasrama. No. Bhakti is always the primary, the highest activity and the highest goal. “Krsna bhakti nitya siddha” that is the eternal perfection of the living entity. We can begin developing this eternal activity of bhakti most ideally through the system of varnas and asrama, that’s the point. That is for those of us who are here, all of us who are here in this material world, it is very, very rare to find someone who can just be absorbed with pure devotional service and Srila Prabhupada gave the example of Haridas Thakur. Haridas Thakur was such a personality that he could chant 24 hours a day. He was not preoccupied with varnasrama and so also Lord Caitanya, He is the Personality who established and introduced the bhakti element which was missing earlier. Therefore, He was much less concerned about the externals.

So the other point to understand, as one of the conclusions from this, is that we should regard varnasrama in the same context that Lord Caitanya explained as being eternal. As Srila Prabhupada explains, varnasrama, “it is like a drama.” Externally, we take up these different roles of brahmana, ksatriya, vaisya, etc., in different asramas, but internally, we cultivate bhakti, that is the main thing. That is why Srila Prabhupada spoke about varnasrama as being a “classless society.” Classless refers to “no class”, that all of us are aspiring devotees of Krsna. We are all endeavoring to practice devotional service to attain the highest goal of pure devotional service or pure love for Krsna. So it is a tool as mentioned by Srila Prabhupada. It is as like a drama. We voluntarily agree to carry out this drama knowing fully well that ultimately, as Srila Prabhupada says ad Lord Caitanya also, that I’m not a brahmana, I’m not a ksatriya, I’m not a male nor a female or whatever I am none of these things which are external and temporary.

Krishna is pleased only by Devotion

After receiving initiation at Gaya from Srila Iswara Puri, Sri Gaurasundar, the son of Mother Sachi, returned to Nadiya with a happy heart. One day, Vishwambhar gave transcendental knowledge to some pure brahmin boys of Nabadwip who were his students.

Lord Gaura Hari said: pana eka satya vastu - krsnera carana sei vidya - yathe hari-bhaktira laksana
You should study only the one truth - Krishna's feet. One who knows that truth has the ornament of devotion for the Lord. (Text 11)

The sastras describe that anything other than this is ignorance. Do not study anything other than devotion to Sri Sri Radha-Krishna! (Text 12)

Persons intoxicated with pride in their learning, wealth, and birth do not attain Krishna. By devotional service one easily attains Krishna, the Lord of the Yadus. (Text 13)

Krishna is conquered by the nectar of devotional service. To prove this I quote these words from the sastras: (Text 14)

Where was the hunter Dharma's piety, Dhruva's maturity, and Gajendra's knowledge? Where was Kubja's beauty? Where was Sudama's wealth? Where was Vidura's noble birth? Where was Ugrasena's chivalrous strength? Lord Madhava is pleased only by devotional service and not by material qualifications. (Text 15: quoting Rupa Goswami's Padyavali, text 8).

--Adapted from Srila Lochan Das Thakur's Caitanya-mangala, Madhya 1.11-15

Krishna is There!

Kṛṣṇa is there. You haven't got to search out Kṛṣṇa. He is already within you. Simply He wants to see whether you are sincere. That's all. You cannot deceive, you cannot deceive Caitanya, Kṛṣṇa. He is always present. Anumantā, upadraṣṭā. In the Bhagavad-gītā, He is upadraṣṭā. So śṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥ puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ. If you simply hear about Kṛṣṇa from the lips of pure devotees, then it is puṇya. Ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam bhava-mahā-dāvāgni-nirvāpaṇam (CC Antya 20.12). It will cleanse your heart. It will cleanse your heart.

- Srila Prabhupada 

Daily Deity Darshana - 21.08.2012

LOVE

Awaken that Love for God and there is no more suffering!

Vrindavan Sounds with HH Radhanath Swami

[A clipping from Vrindavan Yatra 2008]

Maha Harinaam in Amsterdam - August 20, 2012

[HH Sacinandana Swami; HH Radhanath Swami; HH Lokanath Swami; HH Candramauli Swami; HH Kadamba Kanana Swami; HH Bhakti Purshottama Swami and many more]

Trusting Krishna - Our Best Friend!

(HH Kadamba Kanana Swami, Modra, Slovakia, 16 July 2012)

Even devotees seem to go through heavy things.  Devotees die.  Yes, but Krsna is there on the other side.  He's waiting for them. "Yes, come! Come with Me, now!" So for a devotee, death is no problem.  No problem because Krsna is there.  So Krsna will come.  Krsna will arrange.  He will protect us.  So we must trust in Krsna.  Krsna will protect us.  He's bhakta vatsala, so there is no need to be afraid. Krsna is all good, so if somehow or the other we can come to the point where we can accept in our heart that Krsna is all good, then we can become free of fear.  Oh when, oh when, oh when will that day come?

(HH Kadamba Kanana Swami, Modra, Slovakia, 16 July 2012) We have to trust that Krsna is good.  He is all good.  Yes, so we have to slowly trust Krsna, that He is kindness personified, that He is always merciful, and that He sends His devotees the best.  Exactly what we need, even if He puts us in front of a firing squad, it's exactly what we need. Krsna is good.  He is all good.  He is very kind, completely merciful.  He sends us only what we need. We deserve it because we are rascals – big rascals!  Therefore He sends us only a diminished reaction for our purification. But it is all His mercy, so there is no reason to fear.  Krsna will always protect us.  Even if there are difficulties, a devotee always comes out victorious.

(HH Kadamba Kanana Swami, Modra, Slovakia, 16 July 2012) There are many reasons why we fear. "Oh Krsna, please don't let me suffer!  Oh Krsna, please give me some happiness!  I promise to chant Hare Krsna as long as You give me some happiness.  Please, if You so desire." And we have ideas about what that happiness is.  But we are like pieces on a chess board – standing on a little square and looking around and thinking, 'That looks good! That's where I want to be, on that square!' But we cannot see what Krsna's plan is, because He's the player.  And suddenly this big hand comes from the sky, takes us by the hand, and puts us somewhere in totally unexpected situations.  There is no point in trying to control, so we have to trust. (HH Kadamba Kanana Swami, Modra, Slovakia, 16 July 2012) Prabhupada said Krsna is our best friend.  Krsna is our best friend, a better friend than any friend in this world.  Prabhupada said why – because Krsna will never disappoint you. Someone from this world will disappoint you.  Even if they want to help you, which is not sure, can they help you?  Even if they want to help you, which is not sure, the question is, can they help you?  It's like that in this world – often we are helpless.  Your friends are helpless, there is nothing we can do.  That is the nature of the material world. But somehow or the other, we don't have much desire to go to the spiritual world.  That's really what is going on. "Yeah, yeah, Krsna is my best friend in a way, but in another way, my best friend is someone I can talk to.  Someone who is sitting next to me.   I can throw flowers at him.  I can talk to him if I want to." Whereas, you know, throwing flowers at Krsna!!!  Carefully, at His feet, maybe!  Respectfully, whereas with your friend, you can just offer it in different ways.  Anyway, to develop this friendship with Krsna may take some time.

Friendship and Affection for Krishna

SB 4.20.12: Lord Viṣṇu told King Pṛthu: My dear King, the constant change of this material world is due to the interaction of the three modes of material nature. The five elements, the senses, the demigods who control the senses, as well as the mind, which is agitated by the spirit soul — all these taken together comprise the body. Since the spirit soul is completely different from this combination of gross and subtle material elements, My devotee who is connected with Me in intense friendship and affection, being completely in knowledge, is never agitated by material happiness and distress.


Purport: 
The question may be raised that if the living entity has to act as the superintendent of the activities of the bodily combination, then how can he be indifferent to the activities of the body? The answer is given here: these activities are completely different from the activities of the spirit soul of the living entity. A crude example can be given in this connection: A businessman riding in a motorcar sits in the car, supervises its running and advises the driver. He knows how much gasoline is used up, and he knows everything about the car, but still he is apart from the car and is more concerned with his business. Even while riding in the car, he thinks of his business and his office. He has no connection with the car, although he is sitting there. As the businessman is always absorbed in thoughts of his business, so the living entity can be absorbed in thoughts of rendering loving service to the Lord. Then it will be possible to remain separate from the activities of the material body. This position of neutrality can be possible only for a devotee.
The word baddha-sauhṛdāḥ, "bound in friendship," is particularly used here. Karmīs, jñānīs and yogīs cannot be bound in devotional service. Karmīs fully engage in the activities of the body. Their aim of life is to give comfort to the body only. Jñānīs try to get out of entanglement by philosophical speculation, but they have no standing in the liberated position. Because they do not take shelter under the lotus feet of the Lord, they fall down from the exalted position of Brahman realization. Yogīs also have a bodily concept of life — they think that they can achieve something spiritual by exercising the body through dhāraṇā, āsana, prāṇāyāma, etc. A devotee's position is always transcendental because of his intimate relationship with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore, to remain always aloof from the actions and reactions of the body and engage in one's real occupation, namely rendering service to the Lord, can be possible only for devotees.

Bodily Concept of Life

Srimad Bhagavatam 4.20.5: Those who are in full knowledge of the bodily conception of life, who know that this body is composed of nescience, desires and activities resulting from illusion, do not become addicted to the body.

Purport:

As stated in a previous verse, those with good intellect (sudhiyaḥ) do not accept themselves to be the body. Being a creation of nescience, the body has two types of activities. In the bodily conception, when we think that sense gratification will help us, we are in illusion. Another kind of illusion is to think that one will become happy by trying to satisfy the desires that arise from the illusory body or by attaining elevation to the higher planetary systems or by performing various types of Vedic rituals. This is all illusion. Similarly, material activities performed for political emancipation and social and humanitarian activities performed with an idea that people of the world will be happy are also illusory because the basic principle is the bodily conception, which is illusory. Whatever we desire or perform under the bodily conception is all illusion. In other words, Lord Viṣṇu informed Pṛthu Mahārāja that although the sacrificial performances set an example for ordinary people, there was no need for such sacrificial performances as far as his personal self was concerned. As confirmed in Bhagavad-gītā (2.45):

traiguṇya-viṣayā vedā

 nistraiguṇyo bhavārjuna

nirdvandvo nitya-sattva-stho

 niryoga-kṣema ātmavān

“The Vedas mainly deal with the subject of the three modes of material nature. Rise above these modes, O Arjuna. Be transcendental to all of them. Be free from all dualities and from all anxieties for gain and safety, and be established in the self.”

The ritualistic performances recommended in the Vedas mainly depend on the three modes of material nature. Consequently Arjuna was advised to transcend the Vedic activities. The activities Arjuna was advised to perform were the transcendental activities of devotional service.