How to Mess up Your Life Without Varnasrama!
By His Holiness R.P. Bhakti Raghava Swami
Date: February 27, 2020.
How to mess up your life without varnasrama! Response to a seminar given in Mayapur during ILS entitled “How to mess up your life with varnasrama.
In as much as the absence of Bhagavat Dharma, known as spiritual sva-dharma, (in ISKCON “Krishna consciousness”) creates chaos and confusion among individuals and within society, the absence of the sacred system called Varnasrama Dharma, known as material sva-dharma (in ISKCON yet to be realized as Krishna consciousness) creates similar chaos and confusion among individuals and within society.
Srila Prabhupada explains:
“… real sva-dharma is spiritual sva-dharma … and what is the occupation of that sva-dharma?… jivera svarupa haya nitya-krsna-dasa… that is spiritual sva-dharma.”
from a lecture given on September 1st, 1973 in London
And again from a purport of Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 2, text 31 –
“On the bodily plane sva-dharma is called varnasrama dharma. Human civilization begins from the stage of varnasrama dharma.”
Another quote from Back to Godhead magazine published in 1956, before Srila Prabhupada travelled to America dated May the 20th –
“Spiritual existence of devotional service (bhagavat-dharma) and classless society (varnasrama dharma), are two identical terms. The one without the other has no meaning.”
This last quotation from Srila Prabhupada’s Back to Godhead Magazine of 1956 is in reference to the four phases or movements Srila Prabhupada identified in projecting his vision to establish both Bhagavat Dharma and Varnasrama Dharma.
In that 1956 BTG, his essay on Gita Nagari clearly outlines these four movements, the first three addressing Bhagavat Dharma and the last addressing Varnasrama Dharma:
And this is Srila Prabhupada’s own words…
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The first of these four movements, he calls SANKIRTAN MOVEMENT referring to the holy name and transcendental literatures.
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the second movement he calls TEMPLE WORSHIP MOVEMENT; establishing temples with deities.
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The third movement he calls SPIRITUAL INITIATION MOVEMENT; which we know today in ISKCON as congregational preaching.
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And the fourth movement, Srila Prabhupada names as CLASSLESS SOCIETY MOVEMENT refering to Varnasrama Dharma.
The classless society for Srila Prabhupada means the four varnas and four asramas where each member of these varnas and asramas are focused on the process or activity of devotional service to Krishna.
If we properly understand the tenets of Sanatana Dharma, we will see the need to blend and balance these two levels of Dharma, the spiritual and the material.
Failing to do so, as unfortunately is the case in ISKCON to this day, we will tend to rationalize and accept all kinds of gender and varna irregularities and anomalies that result in the absence of these two standard sciences as we witness in today’s varna sankara society. Varna sankara society refers to unregulated society producing unwanted population. As an example, as in the USA leading NUMBER ONE position with some 50% of American children born out of wedlock.
The basis of varna sankara is ugra karma, what Srila Prabhupada translates as “ferocious activities” as we hear in the background, all based on industrialization and mechanization towards so called material well-being, where the majority, the vast majority of people, including, again unfortunately, our own devotees are engaged in non-traditional occupations.
In ISKCON we have a growing and unhealthy disparity between the science of Bhagavat Dharma and that of Varnasrama Dharma. We forget or have never understood that without these two essential and standard dimensions of dharma, our lives, and society in general, will indeed become “messed up”.
Therefore, the more accurate and sastric title should be “How to mess up your life without Varnasrama!”. To state the opposite is insensitive and highly offensive. Would the Vaisnavas accept as a title for an official ISKCON seminar “How to mess up your life with Krishna”? Obviously not.
ISKCON has been mandated by our Founder-Acharya Srila Prabhupada to be not only a spiritual movement but also an educational, cultural and social movement.
From the Srimad Bhagavatam, 4th canto, chapter 29, verse 54, Srila Prabhupada writes –
“There should be a thorough overhauling of the social system, and society should revert to the Vedic principles, that is, the four varnas and the four asramas.”
Vedic culture is based on four standard sciences, known as Char Vidya, that give clear direction and complete understanding of philosophy, education, politics and economics. These four unchanging sciences are largely unknown within ISKCON because they are not systematically taught.
Most of our devotees are unaware that the present era of modernization based on industrialization, mechanization, and urbanization is a direct result of a major deviation that started with the advent of what is known historically as the Industrial Revolution some 200 plus years ago. Before that village life was the norm in most countries.
Vedic culture, we must know, we must accept and we must welcome, is an agrarian based culture having a cow-based economy that provides the most scientific and the most sustainable of lifestyles, the one created and personally exhibited by the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself, Lord Sri Krishna.
The modern day trend of ever increasing materialism, urbanization and globalization is a major deviation from that Vedic social norm where people live a localized and simplified life with the main objective being self-realization.
The modern day ethics of so called economic development must be seen as a major deviation from the Vedic simplified system of localized cow based economy resulting in undue competition, speculation, exploitation and ever increasing consumerism.
This planet, Krishna’s planet, is going down and going down fast. One of the reasons has been our near total blindness and shameless inability to take up our responsibilities on the level of Varnasrama Dharma, the yet to be fulfilled 50% of Srila Prabhupada’s Mission.
Srila Prabhupada has given us the blueprint. Establish Varnasrama Colleges and introduce the Brahmanical Culture, the Kshatriya Culture, and the Vaisya Culture. These three are meant to foster the natural leaders in society and the balance makes up the Sudra Culture, those who happily and naturally follow such qualified leaders.
In addition to establishing Varnasrama Colleges, Srila Prabhupada stressed the importance of traditional education, which means traditional Gurukuula.
Srila Prabhupada never instructed us to disregard these natural divisions of varna and asrama, which unfortunately some individuals advocate not to follow.
Our previous Vaisnava Acharyas likewise promoted Daiva Varnasrama as the ideal and perfect social system, not only for general society but indeed for Vaisnavas as well.
To his son Bimal Prasad Srila Bhaktivinoda writes:
“The solution to this problem is to establish the order of daiva-varnasrama. — something you have started doing; you should know that to be the real service to the Vaisnavas.” ( This was a letter written to Bimal Prasad entitled SARASVATI)
In his Sajjana Toshani, Srila Bhaktivinoda explains:
“Those who have sufficiently studied sociology certainly conclude that the system of Varnasrama is the topmost social system.”
And again…
“If one is situated in the principle of Varnasrama, then his nature cannot be lost. Rather one can derive huge opportunity and advantage to cultivate Krishna consciousness.”
And finally…
“Varnasrama Dharma is the society of Vaisnavas in their conditional stage.” (This is from Sajjana Toshani 2-7)
The three natural gifts of nature, as nicely explained by grandfather Bhismadeva in the Mahabharata, namely 1) cows, 2) land and 3) knowledge, are meant to be upheld, safeguarded and protected by those who claim to be Krishna conscious. Yet, these are the three most abused and exploited in modern day society.
The number of Desi Cows is on the verge of extinction in most villages of India. The dairy industry continues to severely torture and exploit our Mother Cow.
The soil is severely destroyed all over the world due to the exploitative nature of agribusiness. Both Mother Cow and Mother Earth are on the verge of total collapse.
Our young people, including the vast majority of our devotee children, continue to be sent to what Srila Prabhupada labeled as the slaughterhouse of modern education.
Therefore Srila Prabhupada could boldly declare that modern day civilization is a “doomed civilization”.
And a few quotes in reference to this. From the Srimad bhagavatam, 2nd canto, chapter 4, text 18 –
“The devotees are interested only in seeing that the people in general are not misguided by political propaganda and in seeing that the valuable life of a human being is not spoiled by following a type of civilization which is ultimately doomed.”
Second reference from the 7th canto of the Srimad bhagavatam, chapter 8, text 31 –
“Within a second, Hiranyakasipu and his followers were destroyed, and similarly if this godless civilization continues, it will be destroyed in a second… The demons should therefore be careful and curtail their godless civilization… otherwise they are doomed.”
From audio transcripts on the Bhagavad-Gita chapter 2, text 22, recorded November 26, 1972 in Hyderabad –
“You are not taking advantage of these facilities, natural facilities. You are misled by so-called material civilization, and you are doomed.”
One more reference from a room Conversation — July 6th, 1976, in Washington, D. C. –
“We are giving all, all round enlightenment. Bhagavad-Gita is full of information from all standpoint. Yada yada hi dharmasya glanir bhavati [Bg 4.7]. We are now in such a downtrodden position, the whole human … He must accept. There is… The civilization is doomed.”
From a room Conversation — December 27, 1975, in Bombay –
“The rascal leader is also blind and the followers are blind, so both of them are doomed. Therefore the conclusion is, the modern civilization is misguided.”
Although Srila Prabhupada made reference to democracy and advised devotees to use democracy to elect a Krishna conscious government he clearly indicated that the preferred and more scientific system of governance is monarchy. To state that monarchy is outdated and not practical is to reject one of the pillars of the Vedic culture.
And to deny that ISKCON is not meant to bring about social changes in society is to misunderstand one of the fundamental concepts of the the Krishna consciousness movement.
Srila Prabhupada emphasized again and again that ISKCON as a society is meant to be independent from the present day deviations of modern society. Granted we have to go about this with intelligence but we cannot deny the fact that we don’t support present day misdirected society.
Without Krishna consciousness we have all come to understand that we cannot be happy. Therefore, how to mess up our life without Krishna consciousness is something we can easily accept and understand.
Similarly, without Varnasrama Dharma we must all come to understand that we cannot be happy. Therefore, how to mess up our lives without Varnasrama Dharma is something we should easily accept and understand.
The newly reprinted book SPEAKING ABOUT VARNASRAMA can serve as a foundational guide for those interested to more deeply study the subject matter and surely inspire devotees to concrete actions. The book is available at the ISKCON Daiva Varnasrama Ministry of India which has its Secretariat at Sridham Mayapur.
Thank you very much.
Jai Srila Prabhupada ki Jai!
The presentation itself was not advocating rejection of varnasrama, just explaining how the system must be adopted to suit the needs and desires of modern people. The title itself is a (internal) joke as it paraphrases the title of Radha Govinda mataji’s book.
Dear Lalita mataji
Would you please clarify what “…..the needs and desires of modern people.”…. might be.
Mataji do you not think that having an “in joke” as the title of a seminar, supposedly presented to a diverse audience, would be at the least confusing and at best inappropriate ?
Thank you for your consideration and reply.
Ramacandra das
Pranam Prabhu.
Here is my reply that I gave to the same claim that Kaunteya Prabhu made as a reply to his video posted on my youtube channel:
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Pranam Prabhu.
I appreciate your effort to educate leader devotees about how varnasrama could be detrimental if not applied properly. However, you never clarified about what is proper application of varnasrama; rather just clarified in detail what you think is improper application of varnasrama. Just saying what is not varnasrama doesn’t serve anything when varnasrama is not in place at all, without first clarifying and trying to establish what is varnasrama.
What do you think about a title “How to mess up your life following Srila Prabhupada’s books.” Eventhough you may explain how SP books could be misused, basically it remains an offensive title unless you clearly first demonstrate and establish proper following of SP books. Then you can point out some misuses.
Tendency to misuse something doesn’t render it inapplicable. Not seeing any proper example of varnasrama (which ISKCON as a society has deliberately failed to establish, thanks to seminars like this), people already have doubts about trying to establish varnasrama (50% of Srila Prabhupada’s mission, TKG Diary Aug 1977); and seminars like yours leave them more doubtful with an added point that “if you try to establish varnasrama, you risk messing up people’s lives.”
Many of the points in your seminar were your own thinking that how varnasrama could be misused. If you would have sincere, you could have discussed about them beforehand to see if really they are as you think. Did Srila Prabhupada ever presented varnasrama like a risk of messing up your life? Please read Srila Prabhupada on varnasrama book and you will come to know he always presented varnasrama as the only hope for the distressed people of the world (both devotees and non-devotees). Even for the cases where he was particularly asked that if there is no women’s liberation then in today’s world women will be exploited, to which SP replied that it is better to be exploited by one men than all men. This answer is much different from the whole thesis of you lecture which says that if the other party is not proper then we are not obliged to follow our dharma. However, SP and Vedic sastras say differently; examples of SP’s sister, mandodari (Ravana’s wife), etc.
Anyways, you have tried to pick and chose quotations of your choice and in almost all cases you needed to explain to see them with your glass. You supplied the quote of SP saying that if man is properly trained then the whole problem is solved, but did not supply the other quote where SP said that in almost all divorces and problems between husband and wife, they are due to wife not due to husband.
I am not a misogynist, but trying to present understandings as per guru-sadhu-sastra, which are strikingly different from our pratyaksa and anumana. Your thesis of relationships work only when they are two way is an example of modern psychological understanding which is based on marxist thinking. However, Vedic thesis is that one has to do one’s own duty no matter the other person is not doing his duty (there may be some exceptions and exceptions don’t make the rule). This understanding gives stability to the society and the other understanding which you propose gives more instability; because it is based on one’s own comfort in center and not dharma or duty in center. Basically this shift in thinking from vedic duty centered to own comfort (and not being exploited) centered is the reason why women in western (and now increasingly in India also) countries are very disturbed and unsatisfied, while the old cultured ladies in india were very satisfied even if the Britishers saw (with their freudean thinking) that Indian women are exploited. It is they (the Britishers) who tried to give Indians these glasses (of freudean self centered thinking) by which India would hate its own culture (which is followable by the whole world). They wrote scholarly books and thesis on vedic literatures (like Max Muller, Collins etc.) and the arguments which they put forward in order to break Indian culture, are strikingly the same arguments that you and other devotees are putting forward in trying to establish that ISKCON doesn’t need varnasrama dharma to be followed or that it is outdated. Some of the quotations that you supplied from the Manu-samhita and their explanations are very similar to the explanations of the same verses (and context in which they are supplied) in such books that were meant to destroy Vedic Culture in India.
I think I can stop here. More could be discussed in this regard if we can meet face to face. For Your Information, I am serving for last 13 years for varnasrama mision of Srila Prabhupada and for last 8 years am an active part of a varnasrama village (having 100 devotees or 20 families staying without electricity etc.). I have seen in front of my eyes one full generation being trained. In our experience no aspect of varnasrama is going to mess up your life; I have seen it only flourishing lives of devotees. Those who want to see living example, are invited to visit our place and stay for a few days and discuss with the families staying here. I invite you also to visit here and we can discuss many things – how practically we should apply sastric injunctions about varnasrama and how to also understand them through guru-sadhu-sastra; it is a science. In modern language we call it Social Engineering, however, I call it dharma as we do not depend on modern changing social values but the eternal values (more better term is dharma) given by Lord Krishna Himself through sastras.
Thankyou,
Your servant,
damodara das
Valid points Prabhu. Thank you for adding your comments.
Pranam !
Excellent article
Iresponsible persons like Kaunteya Das should be removed from office ,instead I who rebutted him for his utterly stupid understanding of Ksatriya Dharma was removed from my position as the Director of Dept of Ksatriya Dharma in Varnashrama Ministry giving some lame excuse.
I did not mind or object since anyway i was not being allowed to implement my project of introducing Ksatriya Dharma in Iskcon so the post was redundant anyways.
[…] How to mess up your life without varnasrama! Response to a seminar given in Mayapur during ILS entitled “How to mess up your life with varnasrama. In as much as the absence of Bhagavat Dharma, known as spiritual sva-dharma, (in ISKCON “Krishna consciousness”) creates chaos and confusion among individuals and within society, the absence of the sacred system called Varnasrama Dharma, known as material sva-dharma (in ISKCON yet to be realized as Krishna consciousness) creates similar chaos and confusion among individuals and within society. To read the original article kindly click here. […]
Thank you for a beautiful article, Maharaja! I pray for the day that the leaders stop sabotaging or belittling the concept of follow all of Srila Prabhupada’s instructions, without unnecessary interpretation, modification, without adding or substracting anything.
Prabhupada stressed that we work together cooperatively buts when discussing this topic there are many devotees who think their idea of practicing Varnashram is the only way. How can one cooperate in a “hollier than thou” atmosphere.
Let them debate their ideas. This is the traditional process.
Co-operate doesn’t mean to come to some compromise but we should all co-operate with Srila Prabhupada’s instructions. Say if some “great devotee group” says that we should now make the 4th regulative principle voluntary for getting initiated. Another group says that no we should not make this change. And thus there is a fight between the two group to the extent that the whole movement can get splitted.
Now the leaders of the movement say that let us co-operate and make some adjustment to the 4th regulative principle — say in India it is mandatory but in west it is not; or many more combinations can be thought.
Is this type of co-operation valid? Did Srila Prabhupada meant such a type of co-operation?
We should co-operate, but not to kill Srila Prabhupada’s. We should co-operate to follow Srila Prabhupada.
So actually we should co-operate with Srila Prabhupada, not with those who want to betray him.
Regarding “their idea of practicing varnasrama,” there is no such thing as my idea or your idea of practicing varnasrama. Varnasrama is varnasrama and there is no second idea than the one of guru-sadhu-sastra. Srila Prabhupada echoed the same idea and has never presented any concocted idea of varnasrama. Better directly say that you do not want to follow varnasrama than to hijack it presentingidea of varnasrama different from guru-sadhu-sastra.
And if you say that different people have different ideas of guru-sadhu-sastra then you are presenting the same logic as that of mayavadis like Vivekananda and Rama Krishna’s “jato mata tato patha.” This idea is already smashed by Lord Caitanya in Adi Lila, chapter seven: svatah pramana veda pramana siromani, laksana karile svatah pramanata hani.
Very nice article by His Holiness Bhakti Raghav Maharaj.
And H.G. Damodar prabhu’s both response are also epic.