Sri Radha Kunda and Sri Shyam Kunda are sacred places of pilgrimage at Sri Govardhan, near Vrindavan. This class discusses the appearance pastime, and how to approach such a sacred site as this. There will also be a discussion as to what is stopping us from appreciating such spiritually elevated pastimes and topics, and what we can do to improve our spiritual standing.
Hare Krishna!
ISKCON Stouffville Program on 28 Apr 2024 5:15 PM (Eastern Time)
St. James Presbytarian Church, 6432 Main St, Stouffville, L4A 1G3
Appearance of Sri Radha Kunda
Sri Radha Kunda, along with Sri Shyam Kunda, are among the holiest places of pilgrimage for Vaishnavas. Located at the foot of Sri Govardhan near Vrindavan, they are most auspicious for any fortunate soul who can get a chance to visit them.
We will discuss the following at this class:
The Deliverance of the Demon Aristasura
The playful interactions of Krishna and the Gopis
The appearance of Sri Shyam Kunda
The appearance of Sri Radha Kunda
The disappearance and rediscovery of these sacred ponds
The depth of pastimes such as these, and why we don’t discuss them publicly except in an introductory form
Who cannot appreciate such pastimes
The condition of most of humanity at present
How to improve our spiritual life following the instructions of Srila Prabhupada.
The class will be recorded by ISKCON Stouffville and later uploaded online.
I will also record this class and broadcast it live. Later on, I will send out a link to the recording to those who have expressed interest.
Please contact if you’re interested in joining this class.
Recently, Pope Francis apologized for the abuse and killing of Inuit children in residential schools in Canada. But is an apology enough? Does the faith he profess even understand what “spirit soul” means? I challenge all Christians to read and understand the Bhagavad Gita, so they can actually be Christians one day.
I live in Canada, which was once only inhabited by Native Canadians of various tribes. Then the European settlers came, and now, only a few hundred years later, you hardly see any Native Canadians. They are mostly relegated to faraway remote reserves, and reduced to a tiny minority. The few Native Canadians are often seen in cities, in terrible shape, drugged, drunk, and in a really difficult situation. Their culture stands decimated, and their age-old customs are all but destroyed. They don’t possess much either, having been mostly tricked or cheated out of their land, their rights, their heritage.
Among other things that contributed to their misery, there was this strategy of conversion to Christianity without due respect to their culture and rights as souls. Their free will was trampled willy nilly.
Sometimes the force was overt, and sometimes it was insidious and downright criminal. For example, one strategy adopted by the Government of Canada and the Christian Church was that of forcibly separating young Native Canadians from their families and putting them into residential schools, where they were to be reformed of their “heathen culture” and made into proper Christians.
Kamloops Indian Residential School
But in these schools, many children were abused and tortured by their Christian teachers and the Christian priests, and many even died. Think about it, imagine what it is like for a child to go to school to be “civilized” and be killed by the Christians. Their little friends were then often made to dig graves and bury the dead children. Can you even imagine the horror?
These souls were shot dead due to “overcrowding”
So far, in Canada, thousands of graves have been uncovered, and more are yet to be uncovered. This has shocked the nation beyond words. Whatever happened to “Thou Shalt Not Kill”?
Mass grave of 182 buried children’s bodies, at a residential school in British Columbia, Canada
Similar abuse was perpetrated in the United States of America also, and in most parts of North and South America.
So why did this happen? Well, there are many reasons, but there is one particular main reason.
In Christianity, there is an idiotic concept that only certain types of humans “have souls” and all the other types of humans (such as natives or aborigines, or, anyone who is not European or Christian), animals, birds, insects, and plants have no souls. I wrote about Descartes being in ignorance about the nature of consciousness and life. This is continuing to cause havoc all over our planet, including mass slaughter and all kinds of exploitation.
What I found shocking though, is that the root cause of the injustice heaped upon native people in various parts of the world, including India, Asia, and Africa, are doctrines published by the Church!
The Doctrine of Discovery dehumanized humans
There is something called the “Doctrine of Discovery“, which are Papal Bulls, or decrees by the Pope, issued, starting in the 1100s, and then later in 1455 and 1493 by the Pope of the time. What they said, in essence, was that the native population of “discovered lands” were not “human” and could therefore not possibly possess a right to any land or property, and that essentially everything that the European explorers “discovered” was theirs to claim!
I grew up in India, where Christian preachers routinely denounced the ancient Vedic culture as barbaric and uncultured. In effect they preached that the followers of any culture or religion that is not European in origin were “heathen”, people bereft of souls, or worse, souls claimed by the devil. These poor creatures, then, in essence, were meant to be “saved” by trampling over, destroying their culture, appropriating their land and wealth, and somehow or other converting them to Christianity, even if what they were following was higher than what the missionaries were preaching.
A Christian Preacher
But unfortunately, even today, the Pope and most of his followers are in the deepest, darkest ignorance.
Thomas Paine, American Thinker
There are fundamental truths that the Pope needs to learn from the Bhagavad Gita, that life cannot exist without spirit. Wherever there is life, there is a spirit soul underlying… the only difference, as I discussed in a previous article is that of the degree of awakening of consciousness. In short, a drunk man and a sober men are both human, but the drunk man may act just like an animal… doesn’t make him “not a soul”, just a soul under the influence of an intoxicant! Similarly, an animal may be less intelligent than a human, but is still a spirit soul!
Read the Bhagavad Gita to get a clearer understanding of the Holy Bible
As a result of this terrible ignorance that continues to be perpetrated, among other atrocities, for example, there is large-scale slaughter of animals and birds going on, sanctioned by the Christian church, under the doctrine that only humans have souls!
Dear Pope Francis, humans don’t “have” souls, but are souls! So are all the other living entities, including the tiniest germ… they are simply wearing different clothes, just like you wear your robes, and someone might dress in a pair of jeans and a shirt… Both of you are humans, just wearing different clothes.
All living entities are spirit souls, experiencing a particular material experience
So recently, Pope Francis apologized for the crimes committed at the Canadian residential schools, and previous Popes have apologized for the slave trade, for crimes against women, against Jews, for sexual abuse, to Orthodox Christians, and for sure, there will be many more apologies. But what good are these apologies? The wrongs have been done, many souls have suffered, and the perpetrators are suffering the effects of following a flawed authority. And what is worse, the atrocities based on ignorance continue!
But if the Pope, meant to be God’s direct representative on this planet does not know the Supreme Absolute Truth, and has a need to apologize for their predecessor’s mistakes, then how pure is that connection to God? How deep is the spiritual understanding of the Pope? Is there any sense in following someone who is spiritually blind?
न ते विदु: स्वार्थगतिं हि विष्णुं दुराशया ये बहिरर्थमानिन: । अन्धा यथान्धैरुपनीयमाना- स्तेऽपीशतन्त्र्यामुरुदाम्नि बद्धा: ॥ ३१ ॥
na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇuṁ durāśayā ye bahir-artha-māninaḥ andhā yathāndhair upanīyamānās te ’pīśa-tantryām uru-dāmni baddhāḥ
Persons who are strongly entrapped by the consciousness of enjoying material life, and who have therefore accepted as their leader or guru a similar blind man attached to external sense objects, cannot understand that the goal of life is to return home, back to Godhead, and engage in the service of Lord Viṣṇu. As blind men guided by another blind man miss the right path and fall into a ditch, materially attached men led by another materially attached man are bound by the ropes of fruitive labor, which are made of very strong cords, and they continue again and again in materialistic life, suffering the threefold miseries.
No disrespect to the blind, but the blind leading the blind in unknown territory is not such a good idea. Everyone ends up in a ditch sooner or later. The Pope must admit his ignorance and surrender to someone who does know the truth, for example, a spiritual descendant of His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, such as my spiritual master!
To the Pope, or any of his followers reading this, these are some fundamental truths about life spoken by God in the Bhagavad Gita (The Song of God), please understand them, accept them, and be perfect.
Krishna is God the Father, in other words, the Heavenly Father of Jesus Christ. These are the words of God the Father.
Krishna, the Heavenly Father of Jesus ChristJesus Christ, a True Son of Krishna
I am the source of all spiritual and material worlds. Everything emanates from Me. The wise who perfectly know this engage in My devotional service and worship Me with all their hearts.
Everything rests upon Krishna, and therefore He is the Supreme Authority, even of Jesus Christ, what to speak of a Pope who must apologize for the sins of his predecessors.
Because Krishna is the Supreme Authority, His words, which are above sectarian division like Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Jew, should be accepted as the Supreme Absolute Truth.
वासांसि जीर्णानि यथा विहाय नवानि गृह्णाति नरोऽपराणि । तथा शरीराणि विहाय जीर्णा- न्यन्यानि संयाति नवानि देही ॥ २२ ॥
You are not this body. You are a spirit soul, and so is every living entity. You should not discriminate against a particular living entity just because of the clothes they wear.
सर्वयोनिषु कौन्तेय मूर्तय: सम्भवन्ति या: । तासां ब्रह्म महद्योनिरहं बीजप्रद: पिता ॥ ४ ॥
It should be understood that all species of life, O son of Kuntī, are made possible by birth in this material nature, and that I am the seed-giving father.
Every single species of life originates from God, is a soul, just like you and me. In other words, every living entity is our brother or sister, no less than anyone else.
पिताहमस्य जगतो माता धाता पितामह: । वेद्यं पवित्रम् ॐकार ऋक् साम यजुरेव च ॥ १७ ॥
pitāham asya jagato mātā dhātā pitāmahaḥ vedyaṁ pavitram oṁ-kāra ṛk sāma yajur eva ca
I am the father of this universe, the mother, the support and the grandsire. I am the object of knowledge, the purifier and the syllable oṁ. I am also the Ṛg, the Sāma and the Yajur Vedas.
God is the Father of all of us, not just some of us!
Instead of making mistakes, which is all too human, while spuriously claiming divine revelation and a direct connection to God, it is better to take a humble position, admit our ignorance, follow the right authority, and come to the light.
Dear Pope Francis, you did the right thing by apologizing, but this is not enough. Now, please continue to do the right thing, please follow the Bhagavad Gita, and save yourself and your millions of followers from a dark and dangerous future, beginning with a long time in hell. Please, heed my humble plea.
A person in full consciousness of Me, knowing Me to be the ultimate beneficiary of all sacrifices and austerities, the Supreme Lord of all planets and demigods, and the benefactor and well-wisher of all living entities, attains peace from the pangs of material miseries.
Do the Vedic texts only refer to India? Is the Vedic view that the earth is flat? What is the truth here?
Manoj Tripathi, 19 May 2016
Hare Krishna dear devotees.
Please accept my humble obeisances.
I was reading the Mahabharata translation by Krsna Dharma prabhu, wherein there are references to several places on this earth. The most interesting ones are mentioned in the portions describing the Rajasuya and Ashwamedha yagyas which Maharaja Yudhishthira performed.
All the places mentioned in these parts of the text seem to be in or around India. Also, it is never mentioned that they crossed the ocean to go to some other place like present Australia or the USA.
The questions that arise are following:
a. Were there no powerful kingdoms in other parts of the world; or were the capitals of all the kingdoms located in and around India?
b. Are many of the routes and places which were accessible to people in those times not visible to us now?
I reconcile the present and past with these two arguments. Is there anything else that should be understood while reading about the past?
Sorry if I have posted something irrelevant.
Thank you.
Manoj
Mahabhagavat Das SDA, 19 May 2016
Dear Manoj,
Hare Krishna!
Please accept my humble obeisances.
All glories to Srila Gurudeva.
All glories to Srila Prabhupada.
Yes, Krishna Dharma Prabhu is in disciplic succession from Srila Prabhupada and his translation is relied upon by many devotees within ISKCON.
What is missing in that edition of the Mahabharata is purports as found in Srila Prabhupada’s books to give us full context of the verses (our context is very different today)… but then the work would become really massive because with Srila Prabhupada’s Srimad Bhagavatam purports, with 18,000 verses it comes to 18 volumes of books… the Mahabharata has 100,000 verses! 🙂 How many of us have read even Srila Prabhupada’s books thoroughly?
The main point is that human civilization is a devolution from Vedic civilization, things were not more primitive 5000 years as claimed by modern historians and scientists ago but actually more advanced. This cannot be accepted by a person who is proud.
In one lecture by Srila Prabhupada, on the verse BG 1.5, Srila Prabhupada says this:
“Practically in the Battle of Kuruksetra great personalities, warriors, from all parts of the world they came and joined. Some of them joined with this party and others joined with the other party. So far we have studied… just like Saibya, he belonged to Sibya. So all these personalities, we did not get their full description, it would enhance the pages. But these big personalities, we have got their information. There is a book, The Personalities of Mahabharata. Bhagavad-gita is part of Mahabharata. Mahabharata means greater India. Maha means greater, and bharata means India. So this whole planet was Bharata-varsa. There was only one flag. The whole planet was being ruled by one king. That is the king of this Hastinapura. The fight is that, that who would be the king, Maharaja Yudhisthira or Duryodhana. But a king… It is not a democratic; it is monarchy. So Krsna is deciding, “No, Duryodhana is unfit. Maharaja Yudhisthira is fit.” This is Krsna’s desire. Therefore this fight is there. Kuruksetra. Krsna wanted to wipe out all unwanted demons from the face of the world and enthrone Maharaja Yudhisthira because he is the exact representative of Krsna.” (Srila Prabhupada Lecture, “Everything (Even Dictatorship) Can Be Utilized for Krishna” 73/07/10 London, Bhagavad-gita 1.4-5)
So, the situation was that there were kings all over the world, but there were greater kings and lesser kings. And this was a war of the advanced Kshatriya races, the tribals, low-class humans, and animal-like-humans were not involved in it. In the Ashwamedha yajna, or declaration of supremacy, it was only necessary to get allegiance from the greater kings, the subordinates were naturally bound to follow suit. And of course, less advanced humans didn’t even figure in the equation.
Even in more modern times, it was like that with the Greek or Roman empire, if someone destroyed Athens or Rome, then the entire empire was practically gone.
Also, travel was not necessarily done as it is done today – for example, in the Mahabharata it is mentioned that Arjuna travelled to the heavenly planets. Where is the transportation means today that can take someone to the heavenly planets? So yes, the means of transportation as it existed then is not known today.
The secret is mantra yoga, by proper chanting of a mantra, one can achieve any desired success, whether material or spiritual, it is not necessary to make a tunnel to go through a mountain, it is not necessary to construct a floating ship to go over water, and it is not necessary to construct a metal tube with Bernoulli’s principle to fly in the air. The mantra is very powerful.
However, in the Krishna consciousness movement, we are not interested in discovering processes of material accomplishments, we simply want to chant
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna
Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama
Rama Rama Hare Hare
The Hare Krishna Maha Mantra
and become pure servants of the servants of the devotees of Krishna.
So therefore, we don’t always focus so much on the exact reconciliation of modern understanding with what is mentioned in the Vedic literature, we are going for the highest success, we don’t care to fly in a celestial flying craft or manufacture gold from chanting mantras etc.
Does this make sense?
Sincerely,
Mahabhagvat das
Manoj Tripathi, 19 May 2016
Thank you Mahabhagvata Prabhu for such a lucid answer.
These kinds of questions automatically come to mind, however upon thinking a little more I realize that there is no end to such inquiries.
Thank you so much for bringing me back.
Hare Krishna!
Sincerely,
Manoj
Kaspars, 02 June 2016
Hare Krishna!
Please accept my humble obeisances.
All glories to Srila Prabhupada.
Is the planet Earth considered circular or flat in Vedic literature? One local devotee answered to me like this. Advanced people see more dimensions, not our three… It is length, width, height. So we cannot even imagine how Earth looks in other dimensions. Still I am curious whether the Earth was considered flat by ancient people. And how then we get the circular globe.
The Vedic cosmology goes beyond our insignificant planet. The “earth” is actually a large collection of “earthly” planets (islands) that are arranged to form something that looks like a disc. So yes, the “earth” is flat, but only when you consider that “earth” means “earthly planetary system with many many planets such as ours”.
Also, this is a video especially for you, this is a simulation of the chandelier that will be inside the TOVP dome, it gives a good idea of Vedic cosmology according to Srimad Bhagavatam 5th Canto… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zdX5lffC2IQ
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Can a Muslim be a Brahmin? Can a Vaishnava be as good as a Mullah or Rabbi or Christian priest? Here are some great insights from a Maulvi in Hyderabad!
Not long ago, I was out on the street distributing the Bhagavad Gita in the South Central Indian City of Hyderabad. Hyderabad, like most cities in India, is a beautiful confluence of many cultures. Specifically, in Hyderabad, there is a significant mix of Hindu, Muslim, and Christian populations, and the history of the city has a strong Muslim flavour. For the most part, people have lived in harmony for hundreds of years. There have been flash-points and incidents of hatred, but relatively rare.
One day, as I stood on the street, I saw an elderly gentlemen, clearly Muslim from his long white beard with moustache shaved off, a baggy light-coloured Salwar Kameez, and a distinctive skull cap. He walked slowly, with a walker, that he gently placed in front of him, and then moved his legs closer to the walker, shuffling by slowly. I respectfully made way for this gentleman and greeted him with a little bow.
He passed back-and-forth a few times, and seeing his friendly countenance, I asked him if he would read the Bhagavad Gita. He said he most certainly would, if I had a Hindi version available. He then told me that he had been to the ISKCON Radha Madan Mohan temple in Abids, Hyderabad several times for the Sunday feast program, and had participated in Harinam Sankirtan, and taken Prasad many times at the temple. The surprise must have been clear on my face, because he then said “Do you know that I am a Brahmin?”.
He then explained “I am the Maulvi of this mosque around this corner. I have dedicated my life to Allah. I don’t eat meat and I don’t drink alcohol. I teach the scripture. So how am I not a Brahmin?”. He then added “The Gita was spoken by Allah and the Q’uran was spoken by Allah, so why would I read one but not the other?“. I was very much gladdened by his mature understanding. This is exactly our Vaishnava understanding too.
In the Bhagavad Gita, Sri Krishna describes the qualities of a Brahmin…
śamo damas tapaḥ śaucaṁ kṣāntir ārjavam eva ca jñānaṁ vijñānam āstikyaṁ brahma-karma svabhāva-jam
Peacefulness, self-control, austerity, purity, tolerance, honesty, knowledge, wisdom and religiousness – these are the natural qualities by which the brāhmaṇas work.
So, if we see any living entity from any cultural background or any religious orientation who has these qualities, we must accept them as good as Brahmins. Of course, Krishna also says that Brahmin is not only by quality, but also by the work they do…
According to the three modes of material nature and the work associated with them, the four divisions of human society are created by Me. And although I am the creator of this system, you should know that I am yet the nondoer, being unchangeable.
Srila Prabhupada describes the 6 duties of a Brahmin…
Brāhmaṇas are supposed to acquire six kinds of auspicious qualifications: they become very learned scholars (paṭhana) and very qualified teachers (pāṭhana); they become expert in worshiping the Lord or the demigods (yajana), and they teach others how to execute this worship (yājana); they qualify themselves as bona fide persons to receive alms from others (pratigraha), and they distribute the wealth in charity (dāna).
Based on instructions from the Vaishnava Acharyas, the great saintly teachers, we accept that Prophet Muhammad is an empowered messenger sent directly by God, practically, speaking a “shaktyavesha avataar” or a living entity but with the power to act in a way empowered by God. We accept that Jesus Christ is the son of God, a pure devotee fully dovetailed with the desire of God. We accept that there is only one God, known by different names and different degrees of understanding, as an impersonal spirit (Brahman), as a localized supersoul (Paramatma), and as the Personality of Godhead (Bhagavan).
When our constitutional position, or dharma, is deteriorated due to the contaminations of matter, the Lord Himself comes as an incarnation or sends some of His confidential servitors. Lord Jesus Christ called himself the “son of God,” and so is a representative of the Supreme. Similarly, Mohammed identified himself as a servant of the Supreme Lord. Thus whenever there is a discrepancy in our constitutional position, the Supreme Lord either comes Himself or sends His representative to inform us of the real position of the living entity.
I offered my deepest respects to that great Maulvi, that Muslim priest, who has realized the essence of Allah Consciousness in principle. Surely, he is very very close to Allah. By speaking his sweet realized words, he gave me hope that this world can be rectified from its current sectarian path.
In the same way, all the Muslims should accept the advanced Vaishnavas as good as their own Maulvis and Hazrats.
The Christians should accept the advanced Vaishnavas as good as their own nuns, monks, and priests.
The Jews should accept the advanced Vaishnavas as good as their own Rabbis.
This is the principle. One God. Many scriptures according to time, place, and circumstance.
So, what was our conclusion as we parted ways? We concluded that the genuine mature follower of any genuine faith tradition is very similar, they love God, and they love all of God’s creation. They see God everywhere, and see everyone as God’s children, to be loved and served. But the follower-in-name, a materialist or religion-politician of any faith is equally sectarian or in many cases, inhuman, and unfortunately, also evil.
George Orwell’s Animal Farm describes a horrifying story of how “equals” exploit other equals… There are so many different social systems being tried out, communism, capitalism, socialism, and so on, but practically all of them are animalistic. Is there an ideal social system?
There is a famous book by George Orwell, Animal Farm. It is a satire on communism.
In the book, the oppressed animals on a farm overthrow their human farmer and try to create a society based on egalitarian principles, but they end up in a situation much worse than before, under the dictatorship of a pig named Napoleon.
But have you considered any other competing “ism”, such as, say “Capitalism”?
Capitalism, where money rules the roost
Is any materialistic ideology different from any other materialistic ideology when implemented in human society?
Is the end result any different?
Let’s take the case of any “democratic” country… take for example Canada, where I live presently… Canada is high up on the list when it comes to social liberty and freedom, with its famous Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and so on… but even in Canada, let’s take, say, the Prime Minister of Canada – does anyone feel that such a person is “equal” to the rest of us living in Canada? OK, let’s leave the top powerful people aside… let’s take an ordinary police officer… there was recently a case in which a Toronto Police Officer accessed a database, gave his son the name and address of an individual who drove a car with a certain license plate, and the individual ended up dead because of that.
The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms
And if you want to exclude that type of power from the equation, let’s take the case of the Native Canadians! The original first nations people of Canada – where are they? I have mostly seen them destitute and begging on the streets. How on earth did Canadian society engineer that injustice?
Canadian Beggar
There are extreme examples, for example communism is supposed to be a classless society in which everyone is equal, has access to common prosperity, and equal opportunity for the best possible life. What is the reality though? The children of communist leaders study in the top schools, go to the top universities, and the children of the rural citizens? They are not even allowed to get off the farm, because then, who will feed the cities cheap food? This is institutionalized with many systems, such as the Hukou system. We see leaders trying to hold on to power until their dying breath, Stalin, Lenin, and Mao are all examples of that. There are any number of present leaders who want to entrench themselves for the duration of their lives!
Communism is based on materialistic ideals
But lest you think that some other competing system like democratic capitalism is better, just look around us – some people have no access to clean drinking water, food, and opportunity in life, just by the compounded effect of generations of exploitation. Some people have what is known as “inter-generational wealth”, and others struggle to pay their rent, living in buildings owned by REITs funded by, guess who, those with inherited wealth! Of course, who ends up born in better or worse material circumstances depends on the past karma of every individual.
Homeless person in Toronto, Canada
Ultimately no materialistic or man-made system can be perfect. The only perfect system is the one that is created by the Creator of all Natural Systems, variously referred to as Allah, Jehovah, or Krishna but referring to the same one Person.
Krishna, the Perfect Creator of the Perfect Society
It is called “Varnashrama”, which is a combination of 2 words “Varna” and “Ashrama”… Varna means occupation, Ashrama means “Life Status”…
The system is organized as follows – there are 4 main Varnas, and 4 main Ashramas, which gives rise to a combination of 16 different categories of people, which are a natural order of society.
According to the three modes of material nature and the work associated with them, the four divisions of human society are created by Me. And although I am the creator of this system, you should know that I am yet the nondoer, being unchangeable.
Ah, there you go, you might say, here comes the infamous Indian caste system, which has resulted in so much suffering, so much inequity, so much bias, and so much violence and exploitation.
The present-day Indian caste system is demonic
Two words are key here, one is “guna” and the other is “karma”.
The present Indian caste system is based on birth, which is called “janma”… basing the caste system on birth is like saying that all doctors’ children will be ever forevermore doctors, or that all of the judges’ children will be anointed judges. Yes, if you are born in a technical or a medical or a business family, it is very likely you will take up the same line because the whole atmosphere is steeped with that particular mood, but you still have to go to medical school or law school or learn to operate a business!
A doctor must be properly qualified
So therefore, the caste system based on birth alone is rejected… instead, every person is analyzed according to their qualities and the work they do.
If for example, someone is born in a family of doctors cannot clear high school or medical school, they will not get the degree and will not be allowed to practice. So why then is someone born in the family of a Brahmana but has the mindset of a worker still demand the social position of a Brahmana?
A judge must be duly qualified
This degraded practice alone has completely destroyed the original social system in India, and is responsible for the destruction of the high class Vedic culture. After all, just like in the famous book by George Orwell, if you make a pig the leader of society, the position will not alter the fact that the pig is, at the root of it, still a pig!
A pig in a suit is still a pig!
The 4 orders are compared to the various parts of the body – the Brahmanas to the head, the Kshatriyas to the hands, the Vaishyas to the stomach, and the Shudras to the legs. This is not derogatory, the head alone cannot get much done, and neither can the hands, stomach, or legs on their own.
The different sections of society must work together, just like the parts of our bodies
Imagine the legs running around without a head, or the hands flailing about in one place, or the stomach starving for the want of food! Our society is presently just like that.
So, in modern day society, we see that the humans are actually divided into 4 categories, represented by animals.
श्वविड्वराहोष्ट्रखरै: संस्तुत: पुरुष: पशु: । न यत्कर्णपथोपेतो जातु नाम गदाग्रज: ॥ १९ ॥
śva-viḍ-varāhoṣṭra-kharaiḥ saṁstutaḥ puruṣaḥ paśuḥ na yat-karṇa-pathopeto jātu nāma gadāgrajaḥ
Men who are like dogs, hogs, camels and asses praise those men who never listen to the transcendental pastimes of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the deliverer from evils.
Why dogs, hogs, camels, and asses? Do we have some kind of hatred for these animals? No, we respect every living entity, but we lament the lost opportunity when a living entity who has achieved a human form of life descends to lower species in life…
Dogs will be dogs
Why and how are humans like dogs?
Modern university education practically prepares one to acquire a doggish mentality with which to accept the service of a greater master. After finishing a so-called education, the so-called educated persons move like dogs from door to door with applications for some service, and mostly they are driven away, informed of no vacancy. As dogs are negligible animals and serve the master faithfully for bits of bread, a man serves a master faithfully without sufficient rewards.
Persons who have no discrimination in the matter of foodstuff and who eat all sorts of rubbish are compared to hogs. Hogs are very much attached to eating stools. So stool is a kind of foodstuff for a particular type of animal. And even stones are eatables for a particular type of animal or bird. But the human being is not meant for eating everything and anything; he is meant to eat grains, vegetables, fruits, milk, sugar, etc. Animal food is not meant for the human being. For chewing solid food, the human being has a particular type of teeth meant for cutting fruits and vegetables. The human being is endowed with two canine teeth as a concession for persons who will eat animal food at any cost. It is known to everyone that one man’s food is another man’s poison. Human beings are expected to accept the remnants of food offered to Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, and the Lord accepts foodstuff from the categories of leaves, flowers, fruits, etc. (Bg. 9.26). As prescribed by Vedic scriptures, no animal food is offered to the Lord. Therefore, a human being is meant to eat a particular type of food. He should not imitate the animals to derive so-called vitamin values. Therefore, a person who has no discrimination in regard to eating is compared to a hog.
A camel eats thorns, and thinks they are tasty whereas it tastes its own blood as the thorns cut the insides of its mouth
Why camels?
The camel is a kind of animal that takes pleasure in eating thorns. A person who wants to enjoy family life or the worldly life of so-called enjoyment is compared to the camel. Materialistic life is full of thorns, and so one should live only by the prescribed method of Vedic regulations just to make the best use of a bad bargain. Life in the material world is maintained by sucking one’s own blood. The central point of attraction for material enjoyment is sex life. To enjoy sex life is to suck one’s own blood, and there is not much more to be explained in this connection. The camel also sucks its own blood while chewing thorny twigs. The thorns the camel eats cut the tongue of the camel, and so blood begins to flow within the camel’s mouth. The thorns, mixed with fresh blood, create a taste for the foolish camel, and so he enjoys the thorn-eating business with false pleasure. Similarly, the great business magnates, industrialists who work very hard to earn money by different ways and questionable means, eat the thorny results of their actions mixed with their own blood. Therefore the Bhāgavatam has situated these diseased fellows along with the camels.
An ass carrying a heavy load, all for a little grass
And why asses?
The ass is an animal who is celebrated as the greatest fool, even amongst the animals. The ass works very hard and carries burdens of the maximum weight without making profit for itself.* The ass is generally engaged by the washerman, whose social position is not very respectable. And the special qualification of the ass is that it is very much accustomed to being kicked by the opposite sex. When the ass begs for sexual intercourse, he is kicked by the fair sex, yet he still follows the female for such sexual pleasure. A henpecked man is compared, therefore, to the ass. The general mass of people work very hard, especially in the Age of Kali. In this age the human being is actually engaged in the work of an ass, carrying heavy burdens and driving ṭhelā and rickshaws. The so-called advancement of human civilization has engaged a human being in the work of an ass. The laborers in great factories and workshops are also engaged in such burdensome work, and after working hard during the day, the poor laborer has to be again kicked by the fair sex, not only for sex enjoyment but also for so many household affairs.
What happens when humans who are just like hogs, dogs, camels, and asses go to the election? The dogs vote for a big dog, the hogs vote for a big hog, the camels vote for a big camel, and the asses vote for a big ass.
We end up with a civilization of dogs, hogs, camels, and asses!
And we get a leadership that is full of such dogs, hogs, camels, and asses!
And what will such leaders do in society? They will promote animalism, they might spout big ideals just like the hogs in George Orwell’s book do, but quietly or openly promote animalistic civilization.
Srila Prabhupada once called democracy as “demon crazy”! In other words, the democratic process does not get us the best leaders, only the lowest common denominator.
An ideal society without God in the Centre is not possible
Take your pick, the system created by God or the system created by animals masquerading as humans.
I am not sure if you are aware and know about the caste system prevalent in India
If you do know then please answer the question:
Is the caste system which is prevalent in India, based on the four divisions of human society – as mentioned in Vedic Scriptures?
Sunil
jagannatha dasa, 15th August 2011
Please accept my humble obeisances.
All glories to Sri Guru and Gauranga!
All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
The term caste is an english word. In this context it is intended to refer to the concept of varna, or social divisions of society. It is one half of varnasrama, the other consisting of spiritual orders of life.
According to Bhagavad-gita, 4.13
catur-varnyam maya srstam
guna-karma-vibhagasah
tasya kartaram api mam
viddhy akartaram avyayam
“According to the three modes of material nature and the work associated with them, the four divisions of human society are created by Me. And although I am the creator of this system, you should know that I am yet the nondoer, being unchangeable.”
Guna and karma are very significant here. Guna is your qualities and karma, your work. There is no mention of janma, or birth, therefore the caste system as it is sometimes known today, being based on birth alone is a deviation from Krishna’s arrangement.
Varnas are distinguished by quality of work and situation with regard to the modes of nature (gunas). The brahmanas are the intellectual class and their occupation is hearing Vedic literature, teaching Vedic literature, learning deity worship and teaching deity worship, receiving charity and giving charity.
Ksatriya are warriors, inclined to fight and lead others. They form the administrative or protective occupation according to the system of four social and spiritual orders.
Vaisya (Vaishyas) are members of the mercantile or agricultural class.
Sudras are member of the labourer class. They are meant to render service to the three higher classes, namely the brahmanas, the ksatriyas, and the vaisyas.
Your servant,
-Jagannatha dasa
Gopal Krishna Goswami, is a “Sannyasi” or renunciate monk. Monks like him adopt the entire world as their family
ashutosh pandey, 15th August 2011
Hare krsna!
All glories to Srila Prabhupad
In addition to above reply,
caste was divided scientifically as HG Tirthraj Pr mentions the slokas as they appear..but in this kaliyug everybody is like sudra….as there activity and work resemble to the class of sudra..
Also now a days in INDIA (or anywhere else if applicable) the caste system is no more according to the Vedic philosophy. It has become hierarchical which is not acceptable at all and has become the reason of differences in material context which is again the cause of sufferings. Hence Scriptures cannot be held responsible for problems as some think.
So Srila Prabhupad said that in ISKCON we are making Brahmanas who could work as the brains of this society…
hare Krsna
YS
Ashutosh
Manian VB, 15/08/2011
All glories to Srila Prabhupad
my obeisances to all devotees.
I regret to say that caste system prevalent in India is not based on vedic sysems. But a number of institutions in India teach and practice vedic system of Guruklam ( not caste system) and students grow up as very good citizens. All the political parties in our Country are afraid of taking the name : VEDA. But a small village in Karnataka ( Southern state of India) speak Sanskrit fluently and observe Vedic Rules. I am happy to say that Sanskrit (Vedic language) is spoken fluently in three villages in India, one in karnataka, Madhyapradesh and Uttar Pradesh where it is a spoken language amongst muslims also. You can go to the sites sankrit speaking villages in india and know about it.
your servant
Manian VB
Indresh and Kishori are in the “Grishastha Ashram” – they co-operate to raise children in Krishna conscious together, but still engage in missionary activities such as encouraging others to look into genuine spiritual life. With the results of their hard work, they support various spiritual projects around the world.
Tirtharaja Dasa, 18th August 2011
Hare Krishna Prabhu, kindly accept my humble obeisances. All glories
to Srila Prabhupada.
The caste system as practiced in India today has nothing to do with the four divisions of human society but is merely a pale shadow of the varna side of varnashrama dharma based on the bodily concept of jata. It is noteworthy to know that the four human divisions though divided according to qualification, quality, value and works have a literal representation of the complete human body in that the Brahmana’s represent the head, the Ksatriya’s the arms, the Vaisya’s the belly and Sudra’s the legs thus stressing that one part of society within the complete body of society cannot exist seperately and independently thus the head does not look down on the arms and the rest of the body nor vice-versa as inferior though each has a distinct function separate from other parts but are still inter-related and
interdependant. This is a systematic way of body and human society liberation both
individualy and collectively.
Hare Krsna.
Yls
Tirtharaja Dasa.
Radhika Raman Das and his wife Meenakshi are also Grihasthas, they work, maintain a household, dressed here in traditional clothing, also out on the street encouraging passersby to look into genuine spiritual life
Sunil, 19th August 2011
Respected Devotees and Disciples
Please accept my humble obeisances
I read all the answers and felt satisfied and clarified
Thankyou and Regards,
Sunil Uttamananda Das is a Brahmachari, a celibate monk who dedicates all his time and energy to serving Krishna, serving in the temple of Krishna, and studying spiritual knowledge very carefully. Monks like Uttamananda follow a strict regimented lifestyle that frees up a lot of time and energy for spiritual pursuits.
Gopal Krishna Goswami, is a “Sannyasi” or renunciate monk. Monks like him adopt the entire world as their family
Indresh and Kishori are in the “Grishastha Ashram” – they co-operate to raise children in Krishna conscious together, but still engage in missionary activities such as encouraging others to look into genuine spiritual life. With the results of their hard work, they support various spiritual projects around the world.
Radhika Raman Das and his wife Meenakshi are also Grihasthas, they work, maintain a household, dressed here in traditional clothing, also out on the street encouraging passersby to look into genuine spiritual life
Uttamananda Das is a Brahmachari, a celibate monk who dedicates all his time and energy to serving Krishna, serving in the temple of Krishna, and studying spiritual knowledge very carefully. Monks like Uttamananda follow a strict regimented lifestyle that frees up a lot of time and energy for spiritual pursuits.
Freedom through Genuine Spiritual Progress 