The Path of the Intelligent and Fortunate
This material life is really hell, if we try to be the enjoyers, because no matter how hard we try to enjoy we are forced to undergo so many miserable conditions. Even if we are highly successful in this world, we still must face the ultimate condition of failure at the time of death. The timeless Vedic wisdom, which has been followed in India for thousands of years, teaches us that through loving devotional service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead executed under the expert guidance of the bona fide spiritual master we escape the misery of this material existence and enter into an eternal existence, which is full of bliss and full of knowledge. Those who are fortunate and intelligent therefore adopt this path of devotion for attaining the supreme destination in the Lord's eternal spiritual kingdom.
Sankarshan Das Adhikari
P.S. I am currently blessed with the auspicious opportunity to reside for several days here in Melbourne in the same house that Srila Prabhupada stayed in when he was in Melbourne, now known as the Prabhupada House.
Kindly accept my humble obeisances.
I'm 25 yrs old and was brought up in atheistic background in south India. Under my mother's influence I was following demigod worship. I was attracted to the all attractive Krishna through Srila Prabhupada's Bhagavad-gita As It Is. I am trying to get more into Krishna consciousness for the past 4 months, and am reading your Ultimate Self Realization mails for the past few days. I have doubts regarding the caste system that has been followed in India. Here it is based on birth and not according to whether the person is a devotee of the all pervading Krishna.
Of all the worst part is that people other than brahmanas were not allowed to enter the temples for worshipping Krishna or the house of an upper caste family. And the reading/studying of the Vedas was limited only to people born in a family of brahmanas. Even untouchability was practiced. Are these things really there in Vedas? Although such rigid practice is not followed now to that severity, it is still followed to a little extent. Why such discrimination? This made my family to get out of Hinduism and atheism occupied us.
Now I can worship Krishna with full freedom at ISKCON, but not in our old temples. This discrimination makes me feel bad when I mingle with born brahmanas. Krishna says in the Bhagavad-gita that everybody is part and parcel of Him and that one who worships Him as the Supreme Personality, chants His names, and engages himself in His devotional service is a brahmana. So why people are practicing discrimination against devotees here in India? Is something like this mentioned in Vedas? If Krishna Himself is the Vedas, then why this rigid discriminatory caste system was followed in India? The only hindrance to my advancement in Krishna consciousness is my thoughts and doubts about this. Your answer to this mail will help to bring my atheistic father also into Krishna consciousness.
Kindly forgive me for any mistakes I've made with my thoughts and doubts.
Your lowly servant,
Divya
cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ
guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ
tasya kartāram api māṁ
viddhy akartāram avyayam
SYNONYMS
cātuḥ-varṇyam--the four divisions of human society; mayā--by Me; sṛṣṭam--created; guṇa--of quality; karma--and work; vibhāgaśaḥ--in terms of division; tasya--of that; kartāram--the father; api--although; mām--Me; viddhi--you may know; akartāram--as the nondoer; avyayam--unchangeable.
TRANSLATION
"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."--Bhagavad-gita 4.13
Note in the above verse that Krishna recognizes one's position within the four social orders not according to janma or birth. He instead recognizes one's position based on guna and karma, one's qualities and activities. In other words, if one has the qualities of a brahmana as described in the Bhagavad-gita and acts as brahmana (priestly-intellectual class), he is accepted as a brahmana, even if he was born in a sudra (worker class) family. In the original Vedic culture there is complete mobility through the social strata. The caste system we see in India today is a corruption of the actual caste system. It is not the bona fide caste system.
Sankarshan Das Adhikari
Sankarshan Das Adhikari
P.S. I am currently blessed with the auspicious opportunity to reside for several days here in Melbourne in the same house that Srila Prabhupada stayed in when he was in Melbourne, now known as the Prabhupada House.
The Prabhupada House--Melbourne, Australia
Answers According to the Vedic Version:
Question: Why Such a Rigid Caste System in India?
Hare Krishna, Guru Maharaja,Kindly accept my humble obeisances.
I'm 25 yrs old and was brought up in atheistic background in south India. Under my mother's influence I was following demigod worship. I was attracted to the all attractive Krishna through Srila Prabhupada's Bhagavad-gita As It Is. I am trying to get more into Krishna consciousness for the past 4 months, and am reading your Ultimate Self Realization mails for the past few days. I have doubts regarding the caste system that has been followed in India. Here it is based on birth and not according to whether the person is a devotee of the all pervading Krishna.
Of all the worst part is that people other than brahmanas were not allowed to enter the temples for worshipping Krishna or the house of an upper caste family. And the reading/studying of the Vedas was limited only to people born in a family of brahmanas. Even untouchability was practiced. Are these things really there in Vedas? Although such rigid practice is not followed now to that severity, it is still followed to a little extent. Why such discrimination? This made my family to get out of Hinduism and atheism occupied us.
Now I can worship Krishna with full freedom at ISKCON, but not in our old temples. This discrimination makes me feel bad when I mingle with born brahmanas. Krishna says in the Bhagavad-gita that everybody is part and parcel of Him and that one who worships Him as the Supreme Personality, chants His names, and engages himself in His devotional service is a brahmana. So why people are practicing discrimination against devotees here in India? Is something like this mentioned in Vedas? If Krishna Himself is the Vedas, then why this rigid discriminatory caste system was followed in India? The only hindrance to my advancement in Krishna consciousness is my thoughts and doubts about this. Your answer to this mail will help to bring my atheistic father also into Krishna consciousness.
Kindly forgive me for any mistakes I've made with my thoughts and doubts.
Your lowly servant,
Divya
Answer: The Original Caste System is Completely Fluid
The rigid caste system was introduced by the brahmanas when they lost their spiritual culture and become materialistic. The original caste system as given in the Vedic literatures is not based upon birth, but is instead based upon one's qualities and activities. This is confirmed as follows in the Bhagavad-gita:cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ
guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ
tasya kartāram api māṁ
viddhy akartāram avyayam
SYNONYMS
cātuḥ-varṇyam--the four divisions of human society; mayā--by Me; sṛṣṭam--created; guṇa--of quality; karma--and work; vibhāgaśaḥ--in terms of division; tasya--of that; kartāram--the father; api--although; mām--Me; viddhi--you may know; akartāram--as the nondoer; avyayam--unchangeable.
TRANSLATION
"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."--Bhagavad-gita 4.13
Note in the above verse that Krishna recognizes one's position within the four social orders not according to janma or birth. He instead recognizes one's position based on guna and karma, one's qualities and activities. In other words, if one has the qualities of a brahmana as described in the Bhagavad-gita and acts as brahmana (priestly-intellectual class), he is accepted as a brahmana, even if he was born in a sudra (worker class) family. In the original Vedic culture there is complete mobility through the social strata. The caste system we see in India today is a corruption of the actual caste system. It is not the bona fide caste system.
Sankarshan Das Adhikari
Comments
Post a Comment