daivi-varnasrama

8/4/2019 Daivi-varnasrama

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Daivi-Varrama

During this period (1925-1926) rla Bhaktisiddhnta Sarasvat hkuraspoke widely on the topic ofdaiv-varrama, a theme he often dwelton throughout his preaching. For example, in an interview in 1929 withProfessor Albert Suthers of Ohio State University, he made thefollowing stunning analysis ofvarrama in response to a question onthe caste system:Professor Suthers: Do you recognise caste distinctions? The caste

Hindus look down upon the other classes with an eye of contempt andneglect. Do you too do so?rla Sarasvat hkura: As the judgement of the Vaiava philosophy isfavourable towards the service of God, the technologies givingexpression to it are also different from those of the ordinary judgementsof moralists of other sects. You have already heard that the Vaiavashave no regard for the morality or ethical principles of atheists. They donot also pay much respect to the reality of the moral principles of the

theists in whose judgement worship of God is only of secondaryimportance. They (the Vaiavas) say that the service of God or love ofGod is the principal matter. Other matters should be helpful andsubservient to that principal matter. When the two things, viz., innatetendency and circumstance of man become ready to be helpful towardsthe principal matter viz., God's service, then is established a good socialorder known as daiv-varnrama (divine system of castes and stages oflife). Till the natural tendency of the human soul is manifest, theviolation of this order causes much disorder and difficulty both

individually and aggregately. This caste system follows man's nature andpredilection. It is scientific to ascertain one's caste in accordance withone's natural predilection. Much disturbance is created, bothindividually and aggregately, on account of the non-acceptance of thisinviolable scientific principle of natural predilection as observed andpromulgated by our ancient sages of vast experience, and the wrong

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adoption of the seminal principle only, i.e., the principle of determiningcaste by birth alone. It is due to the fact that this principle of castedetermination was at one time perfect and nice at all points in India,that even this day the Indians are able to stand erect with a challenging

mood before the world on the glorious foundation of the past. If weexamine the present social system of the Europeans, we find thatwhatever beauty we find in that system has as its source thedetermination of the caste or social order according to naturalpredilection. There we find that a person having a martial tendency (i.e.that for the life of a katriya) joins the army; another with a tendency ofa vaiya is engaged in improving commerce; those with the tendencypeculiar to dras serve others. No society can work well, if it does not,more or less, adopt the caste system based on natural inclination in someform or another. Even among the European natives in marital relationsand during social feasts a distinction is made between the higher andlower forms of society governed by natural predilection to which theparticipants belong. Though the natural caste system is to a certainextent adopted by the European Society, it has not yet acquiredscientific perfection. It can do so alongside of the progress in civilizationand knowledge. In India, however, this system attained to perfection onthe basis of the determination of the natural predilection. The great

history of India, viz., the Mahbhrata, gives thousands of instances toprove this fact. It is on account of the fact that in India such a systemwas based on a scientific foundation that all other nations of the worldadored the Indians as their spiritual guides. Even the people of Egypt,China, etc., received instructions in all matters with their heads bentdown before Indians.We find in the ancient history of India that formerly there was only onecaste and that later on society became most scientifically divided intothe castes ofbrhmaa, katriya etc., according to disparity in theinstinctive inclination for the service of Godhead. The crya placedone in the higher or lower grade of caste system according as the degreeof liking for God's service was high or low. Those who were attachedtowards this service with the strongest devout ardour, and, as suchevinced the greatest intelligence, became brhmaas. They formed thehead of the huge body of the society. According to the guidance of the

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head were conducted the hands, the thighs and the legs, viz., katriyas,vaiyas and dras respectively.Please consider this: It is this head of ours that occupies the highestplace in our body, and it is the propellant of all our senses. What need is

there to say more, when all the senses, viz., the eyes, the ears, the nose,the tongue and the skin are all combined in the head. It is there thatthese along with the mind, intellect and egoism, are all settled. Whenany other limb becomes disordered, its work may be conducted in someother way: for example, when a hand is amputated, oftentimes itsfunction is managed by means of fixing up an artificial hand in its place.But when the brain becomes defective or when the head is decapitated,none of the limbs like the hands, legs, etc., can work. In the same way,the head of the social body, which guides its intelligence indicates thefaculty of the brhmaa. So prayer is offered for being directed with themood for serving God in the Gyatr-mantra (Rig Vedic hymn) to bedaily recited by a brhmaa with a worshipful spirit. The brhmaashave no other intellectual aptitude than such an ardent mood of serviceto God-head. One is degraded to a katriya, vaiya or dra according tothe degree of his fall from that ardent mood of divine service, under theguidance of some other motive. The brhmaas represent the brain andthe mouth. The function of the brain is to regulate all with the aptitude

of devotion towards God, and that of the mouth is to propagate theaccounts about God. It is these brhmaas that are the real owners ofeverything; because they are the Gosvms or masters of the senses i.e.,servitors of God. They do not misappropriate anything to their own use,but they appropriate everything to God. For this, all persons of societyconfide in them and choose them as their spiritual guides. They who,instead of accepting such a brhmaa, rather bear a grudge against him,fall off from the path of all good. After this brain and mouth comes theconsideration of the arms to which are compared the katriyas, then thatof the thighs which the vaiyas represent, and then come the dras,who, on account of their base character and unsteady mind, are likenedto the feet. And those whose lives are altogether uncontrolled areknown as antyajas (untouchables) and regarded as outside the group ofthe four classes as above. The Vaiava philosophy recognises Daiva-varnrama-dharma which implies classification according to the divine

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system by which men are divided into castes according to their naturalpredilection. There arises no question of hating or disregarding any bodyaccording to the system ofvarnrama recognised by Mahprabhu rCaitanya Deva or according to the process of culturing devotion to God

as shown by Him, which is ever beyond that system. In the teachinggiven by Him there is found instruction to show respect to everycreature in its relationship with God. The judgement of r CaitanyaMahprabhu is far superior to the slight improvement of the conditionof the lower castes as proposed by the modern social reformers, nay, itfar excels even the impartial equality as taught in the Gt. The proposalof the worldly-minded moralists for slightly raising the status of thelower forms of society has some extraneous motive as its cause; there arevarious purposes hiding behind it, such as political objects, personalinterests, motive for acquiring fame and such other ends. Thesesubordinate principles have given rise to attempts for uplifting the lowercastes, which are of an extremely worldly character and clearly betraytheir hyprocrisy. The instruction in the Gt to look on all as equal tothe self from the principle that all are souls is several times moreelevated than they, and is free from the worldly dirt. But the teaching ofr Caitanya Deva is not merely prohibitive of worldliness and based onimpartiality, but it is a positive one of the character of

transcendentalism.r Caitanya Deva wants to engage alljvas in the service of God andthereby to elevate them to the highest status. He converts a crow toGaruda (the prince of Eagles). The religion promulgated by Him is notmeant for Bengal alone, nor India even, but for all countries, all villages,His is the universal religion for all creatures. So has He said: "My Namewill be propagated in all towns, all villages that exist in the world." Hisuniversal religion of Love attracted animals, trees, grass, shrubs, creepersand even the ferocious creatures like tigers, etc. from their outwardidentification to the inward one of the very essential constitution,having been spread among them too. The religion as promulgated byHim is that of the soul; and not that of the society, physical, mental andmoral, and is not restricted to the usual form of devotion of the servantto the Majestic Lord. His religion discovers the innate nature of thejvasoul and is manifested in the unabated plenary love for God. According

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to Him, Krishna is the Absolute Personality, the Spiritual Despot. Thereligion of love consists in the full gratification of His Senses. Thejvashould be the fuel to the fire of the gratification of the Senses of theunrestrained Autocrat Whose Will is law. It is the service of the

Autocrat under the guidance of those (devotees) who are well-established in the eternal service of the gratification of the Senses ofKrishna (Who is the very Figure embodying the succulence in fulnessgiving the utmost sensation of transcendental pleasure) that is theobject to be accomplished by ajva and also the means to that end. Thedifference between the Vaiava philosophy and all the otherphilosophies of the world lies in the fact that in the former both theobject of accomplishment and the means leading to it are identicalwithout any distinction. The means when purified and matured revealthemselves as the Object. According to the Gauya philosophy thechanting of the mellifluous Name of God constitutes both the end andthe means for it. This doctrine concerning the Name of God is a mainfeature of this philosophy."[It is doubtful that the good professor could grasp the Absolute nature ofrla Bhaktisiddhnta Sarasvat hkura's words, but as we will see lateron when we quote from other portions of the interview, the goodprofessor was non-plussed with the brilliance of the spontaneous

exposition of the crya and admitted as much to him.]In 1926 rla Sarasvat hkura sent his sannyss out to Bengal, Bihar,Orissa, and Northwest India to start centers. He met with Vaiavaleaders and cryas in Nathadwar, Bombay, Udupi and Salimabad, andhe also established temples in Naimisaranya and Mypur. He conductedthe installation of the Deities and the forms of the Vaiava cryas atthe r Caitanya Math in Vrajapattana, Mypur.In 1927 the Sajjana Toshani began publication in English, Sanskrit andHindi, the English edition being entitled the Harmonist. He preachedwidely in Northern India and established more temples and eventraveled as far as Assam.In 1928 at Kuruketra, on the occasion of the solar eclipse, he preachedto thousands and thousands of persons, while absorbed in the mood ofseparation of the gops,and unveiled a diorama exhibition of Krishna'smeeting with the gops, inducing everyone present to chant the names of

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Lord Caitanya and Ka. He also installed a Deity of r CaitanyaMahprabhu at a temple in Kuruketra.

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daivi-varnasrama

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