sādhana-kāle ye paryanta hṛdaya kāma āche

se paryanta varṇāśramādi dharmera apekṣā thāke

TRANSLATION

At the time of practicing sādhana-bhakti, so long as there is material desire within the heart, one should remain within the confines of the varṇāśrama system.

(Śrī Caitanya-śikṣāmṛta first vṛṣṭi, sixth dhāra by Ṭhākura Bhaktivinoda)

With this verse Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura warns against accepting the position of a Vaiṣṇava, or a fully liberated person without the requisite qualifications. As Śrīla Prabhupāda will later indicate, becoming a Vaiṣṇava is not so easy. We casually claim to be Vaiṣṇavas, but Śrīla Prabhupāda (later in this article) calls such claims “impudent.” A real Vaiṣṇava is niṣkiñcana, free from material desire, as pointed out by the above verse that “so long as there is material desire within the heart” we cannot become impudent enough to think that we are like Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu: niṣkiñcana.¹ In fact, beyond its being impudent, the real mission is preaching, following the order of Śrīla Prabhupāda.

Therefore, what should a devotee who is not fully niṣkiñcana do? This is explained by Rāmānānda Rāya, citing Lord Brahmā’s advice (SB 10.14.3) in his conversation with Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu (CC Madhya-līlā 8.7):

jñāne prayāsam udapāsya namanta eva jīvanti san-mukharitāṁ bhavadīya-vārtām

sthāne sthitāḥ śruti-gatāṁ tanu-vāṅ-manobhir ye prāyaśo ’jita jito ’py asi tais tri-lokyām

SYNONYMS

jñāne—in gaining knowledge; prayāsam—unnecessary endeavor; udapāsya—setting far aside; namantaḥ—completely surrendering; eva—certainly; jīvanti—live; sat-mukharitām—declared by great realized devotees; bhavadīya-vārtām—discussions about You, the Supreme Personality of Godhead; sthāne sthitāḥ—situated in their own positions; śruti-gatām—received aurally; tanu-vāk-manobhiḥ—by the body, words and mind; ye—those who; prāyaśaḥ—almost always; ajita—O my unconquerable Lord (beyond perception and unlimitedly independent); jitaḥ—conquered; api—indeed; asi—You are; taiḥ—by such pure devotees; tri-lokyām—within the three worlds.

TRANSLATION

Rāmānanda Rāya continued, “Lord Brahmā said, ‘My dear Lord, those devotees who have thrown away the impersonal conception of the Absolute Truth and have therefore abandoned discussing empiric philosophical truths should hear from self-realized devotees about Your holy name, form, pastimes and qualities. They should completely follow the principles of devotional service and remain free from illicit sex, gambling, intoxication and animal slaughter. Surrendering themselves fully with body, words and mind, they can live in any āśrama or social status. Indeed, You are conquered by such persons, although You are always unconquerable.’”

The Sanskrit phrase sthāne sthitāḥ—situated in their own positions—from the word for word transliteration above has been highlighted to indicate the theme of Lord Brahmā and Śrīla Prabhupāda: that devotees are meant to assume their natural positions in varṇāśrama-dharma. Thus, all of the sādhakas who are not on the niṣkiñcana platform like Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and the great devotees who followed Him should take the position in life that they are qualified to perform and do the work of brāhmaṇas, kṣātriyas, vaiśyas, or sūdras, according to their inclinations and qualifications in one of those four categories. This does not mean to say that some more elevated rare souls might not be niṣkiñcanas for whom varṇāśrama-dharma might appear to be superfluous or external to their interest. However, as preachers setting an example for others, they would remain within the confines of varṇāśrama-dharma to show their respect to other great niṣkiñcanas as shown by the example of Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura. They would, as Śrīla Prabhupāda describes above by including some extra purporting in the translation to make things crystal clear to his disciples: “throw away the impersonal conception,” “hear from self-realized devotees,” remain “free from illicit sex, gambling, intoxication, and animal slaughter,” “surrender themselves fully with body, words and mind,” and “live in any aśrāma or social status,” and thus “conquer” Kṛṣṇa thereby. In summary: follow the path of bhakti-mārga.

In the varṇāśrama-dharma conversations with Śrīla Prabhupāda, these significant statements were made:

Satsvarūpa: Lord Caitanya, when Rāmānanda Rāya brought this up². He said it was not possible in this age to introduce this.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Not… He did not say possible³. Ihā bāhya. Caitanya Mahāprabhu was interested only on the spiritual platform. He had no idea of material side. He rejected material side.

Satsvarūpa: But don’t we do that also?

Prabhupāda: No. Our position is different. We are trying to implement Kṛṣṇa consciousness in everything. And Caitanya Mahāprabhu personally took sannyāsa. He rejected completely material. Niṣkiñcana. But we are not going to be niṣkiñcana¹. We are trying to cement the troubled position of the [society]. That is also in the prescription of Bhagavad-gītā. We are not rejecting the whole society. Caitanya Mahāprabhu rejected everything, ihā bāhya. Rejected meaning, “I do not take much interest in this.” Bāhya. “It is external.” He was simply interested in the internal, the spiritual. But our duty is that we shall arrange the external affairs also so nicely that one day they will come to the spiritual platform very easily: paving the way. And Caitanya Mahāprabhu, personality like that, they have nothing to do with this material world. But we are preaching. We are preaching. Therefore, we must pave the situation in such a way that gradually they will be promoted to the spiritual plane, which is not required⁴.

Satsvarūpa: Varṇāśrama is not required⁵?

Prabhupāda: Not required. Caitanya Mahāprabhu denied, “I am not brāhmaṇa, I am not kṣatriya, I am not this, I am not this.” He rejected. But in the Bhagavad-gītā, the cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭam. [Bg. 4.13]: “According to the three modes of material nature and the work associated with them, the four divisions of human society are created by Me…”] So we are preaching Kṛṣṇa consciousness. It must be done.⁶

In commenting about such niṣkiñcana Vaiṣṇavas and claims of perfection, Śrīla Prabhupāda said:

“Actually, a Vaiṣṇava is above this varṇāśrama-dharma. But we don’t claim that we have become perfect Vaiṣṇava. We are not so impudent. (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.8.41 Lecture.)

The word “we” above can be taken several ways. It can be understood as Śrīla Prabhupāda’s humility that he doesn’t claim to be a perfect Vaiṣṇava, or it may be a warning to us that it would be impudent to claim to be Vaiṣṇavas, or both.

When Satsvarūpa Mahārāja asks in the discussions above whether practitioners don’t also reject the “material side” like Lord Caitanya, Śrīla Prabhupāda responds by saying, “No, our position is different…we are not going to be niṣkiñcana.” He explains that “…we must pave the situation in such a way that gradually they will be promoted to the spiritual plane” by establishing varṇāśrama-dharma.

Hari-śauri: But in Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s practical preaching He only induced them to chant.

Prabhupāda: That is not possible for ordinary man.

Hari-śauri: What, to simply induce people to chant?

Prabhupāda: Hm.

Satsvarūpa: But if they won’t chant, then neither will they train up in the varṇāśrama. That’s the easiest.

Prabhupāda: The chanting will be there, but you cannot expect that people will chant like Caitanya Mahāprabhu. They cannot even chant 16 rounds. (And) these rascals are going to be Caitanya Mahāprabhu?

Hari-śauri: Well, at least my own understanding was that the chanting was introduced in the age of Kali because varṇāśrama is not possible.

Prabhupāda: Because it will cleanse the mind. Chanting will not stop.

Hari-śauri: So therefore the chanting was introduced to replace all of the systems of varṇāśrama and like that.

Prabhupāda: Yes, it⁷ can replace, but who is going to replace it?⁸ The… People are not so advanced. If you imitate Haridāsa Ṭhākura to chant, it is not possible.

Satsvarūpa: We tell them go on with your job but chant also.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Thākaha āpanāra kāje, Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura. Āpanāra kāja ki. Caitanya Mahāprabhu recommended, sthāne sthitaḥ. And if they do not remain in the sthāna, then the sahajiyā’s chanting will come. Just like the sahajiyās also have got the beads and… but they have got three dozen women. This kind of chanting will go on. Just like our (name withheld). He was not fit for sannyāsa but he was given sannyāsa. And five women he was attached, and he disclosed. Therefore varṇāśrama-dharma is required. Simply show-bottle will not do. So the varṇāśrama-dharma should be introduced all over the world and…

Hari-śauri: But in our community, if the…, being as we’re training up as Vaiṣṇavas…

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Hari-śauri: …then how will we be able to make divisions in our society?

Prabhupāda: Vaiṣṇava is not so easy. The varṇāśrama-dharma should be established to become a Vaiṣṇava. It is not so easy to become Vaiṣṇava.

Hari-śauri: No, it’s not a cheap thing.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Therefore this should be made. Vaiṣṇava, to become Vaiṣṇava, is not so easy. If Vaiṣṇava, to become Vaiṣṇava is so easy, why so many fall down, fall down? It is not easy. The sannyāsa is for the highest qualified brāhmaṇa. And simply by dressing like a Vaiṣṇava, that is… fall down.

Śrīla Prabhupada is brutally honest here about how qualified a sannyāsī should be, and that without such qualification and training, it would lead to fall down. He also makes it clear that varṇāśrama-dharma needs to be established to enable sādhakas to become Vaiṣṇavas, and that becoming a Vaiṣṇava is not easy.

Satsvarūpa: In our ISKCON, one becomes a brāhmaṇa after a year. It’s not very hard. Everyone becomes a brāhmaṇa.

Prabhupāda: That is due to chanting. That lifts very easily.

Hari-śauri: Where will we introduce the varṇāśrama system, then?

Prabhupāda: In our society, amongst our members.

Hari-śauri: But then if everybody’s being raised to the brahminical platform…

Prabhupāda: Not everybody. Why you are misunderstanding? Varṇāśrama, not everybody brāhmaṇa.

Hari-śauri: No, but in our society practically everyone is being raised to that platform. So then one might ask what is…

Prabhupāda: That is… Everybody is being raised, but they’re falling down…

Prabhupāda: … Whatever we have, that is all right. But we see by experience that they’re falling down. There must be systematic. Why falling down? Because he was not fit for the position, therefore he has fallen. Better remain in his position and become perfect. Why artificially bring them? There is no need.

Again, Śrīla Prabhupāda speaks realistically about his devotees’ qualifications when it comes to chanting, indicating the necessity that everyone needs to be situated in varṇāśrama-dharma training according to their qualities and activities and thus perfect their lives. Otherwise fall down will repeatedly occur due to a lack of fitness manifesting due to artificial acceptance of exalted positions. Serious training is required.

Kṛṣṇa says. Bring that Bhagavad-gītā. Sve sve karmaṇy abhirataḥ?

Hari-śauri:

sve sve karmaṇy abhirataḥ saṁsiddhiṁ labhate naraḥ

sva-karma-nirataḥ siddhiṁ yathā vindati tac chṛṇu

“By following his qualities of work, every man can become perfect. Now please hear from Me how this can be done.” (BG 18.45)

Prabhupāda: Yes. He is śūdra, clerk. He can… As a śūdra, he can get the perfection. Why he should artificially become a brāhmaṇa and sannyāsī and fall down? This has to be checked…Everywhere, wherever, Māyāpura or anywhere. Question is that here it is clearly said, sve sve karmaṇy abhirataḥ. Brāhmaṇa has his duty, kṣatriya has his duty, vaiśya has his duty, śūdra has his duty. And if he performs his duty nicely, then he also becomes perfect. So why artificially he should be called a brāhmaṇa? Let them do, according to śāstra, the work of śūdra, or vaiśya. He’ll get the perfect⁹. Perfection is not checked. But why artificially he should be made a brāhmaṇa or he should be made a sannyāsī and fall down and become a ludicrous? That is the point. Better let him live in his position and become perfect. That’s good. That looks very nice. And that is possible. That is possible. Varṇāśramācāravatā puruṣeṇa paraḥ pumān viṣṇur ārādhyate [Cc. Madhya 8.58]. Viṣṇu, Lord Viṣṇu, can be worshiped if you perfectly follow the rules and regulation of four varṇas and four āśramas. Here it is also said, sve sve karmaṇi. You work as a perfect brāhmaṇa or a perfect kṣatriya, perfect śūdra; you get perfection. The perfection is available in your natural life. Why should artificially you become unnatural and fall down and become ludicrous? Perfection is not checked.

To promote someone to brāhmaṇa and especially a sannyāsī without the required qualifications and training is a mistake. Prabhupāda talks about the artificiality of it and states that it will mean “fall[ing] down and becom[ing] ludicrous” twice here. He repeatedly, on the strength of the sthāne sthitāḥ verse cited by Rāmānānda Rāya, states that is better to take a natural position as a brāhmaṇa, kṣātriya, vaiśya or śūdra according to a person’s quality and activity and achieve perfection in that way. Perfection in Kṛṣṇa consciousness is not checked by this process. The logical conclusion is that we must form varṇāśrama institutes where everyone is trained according to their natural tendencies, thus avoiding the artifice of imitating niṣkiñcana souls, and steadily progressing in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. We must adopt this training and practice in our communities ourselves and train others as well. This was clearly Śrīla Prabhupāda’s desire. Training in the legitimate daiva-varṇāśrama-dharma is required for everyone, both the sādhakas and the newcomers, if pleasing Śrīla Prabhupāda is the goal.