Editor’s Note

This article is a summary of Bhakti Rāghava Swami’s booklet of the same name. The complete booklet, which includes references and a bibliography, is online here.[1]

Abstract

Vedic Vaiṣṇava Villages – Beginner’s Guide to Simple Living and High Thinking explains 1) the importance of villages, 2) the principles of self-sufficiency, 3) the rural basis of Vedic culture, and 4) the steps to establish self-sufficient communities.

Invocation

namo brahmaṇya-devāya go-brāhmaṇa-hitāya ca / jagad-dhitāya kṛṣṇāya govindāya namo namaḥ

My Lord, obeisances to You, O Kṛṣṇa, Govinda. You are the well-wisher of the cows, the brāhmaṇas, humanity, and the world.[2]

om surabhyai nama iti mantro’yaṁ tu sad-akṣaraḥ / siddho lakṣa japennaiva bhaktānāṁ kalpa-pādayaḥ

Chanting om surabhyai namaḥ (obeisances to Surabhi) one lakh (100,000) times bestows all achievements and fulfills all the desires of the devotees of the Supreme Lord.[3]

trātavyāḥ prathamaṁ gāvaḥ trātāḥ trāyanti tā dvijān | go-brāhmaṇa paritrāṇe paritrātaṁ jagat bhavet

Above all, cows should be protected. Thus protected, they will in turn protect the brāhmaṇas. When the cows and brāhmaṇas are protected, the whole world is protected.[4]

Introduction

Vedic sociology promotes local, agrarian culture in contrast to modern city societies that are supplied by resources from around the world. The economic and social ethos is based on local production and cow protection.

Globally, the percentage of people in rural areas has dropped precipitously in the last hundred years. In some countries like India, the migration from village to city began after independence from colonialization and coincided with industrialization. In so-called developed countries, significant migration began in the mid-eighteenth century, again, along with industrialization.

Hundreds of years ago, European political, scientific, economic, and industrial revolutions prompted the move away from traditional living, effectively suppressing the brahmanas and weakening the kṣatriyas.

Modern technology and industry have driven us on the dangerous path of ever-increasing consumerism and exploitation of natural resources.[5] In the last 30 years, over 30% of the natural resources on our planet have been depleted, all for ephemeral advancement and comfortable living. Global natural resources are depleting by 45% every year.[6]

Due to excessive use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, our topsoil has lost up to 70% of its fertility and the global problem of desertification is threatening the ability for governments to feed the ever-increasing population with diminishing land to grow food. The food that we consume daily has lost up to 45% of its natural food value. The average vegetable found in today’s supermarket is anywhere from 5% to 40% lower in minerals than those harvested just 50 years ago.[7]

Followers of the Vedic culture find the ever-increasing urbanization alarming and destructive. They know that village life best facilitates individuals and society to progress both in keeping with the eternal principles of material sva-dharma and spiritual sva-dharma.

This article, summarized from the booklet, is divided into the following topics: 1) Śrīla Prabhupāda, 2) Three Gifts of Nature, 3) Ethics of Cāṇakya, 4) Village Svarāj – M.K. Gandhi,  5) Other Sources, 6) Guiding Principles, 7) Four Options, 8) Land Selection, 9) Before Moving, 10) Thirty Qualities, 11) Vedic Economy, 12) Vedic Education, 13) Seven Essential Elements, 14) Conclusion.

1. Śrīla Prabhupāda

For those interested in relocating to villages, it is important to study the ideal village. One can do this by reading about ideal Vedic life.

And one may visit villages where the residents follow Vedic practices. For example, in Bali, Indonesia, every village has two types of leaders directing the community. One is the village head, called Kepala Dusun, and the other is called Adat, the head of cultural activities. In the Hindu villages of Indonesia, no one can be part of a village unless one agrees to regularly participate in cultural and religious functions, of which there are many. In this way, there are civic rules, as well as religious and cultural norms to respect.

Devotees, of course, can get good insights about villages and their importance by hearing directly from our Vaiṣṇava ācāryas like Śrīla Prabhupāda.

The Vedabase (https://vedabase.io/en/) is an excellent source of information. For example, it contains 1,391 references for the word villages, 5,051 references for the word village, and 64 references for village organization.

When discussing varṇāśrama-dharma, Srila Prabhupāda would inevitably speak about villages and the ideal Vrindavan village where Lord Kṛṣṇa performed His childhood pastimes.        

Śrīla Prabhupāda clearly explained that Vedic culture is agrarian based, wherein cows, agriculture, and the cultivation of Kṛṣṇa consciousness are bases for simple living and high thinking.

Note that in 1996 for Śrīla Prabhupāda’s Centennial Anniversary, the GBC body commissioned some devotees to research community development. They saw a clear connection between city temples and varṇāśrama communities. They reported:

Prabhupāda explains the role of city temples as staging grounds for organizing varṇāśrama communities. In the first phase, devotees should go into the cities and attract the people by establishing temples and distributing Kṛṣṇa conscious literature.

Second, as people become devotees, they can be brought to farm communities where they can live the Kṛṣṇa conscious lifestyle described in the books and remain fixed up in devotional practice without the temptations and material allurements of the cities.

According to Śrīla Prabhupāda’s vision, the modern industrial cities provide an environment which crushes spiritual development: “This town life, industrial life, factory life, is asuric life. It is killing human ambition. It is killing human civilization.”

The city temples can provide a way out of that environment by training devotees and directing them to Kṛṣṇa conscious communities, where they can find wholesome occupations, favorable to spiritual development.[8]

Also notable is that Śrīla Prabhupāda spoke about establishing varṇāśrama as early as 1949 in a letter written to Dr. Patel, the then Deputy Minister of India.

And in 1956, he wrote “Gītā Nagari—Essay,” in his Back to Godhead magazine.[9] There he revealed a four-wave approach to introduce Kṛṣṇa consciousness all over the world: 1) saṅkīrtana wave, chanting of the holy names and distributing literature; 2) temple worship wave, establishing temples; 3) spiritual initiation wave, formal initiation denoting commitment to the mission; and 4) classless society wave, living in self-sufficient village communities.

The fourth wave is the establishment of daiva-varṇāśrama-dharma.

In a walk, on May 27, 1974, in Rome, Śrīla Prabhupāda explained the need to become localized and self-sufficient.

[Editor’s note: Following is a summary of Prabhupāda’s conversation. The full version is in Mahārāja’s booklet online.][10]

The problem of modern society’s dependence on oil will be solved as soon as we are localized. Petrol is required for transport, but if you are localized, there is no question of transport. You don’t require petrol. Oxen will solve the problem of transport. This is not just an ideal solution; it is practical. Start the community project as we have already started in New Vrindavan. Make this perfect.[11]

There are many similar statements by Śrīla Prabhupāda that clearly emphasise the need and the importance of reverting to this lifestyle. What follows is a series of such quotes from various sources—Prabhupāda’s purports, conversations, and letters.

[Editor’s note: Maharaja’s booklet has the quotes. Here are the references he cites: SB 4.29.54 purport; lecture, Gītā Nagarī Farm, July 15, 1976; Light of the Bhagavat 27; SB 3.2.29 purport; letter to Hayagrīva, November 8, 1970; letter to Hayagriva and Kīrtanānanda Svāmī, August 22, 1968; letter to Rāyarāma Dāsa, October 17, 1968; conversation, July 25, 1973; conversation, May 25, 1974; conversation, April 20, 1975; conversation, January 6, 1976; room conversation, August 3, 1976.]

2. Three Gifts of Nature       

Grandfather Bhīṣma, one of the twelve mahājanas, describes three gifts of nature that should not be sold, abused, misused, or exploited. They are cows, land, and knowledge.[12]

These gifts serve as three mothers. As a mother provides care, attention, love, and affection to her child, these three mothers, Surabhi, Bhūmi, and Sarasvatī, give welfare, health, and growth to humanity.

Modernity, through industrialization, mechanization, urbanization, and globalization, robs humanity of these three natural gifts.[13]

 3. Ethics of Cāṇakya

1. Y. Ramesh’s Ethics of Cāṇakya summarizes some of Cāṇakya Paṇḍita’s maxims regarding statesmanship as it applies to village self-governance, sustainability, and autonomy: Royal officials controlled the towns and villages, but they did not micro-manage them. The villagers were free to manage their affairs. Thus, the heads of towns and villages would adjudicate civil and criminal matters.

In that way, they existed as self-sufficient little republics. And for millennia, they were able to survive periodic political and natural upheaval.[14]

4. Village Swarāj – M.K. Gandhi

Śrīla Prabhupāda appreciated Gandhi’s pro-village, anti-industrialization position.

Gandhi said that in the future there will be only villages and the world. Nations will be designated as a matter of convenience, but the true authority for life will lie in the hands of the villages. Districts and states will be agents of villages.

He also wrote that life is more genial, varied, and fruitful when organized into small, simple collective units.

In the past, even soldiers were not permitted to enter a village except by royal decree.

Villages last when nothing else lasts. Their independence and self-sufficiency are also conducive to their happiness.

Gandhi wanted to resuscitate the villages of India from their dependence on and exploitation by cities. He was convinced that truth and freedom could be achieved through village life, not just in India but worldwide.[15]

5. Other Sources

The founding fathers of America were pious and very close to nature.

Historically, agriculture has been accepted as the noblest of all professions. Benjamin Franklin, one of the Founding Fathers of the United States thought that there are three ways for a nation to acquire wealth. First is by war or robbery, second by commerce or cheating, and third by agriculture, the only honest means. He stated that such wealth comes from a continuous miracle provided by God.

Thomas Jefferson believed that governments would remain virtuous as long as they are primarily agricultural.[16]

Other advocates of simple agrarian life are Vandana Shiva, physicist and environmentalist,[17] Michael Cremo, devotee, writer, and archeologist, Daniel Webster, lawyer and politician, and James Gustave Speth, lawyer and environmentalist.

[Editor’s note: Mahārāja provides quotes from each of these famous people in his booklet online.][18]

6. Guiding Principles

Village organization falls under the jurisdiction of the local kṣatriyas. The brāhmaṇas give guidance to the kṣatriyas.

Śrīla Prabhupāda wanted to establish communities based on the long-standing varṇāśrama system. Such communities will be independent, self-sufficient, self-sustainable and self-governed.

ISKCON society needs to recognize that villages will be independent from ISKCON’s direct governance.

Prabhupāda’s first three movements (saṅkīrtana, deity worship, and initiations) mentioned above are in the domain of brāhmaṇas while the fourth movement, varṇāśrama, is under the purview of the other three varṇas.

The kṣatriyas organize, vaiśyas produce food, and śūdras serve the others.

Here are three essential principles in the operation of a village:

1. Governance is the responsibility of its residents.
2. More specifically, governance is the responsibility of local kṣatriya or vaiśya gṛhasthas. Brāhmaṇas are advisors.
3. The village temple is one of many departments or services.

Village communities cannot be managed in the same way ISKCON manages temples. Although the focus in a village is serving the Lord, the temple president does not oversee the affairs of the village.

Such a structure may not happen immediately; however, we must progress in that direction. 

 7. Four Options

As householders understand the importance of rural communities, there may be four options open to them: They are

1. joining an existing community of devotees,
2. starting a community with likeminded devotees,
3. converting an existing village by gradually preaching and recruiting the residents,
4. renovating a partially abandoned village.

The goal is for devotees to take charge of the local leadership. In some countries, this is the case. In India, Indonesia, Hungary, and Czech Republic the heads of some villages are devotees.

8. Land Selection

Selection of land is vital. Once investing in land and developing a village, it is practically impossible to change for another land. Here are some considerations:

Location

Śrīla Prabhupāda indicated that within a 50-kilometer radius of a city temple we should have a rural community that will be closely connected with that temple. That is one consideration for establishing a community.

However, most rural communities will not be directly linked with a city temple. 

Land Condition

This is an important consideration. Some factors are the quality of the soil, slope of the land, water access, trees, rocks, etc. The Kauṭilya Arthaśāstra lists twenty-one factors, one of them being, “Devoid of mud, stones, salty ground, uneven land, thorns, bands, wild animals, deer, and forest tribes.”[19] 

Forests and Trees

Vedic culture gives special importance to forests.

Trees must be valued and protected. For example, the life of a tree was sometimes considered even more important than a human life. In the Vṛkṣāyurveda, Surapāla wrote, “Ten wells equal a pond, ten ponds a lake, ten lakes a son, and ten sons a tree.”[20]

Manpower

For a project to be successful, there must be a core group of families involved, a minimum of four to six. Two families from a group of four to ten who are interested may relocate to the land. The other families may give financial help until the project becomes established, perhaps for one or two years. When the farm is financially self-sufficient, the other families can move to the farm.

Ownership

From the beginning, it should be clearly decided whether the land will be owned conjointly or privately. 

Skills

Many skills are needed for farming, cow protection, management, etc. As much as possible, some of those should be developed before moving to the land. 

Master Plan

Although plans change, the group should design the project layout based on how many acres will be allotted for residential purposes, cow grazing, agriculture, etc. 

Market

The main purpose for producing food is to provide for the residents in the community. However, excess produce may be sold or exchanged. A Vedic maxim for self-sufficiency is to produce what you need and use what you produce. 

Deeds

When purchasing land, it is best to have legal counsel.  

Road Access

All property should have clearly defined road access.

History of Land

The group should know how the land was previously used and if the land was contaminated or tampered with. This can be done by speaking with neighbors or previous owners. Also, one may live on the land and wait for a period before developing it. This will give sufficient time to learn about the land’s features.

9. Before Moving

For one or two years, families who wish to relocate to the land should meet regularly to discuss how they will proceed. Establishing successful Vaiṣṇava village communities is based on five principles.

1. Land: Considerations for land selection were discussed above.
2. Manpower: As above, there should be four to six families with two who are willing to pave the way. Depending on group consensus, some may have less interest in spiritual life, but the dominant faction should be spiritually inclined.
3. Organization: Someone should be designated the leader. If possible, a direction toward varṇa and āśrama should be established. When the community develops, the residents may decide to establish a panchayat, a five-member governing committee.
4. Capital: As in any enterprise, capital is necessary to begin and maintain. Self-sufficient community projects take time to develop and thus need sufficient capital in the beginning.
5. Orientation: The project must be based on spiritual principles. A community should work to establish daiva-varṇāśrama.[21]

10. Thity Qualities

The purpose of varṇāśrama-dharma is human organization. Without dharma, one is an animal. Modern society has basically organized people based on the animal propensities to eat, sleep, mate, and defend.

In Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, Śrīla Nārada Muni outlines the 30 qualities one needs to develop as a human.  

The first four are

1. satyam, truthfulness, implying among other things, no gambling.
2. dayā, compassion, implying respect for all life, expressed minimally as no meat eating.
3. tapaḥ, austerity, especially regarding sex. Out of four āśramas, three are celibate. Those three set the example for the fourth, the gṛhastha āśrama.
4. śaucam, cleanliness, which implies, at minimum, no intoxication.

These four qualities will form the basis of strong communities. The more individuals adhere to these qualities, the easier it becomes to establish the system of varna and asrama.        

Following is the list of all 30. The first 21 should be developed by all humans. The remaining nine are for those cultivating bhakti, beginning with śravaṇam and ending with ātma-nivedanam:

1) truthfulness, 2) mercy, 3) austerity (observing fasts on certain days of the month), 4) cleanliness, bathing twice a day, 5) tolerance, 6) discrimination between right and wrong, 7) control of the mind, 8) control of the senses, 9) nonviolence, 10) celibacy, 11) charity, 12) reading of scripture, 13) simplicity, 14) satisfaction, 15) service to saintly persons, 16) gradually taking leave of unnecessary engagements, 17) observing the futility of the unnecessary activities of human society, 18)  remaining silent and grave and avoiding unnecessary talk, 19) considering whether one is the body or the soul, 20) distributing food equally to all living entities (both men and animals), 21) seeing every soul (especially in the human form) as a part of the Supreme Lord, 22) hearing about the activities and instructions given by the Supreme Personality of Godhead (who is the shelter of the saintly persons), 23) chanting about these activities and instructions, 24) always remembering these activities and instructions, 25) trying to render service, 26) performing worship, 27) offering obeisances, 28) becoming a servant, 29) becoming a friend, and 30) surrendering one’s whole self.[22]

Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that daiva-varṇāśrama-dharma will more easily be introduced when people develop these qualities.[23]

11. Vedic Economy

The Vedic economy is defined in the Bhagavad-gītā: kṛṣi-go-rakṣya-vāṇijyaṁ vaiśya-karma svabhāva-jam, “Farming, cow protection and business are the natural work of the vaiśyas.”[24]

Each of these three activities is an art and a science. Great ṛṣis have written books of knowledge on them.

Agriculture is related to the land, which is referred to as Goddess Bhūmi, who is worshipped. We care for the land as a goddess. And from land comes the necessities of life.

kāmaṁ vavarṣa parjanyaḥ sarva-kāma-dughā mahī / siṣicuḥ sma vrajān gāvaḥ payasodhasvatīr mudā

“During the reign of Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, the clouds showered all the water that people needed, and the earth produced all the necessities of man in profusion. Due to their fatty milk bags and cheerful attitude, the cows moistened the grazing ground with milk.”[25]

From the land, one can get the four necessities of life: food, clothing, shelter, and medicines.

Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that “if one has a cow and four acres of land, he has no economic problem.”[26]

The science of agriculture is given in Kauṭilya Arthaśāstra, Vṛkṣāyurveda, Kṛṣi-Parāśara, Kāśyapīya Kṛṣisūkti, and others.

In Vedic culture, food is not considered a commodity to sell. Rather crops are first and foremost grown for family consumption.

Householders also grow food to distribute to the needy.

Four of the five daily duties (yajñas) for householders are food related: offering food to the Lord, saintly persons, other living entities, and oneself.[27]

The Vedas enjoin that one worship the land before plowing it. Land is never meant to be exploited, for example, by chemical fertilizers and pesticides.

Keeping the topsoil healthy and productive is a science and an art that has largely been forgotten. The soil cannot be properly maintained unless animals pasture the lands. Hence the need for and importance of cows, who are allowed to perform their natural function of grazing and pasturing.

12. Vedic Education

Śrīla Prabhupāda explained that the standard and complete education for 7-to-8-year-old village boys is to manage the calves. The gurukula is for dvijas—brāhmaṇas, kṣatriyas, and vaiśyas—who are a small percentage of society. Most boys receive education through work or apprenticeships.

Prabhupāda wrote: “As soon as Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma were a little grown up, They were meant for taking care of the calves. Although born of a very well-to-do family, They still had to take care of the calves. This was the system of education.”[28]

Reading about Kṛṣṇa and His cowherd friends gives an understanding of the inner meaning of Vedic education. In addition to cow care, there are tasks related to agriculture and cottage industries like weaving and building.

Prabhupāda wrote: “The brāhmaṇas were trained in literary, academic education, kṣatriyas were trained to take care of the state, and vaiśyas learned how to cultivate the land and take care of the cows and calves. There was no need to waste time going to school to be falsely educated and later increase the number of unemployed. Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma taught us by Their personal behavior. Kṛṣṇa took care of the cows and played His flute, and Balarāma took care of agricultural activities with a plow in His hand.”[29]

Kṛṣṇa and His friends would play and tend the cows based on 64 items.

They are called Catuḥṣaṣṭi-kalās or Chausath Kalās (64 forms of art). Some of these are still found today in remote Indian villages.

(1) gītam, singing; (2) vādyam, playing on musical instruments; (3) nṛtyam, dancing; (4) nāṭyam, drama; (5) ālekhyam, painting; (6) viśeṣaka-cchedyam, painting the face and body with colored unguents and cosmetics; (7) taṇḍula-kusuma-bali-vikārāḥ, preparing auspicious designs on the floor with rice and flowers; (8) puṣpāstaraṇam, making a bed of flowers; (9) daśana-vasanāṅga-rāgāḥ, coloring one’s teeth, clothes and limbs; (10) maṇi-bhūmikā-karma, inlaying a floor with jewels; (11) śayyā-racanam, covering a bed; (12) udaka-vādyam, ringing waterpots; (13) udaka-ghātaḥ, splashing with water; (14) citra-yogāḥ, mixing colors; (15) mālya-grathana-vikalpāḥ, preparing wreaths; (16) śekharāpīḍa-yojanam, setting a helmet on the head; (17) nepathya-yogāḥ, putting on apparel in a dressing room; (18) karṇa-patra-bhaṅgāḥ, decorating the earlobe; (19) sugandha-yuktiḥ, applying aromatics; (20) bhūṣaṇa-yojanam, decorating with jewelry; (21) aindrajālam, jugglery; (22) kaucumāra-yogaḥ, the art of disguise; (23) hasta-lāghavam, sleight of hand; (24) citra-śākāpūpa-bhakṣya-vikāra-kriyaḥ, preparing varieties of salad, bread, cake and other delicious food; (25) pānaka-rasa-rāgāsava-yojanam, preparing palatable drinks and tinging draughts with red color; (26) sūcī-vāya-karma, needlework and weaving; (27) sūtra-krīḍā, making puppets dance by manipulating thin threads; (28) vīṇā-ḍamarukavādyāni, playing on a lute and a small x-shaped drum; (29) prahelikā, making and solving riddles; (29a) pratimālā, capping verses, or reciting poems verse for verse as a trial of memory or skill; (30) durvacaka-yogāḥ, uttering statements difficult for others to answer; (31) pustaka-vācanam, reciting books; and (32) nāṭikākhyāyikā-darśanam, enacting short plays and writing anecdotes. (33) kāvya-samasyā-pūraṇam, solving enigmatic verses; (34) paṭṭikā-vetra-bāṇa-vikalpāḥ, making a bow from a strip of cloth and a stick; (35) tarku-karma, spinning with a spindle; (36) takṣaṇam, carpentry; (37) vāstu-vidyā, architecture; (38) raupya-ratna-parīkṣā, testing silver and jewels; (39) dhātu-vādaḥ, metallurgy; (40) maṇi-rāga-jñānam, tinging jewels with various colors; (41) ākara-jñānam, mineralogy; (42) vṛkṣāyur-veda-yogāḥ, herbal medicine; (43) meṣa-kukkuṭa-lāvaka-yuddha-vidhiḥ, the art of training and engaging rams, cocks and quails in fighting; (44) śuka-śārikā-pralāpanam, knowledge of how to train male and female parrots to speak and to answer the questions of human beings; (45) utsādanam, healing a person with ointments; (46) keśa-mārjana-kauśalam, hairdressing; (47) akṣara-muṣṭikā-kathanam, telling what is written in a book without seeing it, and telling what is hidden in another’s fist; (48) mlecchita-kutarka-vikalpāḥ, fabricating barbarous or foreign sophistry; (49) deśa-bhāṣā-jñānam, knowledge of provincial dialects; (50) puṣpa-śakaṭikā-nirmiti-jñānam, knowledge of how to build toy carts with flowers; (51) yantra-mātṛkā, composing magic squares, arrangements of numbers adding up to the same total in all directions; (52) dhāraṇa-mātṛkā, the use of amulets; (53) saṁvācyam, conversation; (54) mānasī-kāvya-kriyā, composing verses mentally; (55) kriyā-vikalpāḥ, designing a literary work or a medical remedy; (56) chalitaka-yogāḥ, building shrines; (57) abhidhāna-koṣa-cchando-jñānam, lexicography and the knowledge of poetic meters; (58) vastra-gopanam, disguising one kind of cloth to look like another; (59) dyūta-viśeṣam, knowledge of various forms of gambling; (60) ākarṣa-krīḍa, playing dice; (61) bālaka-krīḍanakam, playing with children’s toys; (62) vaināyikī vidyā, enforcing discipline by mystic power; (63) vaijayikī vidyā, gaining victory; and (64) vaitālikī vidyā, awakening one’s master with music at dawn.[30]

Śrīla Prabhupāda explained: “Make Vaikuṇṭha. That is my request. Teach from the very beginning of life. Just like bālaka-krīḍa, bāla-krīḍanakaiḥ krīḍan.  By playing, he’s becoming Kṛṣṇa conscious. Just produce a new generation, just like Parīkṣit Mahārāja. bāla-krīḍanakaiḥ, from very childhood. Kṛṣṇa-yoga, bhakti-yoga, can be practiced even by a child without interfering with his natural propensities, without any education, without any knowledge. There is no need of high-grade knowledge or education to understand. It is already there in everyone’s heart. It is not that one has to learn it artificially by some gymnastic. No, natural. Just like the children here, they are also dancing with their parents. They are offering flower, trying to imitate how to chant. And they are very much pleased. So similarly, these things (should be) introduced. Kṛṣṇa. So, some way or other, they should be engaged in Kṛṣṇa. It doesn’t matter whether (the child) understands it or not.”[31]

Regarding education for girls, the Vedic culture does not advocate co-education. Education for girls is called strī-dharma, primarily to prepare them for being ideal wives and mothers. 

Actual Vedic education is to prepare an individual for spiritual advancement. If education does not foster that objective, it is asuric.    

13. Seven Essential Elements

Kauṭilya Arthaśāstra[32] lists seven essential elements for a successful kingdom or community. Princes would receive training in those seven.

The seven are 1) the leader, 2) his ministers, 3) his kingdom, 4) his fort, 5) his treasury, 6) his army, and 7) his allies.

Each of these elements contains qualities that Kauṭilya (Cāṇakya) explains.

For example, the qualities of a king are put into four areas. The four areas for a king are listed as easily approachable (having 14 qualities), intellect (8 qualities), energy (4 qualities), and excellences (22 qualities).

The qualities of minister, kingdom, fort, treasury, army, and allies are similarly expanded.

[Editor’s note: Mahārāja gives book and website references in his topics 14 and 15. They may be obtained from his booklet online.][33]

14. Conclusion

Daiva-varṇāśrama-dharma and its practical application will remain largely concealed if individuals do not leave their present comfort zones in the cities.

Devotees must learn about the reality of a self-sufficient village based on Vedic guidelines and values. Only by spending quality time in the villages will that be revealed.

Self-sufficiency and sustainability will only become a reality when you learn to live in a localized way rekindling your natural relationship with nature, the self (ātmā), and the super-self (paramātmā).

That is what Śrīla Prabhupāda meant when he stated that one must learn to live on the lap of material nature.

As nicely explained in his essay, Gita Nagari, “When Gita-nagari will attempt to harmonize such sweet relation between man and God, man and the world, and the world and God, at such an auspicious time only, the United Nation’s effort to establish peace in the world will be successful, or the dream of a casteless society all over the world will be realized in practice. There is no other practical solution of the scientific basis of universal brotherhood or of universal religion without understanding this simple truth of the fatherhood of Godhead, motherhood of Nature, and childhood of all living entities.”[34]

Kṛṣṇa’s and Prabhupāda’s guidelines for varṇāśrama will require courage, determination, initiative, and innovation. The varṇāśrama mission, or daiva-varṇāśrama-dharma, means re-introducing village lifestyle as the norm within general society, the most ideal norm which can best facilitate the advancement of our Vaiṣṇava practices in devotional service.

For that to take place, traditional education and training at the village level must be re-introduced. Thus, gurukula and varṇāśrama colleges are of paramount importance. The Varṇāśrama Śikṣālaya programs introduced in India are meant to serve as forerunners to these educational reforms.

Let us know, let us realize, and let us demonstrate the importance of village life. Let us become convinced that village life, based on the eternal principles of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, is indeed an essential part of our eternal philosophy, our eternal education, our eternal lifestyle, indeed, our eternal dharma, sanātana dharma.

[1] https://cvc.guru/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/BR-Swami-Vedic-Village.pdf

[2] Vishnu Purāṇa, 1.19.65

[3] Brahma Vaivarta Purāṇa, 2.47.16

[4] Harivamśa Purāṇa, 55.31

[5] “We are consuming the future,” The World Counts, https://www.theworldcounts.com/

[6] “Cost of growth: Global natural resources depleting by 45% a year,” Down to Earth, https://www.downtoearth.org.in/

[7] “Fruits and Vegetables Yielding Fewer Nutrients Than in the Past,” Earth Easy, https://learn.eartheasy.com/

[8] Speaking About Varnasrama — Introduction

[9] “Conception of Gita Nagari,” Back to Godhead, III.4, May 20, 1956

[10] https://cvc.guru/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/BR-Swami-Vedic-Village.pdf

[11] Morning Walk, on May 27, 1974, in Rome

[12] “Dana Dharma Parva,” Mahābhārata , Anuśāsana Parva, Chapter 69

[13] Modernity is Killing Civilization by Bhakti Raghava Swami

[14] Ramesh, T. Y. Ethics of Chanakya, T. Y. Ramesh, Sahni Publications, 2000, p. 178

[15] Village Swaraj, Mahatma Gandhi, available from Amazon

[16] “A Nation Founded By Farmers,” Modern Farmer, https://modernfarmer.com/

[17] http://www.navdanya.org/site/

[18] https://cvc.guru/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/BR-Swami-Vedic-Village.pdf

[19] “Excellences of the Constituent Elements,” Arthaśāstra, Book Six, Chapter One, Section 96/8

[20] “Vrikshayurveda: The Hindu Science of Plant Life,” https://indosphere.medium.com/  

[21] BG 18.14

[22] SB 7.11.8-12

[23] SB 7.11.13

[24] BG 18.44

[25] SB 1.10.4

[26] Room Conversation with Allen Ginsberg, May 11, 1969, Columbia

[27] BG 3.12 purport

[28] SB 10.11.37

[29] SB 10.11.37

[30] Śrī brahma-saṁhitā 5.37 purport

[31] SB 2.3.14-15 lecture, May 31, 1972

[32] “Excellences of Essential Elements,” Arthasastra, Book Six, Chapter One, Section 96.1,

[33] https://cvc.guru/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/BR-Swami-Vedic-Village.pdf

[34] “Conception of Gita Nagari,” Back to Godhead, III.4, May 20, 1956