Bhagavad-gītā As It Is

Bhagavad-gītā 4.13

Pradyumna: [leads chanting of verse, etc.] [Prabhupāda and devotees repeat]

cātur-varṅyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṅa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ tasya kartāram api māṁ viddhy akartāram avyayam [Bg 4.13]

[According to the three modes of material nature and the work ascribed to them, the four divisions of human society were created by Me. And, although I am the creator of this system, you should know that I am yet the non-doer, being unchangeable.]

[break] [01:40]

Translation: "According to the three modes of material nature and the work ascribed to them, the four divisions of human society were created by Me. And although I am the creator of this system, you should know that I am yet the non-doer, being unchangeable."

Prabhupāda:

cātur-varṅyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṅa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ tasya kartāram api māṁ viddhy akartāram avyayam [Bg 4.13]

So beginning of human civilization is this varṅāśrama-dharma. The Vedic system is varṅāśrama-dharma. The people known as Hindus in the world, the "Hindu" is a term given by the Muhammadans, from "Indus." Indus River is there. Now it is in Pakistan. So people beyond the Indus River, the Muhammadans in Arabia and other countries, they pronounce "h"..., "s" as "h". Instead of "Sindhu," they used to pronounce it as "Hindu." So people living..., crossing the river Indus or Hindus, they were called "Hindus." Otherwise, this "Hindu" term is not seen in any Vedic literature. The real meaning is the people who observe the varṅāśrama-dharma, four varṅas and four āśramas. Four varṅa means brāhmaṅa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra. And below the śūdras, they are called caṅḍālas, pañcama, fifth grade, less than the śūdras. That natural division is there everywhere.

Brāhmaṅa means the most intellectuals, most intelligent person. Intelligent means one who knows, who has got sufficient knowledge. So brāhmaṅa means he has got sufficient knowledge, even up to the understanding of the Absolute Truth. Brahma jānātīti brāhmaṅaḥ. So that is first-class men, brāhmaṅa. So intellectuals or very intelligent class of men, these are everywhere, all over the world. You may call them brāhmaṅa or not, but a class of men very intelligent, that is available in every part of the world. So brāhmaṅa means the intelligent class of men, and kṣatriya means they are less than the brāhmaṅas, and vaiśyas means less than the kṣatriyas, and śūdras, less than all of them. It is a question of intelligence.

So cātur-varṅyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭam [Bg 4.13].

Kṛṣṅa says, "These four varṅas are created by Me." So anything created by God, that is not monopoly for any class of men or for any country. Just like the sun is created by God. The sun is the thing which is enjoyed by all parts of the world. But there are countries, Western countries, where sun is not visible, covered by the cloud. Any country, any part of the world which is covered by cloud and the sun is not visible, according to śāstra, such country is condemned. Because, although the sunshine is there, but certain condition, they cannot enjoy the sunshine. Therefore from the Western countries, when people come to this country, especially in India, when they see from the Arabian Sea bright sunshine, they very much become astonished, "How nice sunshine is here." Sunshine is the property for everyone, but according to intelligence or according to fortune, they enjoy it.

So brahminical culture also, similarly, it is just like sunshine. It is meant for everyone. But the people must be intelligent enough to take it. Unfortunately, this system, although India was observing very rigidly, now it is slackened, or practically nil. We have lost our brahminical culture, the cātur-varṅyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭam [Bg 4.13].

This is the..., due to the influence of Kali-yuga. Kalau śūdra-sambhavaḥ [Skanda Purāṅa]. In the Kali-yuga practically everyone is a śūdra or less than śūdra. Less than śūdra is called caṅḍāla. Śūdras, sometimes śūdras also eat meat, but the less than śūdras, they have no discrimination. They eat even dogs. The dog-eaters, they are described in the śāstra, śva-paca. Śva means dog, and paca means pacanti, cook.

But Kṛṣṅa consciousness is so nice. It is said in the śāstra, aho bata śva-paco 'to garīyān yaj-jihvāgre nāma tubhyam [SB 3.33.7].

[Oh, how glorious are they whose tongues are chanting Your holy name! Even if born in the families of dog-eaters, such persons are worshipable. Persons who chant the holy name of Your Lordship must have executed all kinds of austerities and fire sacrifices and achieved all the good manners of the Āryans. To be chanting the holy name of Your Lordship, they must have bathed at holy places of pilgrimage, studied the Vedas and fulfilled everything required.]

Even a śva-paca, caṅḍāla, dog-eaters, if he learns from the spiritual master how to chant Hare Kṛṣṅa mantra, he is garīyān, he is glorified. In another place also, that śva-paca, caṅḍālo 'pi dvija-śreṣṭho hari-bhakti-parāyaṅaḥ: even caṅḍāla, he becomes greater than a brāhmaṅa, provided he becomes a devotee of the Lord, hari-bhakti-parāyaṅaḥ.

So ordinarily, when people are not on the standard of bhagavad-bhakti, devotees of the Lord, there is division of the society. There must be. Otherwise things cannot go on. In the śāstras we find that there is division even in my body: the brain division, the hand division or the arms division, the belly division and the leg division. The brain division is the brāhmaṅa, and the arm division is the kṣatriya, gives you protection. As soon as somebody is going to attack you, immediately, automatically you spread your hand. Kṣatriya. Kṣat means injury. In Hindi it is called kṣatra. So kṣat trāyate. A kṣatriya's business is one who can save you from being injured by others. That is kṣatriya. And brāhmaṅa means the intelligent class.

So as in the body the brain is also required, the hand is also required, the belly is also required, and the leg is also required, although the activities of the leg is not so important than the activity of the brain. Comparatively studying, the brain is most important part of the body—this head. If you cut the head of a man, then, in spite of possessing the arms, belly and legs, he is dead man. But if you cut the hand or the leg, he can live, and the brain can work. This is an example. Similarly, when the society is divided nicely in these four division—the brahminical culture, the kṣatriya culture, the vaiśya culture and the śūdra culture... Brahminical culture means people should learn how to speak truth, satya; śama, how to control the mind, how to control the senses. Satya, śama, damaḥ, titikṣā, how to become tolerant; ārjavam, how to become simple in life; how to become cleansed; how to acquire knowledge; and how to practically apply the knowledge in daily life. Jñānaṁ vijñānam āstikyam. And āstikyam means full faith in the Vedic literature. That is called āstikya. Āstikya generally is called theism.

So if one has full faith and full knowledge in Vedas, he becomes theist. If he has no sufficient knowledge in the Vedas, he becomes atheist. So just like Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, veda nā māniyā bauddha haila nāstika. The Buddhists, they did not accept the authority of the Vedas. Therefore they are called nāstika, or atheist. That is the definition, that if you do not accept the authority of the Vedas, then you become atheist. So this is the brahminical... One of the brahminical qualification is how to live under the Vedic civilization. That is brāhmaṅa. Similarly, kṣatriya: tejaḥ, śauryam, very powerful, and kṣatriya will never go away from the battlefield. Kṣatriya's business is, in the battlefield, either to become victorious or lay down life. That is kṣatriya. He is not coming back from the battlefield without being victorious. No. That is kṣatriya's business. Not like... Kṣatriya, therefore, they are in charge of the government. Nowadays the kṣatriyas, they do not go to the government. Practically there is no kṣatriya. That is stated in the śāstras. Asaṁskṛtāḥ kriyā-hīnā mlecchā rājanya-rūpiṅaḥ [SB 12.1.40]. Mleccha. They have no that kṣatriya qualification. Mleccha, unclean. Mleccha means unclean, without any Vedic culture. They are called mleccha. Anyone. It does not mean that any particular class of men is called mleccha. Anyone who is unclean and does not abide by the injunction of the Vedas, they are called mleccha, yavana. That is the śāstric term.

So Kṛṣṅa says for the upkeep of the society, there must be this cultural division of the society, namely varṅa and āśrama. But at the present moment people do not know what is the aim of life. They do not know.

na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṅuṁ durāśayā ye bahir-artha-māninaḥ andhā yathāndhair upanīyamānās te 'pīśa-tantryām uru-dāmni-baddhāḥ [SB 7.5.31]

[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 Viṣṅu. 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.]

Uru-dāmni-baddhāḥ. Te 'pīśa-tantryām uru-dāmni-baddhāḥ, andhā yathāndhair upanīyamānāḥ. People are... Because the Vedic culture is lost, the system of brāhmaṅa, kṣatriya, vaiśya is no longer existing, neither there is training. One politician, minister in Calcutta, he came to see me, I was talking. "Why there is chaotic condition?" And the simple reason is there is no... This cātur-varṅya system is lost. Practically without any brahminical culture, kṣatriya culture, people remain śūdras, the fourth-class men. Or fifth-class men. So unless there are first-class men, second-class men, at least third-class men, only fourth-class, fifth-class, sixth-class men, how they can conduct? That is not possible. Therefore it is enjoined that cātur-varṅyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭam [Bg 4.13].

This division of the society must be observed.

Educational institution there should be, but the education... Just like in a university they have different departments: medical department, engineering department, or biological and so many, psychological, chemical, physical... They have so many departments. But there is no department brahminical, kṣatriyacal or vaiśya. Nothing. Because they do not know what is the aim of life. They are simply interested with the bodily comforts of life. That's all. Never mind what is our next life, what kind of life we are going to. But that is..., there is the..., this is a fact.

Therefore we have to study Bhagavad-gītā very seriously. The beginning of Bhagavad-gītā it is said by Kṛṣṅa, tathā dehāntara-prāptir. There is dehāntara. After leaving this body, I have to accept another body. Tathā dehāntara-prāptir dhīras tatra na muhyati [Bg 2.13].

[As the embodied soul continually passes, in this body, from boyhood to youth to old age, the soul similarly passes into another body at death. The self-realized soul is not bewildered by such a change.]

Dhīraḥ means those who are sober, intelligent, they know that what is death. Death means giving up this body and accepting another, transmigration of the soul. That is death. So dhīras tatra na muhyati. A dhīraḥ who is learned, he knows, but others, adhīraḥ... There are two classes of men: dhīra and adhīra. Adhīraḥ means not controlled; animals. Just like animal cannot control. So human being is gradually coming to the platform of the animals, because they are being conducted on the bodily concept of life.

yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṅape tri-dhātuke sva-dhīḥ kalatrādiṣu bhauma ijya-dhīḥ yat-tīrtha-buddhiḥ salile na karhicij ...sa eva go-kharaḥ [SB 10.84.13]

[One who identifies his self as the inert body composed of mucus, bile and air, who assumes his wife and family are permanently his own, who thinks an earthen image or the land of his birth is worshipable, or who sees a place of pilgrimage as merely the water there, but who never identifies himself with, feels kinship with, worships or even visits those who are wise in spiritual truth—such a person is no better than a cow or an ass.]

Anyone who is thinking that "I am this body," yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṅape... Kuṅape means this bag, tri-dhātuke, of kapha, pitta, vāyu. Am I this body? A first-class intelligent man is composed of this body. What is the composition? The blood, bone, flesh, muscle, stool, urine. Does it mean a first-class man is composition of these ingredients? But foolish people are taking their bodily conception of life. No. Tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ. Dehino 'smin yathā dehe [Bg 2.13]. This is the first understanding of knowledge, but people do not understand that within the body there is soul. They are so fooled. Therefore they have been described in the śāstra, sa eva go-kharaḥ: "This class of men, they are no better than the cows and the asses."

So you cannot become happy in the assembly of some animals. Therefore people are so much disturbed at the present moment. There is no sober life, dhīra. If you want peaceful life in the society, then you must accept this program, cātur-varṅyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭam [Bg 4.13].

There must be brahminical class of men, kṣatriya class of men, vaiśya class of men. The vaiśya... Generally we understand vaiśya means the mercantile class of men. No. At the present moment the so-called vaiśyas are śūdras, less than śūdras. Why? Now the vaiśya's business is kṛṣi-go-rakṣya-vāṅijyaṁ vaiśya-karma svabhāva-jam [Bg 18.44].

[Farming, cow protection and business are the qualities of work for the vaiśyas, and for the śūdras there is labor and service to others.]

The vaiśyas must be engaged in producing food grains, but they are not interested. They are interested for opening factories for bolts and nuts and tires, Goodwheel tires..., Goodyear tires. Now you eat tire and bolt, nut. No, you cannot eat. You have to eat rice, and rice is ten rupees per kilo. That's all. Because no vaiśya is producing food grain. This is the defect. They don't see the defect. They're simply howling, bawling, "Oh, it has increased price." Why not, increased price? There are millions of people in Bombay city. Who is producing food grain? But they are known as vaiśya. What kind of vaiśya? There is no brahminical culture; there is no brain. There is no kṣatriya who can give you protection. There are so many defects.

So if you want to remodel your life, the society, the human society, nationally or internationally—everything is spoken here international—then you have to take to the advice of Kṛṣṅa. This is the purpose of Kṛṣṅa consciousness movement: wholesale, thorough overhauling of the human society. We have not manufactured anything, concocted things. It is very scientific. If you actually want to fulfill the mission of your life, then you have to take to this advice of Bhagavad-gītā, very scientific and spoken by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, without any defects. If I speak something, there may be so many defects, because I am imperfect. Every one of us, imperfect. We commit mistake. To err is human. There is no human being who can say boldly that "I never committed any mistake." That is not possible. You must commit mistake. And sometimes we are illusioned, pramāda. That we are all, because we are accepting this body as "I am," which I am not. That is called pramāda, bhrama pramāda. Then vipralipsā. I have got bhrama, I commit mistake, I am bewildered, I am illusioned, still I am taking the position of teacher. That is cheating. If you are defective, if you have got so many defects in your life, how you can become teacher? You are a cheater. Nobody's cheater..., teacher, because without being perfect, how you can become teacher? So this is going on.

And the last defect is that my senses are imperfect. I cannot see properly, I cannot smell properly, I cannot touch properly. So many defects. Just, for example, I am seeing the sun every day, but I am seeing just like a disk. But it is fourteen hundred thousand times bigger than the earth. So śāstra-cakṣusā. You must see through the śāstra, not with these eyes. Just like they say sometimes, "Can you show me God? Have you seen God?" Well, can you see God? You cannot see even the sun properly. How can you see God? Why you are proud of your eyes so much? If you cannot see even material object and you cannot see even the spirit soul... You are seeing daily your father, and when your father dies you cry, "Oh, my father is gone." Well, your father is lying here. How do you say your father is gone? "No, father is gone." Then how it is gone? "Now he is dead." How he is dead? That means you are seeing your father so many years, but you did not see who is your father. Now he cries, "Now my father is gone." Where he is gone? He is there, lying on the floor. So just see our fault, how much defective our eyes. I am seeing the body of the father and I am thinking, "He is my father." Sa eva go-kharaḥ [SB 10.84.13],

ass and cow, the seeing of the ass and cow.

So in this way we are defective. How we can guide the people? How we can become teacher? How we can become leader? Andhā yathāndhair upanīyamānāḥ, yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṅape [SB 7.5.31].

Andha. I am andha, blind, and I try to lead others, andhas. Therefore there must be chaos. This will not help us. We must see through the eyes of Kṛṣṅa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. We must study Bhagavad-gītā perfectly well. How to read? Evaṁ paramparā-prāptam [Bg 4.2],

[This supreme science was thus received through the chain of disciplic succession, and the saintly kings understood it in that way. But in course of time the succession was broken, and therefore the science as it is appears to be lost.]

through the disciplic succession. As Kṛṣṅa said, you have to accept that teaching through the disciplic succession, not concocted meanings: "Oh, I am a very good scholar. I passed my D.H.C. or M.A.C. or M.A. I can comment on Bhagavad-gītā in my own way." That is rascaldom. That is not understanding of Bhagavad-gītā. Bhagavad-gītā means you must understand what Kṛṣṅa says. That is understanding. But generally it is done, "Kill Kṛṣṅa. There was no Kṛṣṅa. There was no battlefield. There was no Mahābhārata. I have my concoction about Kṛṣṅa." This kind of commentary and understanding of Bhagavad-gītā has spoiled the whole world.

Therefore in the Western countries so many svāmīs and yogīs went there and they misrepresented Bhagavad-gītā. Of course, everyone knows in Western country Bhagavad-gītā. Every institution, every gentleman, learned man, knows that there is a nice book, Bhagavad-gītā, but they read these faulty commentaries. They cannot understand. Now we are presenting Bhagavad-gītā as it is, and they are now understanding what is real Bhagavad-gītā. Therefore they are now devotees. For the last two hundred years, so many svāmīs and yogīs went there and talked about Bhagavad-gītā. Not a single person became a devotee of Kṛṣṅa. Now you will find thousands. Why? The Bhagavad-gītā is being accepted as it is. This is the secret of this Kṛṣṅa consciousness movement.

So our only request is that if you want happiness, if you want to prosper, make your life successful, you must read Bhagavad-gītā thoroughly, as it is, as Kṛṣṅa says. Don't try to misinterpret, "Kṛṣṅa means this," and "Pāṅḍava means this," and "This means this." Don't make this foolish rascaldom. Take as it is, Bhagavad-gītā. Kṛṣṅa says that mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat kiñcid asti dhanañjaya [Bg 7.7],

[O conqueror of wealth [Arjuna], there is no Truth superior to Me. Everything rests upon Me, as pearls are strung on a thread.]

aham ādir hi devānām [Bg 10.2]. Cātur-varṅyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭam [Bg 4.13], here it is said.

Kṛṣṅa says, cātur-varṅyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭam; you cannot cancel this system of varṅāśrama. Then you will suffer. You cannot cancel. You must accept that there must be a class of men, real brāhmaṅa. Not that "I am born in a brāhmaṅa family and I am doing the work of a cobbler. Still I am a brāhmaṅa." No, not like that. Guṅa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ. Kṛṣṅa never says that brāhmaṅa is born in a brāhmaṅa family. Here it is clearly said, cātur-varṅyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṅa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ. Guṅa means quality. As you purchase something that it is good quality, nice quality, similarly, you should accept a brāhmaṅa, a kṣatriya, a vaiśya, a śūdra by the quality and by the work.

Not only that. Just like you qualify yourself as a lawyer, but you do not practice. So who will call you lawyer? Nobody will call. But if you are qualified and if you are practicing, everyone says, "Okay, sahīb." He will go. People will go to consult with you. But if you do not practice, simply you have passed legal examination, nobody will come to you. So two things are required: the brahminical qualities and work like a brāhmaṅa. These two things... If you are born in a brāhmaṅa family and you are, "Oh, all blessing to you," oh, what power you have got to bless me? You are not in quality, nor in work. But people accept it, "Paṅḍitajī." What kind of paṅḍitajī? Paṅḍita... Paṅḍita means one who knows. Then the Bhagavad-gītā says, paṅḍitāḥ sama-darśinaḥ.

vidyā-vinaya-sampanne brāhmaṅe gavi hastini śuni caiva śva-pāke ca paṅḍitāḥ sama-darśinaḥ [Bg 5.18]

[The humble sage, by virtue of true knowledge, sees with equal vision a learned and gentle brāhmaṅa, a cow, an elephant, a dog and a dog-eater [outcaste]]

So this is the paṅḍita, definition of paṅḍita, not this rascal paṅḍita, that rascal paṅḍita. Paṅḍita means one who has attained the spiritual platform. That is called paṅḍita. Paṅḍitāḥ sama-darśinaḥ.

Vidyā-vinaya, brāhmaṅe, a learned brāhmaṅa; gavi, a cow; hastini, an elephant; śuni, śuni means caṅḍāla, er, śuni means dog; and śva-pāke, those who are dog-eaters, caṅḍāla. Paṅḍitāḥ sama-darśinaḥ. How is that? Paṅḍita has become mad that he is seeing the brāhmaṅa, learned brāhmaṅa, and a caṅḍāla and a cow, everything on the same platform? How? Because he is not seeing this body; he is seeing the soul. That is paṅḍita. Otherwise, how a paṅḍitāḥ sama-darśinaḥ... He is not madman. Those who are advanced in education, learned, they see that everyone is living entity, part and parcel of God. He is under condition now. So let him be awakened. Uttiṣṭhata jāgrata prāpya varān nibodhata [Kaṭha Upaniṣad 1.3.14].

[Please wake up and try to understand the boon that you now have in this human form of life. The path of spiritual realization is very difficult; it is sharp like a razor's edge. That is the opinion of learned transcendental scholars.]

This is paṅḍita's business, to educate. Just like the human being, one who hasn't got the spiritual knowledge, it is the business of the paṅḍita to educate him. Uttiṣṭhata jāgrata prāpya varān nibodhata: "You have got now this human body. In the animal body you could not understand what is spirit soul, what is God. Now you have got the opportunity." Uttiṣṭhata: "Now get up." Prāpya varān nibodhata. "You have got this opportunity to understand." Athāto brahma jijñāsā: "Now it is your opportunity to inquire about jīvasya tattva-jijñāsā." These are the instruction in the Vedic literature. Tattva-jijñāsā.

The human life is only meant for tattva-jijñāsā, to understand the Absolute Truth. That requires brahminical culture, not the dull brain of śūdras and caṅḍālas. They cannot understand. Therefore there must be an institution to educate a brāhmaṅa, to educate kṣatriya. That is required. Cātur-varṅyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭam. If you don't do it, if you simply produce śūdras, bolt-nut manufacturers, technicians, then how you can be happy, śūdras? This is the business of the śūdras. This is not business of brāhmaṅa. You keep śūdras, but there must be brāhmaṅas also. Just like leg is also required, the brain is also required. You cut the leg, simply keep the brain, that is also defective; and if you cut off the brain, then everything is finished. This is going on. There is no brāhmaṅa, there is no kṣatriya, there is no vaiśya—only śūdras. So how you can be happy?

Therefore it is very essential to understand this verse. Cātur-varṅyam, train a class of men. Everyone required. There is intelligent class of men, but their brain is being misused, and intelligent man is being taught technology, how to manufacture machine. This is śūdra's business. This is śūdra's business. Misuse. Brain misuse. There must be university where brain is properly utilized. Here is a child or here is a boy, he has good intelligence. Train him as brāhmaṅa. Less than that, train him as kṣatriya, train him as vaiśya. Everything is there in the Bhagavad-gītā. There is no difficulty. So if you actually want happiness, prosperity of the society, not only of this society, that—whole human society—they must accept this Kṛṣṅa consciousness movement, and then they will be happy.

Thank you very much.

Devotees: Jaya Prabhupāda. [end]