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ai601@lafn.org (Gabriel Rossman) wrote:
>>
>> In the Vedic culture there are four clasifications of men, the
>> brahmanas, the ksatriyas, the visyas and the sudras. These are the
>> intelectual priestly class, the military/administrative class, the
>> productive/farming class and the worker class respectively. The
>> Ksatriyas have to have some land because their business is to rule and
>> govern the people and to protect them from internal problems (thieves,
>> rogues, etc) and from attacks by outsiders. So Arjuna was a Ksatriya
>> and his business was to protect the citizens, but he had decided to
>> flee from the battlefield. This is certainly not a good thing for a
>> military man to do, even today we would expect the army to fight for
>> us, to protect us if another country attacks us. So Krishna was
>> astonished, "Where have these impurities come from?"
>>
>this is a question not a flame
>why is it that arjuna had to be a ksatriya? he obviously would have been
>happier as something else.
Firstly I have to explain that although you posted this on the 15th it
just arrived here (in Australia) now [the 24th!] I suppose we should be
grateful that it arrived here at all...
I am just now putting a WWW site together and there is a document there
called "Changing the Face of the Earth". I think you might like to read
it as it talks about these things [and others too]. It is at:
/sudarsana
It's very much "under construction" at the moment but have a look.. See
what you think. I'd be interested in your comments and suggestions.
Arjuna was a Ksatriya by his qualities and he wouldn't have been
happier as something else. His bewilderment on the battlefield was not
his normal behavior. It was a special case because this time he saw all
his family members and friends assembled there ready to fight. He was
bewildered for a little while. This was ultimately Krishna's arrangement
of course because if Arjuna had just gone out there fighting there
would be no chance for Krishna to speek the Bhagavad-gita!
Everyone has qualities and likes doing something so everyone naturally
"belongs" to one of the four groups. But that is not permanent, it can
be changed.
Krishna says in Bhagavad-gita (4.13):
catur-varnyam maya srstam guna-karma-vibhagasah
"According to the three modes of material nature and the work ascribed
to them, the four divisions of human society were created by Me."
So these four types of men exist everywhere: brahmanas -- the
intellectuals, ksatriyas -- the military and administrative
[government] class, visyas -- the farmers and businessmen, and the
sudras who are the workers.
We can see it. If you look around at the people you know someone has a
very good brain and likes pondering philosophy, someone likes to
organize things, someone likes to do business, to make money, and
someone else is just happy to get a job and work for someone else...
Our society is pushing the idea that everyone is equal, and that is
true, on the spiritual platform. But if we want society to work
properly then we need to find the right people for the right jobs.
>why can't each man choose his own actions
>instead of being thrust into a role?
The difficulty is everyone says, "I'm a brahmana...", but usually they
don't have the qualities of a brahmana. If someone who is not actually
very intelligent takes the position of a brahmana, who is supposed to be
able to give advice based on the scriptures to other members of the
society, everything is spoiled.
People are naturally in one of these four groups and a bonafide
spiritual master is expert in seeing how his disciples should serve
Krishna. He can tell so the disciple accepts his decision. But of
course one has to find a real spiritual master...
In reality this age is Kali-yuga and everything is upside-down and back
to front... It's very difficult to apply this varnasrama system at
present... So in Krishna consciousness we don't really consider these
divisions. We chant Hare Krishna and engage in Krishna's service and
this is above all the varnasrama divisions...
>why would the world be so terrible
>if the other people ruled it?
You can see it now. The world is being ruled by the businessmen, the
visyas, they are concerned about the economy and money. This is more
important to them than the people... So the world is becoming a place
where the people in general are being exploited and are not happy...
If the rulers were qualified ksatriyas who took advice from qualified
brahmans it would be a completely different picture. Then it would be
run for the peoples benefit, rather than the businessmens benefit.
Have a read of "Changing the Face of the Earth" at
/sudarsana and see what you think.
Thank you very much for the question.
Hare Krishna.
Thank you. Hare Krishna!
Madhudvisa dasa
(madhudvisa@krishna.org) /sudarsana
All glories to His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada!
Sudarsana Home madhudvisa@krishna.org