Hare Krsna Devi Dasi

Hare Krsna Devi Dasi

Discharging one's occupational duty as a means of rendering devotional service unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the ultimate goal of life. (Srimad-Bhagavatam 4.20.9, purport)

The ultimate goal of life is to please Lord Visnu by varnasrama-dharma. (Srimad-Bhagavatam 8.16.60, purport)

"I WAS PRESENT on two occasions when Srila Prabhupada spoke about how important establishing varnasrama was to him," said Abhirama Dasa, a disciple of Prabhupada's. "Both times were in the summer of 1977, in Prabhupada's room in Vrndavana, before Prabhupada left to go to London. At the time, I was Prabhupada's nurse and an assistant to Tamal Krsna Goswami, Prabhupada's personal secretary.

"The first time, several devotees were with Prabhupada. We knew that his health was getting weaker. He was talking to us about his imminent departure.

" 'I have no lamentation,' Prabhupada said. He paused for a few seconds, and then he said, 'No, I have one lamentation.'

"A devotee asked, 'Because you have not finished translating the Srimad-Bhagavatam?'

"Prabhupada replied, 'No, that I have not established varnasrama.'

"On the next occasion, some time later, I was with Prabhupada in his room when he said, 'Fifty percent of my work is not complete, because I have not established varnasrama.' "

The Importance of Varnasrama

What is this mission that was so important to Srila Prabhupada? Varnasrama-dharma is the organization of society into four occupational groups and four spiritual groups. These groups work not to viciously compete and exploit, like modern social classes, but to cooperate with mutual responsibility among the classes, with the specific goal of pleasing the Supreme Lord.

After Srila Prabhupada's passing in November of 1977, a Back to Godhead article (January/February, 1978) entitled "The Gifts of His Divine Grace" presented thirteen of Prabhupada's fundamental contributions for the spiritual benefit of the world. Among them was "Ideal Life in Harmony with God and Nature":

The spiritual master, as the representative of the Lord, conveys the Lord's instructions and shows how to put them into practical effect. In the Vedic scriptures, the Supreme Lord perfectly teaches how to live happily in this world and at the end of life go back home, back to Godhead. He gives the perfect system of social organization, known as varnasrama-dharma, and He tells us how to solve all economic problems simply by depending on the natural fertility of the earth and by protecting cows and drinking the milk He's arranged for them to give us.
Thus Srila Prabhupada, to demonstrate the practical value of "simple living and high thinking" according to the Vedic way, established twelve Krsna conscious farm communities in North America, South America, Europe, Australia, and India. There, devotees work hard in a simple, natural life, dedicating their thoughts, their words, and their work to the devotional service of Krsna. As life in the world's cities becomes increasingly hellish, as it surely will, those who wish to turn away from their artificial mode of life and return to the way prescribed by the Lord Himself will be increasingly grateful to His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada for giving them the chance to do so, not only in theory but as a working day-by-day reality.

Srila Prabhupada was convinced that social organization should be used to promote spiritual progress. That conviction was founded on the instructions of his own spiritual master, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, and supported by the Vedic scriptures. Prabhupada often quoted the instructions of the great sage Parasara Muni from the Visnu Purana (3.8.9):

varnasramacaravata
purusena parah puman
visnur aradhyate pantha
nanyat tat-tosa-karanam

"The Supreme Personality of Godhead Lord Visnu is worshiped by the proper execution of prescribed duties in the system of varna and asrama. There is no other way to satisfy the Lord."

Srila Prabhupada also cited this statement by Lord Krsna from the 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."

And Srila Prabhupada cited Krsna's instructions at the conclusion of the Gita (18.45-46):

sve sve karmany abhiratah
samsiddhim labhate narah
sva-karma-niratah siddhim
yatha vindati tac chrnu

yatah pravrttir bhutanam
yena sarvam idam tatam
sva-karmana tam abhyarcya
siddhim vindati manavah

"By following his qualities of work, every man can become perfect. Now please hear from Me how this can be done. By worship of the Lord, who is the source of all beings and who is all-pervading, man can attain perfection through performing his own work."

So it was not surprising that the sense of the Back to Godhead eulogy was poignantly highlighted several pages later in a special edition of "Srila Prabhupada Speaks Out" entitled "His Final Instructions." It featured a number of statements Prabhupada had made in his last days in Vrndavana, including the following instruction to "make the situation favorable" for chanting Hare Krsna by establishing varnasrama:

And I also want you to organize varnasrama society [the Vedic social structure]. Divide society: brahmana [intellectual class], ksatriya [administrators], and so on. There should be social division, just as there is a division of the different parts of our body. This will help people. Don't waste the human form of life by sinful living. I have already given the ideas in my books, so you should all read them. You are intelligent, all of you. Caitanya Mahaprabhu said, para-upakara do good to others; do not exploit them. Any human being has the ability to chant Hare Krsna. Give them chanting. And also make the situation favorable. Is that clear?

So here was the instruction, clear and irrefutable: One of Srila Prabhupada's last great wishes was that devotees establish the varnasrama organization of society to pave the way for spreading Krsna consciousness throughout the world.

Indeed, Prabhupada saw the establishment of varnasrama as a central mission of the Krsna consciousness movement, as shown by his purport to the following passage from the Srimad-Bhagavatam (9.10.51), describing the rule of the Supreme Personality of Godhead Lord Rama:

TRANSLATION
Lord Ramacandra became King during Treta-yuga, but because of His good government, the age was like Satya-yuga. Everyone was religious and completely happy.

PURPORT
Among the four yugas Satya, Treta, Dvapara, and Kali the Kali-yuga is the worst, but if the process of varnasrama-dharma is introduced, even in this age of Kali, the situation of Satya-yuga can be invoked. The Hare Krsna movement, or Krsna consciousness movement, is meant for this purpose.

Srila Prabhupada Risked His Life

Recently, I was speaking with a friend about Prabhupada's desires to establish varnasrama. She observed, "I don't think we appreciate just how important this was to Prabhupada. He was so intent on this mission that he was willing to risk his life in an attempt to carry it out." She recalled that Prabhupada, during his last days, had told his secretary Tamal Krsna Maharaja, "I want to establish varnasrama." And when Tamal Krsna Goswami asked, "How will you do that?" Prabhupada spoke of Gita Nagari, ISKCON's farm in Pennsylvania. "I will go to Gita Nagari. I will sit down, and I will teach you how to live off the land."

But the doctors in Vrndavana warned him not to go. They said he would risk his life by going to the West. Still, in spite of their warnings, Prabhupada attempted to go. He made it to London, but there his health collapsed, so he returned to Vrndavana. And within two months he was gone.

My friend continued, "So the doctors might say this proves they were right: Prabhupada never should have attempted that trip. Would they be right? That depends on us. If we take up Prabhupada's heroic attempt and complete his mission, we can prove that they were wrong: the mission of Krsna's pure devotee ultimately cannot be baffled by any obstacle of the material world. I guess that's what it means to be fixed on the order of the spiritual master. You try to make sure his plans for the benefit of the world are fulfilled, no matter what."

After my conversation with my friend, I could not help thinking of Prabhupada's own statement in the Srimad-Bhagavatam (4.24.15, purport):

After being initiated and receiving the orders of the spiritual master, the disciple should unhesitatingly think about the instructions or orders of the spiritual master and should not allow himself to be disturbed by anything else. This is also the verdict of Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura, who, while explaining a verse of Bhagavad-gita (vyavasayatmika buddhir ekeha kuru-nandana, Bg. 2.41), points out that the order of the spiritual master is the life substance of the disciple. The disciple should not consider whether he is going back home, back to Godhead; his first business should be to execute the order of his spiritual master. Thus a disciple should always meditate on the order of the spiritual master, and that is perfectional meditation. Not only should he meditate upon that order, but he should find out the means by which he can perfectly worship and execute it.

If we focus our lives on the order of our founder-acarya that we organize society for pleasing the Supreme Lord Sri Krsna, there is no doubt that spiritual adventure and a vital strengthening of our relationship with Srila Prabhupada await us in the coming years.

Hare Krsna Devi Dasi, an ISKCON devotee since 1978, is co-editor of the newsletter Hare Krsna Rural Life.

The author would like to acknowledge the contributions of Muralivadaka Dasa, Abhirama Dasa, and Jaya Lalita Devi Dasi.