Srila Prabhupada on establishing varnasrama system

[jaimin]

Abhirama dasa: “I was personally present on two occasions when Srila
Prabhupada spoke about how important establishing varnasrama was to
him. Both times were in the summer of 1977, in Prabhupada’s room in
Vrndavana, before he left to go to London. At the time, Tamala Krsna
Goswami was Srila Prabhupada’s personal secretary, and I his
assistant. I was also Prabhupada’s nurse.

“The first time, several devotees were with Srila Prabhupada. We knew
that his health was getting weaker. He was talking to the devotees
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 Srila Prabhupada in
his room when he made the statement, ‘Fifty percent of my work is
not complete because I have not established varnasrama.’”

— Telephone Interview with Abhirama dasa,
Vrndavana, India 18 February 1996,
(Interviewer: Hare Krsna dasi)