varnashrama theory- the relation between it, and bhakti

[niscala dasi]

The Relation Between Varnashrama and Bhakti

(excerpt from "Varnashrama, the Eight-Petalled Lotus")

It is the opinion of many devotees that varnashrama has nothing to do
with devotion to the Lord, bhakti. The basis for such a conclusion is
a conversation between Ramananda Raya and Lord Chaitanya, recorded in
the Chaitanya Caritamrita...Sri Chaitanya mahaprabhu had ordered
Ramananda Raya to recite a verse from the revealed scriptures
concerning the ultimate goal of life. Ramananda replied that if one
executes the prescribed duties of his social position, he awakens his
original Krsna consciousness...

“The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Vishnu, is worshipped by the
proper execution of prescribed duties in the system of varna and
ashrama. There is no other way to satisfy the Supreme Personality of
Godhead. One must be situated in the institution of the four varnas
and ashramas”

The Lord replied “This is external. You had better tell me of some
other means.” (Chaitanya Caritamrita, Madhya lila, 8.57-59)

We have here a contradiction- that the Lord can only be satisfied by
varnashrama, “there is no other way”, yet it is considered by the Lord
to be external to life’s ultimate goal, which is given to be
satisfying the Lord! The reconciliation can be found in Srila
Prabhupada’s purport:

“The devotees attain the Supreme Lord only by devotional service.
Having such knowledge, one engages in his occupational duty, and that
is called bhakti yoga. By performing bhakti-yoga, one can rise to the
platform of pure devotional service”

This is interesting, since pure devotional service is nothing but
bhakti, so one performs bhakti to attain bhakti- pure bhakti. So it
appears from this that there are various levels of bhakti, and this is
indicated clearly by the rest of the conversation between Ramananda
Raya and Lord Chaitanya. Is it that in the beginning stages of bhakti,
varnashrama is considered necessary? More from the purport:

"Ramananda Raya first enunciated the principle of varnashrama dharma
in consideration of materialistic people. However, this conception is
not transcendental. As long as one is in the material world, he must
follow the principles of varnashrama dharma…"

So we have two principles-firstly that varnashrama is absolutely
necessary to please the Lord, and secondly that it is not
transcendental. One principle encourages us to take it up, and the
other discourages us from doing so. Whether the instruction is valid
for a particular individual is indicated by the words, “as long as one
is in the material world”. From this we can conclude that certainly
varnashrama is necessary- “he must” - if one is not on the
transcendental platform. Varnashrama may not be of the nature of
transcendence itself, but it is a necessary adjunct to the
transcendental process of atma-nivedanam- offering oneself to the
Lord, in service. Combined with such a loving attitude, only then does
it become bhakti yoga. This happens in much the same way as books and
buildings become transcendental shelters when used in the Lord’s
service. This is the process of real renunciation as espoused by Rupa
Goswami- the principle of yukta vairagya, renouncing nothing,
including one’s position in the material world, that can be used
somehow for the Lord’s loving service.

Pick and Choose- or Reconcile?
There is no use taking one position over the other, as some devotees
do- either claiming that all that is needed is varnashrama, or that
varnashrama is material and is irrelevant to bhakti yoga. When one
encounters opposing propositions in sastra, one must reconcile them,
not pick and choose one over the other, whimsically. We do need
varnashrama while in the material world, but ultimately we do not need
it, as it belongs to the material world; just like the beach is not
water, it is land, but crossing it is a necessary step to get to the
water.
The reason that varnashrama is described as external is that the
conception is based on duality- “this, but not that”, “ksatriya, but
not vaisya”- whereas in spiritual consciousness, everything is “this”-
Krsna’s energy. Seeing only the oneness of Krsna’s energy is a symptom
of the topmost devotee, the uttama adhikari. The second best devotee,
the madhyama, sees differences according to character only, and the
neophyte, who is scarcely not a devotee at all in the real sense, sees
only differences.
So for one steeped in the duality of seeing differences between living
entities, let him see only the differences that contribute to social
harmony and spiritual evolution; let him see only differences in
character- and not differences on the basis of body, belief, etc.
This is varnashrama- dividing up society according to the qualities of
work, guna-karma. It is practically to force everyone on to the level
of madhyama, at which point their execution of devotional service
becomes actually pleasing to the Lord.

Without such consciousness of the essential equality of all beings,
one’s acts of religion are no more fruitful than pouring butter into
ashes:

yo mam sarvesu bhutesu
santam atamana isvaram
hitvarcam bhajate maudhyad
bhasmany eva juhoti sah

“One who worships the Diety of Godhead in the temples, ignoring the
Supreme Lord Paramatma, situated in every living entity’s heart, must
be in ignorance, and is compared to one who offers oblations into
ashes” (Srimad Bhagavtam 3.29.22)

Isn’t Chanting Enough?
There are many other arguments that devotees present, both now and
in Prabhupada’s time, such as that “all that is needed is chanting the
Holy Name”, and that “varnashrama is impossible in this age”. These
and other arguments were presented to Srila Prabhupada, when he
decided that it was high time we had varnashrama within ISKCON. In
these famous varnashrama conversations, Srila Prabhupada again and
again stressed the need for varnashrama in the beginning stages of
spiritual life- the kanistha platform. There was however,conflict
between Srila Prabhupada and his disciples, who refused to believe
that devotees are not completely transcendental! After all, how many
times had Srila Prabhupada told them that one who practices bhakti-
yoga is immediately transferred to the transcendental platform, beyond
the modes of nature?
Devotees have maintained this belief, even up to this day- despite
the mounting evidence to the contrary- that clearly many devotees are
not transcendentally situated- there have been so many falldowns…
Ignoring the facts, the reality all around them, devotees still
believe Srila Prabhupada’s original words. This is called “blind
following”. Following with intelligence takes into account the
situation that one is in- one’s eyes are open. The guru’s business is
to open the eyes of the disciple, and give him faith that is not
blind. If the disciple cannot reconcile opposing statements of the
guru with wisdom and foresight, but instead fanatically takes one
side, the guru must help him.
Thus, in these conversations, Srila Prabhupada explained to his
followers the reconciliation- that only a certain level of devotional
service, such as that exemplified by Lord Chaitanya or Haridas
Thakura, places one immediately in the transcendental consciousness.
One who is not at this level, who is affected by the modes of nature,
is still a devotee, but he needs the facility of varnashrama in which
to perform his devotional service. Then it is actually bhakti yoga,
and elevates the devotee, gradually, but assuredly.

Satsvarupa: But if they won't chant, then neither will they train up
in the varnashrama. That's the easiest.

Prabhupada: The chanting will be there, but you cannot expect that
people will chant like Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. They cannot even chant
sixteen rounds. [Sarcastically:] These rascals are going to be
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.

Satsvarupa: No. But if they at least will chant and take some
prasada...

Prabhupada: Chanting will go on. That is not stopped. But at the same
time the varnashrama-dharma must be established to make the way easy.

Hari-sauri: Well, at least my own understanding was that the chanting
was introduced in the age of Kali because varnashram is not possible.

Prabhupada: Because it will cleanse the mind. Chanting will not stop.

Hari-sauri: So therefore the chanting was introduced to replace all of
the systems of varnashram and like that.

Prabhupada: Yes, it can replace, but who is going to replace it?
The... People are not so advanced. If you imitate Haridasa Thakura to
chant, it is not possible.



Vital- in the beginning!
Why one needs varnashrama in the beginning stages of spiritual life,
why it is so utterly essential, and therefore given so much stress by
Srila Prabhupada, is clear by his repeated emphasis on avoiding
“showbottle spiritualism”- through varnashrama. Krishna is pleased
only by honest service, however simply it is rendered… to level of
simply offering Him a leaf… but it must be honest. That is the
requirement.

Hari-sauri: So therefore the chanting was introduced to replace all of
the systems of varnashram and like that.

Prabhupada: Yes, it can replace, but who is going to replace it?
The... People are not so advanced. If you imitate Haridasa Thakura to
chant, it is not possible....Therefore varnashram-dharma is required.
Simply show-bottle will not do.


Externally, in varnashrama one appears very ordinary, and this is
the perfect situation to be in. Internally the devotee is fixed in his
meditation on the Lord, while externally he engages in his natural
occupational duty, not for profit, but to avoid the anartha of
pratistha*, distinction. Thus he may appear as a sudra, a working man,
but that doesn’t mean that in the vision of the Lord, he is anything
less advanced than the greatly glorified devotees. It is what is on
the inside that counts.

When Varnashrama is unnecessary
These conversations shed much light on the controversy of varnashrama,
as to why it is sometimes deemed as necessary and at other times
unnecessary. For example, some devotees, citing Hari- bhakti-vilasa,
claim that if one is initiated by a bonafide vaisnava spiritual
master, then one is automatically a brahmana…

Actually, the verse requires more than just initiation:
“As bell metal is turned into gold when mixed with mercury in an
alchemical process, so one who is properly trained and initiated by a
bonafide spiritual master immediately becomes a brahmana”
So proper training is necessary, not just initiation!
Besides that, in these conversations we see a bonafide spiritual
master instructing his initiated disciples to take up varnashrama,
something unnecessary if they were all on the level of brahmanas!
Clearly they were unable to respond to the training given by Srila
Prabhupada, at least not immediately, as they were falling from the
brahminical principles he had introduced.
Despite this, the compassionate spiritual master, karuna sindhu, never
gives up on the disciple and always devises ways and means by which
the disciple can surrender to the Lord, despite the impediments thrown
up by the illusory energy. If the disciple cannot immediately be
raised to brahminical standards, then he can render devotional service
honestly as a sudra, vaisya or ksatriya.

“The devotees attain the Supreme Lord only by devotional service.
Having such knowledge, one engages in his occupational duty, and that
is called bhakti yoga. By performing bhakti-yoga, one can rise to the
platform of pure devotional service”

Then he is in a position better than a brahmana by dint of his
devotion to the Lord, which a brahmana might not necessarily have.

“Anyone who has completely surrendered unto Krishna, giving up all
other duties, is no longer a debtor, nor is he obliged to anyone- not
the demigods, nor the sages, nor the people in general, nor kinsmen,
nor humanity, nor forefathers” (Srimad Bhagavatam, 11.5.41)

Clearly for one completely surrendered to the Lord, the duties in
varnashrama are unnecessary. For one not completely yet surrendered,
who is still to some degree affected by the modes of nature,
varnashrama is there as a means to keep one’s service free from the
lower modes of nature, which push and pull one toward greed and
ambition and falsity. So while varnashrama is unnecessary for one who
surrenders completely to the Lord and His representative, for those
who are not able to cent-percent surrender, varnashrama is the honest
way to do it gradually. One doesn’t have to pretend and be a show-
bottle spiritualist…
Besides that, if one’s duties in varnashrama are done as a service
to the Lord, then that is bhakti. After all, it is only a change in
consciousness that is required to transform a material activity into a
spiritual activity. (Bhagavad gita 5.10)

“Organize society”
It can be seen, in these conversations, a great deal of perturbation
by Srila Prabhupada’s disciples. When Srila Prabhupada explained that
we should take up varnashrama so that everyone else can follow it, his
disciples could not believe that society in general would take up
varnashrama just because we do- as if the U.S. president would have to
institute it! They interpreted his words “organize society” in that
way. But Srila Prabhupada makes no mention of such top-heavy
organization; it is clear that he saw that ISKCON could realistically
model varnashrama for the world, because its organization is natural-
from the bottom up. He emphasized that varnashrama is simply about
acting according to one’s nature, without the motivation of greed and
ambition to “get ahead” and achieve positions of power and respect.
One just needs to be satisfied with to be just who one is, for that
“is” is most loveable to the Lord, and ever more so, when the “is” is
simply for Him- with love.

*The anartha of pratistha is one of many mentioned by Bhaktivinode
Thakura in his books Bhajana Rahasya and Bhaktyaloka, . He advises to
give up this anartha as quickly as one gives up stool one has passed.
But he also comments that to do so is more difficult for the devotee
than giving up sex...The solution? “A practicing devotee should pass
his life with a natural occupation which is favorable to devotional
service, and he should chant and remember the holy names with
knowledge of his relationship with the Lord…Making varnashrama
favorable to devotional service, the householder should pass his life
engaged in devotional service, free from prayasa.”