What is the difference between varnashrama daivi varnashrama and pure devotion?

Transcript

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So, what is the difference between Varanashram, Daiva Varanashram and pure devotion? What is Arjuna practicing? Varanashram traditionally meant division of society into four Varanas, four ashrams, and people serve according to that.
But in Varanashram often people might live piously. They may not live spiritually for the pleasure of the Lord. Even Ravana has his own Brahmanas in Nanka, who are called Yathudhanas, and they perform Yajna for his victory against Ram.
They are Brahmanas, but they are actually working against Ram. So, in that sense, they are not really devotees. They are not really spiritual.
They are using Brahmanical power. They have the Brahmanical mantra knowledge and everything. They are, you could say, pious, but they are not spiritual.
So, Varanashram involved different people working out in their different natures cooperatively, but not necessarily with a spiritual purpose. That is Vedic Varanashram. I would like to ask one question about piety.
See those Brahmanas, piety is usually connected to doing something good. But they are working against the Lord Himself. Well, good can be from the mode of goodness perspective.
They are working in goodness. Krishna doesn’t say that bhakti is a characteristic of the Brahmanas. He says astikya.
Shamo damas tapasya shanti rajyam vijnanam vigyanam astikyam. Astikya in the Vedic context means faith in the power of the Vedas. Faith in the Vedas.
So, they have faith in the Vedas. If I do this mantra, this will give the result. So, we have the example of Shukracharya also.
He advised Bali Maharaj to not give charity to Vamana. So, Brahmanas, we in ISKCON think of Brahmanas as higher than Vaishnavas. A person is already a devotee and then they get Brahman initiation.
But traditionally Brahmanas are basically priests. Priests and teachers. They can be teaching about Vyasadev.
He is not talking about pure devotion for so many of the books. But he has exalted Brahmana. So, we have to see that the term, since in which we use the word Brahmana is different from what it is in our society.
As a specific type of Brahmana. Exactly. So, in the Vedic Varanashram, they would just do their work according to their nature.
But not necessarily for a spiritual purpose. Daivi Varanashram means everybody is centered on Krishna. That’s why Bhagavatam says, Vishnu raradhate pumsa na anyato toshakaranam.
That we have to work for satisfying Lord Vishnu. That’s when we grow. That’s the purpose of Varanashram.
If you don’t do that, even if you do have Varanashram devotees, but if you are not getting attracted to Vishnu, if you are not devoted to Vishnu, then it’s shrama eva hi kevalam. It’s a waste of time. So, Daivi Varanashram means we work according to nature, but we serve Krishna.
Pure devotion is that we just absorb in Krishna. So, is pure devotion different from… Yeah, you could be doing Varanashram devotees, but with pure devotion to Krishna. So, we can say the Vrajivasis in Vrindavan, they are asking us Vaishyas.
But they are not primarily Vaishyas. They are devotees, pure devotees of Krishna. They may be serving within the Vaishya vocation.
So, pure devotion is transcendental. In the 64 items of Bhakti, Varanashram is not mentioned by Rupa Goswami. That’s because he is focusing primarily on the activity that will connect us with Krishna.
Now, Varanashram talks not so much directly about Krishna. It talks about how we function in the world so that we can go out of the world, ultimately. But its idea is how we function in the world.
Yeah. Whereas, Rupa Goswami is focusing on the item that will connect us with Krishna. So, now, subsequent Acharyas said, yes, these activities are important, the 64 items.
But along with that, how we function in the world is also important. So, that’s why Bhaktivinoda Thakur was the first person to talk about Vaigyanik Vaishyanashram, scientific Varanashram. Vaigyanik, Vaigyan.
Vigyan is science. Vaigyanik is scientific. So, Vaigyanik Varanashram.
He said that is according to the psychophysical nature. And this can create a foundation, stable foundation by which people can move towards Krishna. Which is what is needed.
Now, if we consider, what was Arjuna doing? Arjuna is definitely a Kshatriya. He is called Kshatriya by nature. But he is a pure devotee.
But he is not doing only pure devotional activities in the sense of the 64 items of devotional service, which Rupa Goswami talks about. His primary way of serving is as a Mahakshari Kshatriya. He is fighting for Krishna.
He is ruling for Krishna. And of course, he is hearing from the sages also. But that is not his primary activity.
That fighting is not his primary. It’s still a secondary activity. I am saying, 64 items of devotional service is not what he is constantly doing.
So, I am saying that his primary work is, he is working in the world, doing his professional vocation for the service of Krishna. So, I would say that he is doing Vaigyanik Varanashram with a pure devotional intention. But he is not exactly a pure devotee in the sense of, say some sannyasis renounce the world and stay in Vrindavan and always glorifying Krishna.
He would not be considered an ordinary Varanashram person at all. Because his heart is devoted to Krishna. At the same time, he is not the same way absorbed in Krishna by constantly glorifying Krishna, like say Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and his associates were doing in Jagannath Puri.
So, if you say, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and his associates were intimately absorbed in Krishna, Pratap Rudra was also there. Gopis, are they not constantly absorbed? They are. So, they are pure devotees.
But they are doing their duties as well. But still, there is a significant difference. The difference is, if you say, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and Pratap Rudra are there.
Pratap Rudra has his worldly duties. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu has renounced all his worldly duties. Swaroop Damodar has renounced all his worldly duties.
So, for the Gopis, He did renounce it all afterwards. But he did renounce it all afterwards. I think it’s very difficult to categorize like that.
What I would say is, the important thing is that, the intention is what is important. Just move onwards towards Krishna. And rather, this technical categorization, if it helps us to understand where we can be situated, that’s good.
But otherwise, to try to judge who is situated where, that’s not good.