In November 2018, I was on a tour to Europe with some senior devotees for preaching Kṛṣṇa consciousness. We visited a few countries in the tour. Needless to say, the tour involved a lot of flight travel. As we were standing in queues at the airports, I couldn’t help gazing at the separate lanes for priority customers and economy customers.
It made me deeply ponder over the cause of this obvious inequality or discrimination which, surprisingly, nobody is complaining about. On the surface, it is pretty plain and simple. You pay more for better service. It seemingly makes perfect sense. But if we dig deeper, contemplate and see beyond the obvious, particularly through the lens of śāstra, Vedic scriptures, we come to a very interesting observation.
From all descriptions from the various Purāṇas and historical epics like Rāmāyaṇa and Mahābhārata, and especially the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, we come to understand that whenever, during the ancient Vedic civilization, there arose a reason for giving priority to someone, it was not based on one’s financial status, as is the case today, but on one’s status of spiritual advancement.
In any society, the conception of their goal of life determines the values that would be considered desirable; and the values, in turn, determine the valuables, or physical articles and skills worth possessing that align with their goal. People are then classified according to the degree of valuables and values possessed based on the particular ideology of life conceived by the members of that society.
Although by definition a goal is the ultimate desirable end of all plans and actions, in a more significant way, it is actually the beginning of all plans and actions because before anything is done, the conception of the goal is crystallized. It is like the seed. Only then do the plans and actions come into place to achieve it. They can be considered the various branches of the tree. The capital needed to achieve the goal is the trunk which nourishes the tree. Thus, all behavioral patterns stem from a goal. As long as the behavior aligns with the goal, it is not questioned as it is considered relevant and meaningful. It is part of the same tree. When ultimately the goal is realized, that may be likened to the fruit. Only when the actions of individuals are irrelevant to the conception of the goal of life of a particular society are they considered unnecessary and unimportant or even, sometimes, criminal. They are like the weeds.
THE MATERIALISTIC PRIORITY LANE
Priority is given to something or someone more important than others. Hence the term VIP, meaning a very important person. In today’s materialistic society, importance is given to anyone who has money. This was already predicted in the ancient scripture Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam [12.2.2] as follows:
vittam eva kalau nṝṇāṁ
janmācāra-guṇodayaḥ
dharma-nyāya-vyavasthāyāṁ
kāraṇaṁ balam eva hi
“In kali-yuga (the current age of quarrel and hypocrisy), wealth alone will be considered the sign of a man’s good birth, proper behavior, and fine qualities. And law and justice will be applied only on the basis of one’s power.”
Wealth, being the facilitator of sense gratification, becomes extremely dear to the materialist; so much so that he becomes mad after it and becomes willing to put even his life at risk to earn money. Śrī Prahlāda Mahārāja explains this in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam [7.6.10] as follows:
ko nv artha-tṛṣṇāṁ visṛjet
prāṇebhyo ’pi ya īpsitaḥ
yaṁ krīṇāty asubhiḥ preṣṭhais
taskaraḥ sevako vaṇik
“Money is so dear that one conceives of money as being sweeter than honey. Therefore, who can give up the desire to accumulate money, especially in household life? Thieves, professional servants [soldiers] and merchants try to acquire money even by risking their very dear lives.”
In this material world, there is great competition for sense gratification. The tendency to enjoy the senses, which is known as lust, is deep-rooted in the heart of the conditioned soul due to his long association with material nature. Entire so-called civilizations are built on the goal of heightening sense gratification.
When the goal is sense gratification, any principles or methods that increase sense gratification become prominent and important. Since wealth allows the facility for sense gratification, earning wealth becomes a chief value in life. In fact, we can practically see that the entire education system is designed to groom the children from a very tender age to eventually find good employment in order to earn good money when they grow up. People who have earned considerable amounts of money are featured in the media as the most successful people. And when priority lanes (not just in airports but in all facets of life) are paved for the affluent community, it only encourages everyone else to covet affluence.
When earning wealth is considered a chief value, the symbols of wealth like gold, money, oil, or anything that can be exchanged for a great deal of money become valuables. People who possess more of such money become priority members of the society. Jobs are divided — blue collar, white collar, etc. — according to the money earned. The upper class, middle class and lower class of society are based on how much wealth they possess. What to speak, even entire nations are classified as advanced or otherwise again according to their economic performance.
For a civilization based on sense gratification, it makes thorough, logical sense to divide the people according to their financial status quo because it aligns with their goal and, hence, their values. This is the reason why no one complains despite the presence of clear discrimination based on wealth. In fact, such discrimination allows them to measure or quantify their advancement towards their goal of maximum sense gratification.
For example, a middle-class man may want to become a member of the upper-class society and hence he works towards that milestone by either changing his occupation, or starting a new business, or something like that. And if he attains that milestone, he thinks he is well on the path of progress. Others who are on the same path as him — practically the entire world — give him validation for his progress by recognizing him for his achievement of gaining wealth. He thus receives various accolades such as “successful entrepreneur”, “Fortune 500”, etc. from all kinds of people and establishments. Thus, he is encouraged even more to progress further in his pursuit of reaching the new maximum of sense gratification. He thus experiences the intoxication of walking the priority lanes of life.
But little do materialistic people realize or care that in just one moment, at the time of death, all such priority lanes disappear except one — the priority lane to hell.
WHY CHASING WEALTH IS MOST DANGEROUS
The majority of all crimes, wars, scandals, feuds, and disagreements are because of the greed for money. This is why any religious scripture discourages the hoarding of wealth. Even the Bible says that wealth is the root cause of all evil. This is very much supported in our Vedic literature as well.
In the Bhagavad-gītā [2.44], Lord Kṛṣṇa explicitly states that those who are intoxicated by material opulence cannot have the determination to apply themselves to spiritual advancement seriously.
bhogaiśvarya-prasaktānāṁ
tayāpahṛta-cetasām
vyavasāyātmikā buddhiḥ
samādhau na vidhīyate
“In the minds of those who are too attached to sense enjoyment and material opulence, and who are bewildered by such things, the resolute determination for devotional service to the Supreme Lord does not take place.”
Being thus contaminated in consciousness owing to being out of touch with the pure Personality of Godhead in devotional service, one acquires all bad qualities by chasing material wealth for sense gratification. Some of the bad qualities one thus acquires are listed in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam [11.23.18-19] as follows:
steyaṁ hiṁsānṛtaṁ dambhaḥ
kāmaḥ krodhaḥ smayo madaḥ
bhedo vairam aviśvāsaḥ
saṁspardhā vyasanāni ca
ete pañcadaśānarthā
hy artha-mūlā matā nṛṇām
tasmād anartham arthākhyaṁ
śreyo-‘rthī dūratas tyajet
“Theft, violence, speaking lies, duplicity, lust, anger, perplexity, pride, quarreling, enmity, faithlessness, envy and the dangers caused by women, gambling and intoxication are the fifteen undesirable qualities that contaminate men because of greed for wealth. Although these qualities are undesirable, men falsely ascribe value to them. One desiring to achieve the real benefit of life should therefore remain aloof from undesirable material wealth.”
Coming under the grip of such undesirable qualities, one ends up in markedly distressful situations as established by Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam [11.3.19]:
nityārtidena vittena
durlabhenātma-mṛtyunā
gṛhāpatyāpta-paśubhiḥ
kā prītiḥ sādhitaiś calaiḥ
“Wealth is a perpetual source of distress, it is most difficult to acquire, and it is virtual death for the soul. What satisfaction does one actually gain from his wealth? Similarly, how can one gain ultimate or permanent happiness from one’s so-called home, children, relatives and domestic animals, which are all maintained by one’s hard-earned money?”
Finally, death robs us of all the wealth we had worked so hard for. Lord Kṛṣṇa declares that He comes as death and takes away everything from us in one single moment. Mṛtyuḥ sarva-haraś cāham [Bhagavad-gītā 10.34]
And that is not the end of it. One is not left alone even after death. One has to further undergo untold future bondage due to excessive attachment to wealth. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam [4.22.33] gives its definitive and grave verdict:
arthendriyārthābhidhyānaṁ
sarvārthāpahnavo nṛṇām
bhraṁśito jñāna-vijñānād
yenāviśati mukhyatām
“For human society, constantly thinking of how to earn money and apply it for sense gratification brings about the destruction of everyone’s interests. When one becomes devoid of knowledge and devotional service, he enters into species of life like those of trees and stones.”
WEALTH ONLY FOR SUSTENANCE
Therefore the śāstra does not ascribe much value to material wealth. But as everyone would agree, wealth cannot be entirely eliminated. It is a necessity. Everybody needs it for their survival. Accordingly, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam [1.2.10] advises us as follows:
kāmasya nendriya-prītir
lābho jīveta yāvatā
jīvasya tattva-jijñāsā
nārtho yaś ceha karmabhiḥ
“Life’s desires should never be directed toward sense gratification. One should desire only a healthy life, or self-preservation, since a human being is meant for inquiry about the Absolute Truth. Nothing else should be the goal of one’s works.”
One should mold one’s life to become busy in one’s spiritual realization by dint of devotional service to Lord Kṛṣṇa and keep the wealth-earning to the bare minimum. That is the standard of life advised in the
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam [5.5.3] — simple living, high thinking.
ye vā mayīśe kṛta-sauhṛdārthā
janeṣu dehambhara-vārtikeṣu
gṛheṣu jāyātmaja-rātimatsu
na prīti-yuktā yāvad-arthāś ca loke
“Those who are interested in reviving Kṛṣṇa consciousness and increasing their love of Godhead do not like to do anything that is not related to Kṛṣṇa. They are not interested in mingling with people who are busy maintaining their bodies, eating, sleeping, mating and defending. They are not attached to their homes, although they may be householders. Nor are they attached to wives, children, friends or wealth. At the same time, they are not indifferent to the execution of their duties. Such people are interested in collecting only enough money to keep the body and soul together.”
Any excess wealth should be used for devotional service to the Supreme Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa by furthering His mission in this world. His mission is to reestablish religious principles. He personally declared in the Bhagavad-gītā [18.66] that everyone give up their own imagined or concocted duties and surrender unto Him without reservation. He promised that He would then absolve all our sinful reactions and take us back home back to Godhead and thus put an end to our miserable material existence once and for all.
Those saintly devotees who work on behalf of the Supreme Lord and disseminate this confidential knowledge of Kṛṣṇa consciousness to the people in general for their ultimate benefit perform the greatest welfare activity in this world. One must use his wealth to support the missionary activities of such great saintly devotees. That is the proper use of one’s wealth. In that way, one also accrues the same benefit as those who have given their lives for the cause of preaching work.
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam [10.22.35] therefore advises:
etāvaj janma-sāphalyaṁ
dehinām iha dehiṣu
prāṇair arthair dhiyā vācā
śreya-ācaraṇaṁ sadā
“It is the duty of every living being to perform welfare activities for the benefit of others with his life, wealth, intelligence and words.” Elsewhere in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam [3.23.56], it is emphatically affirmed thus:
neha yat karma dharmāya
na virāgāya kalpate
na tīrtha-pada-sevāyai
jīvann api mṛto hi saḥ
“Anyone whose work is not meant to elevate him to religious life, anyone whose religious ritualistic performances do not raise him to renunciation, and anyone situated in renunciation that does not lead him to devotional service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, must be considered dead, although he is breathing.”
THE SPIRITUALIZED CIVILIZATION
Human life is meant for putting an end to all suffering by reestablishing one’s lost relationship with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. It is not meant for chasing transient material wealth and sense gratification. The Vedic literature is given by the Supreme Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa just to educate us in these truths of life.
Caitanya-caritāmṛta [Madhya-līlā 20.117,122] summarizes the purpose of all Vedic literature as follows:
kṛṣṇa bhuli’ sei jīva anādi-bahirmukha
ataeva māyā tāre deya saṁsāra-duḥkha
māyā-mugdha jīvera nāhi svataḥ kṛṣṇa-jñāna
jīvere kṛpāya kailā kṛṣṇa veda-purāṇa
“Forgetting Kṛṣṇa, the living entity has been attracted by the external feature from time immemorial. Therefore the illusory energy [māyā] gives him all kinds of misery in his material existence. The conditioned soul cannot revive his Kṛṣṇa consciousness by his own effort. But out of causeless mercy, Lord Kṛṣṇa compiled the Vedic literature and its supplements, the Purāṇas.”
Compilation of the literature is just one part of it. To ensure that it is followed by all people, the Lord created a very scientific societal structure called the varṇāśrama system. The Lord claims in the Bhagavad-gītā [4.13]:
cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ
guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ
“According to the three modes of material nature and the work ascribed to them, the four divisions of human society were created by Me.” An important point to note here is that this division of human society is very scientific — based on quality and work, not on birth as has become the custom in India for the past few centuries. The caste-by-birth system is the most unscientific, meaningless, and baseless system ever conceived.
The qualities and work of the four classes of society are enumerated in the Bhagavad-gītā [18.42-44] as follows:
“Peacefulness, self-control, austerity, purity, tolerance, honesty, wisdom, knowledge, and religiousness-these are the qualities by which the brāhmaṇas work. Heroism, power, determination, resourcefulness, courage in battle, generosity, and leadership are the qualities of work for the kṣatriyas. Farming, cattle raising and business are the qualities of work for the vaiśyas, and for the śūdras there is labor and service to others.”
The Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam likens the four divisions — brāhmaṇas, kṣatriyas, vaiśyas and śūdras — to the parts of the body of the society. The brāhmaṇa are like the head of the society, the kṣatriyas are considered the arms, the vaiśyas the belly and the śūdras the legs of society. If all the parts of the body work nicely, then the body can be used for a good purpose. Similarly, if all the parts of the societal body work in harmony with the common aim of satisfying Lord Viṣṇu or Kṛṣṇa, all people will attain perfection. Thus they will be able to terminate their miserable worldly existence and return to the kingdom of God. This idea of total welfare of all is the basis of the varṇāśrama civilization. The varṇāśrama system is the most advanced and civilized form of human organization.
The Viṣṇu Purāṇa [3.8.9] states:
varṇāśramācāravatā
puruṣeṇa paraḥ pumān
viṣṇur ārādhyate panthā
nānyat tat-toṣa-kāraṇam
“The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Viṣṇu, is worshiped by the proper execution of prescribed duties in the system of varṇa and āśrama. There is no other way to satisfy the Supreme Personality of Godhead. One must be situated in the institution of the four varṇas and āśramas.”
In the body, the head is the most important part because it gives direction to the rest of the body. The arms give protection to the body. The belly nourishes the body and the legs help the body move. All parts are necessary but the order of importance in the decreasing order is head, arms, belly, and legs.
Similarly, in the societal body, the most important people are the brāhmaṇas, then the kṣatriyas, then the vaiśyas and the last are the śūdras. This division, however, does not deny anyone the chance of spiritual advancement. In fact, the system ensures everyone’s deliverance.
The ideal structure of human civilization is that, firstly, the qualified brāhmaṇas liberally teach everyone the science of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. They also counsel the qualified kṣatriyas who then rule the country according to the brahminical instructions. The brāhmaṇas do not exact a salary for such a valuable service. Thus, all policies of the state are aimed at the spiritual emancipation of human civilization. The construction of grand temples are undertaken by such saintly kṣatriyas under the counsel of the brāhmaṇas to give the people in general the opportunity to go and congregate and chant the holy name of Kṛṣṇa and listen to such authorized Vedic literatures like Bhagavad-gītā, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Rāmāyaṇa, Mahābhārata, etc. from the mouths of qualified brāhmaṇas. Moreover, by witnessing the grand deity worship, the people forget all transient beauty of this material world and their hearts and minds are filled with topics and impressions of Lord Kṛṣṇa. In this way, the entire population is purified. The vaiśyas give protection to the cows and engage primarily in agriculture. Any excess produce is traded and thus their sustenance is taken care of. The śūdras serve the three higher classes and thus their sustenance is also taken care of.
Such civilizations are not some phantasmagoria. Descriptions of such civilizations are elaborately mentioned in the ancient Vedic histories such as the Purāṇas and the itihāsas. The kingdoms under the reigns of such kings as Lord Rāmacandra, Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, Mahārāja Parīkṣit, Mahārāja Pṛthu, and many others are excellent examples of such civilizations.
One should not be mistaken, however, that in such a civilization, the material necessities are not given sufficient attention. One should remember that all necessities of life are provided for by the Supreme Lord and if any lack of them is found in them, it is only because of His displeasure owing to our sinful activities. Inversely, by the satisfaction of the Supreme Lord, all necessities of life will be available in abundance by His grace and there will be no scarcity. Under the reigns of the kings mentioned above, the world was replete with all abundance of natural resources and beauty. The denizens of such kingdoms were so happy and satisfied that even the animals in such kingdoms did not know what misery was.
In such enlightened societies, the saintly brāhmaṇas and Vaiṣṇavas are given the highest respect. By satisfying them, the Supreme Lord is immediately satisfied. Thus the doors to liberations become wide open.
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam [5.5.2] declares:
mahat-sevāṁ dvāram āhur vimuktes
tamo-dvāraṁ yoṣitāṁ saṅgi-saṅgam
mahāntas te sama-cittāḥ praśāntā
vimanyavaḥ suhṛdaḥ sādhavo ye
“One can attain the path of liberation from material bondage only by rendering service to highly advanced spiritual personalities. If one wants to be liberated from the material existence, one should render service to the mahātmās. For those who are not interested in such activities, who associate with people fond of women and sex, the path to hell is wide open. The mahātmās are equipoised. They do not see any difference between one living entity and another. They are very peaceful and are fully engaged in devotional service. They are devoid of anger, and they work for the benefit of everyone. They do not behave in any abominable way. Such people are known as mahātmās.”
Lord Kṛṣṇa defined a mahātmā in the Bhagavad-gita [7.19] as follows:
bahūnāṁ janmanām ante
jñānavān māṁ prapadyate
vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti
sa mahātmā su-durlabhaḥ
“After many births and deaths, he who is actually in knowledge surrenders unto Me, knowing Me to be the cause of all causes and all that is. Such a great soul is very rare.”
The symptom of such a surrendered soul is that he is constantly engaged in rendering loving devotional service to the Supreme Lord.
Bhagavad-gītā [9.13] confirms this:
mahātmānas tu māṁ pārtha
daivīṁ prakṛtim āśritāḥ
bhajanty ananya-manaso
jñātvā bhūtādim avyayam
“Those who are not deluded, the great souls, are under the protection of the divine nature. They are fully engaged in devotional service because they know Me as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, original and inexhaustible.”
Even great kings served such great souls as if they were their menial servants. There have been many such instances in the Vedic literature but the most significant one is when Lord Kṛṣṇa Himself received His brāhmaṇa friend Sudāmā Vipra by personally washing his feet and serving him with great devotion.
In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam [4.22.8], King Pṛthu states:
kiṁ tasya durlabhataram
iha loke paratra ca
yasya viprāḥ prasīdanti
śivo viṣṇuś ca sānugaḥ
“Any person upon whom the brāhmaṇas and Vaiṣṇavas are pleased can achieve anything which is very rare to obtain in this world as well as after death. Not only that, but one also receives the favor of the auspicious Lord Śiva and Lord Viṣṇu, who accompany the brāhmaṇas and Vaiṣṇavas.”
Among the brāhmaṇas, a Vaiṣṇava is considered the topmost brāhmaṇa. A brāhmaṇa who is not a Vaiṣṇava has only partial knowledge of the Absolute Truth whereas the realization of a Vaiṣṇava is complete. Such Vaiṣṇavas are considered to occupy the topmost rung of human society as they are engaged in the topmost activity of serving the Supreme Lord in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
The brāhmaṇas and Vaiṣṇavas received such respect from the other classes of society only on behalf of the Supreme Lord and never for their personal aggrandizement. In fact, the brāhmaṇa counselors of the kings did not draw any salaries from the kings. In this way, they remained independent of the control of the king. They voluntarily remained in poverty so that they would never be attracted to material wealth. Such pure conduct made them very powerful. The words of such brāhmaṇas carried so much force that they would never go false. Whenever they blessed or cursed, no one could counter their powerful influence.
Generally, a person born of a brāhmaṇa father was trained by his father to be brāhmaṇa and thus he also became a qualified brāhmaṇa. But following the onset of kali-yuga, the brāhmaṇa community had become degraded and the traditions were not passed down. The unworthy descendants of such brāhmaṇa families became puffed up due to their high birth without adhering to the principles of brahminical life. Thus began untold discrimination based on caste and thus the most sophisticated sanātana-dharma has now been reduced to an almost unrecognizable state. In other words, the system was abused by unscrupulous descendants of brāhmaṇa families. But the real varṇāśrama-dharma has nothing to do with heredity. It has always been based no one’s quality and work.
CONCLUSION
In conclusion, the members of a society in which earning money and using it for sense gratification is the aim of life offer their worship to people who have somehow or other earned vast amounts of money. Similarly, the enlightened members of a society in which the spiritual emancipation is considered the aim of life offer their worship to those who are advanced on the path of liberation — the qualified brāhmaṇas and Vaiṣṇavas. [End]
