Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 5.19.19

asminn eva varshe purushair labdha-janmabhih śukla-lohita-krishna-varnena svārabdhena karmanā divya-mānusha-nāraka-gatayo bahvya ātmana ānupūrvyena sarvā hy eva sarveshām vidhīyante yathā-varna-vidhānam apavargaś cāpi bhavati

SYNONYMS

asmin eva varshe — in this tract of land (Bhārata-varsha); purushaih — by the people; labdha-janmabhih — who have taken birth; śukla — of the mode of goodness; lohita — of the mode of passion; krishna — of the mode of ignorance; varnena — according to the division; sva — by himself; ārabdhena — begun; karmanā — by activities; divya — divine; mānusha — human; nāraka — hellish; gatayah — goals; bahvyah — many; ātmanah — of his own; ānupūrvyena — according to acts performed previously; sarvāh — all; hi — certainly; eva — indeed; sarveshām — of all of them; vidhīyante — are allotted; yathā-varna-vidhānam — in terms of different castes; apavargah — the path of liberation; ca — and; api — also; bhavati — is possible.

TRANSLATION

The people who take birth in this tract of land are divided according to the qualities of material nature — the modes of goodness [sattva-guna], passion [rajo-guna], and ignorance [tamo-guna]. Some of them are born as exalted personalities, some are ordinary human beings, and some are extremely abominable, for in Bhārata-varsha one takes birth exactly according to one's past karma. If one's position is ascertained by a bona fide spiritual master and one is properly trained to engage in the service of Lord Vishnu according to the four social divisions [brāhmana, kshatriya, vaiśya and śūdra] and the four spiritual divisions [brahmacārī, grihastha, vānaprastha and sannyāsa], one's life becomes perfect.

PURPORT

For further information, one should refer to Bhagavad-gītā (14.18 and 18.42-45). Śrīla Rāmānujācārya writes in his book Vedānta-sańgraha:

evam-vidha-parābhakti-svarūpa-jñāna-viśeshasyotpādakah pūrvoktāharahar upacīyamāna-jñāna-pūrvaka-karmānugrihīta-bhakti-yoga eva; yathoktam bhagavatā parāśarena — varnāśrameti. nikhila-jagad-uddhāranāyāvanitale 'vatīrnam para-brahma-bhūtah purushottamah svayam etad uktavān — "svakarma-niratah siddhim yathā vindati tac chrinu" "yatah pravrittir bhūtānām yena sarvam idam tatam / svakarmanā tam abhyarcya siddhim vindati mānavah"

Quoting from the Vishnu Purāna (389), the great sage Parāśara Muni has recommended:

varnāśramācāravatā

purushena parah pumān

vishnur ārādhyate panthā

nānyat tat-tosha-kāranam

"The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Vishnu, is worshiped by the proper execution of prescribed duties in the system of varna and āśrama. There is no other way to satisfy the Lord." In the land of Bhārata-varsha, the institution of varnāśrama-dharma may be easily adopted. At the present moment, certain demoniac sections of the population of Bhāratavarsha are disregarding the system of varnāśrama-dharma. Because there is no institution to teach people how to become brāhmanas, kshatriyas, vaiśyas and śūdras or brahmacārīs, grihasthas, vānaprasthas and sannyāsīs, these demons want a classless society. This is resulting in chaotic conditions. In the name of secular government, unqualified people are taking the supreme governmental posts. No one is being trained to act according to the principles of varnāśrama-dharma, and thus people are becoming increasingly degraded and are heading in the direction of animal life. The real aim of life is liberation, but unfortunately the opportunity for liberation is being denied to people in general, and therefore their human lives are being spoiled. The Krishna consciousness movement, however, is being propagated all over the world to reestablish the varnāśrama-dharma system and thus save human society from gliding down to hellish life.

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His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Founder Ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness