20241009 Śrī Caitanya Śikṣāmṛta 2.3. Qualification for Karma and Caste Consideration

mūkaṁ karoti vācālaṁ paṅguṁ laṅghayate girim
yat-kṛpā tam ahaṁ vande śrī-guruṁ dīna-tāraṇam
paramānanda-mādhavam śrī caitanya īśvaram
Harihi oṁ tat sat

Second Shower — Consideration of secondary rules

Third Stream — Qualification for karma and caste consideration

Determination of rights or qualification

Determination of rights is a major proper behavior. The name for qualification is called privilege (adhikāra). Qualifications are of two types, i.e. 1) who has qualification in which action and 2) the amount of qualification in that action. All people are not qualified to do all pious activities. A certain person certainly worthy of doing a pious activity, but is not qualified of doing that activity completely. Therefore, if someone does action without determining the qualification, then it cannot be said whether that action will be fruitful or not. Because of that, qualification should be determined in the very beginning. The performer of an action cannot determine his own qualification, so in the beginning should ask the appropriate guru about the qualification at all.

It is the function of the priest to determine the procedure while performing the prescribed action. That is why people accept suitable gurus and priests. Nowadays, the kind of guru and priest that is being accepted is not what the compilers of the scriptures intended. Accepting a guru in name only and a priest in name only is as futile as accepting a doll. Specially qualified person of the village should be accepted. If not found in one’s own village, should search in another place; an example for the qualification to perform an action should be given, or it will not be easily understood. Puṣkariṇī (well) digging is a pious act. If one digs with one’s own hands, then the work is qualified if one has suitable strength, tools, land and help. If the well is dug by spending money, then one should have money. The extent of amount of strength, tools, land and help or money is available, only to that amount is the qualification for that karma. There is no result for the person without qualification and when karma is done contrary conduct happens.

Physical fitness, ability to maintain a family and mental reformation suitable for marital use etc., are the necessary qualification for the act of marriage. The qualification of the person who wishes to do such an act should be determined in advance.

Jayapatākā Swami: In Bangladesh, a man had a nice daughter and there was an educated devotee who wanted to marry her. So the parents, the father said I will marry her to you when you have a suitable appointment. So he was saying that to marry her he had to get a source of income. Like that, what one’s adhikāra is for a particular kind of work is determined. So Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura gives a crude example of digging a well. But to dig a well, one has to have proper influence, money, to have someone to do it. So, a gṛhastha has a title dāsa adhikārī. Say your name is Govardhana dāsa, so then if they are brahmacārī, dāsa brahmacārī and if you are a gṛhastha, dāsa adhikārī. So adhikāra means you have qualification. So, these are more like common sense arguments. I am trying to figure out in what way this is connected to Lord Caitanya. But if you want to do a service to Lord Caitanya, then you need to have a proper adhikāra. One can serve the Lord even mentally. But they should know that what the requirement is to do a particular job.

The qualifications are of two types i.e., qualification by natural propensity and qualification based on status.

Determination of nature

Human life can be divided into three periods, i.e., learning period, active period and resting period. Until the time when the human beings accumulate education, till that time is their learning period. During this time, by discussing the literature, associating and observing other’s actions and receiving instructions, the instinct of the person which becomes stronger, that instinct is called the nature of that person. In many instances it is observed that the nature, instruction and association a person in a family happens to be different to the family in which one is born. The result is that when the period of education is over, the nature of the person which is observed on the eve of the period of action is his nature. Those thoughtful men who are capable of dividing things with the help of science have called nature four kinds, namely:

1. Brāhmaṇa nature,

2. Kṣatriya nature

3. Vaiṣya nature

4. Śudra nature*

Jayapatākā Swami: So someone came to a guru and he wanted to engage in appropriate activity. The guru asked, “Who is your father?” He said, “I don’t know. My mother had a relation with many men and I don’t know who my father is.” Then the guru said, “You must be a brāhmaṇa because you are telling the truth. Other people will not tell the truth.” So Śrīla Prabhupāda took people, who were of lower than śūdra nature – yavanas and mlecchas. And he trained them up to be Vaiṣṇavas. So that is why he said that if we want to have brāhmaṇas, some of the our people should be kṣatriyas. So somehow he said for every six brāhmaṇas we need at least one kṣatriya. Anyway, normally each of one brāhmaṇas, you have ten kṣatriyas. For one kṣatriya, you have ten vaiśyas. For one vaiśya we have ten śūdras. That is the normal ratio. But Śrīla Prabhupāda wanted to establish the whole situation of Vaiṣṇava-brāhmaṇas. So people may have śūdra or lesser nature, but then by chanting the holy name and by Lord Caitanya’s mercy they can have higher nature. Just like the devotees are vegetarian and follow the four regulative principles and they chant the holy name. So their nature is elevated.

Note: Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 11.17.16-19, 21

śamo damas tapaḥ śaucaṁ
santoṣaḥ kṣāntir ārjavam
mad-bhaktiś ca dayā satyaṁ
brahma-prakṛtayas tv imāḥ

tejo balaṁ dhṛtiḥ śauryaṁ
titikṣaudāryam udyamaḥ
sthairyaṁ brahmanyam aiśvaryaṁ
kṣatra-prakṛtayas tv imāḥ

āstikyaṁ dāna-niṣṭhā ca
adambho brahma-sevanam
atuṣṭir arthopacayair
vaiśya-prakṛtayas tv imāḥ

śuśrūṣaṇaṁ dvija-gavāṁ
devānāṁ cāpy amāyayā
tatra labdhena santoṣaḥ
śūdra-prakṛtayas tv imāḥ

Peacefulness, self-control, austerity, cleanliness, satisfaction, tolerance, simple straightforwardness, devotion to Me, mercy and truthfulness are the natural qualities of the brāhmaṇas. Dynamic power, bodily strength, determination, heroism, tolerance, generosity, great endeavor, steadiness, devotion to the brāhmaṇas and leadership are the natural qualities of the kṣatriyas. Faith in Vedic civilization, dedication to charity, freedom from hypocrisy, service to the brāhmaṇas and perpetually desiring to accumulate more money are the natural qualities of the vaiśyas. Service without duplicity to the brāhmaṇas, cows, demigods and other worshipable personalities, and complete satisfaction with whatever income is obtained in such service, are the natural qualities of śūdras.

ahiṁsā satyam asteyam
akāma-krodha-lobhatā
bhūta-priya-hitehā ca
dharmo ‘yaṁ sārva-varṇikaḥ

Nonviolence, truthfulness, honesty, desire for the happiness and welfare of all others and freedom from lust, anger and greed constitute duties for all members of society.

Jayapatākā Swami: In order to have a Kṛṣṇa conscious city in Māyāpur, people have to have to develop these qualities. So these would be the ideal situation. Hare Kṛṣṇa!

1) Brāhmaṇa nature

The nature from which instincts for the controlling the internal sense (mind), controlling the external senses, tolerance, chastity, forgiveness, simplicity, cultivation of knowledge and worshiping the Lord etc. are born is determined as the brāhmaṇa nature.

Jayapatākā Swami: In the Bhagavad-gītā, it states that Kṛṣṇa created the varṇāśrama according to the guṇa and karma of the living entities. He did not say janma, karma, He said guṇa, karma. So the Vaiṣṇavas also have these qualities.

2) Kṣatriya nature

The nature from which the qualities such as bravery, power, determination strength, resourcefulness, fearlessness in war, charity, protection of the world, world governance and worshiping the Lord etc. are derived, is called kṣatriya nature.

Jayapatākā Swami: We have seen in the election process people have bravery, power, strength, resourcefulness, fearlessness, charity, they want to protect the world and worship the Lord. So all kṣatriya nature. It is very rare to see people with all these qualities in the modern world. Maybe resourcefulness on how to cheat! We see that in the ideal world we need people with all these qualities. Protection of the world, world governments, worshiping the Supreme Lord, these are the things that are needed.

3) Vaiśya nature

The nature from which the instincts of agriculture, cow protection and trade arise is vaiśya nature.

Jayapatākā Swami: Kṛṣi-go-rakṣa [Bg 18.44], agriculture and cow protection and trade, vāṇijyam. So if someone had this nature, they had the vaiśya nature.

4) Śūdra nature

The nature from which the tendency to maintain one’s own belly arises only through service to others is called the śūdra nature.

Jayapatākā Swami: Actually, Lord Caitanya said:

kibā vipra, kibā nyāsī, śūdra kene naya
yei kṛṣṇa-tattva-vettā, sei ‘guru’ haya
(Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya 8.128)

So, Lord Caitanya was saying that the real qualification one should see is to know about Kṛṣṇa.

Kṛṣṇe matir astu! Koṭi koṭi bāra!