![\"Bhaktivinoda](\"https:\/\/vaishnava-news-network.org\/vaisnava-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/bhaktivinoda-756x1024-756x1024.jpg\")
by \u015ar\u012bla Bhaktivinoda \u1e6ch\u0101kura (translated by San\u0101tana D\u0101sa)<\/p>\nby \u015ar\u012bla Bhaktivinoda \u1e6ch\u0101kura (translated by San\u0101tana D\u0101sa)<\/p>\n
The four var\u1e47as of the \u0100ryan people of Bh\u0101rata-var\u1e63a are situated within four \u0101\u015bramas. These divisions of \u0101\u015brama have originated with the divisions along with var\u1e47a. Var\u1e47a-dharma is preserved by being categorised by any one of the four \u0101\u015bramas namely, brahmac\u0101r\u012b, g\u1e5bhastha, v\u0101naprastha and bhik\u1e63u. Those that possess a var\u1e47a and have an identity, only need an \u0101\u015brama. Var\u1e47a-dharma and \u0101\u015brama-dharma belong to the social order. Those who hope for some stability and benefit from social var\u1e47a and \u0101\u015brama have a duty to protect san\u0101tana-dharma by following the ancient rules and prohibitions in all respects.<\/p>\n
People within society have two kinds of inclinations, both of which are directed towards the welfare of society. Social \u0100ryans have created rules, prohibitions, etc. for the purpose of preventing any kind of discord arising within society. Apart from fulfilling their principle purposes, all the rules and regulations that have been practiced also lead to the secondary aims of attaining Svarga and gaining pu\u1e47ya etc. Those men who have an inclination towards karma follow rules given in \u015b\u0101stra pertaining to yaj\u00f1as and other types of karma, offering tarpa\u1e47a to the pit\u1e5bs, the practice of sa\u1e41sk\u0101ras, vratas, residing in a holy place, bathing in sacred waters etc. And those who are inclined towards j\u00f1\u0101na engage in the worship of the Devas and br\u0101hma\u1e47as, offer respect to their elders, the cultivation of proper conduct to attain knowledge etc. and are focussed upon dharma and the \u015b\u0101stra. Amongst those with these two kinds of inclination, those who desire \u0101tma\u2013sukha (gratification for the self), brahmatva (to become Brahman) etc. in pursuing the four goals of life (dharma, artha, k\u0101ma and mok\u1e63a), and act with the desire to attain them all, are at the forefront of society.<\/p>\n
While remaining within society, the dry j\u00f1\u0101n\u012b samprad\u0101ya consumes the food of the br\u0101hma\u1e47as and in this way, they help fulfill the aim of society. The yog\u012b samprad\u0101ya, by reducing their individual self-deprivation, makes the worldly j\u012bvas aware that the attainment of happiness is possible in this way, and the propensity of attaining satisfaction from ty\u0101ga is increased. Philosophers from other samprad\u0101yas, based upon their own methods, invite persons who are endeavoring for happiness, and upon obtaining happiness due to the result of such activities, they bestow auspiciousness to society.<\/p>\n
Although a pure Vai\u1e63\u1e47ava\u2019s conduct has some similarity with a person following var\u1e47a-dharma, they do not consider it to be their aim to nourish society, nor to bestow auspiciousness upon it. They do not fill the sky of their hearts with such thoughts that by their actions, society will either be nourished or harmed. A pure Vai\u1e63\u1e47ava is never busy in establishing himself amongst the fourfold var\u1e47as and fourfold \u0101\u015bramas. He feels no hesitation towards anybody whose activities crosses the boundaries of the regulations of var\u1e47a, or does not respect the rules of \u0101\u015brama. This is because all his activities are dedicated to the sole aim of increasing bhagavat-bhakti. A pure Vai\u1e63\u1e47ava does not feel pride or shame due to his being a br\u0101hma\u1e47a, or a mleccha\u2013ca\u1e47\u1e0d\u0101la or being a g\u1e5bhastha or a bhik\u1e63u. If a pure Vai\u1e63\u1e47ava attains hell or heaven in order to achieve bhagavat-bhakti, it is all the same. The prema which he has from attaining Bhagav\u0101n, or the prema from being in separation from Bhagav\u0101n is never reduced. A pure Vai\u1e63\u1e47ava does not hanker for anything. He has no scarcity of anything. Due to the deficiency of those who desire Brahman, they are enticed by the excellence of unachievable things. When they achieves that, the splendour of the form of Brahman which he always desired by them, becomes inferior. One who desires Brahman is constantly disturbed by the entanglements of m\u0101y\u0101. A pure Vai\u1e63\u1e47ava is not agitated by that. Although the appearance and all the activities of a pure devotee seem to be similar to those who desire m\u0101yika results, factually they are very different.<\/p>\n
Sometimes, considering pure Vai\u1e63\u1e47avas and inferior Vai\u1e63\u1e47avas to be the same, many people ask pure Vai\u1e63\u1e47avas their var\u1e47a, and just like those persons within society, they attempt to categorise them in one of the four \u0101\u015bramas. Such attempts are simply befitting a non-Vai\u1e63\u1e47ava and are merely a social endeavour. If one has dar\u015bana of the divine appearance pastimes of \u015ar\u012b Gaur\u0101\u1e45ga, who is the saviour of the fallen, and the world\u2019s only Supreme Guru, then all doubts will be dispelled. In the Veda-\u015b\u0101stra of divine knowledge, it is written:<\/p>\n
bhidyate h\u1e5bdaya-granthi\u015b chidyante sarva-sa\u1e41\u015bay\u0101\u1e25
\nk\u1e63\u012byante c\u0101sya karm\u0101\u1e47i d\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e6da ev\u0101tman\u012b\u015bvare<\/p>\n
(\u201cThe knot within the heart is pierced and all doubts are cut to pieces. One\u2019s karma is destroyed when one sees the Lord as supreme.\u201d \u2013 \u015ar\u012bmad Bh\u0101gavatam 1.2.21)<\/p>\n
If we have dar\u015bana of the character of Bhagav\u0101n, then all our doubts are cut asunder. All our karma is destroyed, the knot of our heart is pierced and one realises the truth. Although a br\u0101hma\u1e47a may have gone through the ten sa\u1e41sk\u0101ras, be devoted to proper conduct, and have direct dar\u015bana of Brahman, he cannot become free from doubts unless he observes the divine character of \u015ar\u012b K\u1e5b\u1e63na Caitanya, the supreme transcendentalist. Whoever has dar\u015bana of the supreme transcendental character of \u015ar\u012b Caitanya knows that a pure devotee is not a br\u0101hma\u1e47a, k\u1e63atriya, vai\u015bya or \u015b\u016bdra, neither is he a brahmac\u0101r\u012b, g\u1e5bhastha, vanaprastha or a bhik\u1e63u. He is separate from all these and is the servant of the servant of Gop\u012b-jana-vallabha. He has no other independent identity. Such m\u0101yika considerations that he is Brahman or a\u1e47u (smallest of the smallest) never touch him. When he realises the nature of the temporary logic concerning gha\u1e6d\u0101k\u0101\u015ba, mah\u0101k\u0101\u015ba, rajju-sarpa, pratibimba etc.* then these no longer have any necessity for him. I feel pained to mention the non-Vai\u1e63\u1e47ava conduct of some people nowadays who have given such abominable, contradictory meanings to the word \u2018\u015ar\u012b Vai\u1e63\u1e47ava\u201d (pure devotee) in order to make them socially acceptable. They have merely tried to make themselves socially acceptable by polluting the form of the pure Vai\u1e63navas by imposing temporary m\u0101yika identities upon them.<\/p>\n
* Translator\u2019s Note: Gha\u1e6d\u0101k\u0101\u015ba and mah\u0101k\u0101\u015ba refers to analogy given by the m\u0101y\u0101v\u0101d\u012bs of the \u2018sky within a pot\u2019 (the j\u012bva) and the \u2018great sky\u2019 (Brahman) \u2013 in other words, there is no difference between the sky encased within a pot and the great sky. Rajju-sarpa refers to the so-called logic of mistaking a rope to be a snake, inferring that the j\u012bva erroneously considers himself to be individual when in fact he is Brahman. Pratibimba (reflection) refers to the m\u0101y\u0101v\u0101da concept that the j\u012bv\u0101tm\u0101 is simply a reflection of Brahman.<\/p>\n
Just some time after the closing of the divine pastimes of \u015ar\u012b \u015ar\u012b Gaur\u0101\u1e45ga Deva, various communities such as the b\u0101ulas, sahajiy\u0101s, kart\u0101bhaj\u0101s etc. as well as the sm\u0101rtas, br\u0101hma\u1e47as, and empiricists, in the guise of helping the pure Vai\u1e63\u1e47avas, further tarnished their status. Still now there is no scarcity of those types of descendants. Gradually the population of such sections has further increaed. By trying to make Hari D\u0101sa \u1e6ch\u0101kura a br\u0101hma\u1e47a, and trying to embelish \u015ar\u012b \u012a\u015bvara Pur\u012b as a \u015b\u016bdra or a br\u0101hma\u1e47a by var\u1e47a, the non-Vai\u1e63nava social aim is merely to establish the pure devotee\u2019s incapacity or capacity to teach others based on whether he belongs to another var\u1e47a apart from br\u0101hma\u1e47a. All such aims have not helped in increasing bhakti, hence for the devotee Vai\u1e63\u1e47avas, all such activities are not respected.<\/p>\n
The pure devotee should always remember that he is the servant of the servant of \u015ar\u012b Gop\u012b-vallabha and he is never completely independent. Independence is not possible in him because by selling his independent propensity in the form of tadiyatva (accepting oneself as belonging to K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a), he has attained servitude to K\u1e5b\u1e63na. If all such considerations are awakened in the memory of a j\u012bva who identifies as a Vai\u1e63\u1e47ava, yet the aforementioned prejudices become embedded in his heart, then his artificial independent propensity has been sold to K\u1e5b\u1e63na merely by cunningness. Factually his nature as tadiyatva has been sold to m\u0101y\u0101, and becoming a servant of m\u0101y\u0101, he becomes busily engaged in establishing himself. An artificial servant of K\u1e5b\u1e63na is situated far away from a pure Vai\u1e63\u1e47ava. Instead of the cultivation of prema-bhakti, he is merely extinguishing the temporary miseries arising from the cultivation of k\u0101ma (lust). Only for such categories of men, socially-oriented people have made arrangements for all these rules and prohibitions.<\/p>\n
(\u015ar\u012b Vai\u1e63\u1e47avera Var\u1e47\u0101\u015brama \u2013 \u2018The Var\u1e47\u0101\u015brama of a Pure Vai\u1e63\u1e49ava\u2019, was first published in Sajjana To\u1e63a\u1e47\u012b, Vol. 11. Issue 10 in 1900, and translated into English by San\u0101tana D\u0101sa)<\/p>\n