SB 9.10.50 – Sri Rama-navami

Giriraj Swami:

[SB 9.10.50]

agrahīd āsanaṁ bhrātrā
praṇipatya prasāditaḥ
prajāḥ sva-dharma-niratā
varṇāśrama-guṇānvitāḥ
jugopa pitṛvad rāmo
menire pitaraṁ ca tam

TRANSLATION

Being pleased by the full surrender and submission of Lord Bharata, Lord Rāmacandra then accepted the throne of the state. He cared for the citizens exactly like a father, and the citizens, being fully engaged in their occupational duties of varṇa and āśrama, accepted Him as their father.

PURPORT by Srila Prabhupada

People are very fond of the pattern of Rāma-rājya, and even today politicians sometimes form a party called Rāma-rājya, but unfortunately they have no obedience to Lord Rāma. It is sometimes said that people want the kingdom of God without God. Such an aspiration, however, is never to be fulfilled. Good government can exist when the relationship between the citizens and the government is like that exemplified by Lord Rāmacandra and His citizens. Lord Rāmacandra ruled His kingdom exactly as a father takes care of his children, and the citizens, being obliged to the good government of Lord Rāmacandra, accepted the Lord as their father. Thus the relationship between the citizens and the government should be exactly like that between father and son. When the sons in a family are well trained, they are obedient to the father and mother, and when the father is well qualified, he takes good care of the children. As indicated here by the words sva-dharma-niratā varṇāśrama-guṇān-vitāḥ, the people were good citizens because they accepted the institution of varṇa and āśrama, which arranges society in the varṇa divisions of brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, and śūdra and the āśrama divisions of brahmacarya, gṛhastha, vanaprastha, and sannyāsa. This is actual human civilization. People must be trained according to the different varṇāśrama occupational duties. As confirmed in Bhagavad-gītā (4.13), cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ: the four varṇas must be established according to varying qualities and work. The first principle for good government is that it must institute this varṇāśrama system. The purpose of varṇāśrama is to enable people to become God conscious. Varṇāśramācāravatā puruṣeṇa paraḥ pumān viṣṇur ārādhyate. The entire varṇāśrama scheme is intended to enable people to become Vaiṣṇavas. Viṣṇur asya devatā. When people worship Lord Viṣṇu as the Supreme Lord, they become Vaiṣṇavas. Thus people should be trained to become Vaiṣṇavas through the system of varṇa and āśrama, as they were during the reign of Lord Rāmacandra, when everyone was fully trained to follow the varṇāśrama principles.

Simply enforcing laws and ordinances cannot make the citizens obedient and lawful. That is impossible. Throughout the entire world there are so many states, legislative assemblies and parliaments, but still the citizens are rogues and thieves. Good citizenship, therefore, cannot be enforced; the citizens must be trained. As there are schools and colleges to train students to become chemical engineers, lawyers or specialists in many other departments of knowledge, there must be schools and colleges to train students to become brāhmaṇas, kṣatriyas, vaiśyas, śūdras, brahmacārīs, gṛhasthas, vānaprasthas, and sannyāsīs. This will provide the preliminary condition for good citizenship (varṇāśrama-guṇān-vitāḥ). Generally speaking, if the king or president is a rājarṣi, the relationship between the citizens and the chief executive will be clear, and there will be no possibility of disruption in the state, because the number of thieves and rogues will decrease. In Kali-yuga, however, because the varṇāśrama system is neglected, people are generally thieves and rogues. In the system of democracy, such thieves and rogues naturally collect money from other thieves and rogues, and thus there is chaos in every government, and no one is happy. But here the example of good government is to be found in the reign of Lord Rāmacandra. If people follow this example, there will be good government all over the world.

COMMENT

In Treta-yuga, miscreants were there what to speak now. But we are not in the position to do it yet. I mean, we haven’t convinced any leaders or we haven’t convinced enough of the public to elect leaders to set proper standards. But it is not complete just to pass laws and then punish the people if they don’t follow the laws. You have to train them to follow it. That’s what Srila Prabhupada did. It is a miracle what Srila Prabhupada did. People can come now and take people that were already trained by Srila Prabhupada personally or by Prabhupada’s devotees but actually start with fallen souls without any institution, without any help, to do it all by oneself and only Srila Prabhupada could do that.

But even a father teaches the children, his main interest is to teach the children. But if some child misbehaves, the father would still punish the child depending upon what situation and background was. Lord Chaitanya appeared as a brahman and Srila Prabhupada trained us generally to act as brahman rather than the as kshatriyas to maintain laws and order. To repeat the question and answer more clearly in morning walk, Srila Prabhupada asked about basically why the devotees don’t follow. Then one disciple said, we have to educate them better. And then. and it provides them better. And Srila Prabhupada said that ultimately they have to be sincere. Even if you have the best, give them the best education and have the best of your vision, they can still cheat by the process of drinking water underwater on a fast day. [break]

Srila Prabhupada said that on a fast day in India when they even don’t drink the water, devotee may go to the river to take a bath and while taking bath under the water, he might drink some water. Cheating by drinking water underwater on a fast day. So Srila Prabhupada was saying that if the devotee is not sincere, or if the member is not sincere, then he can always cheat under the water on fast day. I mean it is true that by associating with a sincere person, one’s own sincerity can be brought out or increased, but still everyone is individual.

Devotee: [Unintelligible 00:06:10]

Giriraj Swami: Well, bhakti is independent of past pious and sinful activities. But if someone is more pious, more in the mode of goodness, they can take to bhakti more easily. But even someone who has a background of sinful activities or in lower mode but you can still take the bhakti. Underneath all the coverings of the soul is pure. Soul get uncover by bhakti.

Devotee: [Unintelligible 00:07:35]

Giriraj Swami: Well, And I have heard the tapes and about the transcripts of Srila Prabhupada’s discussion in Hawai. And the devotees in the temple were trying to make the case that the devotees outside the temple couldn’t living to become Krishna conscious. What Srila Prabhupada said was that whether they follow the instructions of the spiritual master even at home, they can be Krishna conscious. And it is better to, in one context, Srila Prabhupada that it is best to live in the temple. And if one is a householder, the next best is to live near the temple and come to the temple every day. And the next best is to make one’s own home into a temple.

So there is always a chance to be Krishna conscious. And this is sort of like a nice temple we have there. Well, there might, like you said, the devotees have different schedules, and they might not all be able to come together all time but definitely congenial when more devotees come together for discussion. I don’t think that. . . Because even if you are living across the street from the temple, you still have your schedule of work and find time for temple. Of course, there is maybe more ārati there and there is more flexibility here and association is important. There are some temples that don’t have association either. That is of a temple that one may get the association of devotees.