The Social Order!

Maharaj Yudhisthira asked Bhisma: Dear grandfather, pls describe me in detail the duties of a Kshatriya & also explain the activities of other three orders as well

 

Bhisma replied: There are 9 qualities to be cultivated by all four social orders–suppression of anger, truthfulness, justice, forgiveness, begetting children only with one’s wedded wife, cleanliness, avoiding quarrels, simplicity & maintenance of one’s dependents

 

The foremost duty of a brahmana is to control his senses. If he does that, even if he does nothing else but study the Vedas, he is to be considered qualified & the best friend of all living entities. But if, due to pride of learning, a brahmana tries to use his acquired knowledge to destroy the good reputation of another, he becomes fallen & cannot achieve a high destination after death

 

If a king simply protects his subjects, he is considered to have fulfilled his duties as a Kshatriya. The primary duty of a Vaisya is to care for domestic animals, especially cows, and the profit he earns from trade should be fixed at 1/7^th. Actually, all the duties performed by the four social orders are considered to be included in the Kshatriya’s duties, just as all the duties of the four spiritual orders are included in the duties of the grihastha asrama

 

Bhisma narrated an ancient history. Once long ago Mandhata-the emperor of earth, performed a great sacrifice with desire of attaining the Darsana (audience) of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Narayana. It so happened that Lord Vishnu became very pleased with the King & so He assumed the form of Indra & appeared before him

 

The Lord inquired: O King, why do you desire to see Vishnu, when neither I nor Lord Brahma can behold Him directly? O Mandhata, you are the emblem of all good qualities & you have pleased Me by your performance of sacrifice. I will give you any other benediction you desire

 

Mandhata said: O Indra! I want to give up all material desires & learn directly from Lord Vishnu about the highest platform of duty, which only He is capable of expounding

 

Lord Vishnu in the form of Indra said: The duties of a Kshatriya were directly enunciated by Lord Narayana. When He appears upon the earth as an incarnation, the Lord personally executes them after killing all the demons, thus bringing peace & prosperity to human society. Indeed, only when Kshatriya duties are properly performed can the other social orders continue to exist

 

Persons overly controlled by lust & anger, who thus have no respect for the regulative principles of human life, do not overtly commit sinful acts only due to fear of the king. Others who are self-controlled, gentle, virtuous, are free to execute their duties peacefully when they live under the protection of a good ruler. Even I highly respect & worship anyone who regulates human society by performing kshatriya duties conscientiously

 

We all have social responsibility for order in our societies. We should observe things in the world around us & evaluate whether they work properly. But without criticizing (which can have counterproductive consequences), we should focus on demonstrating actions for a transformational benefit for others. Abiding by the tenets of scriptural guidance for social order-we contribute for its upkeep but first we should follow the guidelines ourselves strictly

 

cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ
tasya kartāram api māṁ viddhy akartāram avyayam

 

According to the three modes of material nature and the work associated with them, the four divisions of human society are created by Me. And although I am the creator of this system, you should know that I am yet the nondoer, being unchangeable

Thoughts? #gameoflife