Freemasons often refer to God as the “universal architect”. According to the Vedas, there is indeed an universal architect, but he is not God. The architect of the universe is Brahma, who assists Lord Vishnu in the creation of the universe by taking charge of the construction, using the elements and the project given by Him.
There is a description in the Srimad Bhagavatam where Brahma himself explains the process of creation. Part of it is done by the Lord Himself, and part by Brahma.
Brahma certainly exhibits a great deal of power in performing his activities. We can’t even imagine what kind of force is necessary to create a universe, including all planets and stars. Atomic weapons, often considered a technological marvel, are many orders of magnitude less potent than such a power. However, Lord Brahma admits that actually this is not his power. The Supreme Lord is behind, empowering him to perform his activities. However, not many can understand Him because the Lord has a transcendental body and has inconceivable energies.
There are five basic material elements (earth, water, fire, air, and ether), as well as the subtle elements: false ego, intelligence, and the mind. All these different elements come from the interaction of material time with Pradhana and the three modes of nature. Pradhana is the unmanifested mass of all material elements, including the three modes. This unmanifested mass is activated by the look of Lord Maha-Vishnu, which injects the time energy and also the souls who are going to participate in the material creation. Just as a woman becomes pregnant after sexual contact with a man, Pradhana becomes active when inseminated with the time energy and the souls, starting the process of creation of the different material elements, and eventually of the whole cosmic manifestation. All of this is ultimately meant to be used in the service of the Lord.
Pārvatī and Lord Shiva are the most exalted example of a couple in our universe. Lord Shiva is the perfect Vaishnava, and Pārvatī is the most dedicated wife. Lord Shiva lives under a tree and is completely renounced, while Pārvatī is a princess, the daughter of the king of the Himalayas. She could have selected anyone as her husband. but she chose Lord Shiva, not because he is a rich man, but because of his spiritual position. Similarly, although a princess, Devahuti chose Kardama Muni as her husband, even though he was a renounced sage, due to his spiritual advancement. She valued his sanctity and spiritual realization much more than power or money. Therefore, after the marriage, she was happy to serve him while he was practicing his austerities, as described in the third canto of Srimad Bhagavatam.
In his purports, Prabhupada gives more detail of the relationship between Devahuti and Kardama Muni. Kardama Muni was a highly qualified man, one of the greatest sages in the universe, and Devahuti accepted him as a superior. She was thus happy in serving him without reservation.
As Prabhupada mentions, the natural instinct for any woman is to marry a man who is stronger, more intelligent, more emotionally mature, etc. than her, therefore when the man can play the role, this relationship of respect is naturally established. This is the ideal situation for both because when a man has the respect of his wife he becomes motivated to grow and develop his potential, while the wife benefits from receiving the protection of such a great man. The husband becomes happy when he can play the role of a hero, and the wife is happy when she can play the role of someone protected by the hero. This is a situation where both flourish. Of course, things are rarely ideal in Kali-yuga, but this basic dynamic is still valid. Degraded men may display qualities such as harshness, infidelity, or even violence, that will make the life of a wife very difficult.
There is a passage on the second canto of the Srimad Bhagavatam where Sukadeva Goswami describes that one who desires good children should worship the Prajāpatis, the great progenitors of the universe, one who desires good fortune should worship Durgādevī, one who desires money should worship the Vasus, one who desires a long life should worship the Aśvinī-kumāras, one who desires a good wife should worship the Apsarās, and so on. Even worship to the demons is recommended to one desiring victory over an enemy. How is that?
Most people have material desires, and the Vedas explain how one can fulfill his desires by worshiping a superior authority, like a demigod. In this way, one can gradually learn to submit to higher authorities, a process that may eventually bring him to the point of becoming a devotee of the Lord. However, this is a very long process and there is no guarantee that one will become a devotee by practicing it. Most demons worship Lord Shiva or Lord Brahma, but we can see that they remain envious of Lord Vishnu. Ravana for example, became very powerful by worshiping Lord Shiva, just to use this power to challenge Lord Rama.
Sukadeva Goswami concludes that although the Vedas recommend these different types of worship for the satisfaction of material desires, any person who is intelligent should worship only the Supreme Lord. This equally applies to all, no matter if one is without material desires (akāma), full of material desires (sarva-kāma), or desiring liberation (mokṣa-kāma). This is a very important verse:
In the second chapter of the 2nd canto of Srimad Bhagavatam, there is a description of the process of leaving one’s body through the process of mystic yoga. By this process, a yogi can choose where he wants to go after leaving his body. Naturally, this process is very difficult in the age we live, but in the Srimad Bhagavatam, we find descriptions of many great personalities who followed this process while leaving their bodies. As Srila Prabhupada explains:
“In olden days such practice was very common for the transcendentalist, for the mode of life and character in those days were favorable. But in modern days, when the influence of Kali Age is so disturbing, practically everyone is untrained in this art of bodily exercise. Concentration of the mind is more easily attained in these days by the chanting of the holy name of the Lord. The results are more effective than those derived from the inner exercise of the life air.”
The first consideration for leaving one’s body in the process of mystic yoga is the time and place. In the Bhagavad-Gita (8.23-26) the Lord describes the appropriate moments for one to leave his body, but in BG 8.14 He clearly states that one who is advanced in devotional service does not need to be concerned with such details. Sukadeva Goswami concludes one that should not be perplexed about the proper time or place, focusing instead of advancing on the process of devotion. Leaving at an opportune moment is not as important as one’s being a successful yogī who can quit his body as he likes.
The next consideration is the process itself. One should comfortably sit without being disturbed and, regulating the life air, control the senses using the mind. The next step is to merge his mind into the self by using one’s purified intelligence, and then merge the self into the Superself (Paramatma). By this process, one attains the stage of labdhopaśānti, where there is full bliss and cessations of all material hankerings.
In the second canto of the Srimad Bhagavatam, there is a description of the process of meditation in the universal form. Is it something we should practice? Why is this recommended in the Srimad Bhagavatam?
This is a process for ones who have material desires, or are in a gross level of consciousness and are thus not capable of accepting the personal form of the Lord.
“Śukadeva Gosvāmī answered: One should control the sitting posture, regulate the breathing process by the yogic prāṇāyāma and thus control the mind and senses and with intelligence apply the mind to the gross potencies of the Lord [called the virāṭ-rūpa].” (SB 2.1.23)
In this process, one meditates on the different components of the universal creation as well as different planetary systems and demigods as different parts of the form. Sukadeva Goswami describes that the Universal Form is composed of the phenomenal material world as a whole, wherein past, present, and future of material time are experienced.
The Pātāla planetary system constitutes the bottoms of the feet, and the heels and the toes are the Rasātala planets. The ankles are the Mahātala planets, and His shanks constitute the Talātala planets. The knees are the planetary system of Sutala, and the two thighs are the Vitala and Atala planetary systems. The hips are Mahītala, and outer space is the depression of His navel. Visible planets, such as the sun and the moon are situated in His chest, His neck is the Mahar planets, His mouth is the Janas planets, and His forehead is the Tapas planetary system. The topmost planetary system, known as Satyaloka, is the head.
In the second canto of the Srimad Bhagavatam, Sukadeva Goswami reveals the supreme process of self-realization: taking shelter in the sound representation of the Lord, following the instructions of spiritual authorities. This is the process recommended for all, including those who desire material enjoyment, those who are free from all desires, and the ones who are already self-realized and self-satisfied. All other processes of self-realization are ineffective in our age. Only the process of remembering the Lord constantly through His sound representation can save one from the cycle of birth and death. This can be done by directly chanting the holy names, or by reciting and hearing the Srimad Bhagavatam, as done by Sukadeva Goswami and Pariksit Maharaja.
Pariksit had asked what is the duty of one who is about to die and here Sukadeva Goswami gives the answer, which he will expand throughout the rest of the book. We may think that we have a very long life ahead, but in reality, we are all people about to die, because we can’t be sure about how long we will live. Prabhupada makes the point that due to the curse of the Brahmana, Pariksit could be sure that he was going to live for seven days, while we don’t even have this certainty. We can die at any moment, therefore we should have the same sense of urgency as Maharaja Pariksit in hearing about Krsna.
“O King, constant chanting of the holy name of the Lord after the ways of the great authorities is the doubtless and fearless way of success for all, including those who are free from all material desires, those who are desirous of all material enjoyment, and also those who are self-satisfied by dint of transcendental knowledge. What is the value of a prolonged life which is wasted, inexperienced by years in this world? Better a moment of full consciousness, because that gives one a start in searching after his supreme interest.” (SB 2.1.11-12)
1- Sarga, or the primary creation, done by Lord Maha-Vishnu. 2- Visarga, the secondary creation, done by Lord Brahma. 3- Vrtti, maintenance of the universe. 4- Raksa, the sustenance of all living beings. 5- Antarani, the reigns of the Manus, who take care of the Universal affairs. 6- Vamsah, the dynasties of great kings 7- Vamsa-anucaritam, the narrations of their activities. 8- Samstha (annihilation), 9- Hetuh, the motivation for the living entities’ involvement in material activities. 10- Apasrayah, the Supreme Shelter.
Although each canto explains certain topics with more detail than others, all the 12 cantos contain explanations about all the 10 topics. Because each canto brings knowledge that is suitable for the level of understanding of the reader, we may notice that often the same topic is repeatedly explained in several cantos, but with different details, combined with other topics that help us to deepen our understanding of the first. This may sound confusing for contemporaneous readers, who would expect a book to speak about everything connected with one topic before passing to the next, but this is a scientific system for conveying transcendental knowledge.
This first chapter in the second canto is called “The First Step in God Realization” because it includes an explanation of meditation in the universal form, which is recommended for neophytes, as well as transcendentalists coming from impersonalism, who have difficulties in meditating on the personal form of the Lord. The meditation on the universal form offers a way to adjust their consciousness to the idea that the Lord has a form.
At the end of the first canto, Pariksit Maharaja asked about the way of perfection for all persons, especially for one who is about to die. What should a person hear, chant, remember, and worship? What should he not do?
What is Varnashrama? It’s actually quite simple, although dificult to implement in practice.
Just as the demigods, all human beings and other forms of life are parts of the universal form of the Lord, therefore we are supposed to serve the whole. Animals automatically execute their functions according to their natures, therefore there is no question of sin for them. Human beings however have free will. When this free will is properly applied, one becomes a pure devotee of the Lord, or at least performs his duties according to the Varnashrama system, playing his role as a teacher or intellectual dedicated to uplifting society, as an ethical politician, manager, or military man, organizing and protecting society, as an honest farmer or businessman, or simply as an honest worker. By accepting the supremacy of the Lord and executing our duties according to this divine system, we can gradually purify ourselves. The four orders are born from the Supreme Lord, and the ultimate goal of the system is to worship the Lord under the guidance of the spiritual master.
This division into four classes, with further ramifications, is a natural division that can be found in every society, from aboriginal tribes to modern countries. The reason is mentioned in the Bhagavad-Gita 4.13: “According to the three modes of material nature and the work associated with them, the four divisions of human society are created by Me.” These divisions are present everywhere because they were created by Krsna. Any functional society will naturally organize itself around these four basic divisions. Even communist countries (which are based on the idea of abolishing social classes) would develop this natural division over time. It is just not possible for a society to function without some form of it.
The point about the Varnashrama system is that it is based on the idea of training the members of society starting at an early age to properly perform their duties. Brahmanas are thus enlightened spiritual teachers (instead of drunkards passing as professors), Ksatriyas are saintly kings (instead of obnoxious politicians), the Vaisyas are honest businessmen who share their wealth with the other sectors of society through proper wages, charity, taxes, the Sudras are disciplined workers, and so on.
The soul of the Varnashrama system is the Brahmanas because these are the qualified educators who can train the other classes inside the Gurukula system. Without proper Gurukulas, maintained by qualified teachers, Varnashrama is just a pipe dream. We can see that at the beginning of our movement, Prabhupada emphasized that he was trying to train some qualified Brahmanas who would guide society. We can see it starts from there.
Traditionally, Gurukulas are small schools maintained by a Brahmana family, where the children of nearby houses are educated in a protected family environment. A Brahmana, together with his wife accepts the responsibility of educating a few children and teaches each one according to their natures. The main characteristic of this system is that there is an affective bond, the children are educated by the couple just like their own children.
The main reason Gurukulas have largely failed in our movement up to now is that we often lack qualified teachers, and that’s something that is not produced very easily. As we get more qualified Brahmanas in our movement, and more of them start to perform their natural role as teachers, the system may start working, and when somehow all the members of society are properly trained, the system can work properly, resulting in a prosperous and spiritually enlightened society.
We often think of Brahmanas as devotees trained to perform fire sacrifices and other ceremonies, but this is just a very small subsection of what a Brahmana is. Brahmanas are the natural teachers and spiritual masters of all other orders. The qualities of the Brahmanas are listed by the Lord (in the 17th chapter of the 11th canto) as peacefulness, self-control, austerity, cleanliness, satisfaction, tolerance, simple straightforwardness, devotion to the Lord, mercy, and truthfulness.
Often we relate being a Ksatriya with having power, influence, many wives, and so on, but this is not what means to be a Ksatriya. The main characteristic of Ksatriyas is their capacity and dedication to protect others, both in the material and spiritual sense. This characteristic, which comes from a positive influence of the mode of passion makes them fit to rule society. The qualities of the Ksatriyas are described as dynamic power, bodily strength, determination, heroism, tolerance, generosity, great endeavor, steadiness, devotion to the brāhmaṇas, and leadership.
It’s said that the means of subsistence for all are generated from the thighs of the universal form of the Lord. The real means of subsistence are grains and other types of food, which should be distributed to all members of society. This power of maintenance is embodied by the Vaisyas, who take charge of producing food and wealth to maintain the whole society. The natural qualities of the Vaisyas are listed as faith in Vedic civilization, dedication to charity, freedom from hypocrisy, service to the Brāhmaṇas, and perpetual desire to accumulate more money.
From the legs of the universal form come the Sudras, who satisfy the Lord by menial service. The Sudras lack the special qualities and initiative of the other classes, but they support the whole society through their honest labor. Their qualities are listed as service without duplicity to the Brāhmaṇas, cows, demigods, and other worshipable personalities, and complete satisfaction with whatever income is obtained in such service.
Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura mentions that most of us didn’t receive training in any of the four classes, therefore we should at first try to develop the qualities of a Sudra, and from there see if we have the natural inclination for developing the higher qualifications of any of the other three classes.
The Lord lists the qualities of persons who are not trained in the Varnashrama system as dirtiness, dishonesty, thievery, faithlessness, useless quarrel, lust, anger, and hankering, which are indeed very common nowadays.
In opposition, the basic qualities for all members of the Varnashrama system (including Sudras and Vaisyas) are nonviolence, truthfulness, honesty, desire for the happiness and welfare of all others, as well as freedom from lust, anger, and greed.
The idea is that we need to first develop this basic set of qualities, then the qualities of a Sudra, and from there see where we can go.
It is not possible to establish Varnashrama as just a set of rules, it is necessary to somehow elevate the people to the necessary standard of consciousness. As long as we are dirty, dishonest, faithless, quarreling, lustful, angry, and so on, there is no question of developing a functional Varnashrama society. It becomes possible only when we become first purified by hearing about the Lord and singing His glories. As mentioned in SB 5.18.12, one who develops firm devotion to the Lord manifests the qualities of the demigods, such as religion, knowledge, and renunciation.
The process of hearing about Krsna and chanting His name can thus help us to develop basic human qualities, and from there establish a proper society based on spiritual values. The process of establishing Varnashrama thus passes through first becoming Krsna conscious. Once we, as devotees, develop the saintly qualities that are expected from our spiritual practice, our communities can gradually evolve into places where devotees behave honestly and cooperate. From this, we will have an opportunity to develop a functional Varnashrama system, based on qualified individuals.
An idea that is prevalent in modern educational psychology to promote higher levels of education and thinking is Bloom’s Taxonomy, based on six stages of thinking, going from the very basic, just memorizing information, all the way to creating new ideas and concepts based on information previously studied.
It offers a framework for analyzing and evaluating concepts, processes, procedures, and principles, rather than just remembering information. In other words, it teaches the students how to go deeper in their studies and understand and apply what they are learning. This is a technology that can be very useful when we study the sastras, bringing us from the level of just reading information, to the level of being able to understand and apply it.
Reaching the higher stages can help us a lot in better understanding and finding practical applications for the spiritual knowledge we are studying. Still better is that the advanced levels of thinking are more efficient methods of study, in other words, they help us to learn things faster than the lower levels.
This is a not very well-known story from the Chandogya Upaniṣad. Uṣasti was a qualified Brahmana who lived in poverty together with his wife. Once, without any food to eat, he begged an elephant keeper for some cooked grains he was eating, just to be able to maintain his life. The elephant keeper also offered him some water he was drinking, but he refused it, arguing that he could get water from somewhere else, and thus there was no need to accept this contaminated water. However, he accepted the contaminated grains because he would not be able to maintain his life without them.
He shared these contaminated grains with his wife, but having already eaten, she just stored the grains. The next day, he got the news that the king was performing a great sacrifice and decided to go there in order to participate in it and receive some remuneration. He asked his wife if there was any food at home and she gave him the contaminated and now stale grains, which he accepted in order to be able to perform his duties. In general, a Brahmana should never accept contaminated food, but he may do so in case of emergency. In his purport to SB 1.17.16, Srila Prabhupada mentions: “In the scriptures there is mention of āpad-dharma, or occupational duty at times of extraordinary happenings. It is said that sometimes the great sage Viśvāmitra had to live on the flesh of dogs in some extraordinary dangerous position. In cases of emergency, one may be allowed to live on the flesh of animals of all description, but that does not mean that there should be regular slaughterhouses to feed the animal-eaters and that this system should he encouraged by the state. No one should try to live on flesh in ordinary times simply for the sake of the palate. If anyone does so, the king or the executive head should punish him for gross enjoyment.”
