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.