Page 21 - am2018 book

karma of his past life is not the essen al considera on, since one can
change his guna and karma even in this life. Thus they say that the four
divisions of the social order -- brahmana, kshatriya, vaisya and sudra --
should be arranged according to the guna and karma of this life. This
version is confirmed in Srimad-Bhagavatam by Narada Muni. While in-
struc ng Maharaja Yudhishthira about the symptoms of guna and kar-
ma, Narada Muni said that these symptoms must govern the division of
society. In other words, if a person born in the family of a brahmana
has the symptoms of a sudra, he should be designated as a sudra. Simi-
larly, if a sudra has brahminical quali es, he should be designated a
brahmana.
The varnasrama system is scien fic. Therefore if we accept the divi-
sions of varna and asrama according to the Vedic instruc ons, our lives
will be successful. Unless human society is thus divided and arranged, it
cannot be perfect. As stated in the Vishnu Purana (3.8.9):

Varnasramacaravata / purushena parah puman
vishnur aradhyate pantha / nanyat tat-tosha-karanam
The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Vishnu (Krishna), is wor-
shiped by the proper execu on of prescribed du es in the system of
varna and asrama. There is no other way to sa sfy the Supreme Per-
sonality of Godhead. One must be situated in the ins tu on of the four
varnas and asramas.

All of human society is meant to worship Lord Vishnu. At the present
moment, however, human society does not know that this is the ul -
mate goal or perfec on of life. Therefore instead of worshiping Lord
Vishnu. people have been educated to worship ma er. According to
the direc on of modern society, men think they can advance in civiliza-
on by manipula ng ma er to build skyscrapers, big roads, automo-
biles and so on. Such a civiliza on must certainly be called materialis c
because its people do not know the goal of life. The goal of life is to
reach Vishnu. but instead of reaching Vishnu, people are bewildered by
the external manifesta on of the material energy. Therefore progress
in material advancement is blind, and the leaders of such material ad-
vancement are also blind. They are leading their followers in the wrong
way.

It is best, therefore, to accept the injunc ons of the Vedas, which are
21