Chapter Three

Toward a Peaceful Society

śrī bhagavan uvāca
idaṁ śarīraṁ kaunteya
kṣetram ity abhidhīyate
etad yo vetti taṁ prāhuḥ
kṣetrajña iti tad-vidaḥ
“The Supreme Lord said: This body, O son of Kuntī, is called the field, and
one who knows this body is called the knower of the field.” (Bg. 13.2)
The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa, is
instructing Arjuna about the knowledge
of kṣetra and kṣetrajña. Kṣetra refers to the field, which is the body,
and kṣetrajña refers to the knower of the field, who is the individual soul.
If land is to be cultivated, there must be some cultivator, and if this body,
which is likened unto a field, is to be cultivated, there must be a proprietor
who can cultivate it. Now we have these material bodies, and it is our duty
to cultivate them properly. That cultivation is called akarma, or work. A
person may come to our place with a hoe to cultivate land, or he may come
to simply drink coffee or tea. We have been given this particular type of
body to cultivate and to attain required sense objects according to our
desires. This body is a gift from God. God is very kind, and if someone
wants something from Him, He allows it. “All right,” He says. “Take this.”
His relationship to us is just like the relationship of a father to a son. The
son may insist upon getting something from the father, and the father may
try to convince him that what he wants is not for his good, saying, “My
dear son, don’t touch this. This is not good for you.” But when the boy
insists upon it, the father will allow him to have it. The affectionate father
gives the son just what he wants. Similarly, the Supreme Father gives His
sons and daughters just what they want. It is stated in Bhagavad-gītā that
all beings, in all species of life, are his children.
sarva-yoniṣu kaunteya
mūrtayaḥ sam bhavanti yāḥ
tāsāṁ brahma mahad yonir
ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā
“It should be understood that all species of life, O son of Kuntī, are made
possible by birth in this material nature, and that I am the seed-giving
Father.” (Bg. 14.4)
In this material world, the mother, prakṛti, which is material nature,
supplies us with the body, and the Supreme Father impregnates this
matter with living souls. There is an erroneous theory current that only
human beings have souls and that other living entities do not, but we
understand from Vedic authority that there are 8,400,000 species of
bodies, including plants and trees, and that they all have souls, otherwise
they would not be able to develop and grow. In this verse Śrī Kṛṣṇa claims
that all living entities, regardless of the forms they take in this material
world, are his sons, and that they are related to Him as a son is related to
his father.
This Kṛṣṇa consciousness is especially meant for understanding the
position of the soul and its relationship with God.
kṣetrajñaṁ cāpi māṁ viddhi
sarva-kṣetreṣu bhārata
kṣetra-kṣetrajñayor jñānaṁ
yat taj jñānaṁ mataṁ mama
“O scion of Bharata, you should understand that I am also the knower in
all bodies, and to understand this body and its owner is called knowledge.
That is My opinion.” (Bg. 13.3)
If we meditate upon this body and study whether or not we are actually
the body, we will come to the conclusion that we are kṣetrajña, the knower
of the body but not the body. If we study our finger and consider whether
or not we are the finger, we will come to the conclusion that we are not the
finger or any other part of the body, but that the finger, the arms, the legs,
the head, etc. are our fingers, arms, legs, etc. In this way we can come to
the conclusion that we are not these bodies but that the bodies belong to
us. Therefore we say, “This is my body.” Unfortunately people in this
modern civilization never stop to inquire what they are or who they are.
They are simply laboring hard, working hard all day in an office or factory,
under the impression that, “I am this body.” And if we ask people who they
are, they reply, “I am Hindu, I am Moslem, I am Swedish, I am American,
I am Christian, etc.” These are various identifications or designations of
the body, but the fact is that we are not these bodies. The body is simply
the field of our activities. We are no more the body than the cultivator of
a field is the field.
There are different kinds of bodies and different activities in
accordance to the different types of bodies. A dog enjoys one kind of
activity, a cat enjoys another, and a human enjoys another. There are
differences of activity due to differences of body. When we come to the
platform of truth, however, and understand that we are not these bodies,
then our activities change from material activities to spiritual activities. As
long as we are operating under the bodily conception of life, our activities
are material, but as soon as we understand, “I do not belong to this
body, ahaṁ brahmāsmi, I am spirit soul,” our activities will be in
accordance to that realization, that is to say that they will cease to be
motivated from the material or bodily platform. Knowledge of our proper
identity as separate from the body is real knowledge, but this knowledge
is denied as long as we cling to bodily identification.
In the scriptures it is said that as long as we are in this bodily
conception of life, all our activities will be defeated. A child is born into
ignorance, and if as he grows older he remains under the bodily
conception of life, he lives in darkness. His position is that of a śūdra. In
the Vedic literatures we find that in this age everyone is born
a śūdra; therefore everyone requires to be educated as to his real identity.
If, however, we remain satisfied with our birth by our father and mother,
we will remain in our condition as śūdra. We have to rise to the
brahminical platform by following the purificatory processes.
As mentioned before, there are four basic characteristics of an impure
life—illicit sex, intoxication, meat-eating and gambling. According to the
Vedic principles, sex should not be indulged in outside of marriage. In
human society there is therefore a system of marriage which distinguishes
us from the cats and dogs. Whether we are Hindu, Moslem, or Christian,
we acknowledge the system of marriage. The purpose of this system is to
avoid illicit sex. According to the Vedic system, intoxication is also
discouraged; nor is meat-eating advocated, for human beings should be
nonviolent. We have been given sufficient grains, fruits, milk, and
vegetables, and there is no necessity to kill poor animals. Some people
argue that if we do not eat meat we will be undernourished, but we can see
that the students of this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement have given up
meat and are very healthy, whereas people who are eating meat are still,
despite their meat-eating, subject to so many diseases and unhealthy
conditions. Gambling is also discouraged because it simply agitates the
mind.
This then is the purificatory process by which one can become
a brāhmaṇa. This path is open to everyone. A brāhmaṇa is one who is
truthful and pure, tolerant and simple, full of knowledge and faith in God.
He can control his mind and his senses also. At the present moment there
is a great necessity for brāhmaṇas, because almost everyone is
a śūdra, for almost everyone is wholly engaged in maintaining the body,
eating, sleeping, mating and defending—all symptoms of animals
and śūdras.
Society cannot be peaceful unless there are four divisions of human
beings functioning in harmony with one another. These four divisions are
comprised of brāhmaṇas, kṣatriyas, vaiśyas and śūdras. These are
discussed by Kṛṣṇa in Bhagavad-gītā in this way:
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 ascribed
to them, the four divisions of human society were created by Me. And,
although I am the creator of this system, you should know that I am yet
the non-doer, being unchangeable.” (Bg. 4.13)
These four divisions of men in human society are natural, not artificial,
because in the material world everything is operating under the influence
of the three modes of material nature—goodness, passion and ignorance.
As long as we are in the material world, it is not possible to classify
everyone in the same category because each and every person is working
under the influence of the modes of material nature. However, when we
transcend the material plane, there is oneness. At that time, all the
divisions fall apart. The question is therefore how to transcend the modes
of material nature, and that transcendence is the very process
of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. As soon as we become situated
in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, we become transcendental to the modes of
material nature.
māṁ ca yo ’vyabhicāreṇa
bhakti-yogena sevate
sa guṇān samatītyaitān
brahma-bhūyāya kalpate
“One who engages in full devotional service, who does not fall down in any
circumstance, at once transcends the modes of material nature, and thus
comes to the level of Brahman.” (Bg. 14.26)
Thus one who is engaged in Kṛṣṇa conscious activity is at once elevated
to the transcendental position. By nature we are not matter
but Brahman (ahaṁ brahmāsmi). The philosophy of Śaṅkarācārya is
mainly based on the principle that we should not think that we are
products of this material nature. It is by some unfortunate accident that
we are in contact with material nature. Actually our nature is that of
spirit, Brahman, and that nature has to be invoked. This material life is a
diseased condition; when we are situated in Brahman, we are in our
healthy condition. That healthy Brahman condition is immediately
attained as soon as we engage ourselves one hundred percent
in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
When we transcend material nature through the rendering of service
unto Kṛṣṇa, what is our status? Do we become zero? Some philosophies
maintain that after liberation from material life, after the nirvāṇa of this
material body, we become zero, void. That is a dangerous theory. By
nature the living entity is not attracted to zero. We may be diseased and
suffering from so many elements, but if our doctor comes and says, “Let
me finish your ailments by killing you,” we will immediately say, “No, no!
Better let me suffer from the disease.” We do not want to be killed just to
end our miseries. Thus the theory that after material life there is void is
not at all attractive. Nor is it a fact. We are sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha [Bs.
5.1], eternal, blissful and full of knowledge, and part and parcel of the
Supreme. The Supreme Lord is sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha, and we are
qualitatively one with Him. Although very small, a drop of seawater is as
salty as the sea, and although we are but spiritual atoms, we have the same
properties as the supreme spirit whole. There is no question of being void,
for as living entities our spiritual properties are all there in infinite
variegatedness. If, however, out of the frustration of material existence we
commit suicide, we do not end our miseries. We simply create other
miseries. If one attempts suicide but does not succeed, or is somehow
revived, he is subject to being punished under state law. Similarly, the laws
of nature treat suicides as criminal acts. We are to end this material life
only after finding out the true blissful life of eternity. We should not simply
be trying to end the miseries of this life simply out of frustration, but we
should engage ourselves in activities that will raise us to spiritual life.
The four divisions of human society were created by Śrī Kṛṣṇa in order
to facilitate this process of elevation. Just as a student is elevated from a
lower class to a post-graduate class, the divisions of labor (cātur-
varṇyam) are created to elevate us from the lowest stages of
consciousness to the highest stage of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. This process is
a process of cooperation. In the human body, the most important part is
the head, then the arms, the belly and the legs. Although the head is
considered to be the most important part, there is no question of
neglecting the legs or any other part. Similarly, in the divisions of human
society, no one division is important to the exclusion of the others. Of
these divisions, the brāhmaṇas are considered to be the intellectual class,
the class of teachers; the kṣatriyas are the administrative and military
class; the vaiśyas are the mercantile and agricultural class; and
the śūdras are the common laborer class. In a properly run society, all of
these classes are required. If they cooperate in their progress
toward Kṛṣṇa consciousness, there is no strife amongst them.
In the present social status, we find that we are existing in these four
divisions, but there is no cooperation. Everyone is dissatisfied. Today
there is great strife between the capitalist class and laborer class because
between them there is no compromise. There is only friction. All this strife
amongst the classes is due to lack of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Indeed, there is
not even a possibility of cooperation unless there
is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Kṛṣṇa consciousness is absolutely essential for
harmonizing all facets of human society. Regardless of what class we
belong to, if we cooperate in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, there will be peace in
the world.
Thus Kṛṣṇa consciousness is the utmost necessity for all divisions of
society. Every chapter and every conclusion of Bhagavad-gītā aim
toward Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Śrī Kṛṣṇa, who is speaking Bhagavad-
gītā, is always stressing devotion to His personal Self.
man-manā bhava mad-bhakto
mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru
mām evaiṣyasi satyaṁ te
pratijāne priyo ’si me
[Bg. 18.65]
“Always think of Me and become My devotee. Worship Me and offer your
homage unto Me. Thus you will come to Me without fail. I promise you
this because you are My very dear friend.” (Bg. 18.65)
Throughout Bhagavad-gītā we find this
word mām stressed. Mām means “unto Me,” meaning unto Kṛṣṇa. But
there are many miscreants who are interpreting this mām to mean
“everyone.” When I say, “Bring me a glass of water,” does it mean that I
want you to bring everyone a glass of water? The individuality is there, but
by jugglery of words they interpret “me” or “I” to mean “everyone.”
Consequently when Kṛṣṇa says “I,” the miscreants identify this “I” with
themselves. This is a gross misinterpretation. Although Bhagavad-gītā is
very popular in the world, due to this misinterpretation by mundane
scholars, it has not been properly understood.
Bhagavad-gītā clearly explains that this cātur-varṇyam system was
established by Kṛṣṇa, but He is outside of this system. When Kṛṣṇa comes
as an incarnation, He does not come as a member of any social order, not
as a brāhmaṇa or anything else. When Kṛṣṇa came, He came as the son
of Devakī and Vasudeva. Vasudeva belonged to the royal family and was
therefore a kṣatriya. As such, Kṛṣṇa played the part of a kṣatriya, but this
does not mean that Kṛṣṇa belonged to the kṣatriya class. There are many
incarnations of Kṛṣṇa in many forms of life. In one incarnation He
appeared as a fish, as a member of the community of fishes, but this does
not mean that He is a fish. If we think upon seeing a fish that it belongs to
Kṛṣṇa’s family, we are mistaken. Of course, from another point of view,
everything is Kṛṣṇa, but Kṛṣṇa is aloof from everything. This is the
transcendental nature of Kṛṣṇa, and if we understand it, we will be
liberated from birth and death. Although Kṛṣṇa has established the four
divisions of human society, He is not in any one of them
(tasya kartāram api māṁ viddhy akartāram avyayam). As soon as we
understand that although Kṛṣṇa was born into a kṣatriya family, He is not
a kṣatriya, we actually become liberated. If we think that
because Kṛṣṇa acts in a particular way—as on the battlefield He gave
instructions to Arjuna to fight—He is bound by the reactions of His
activities, we are mistaken. “Works do not defile Me,” Śrī Kṛṣṇa says
(na māṁ karmāṇi limpanti). In conclusion, we must accept the fact that
when Kṛṣṇa comes as one of us, He is not in actuality “one of us.” He is
transcendental. This fact we must learn by submissive inquiry from
authoritative sources, such as Bhagavad-gītā or a spiritual master who is
fully realized in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Today all facets of human society are thinking that their self-interest is
in maintaining this body. Consequently today’s society is simply a society
of cats, dogs and hogs. From Vedic literatures we can understand that we
don’t have to work hard all day simply to maintain this body. We are
working very hard because we are trying to control material nature for the
purposes of sense gratification. One who can come to understand
that Kṛṣṇa is the root of everything, the origin of everything, can
understand the meaning of īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ [Bs. 5.1]—Kṛṣṇa is
the supreme controller. In the universe there are many īśvaras, or
controllers, but Kṛṣṇa is the supreme among all of
them. Kṛṣṇa consciousness gives us this knowledge. Without it, we will
remain ignorant of our real self-interest.
Modern society is in dire need of intellectual persons
or brāhmaṇas who can broadcast real spiritual knowledge all over the
world. That is an absolute necessity for a society which is working hard
simply to exploit nature. If people try to understand
this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement scientifically and philosophically,
with their best knowledge and judgement, and try to cooperate, there will
be peace all over the world. In essence, the method is very simple. We need
only
chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Ha
re Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare and follow the regulative principles
mentioned before. By following the regulative principles, we will be
avoiding the four pillars of sinful life, and by chanting
the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, we will be associating with God constantly; thus
there will be peace among all classes of men.