from the comments on this article:

pranams

__/o_ ___o_ __/o_

since somehow or another my permission has seemingly become something of value then …..

🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

“Let the great discussion of Daiva-varnasrama-dharma begin! Let’s forge history and shape the future of society!”

🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

seriously though … i think that any discussion on something as important and vital as varnasrama should take place in the context of submissive reference to the previous acaryas and not in the context of vexatious reference and confidence in our puny Kali-yuga distorted reasoning faculties. Some may feel as if they have some special insight and divinely inspired vision for how to govern other devotees yet such vision must be under scrutiny lest discussion veer into tamasic and self-serving regions. The desire for distinction runs deeply in every conditioned nature. Attempts to classify and organize others readily lends itself as a place for such attachment to manifest.

Being painfully aware of my own predisposition to the aforementioned vices I’m hesitent to imagine myself as qualified to determine how our community should be governed by my own reasoning. Thus I am confident that Krishna has kindly supplied all needed directives through the teachings of those who are free from such selfishness – in particular His Divine Grace.

The purifying challenge is actually implementing Srila Prabhupada’s teachings and put the plow to the land, so to speak. I don’t think the world is waiting for a social visionary (or a think tank of self-proclaimed leaders) to explain things just right and point the way. As Mataji pointed out, an example of such a culture is needed and will speak for itself. The explanation has already been given. Our mission is to become students and practitioners of this explanation. So let Srila Prabhupada get the credit for being the social visionary he actually was and let us get the credit for following. Again, this is how spiritual leadership is enacted. Our social vision requires only that we train ourselves to see the truth as given by our teacher – not in ambitious attempts to invent an up-to-the-minute methodology taking into account current social degredation and vogue pseudo-intellectual trends.

Its the former, not the latter, mode of discussion that interests me personally; but I claim no governance over anyone else’s independence to speak as freely as they like on the matter.

Hare Krishna

your servant, Ekendra das