# Speaking About Varṇāśrama-dharma Compiled by Hare Kṛṣṇa dāsī, edited by Sureśvara dāsa (1998). A systematic collection of Śrīla Prabhupāda's spoken instructions on varṇāśrama-dharma, farm community development, and ideal social organization. --- ## Front Matter - [[wiki/compile/varnasrama-dharma/biographical-sketch|Biographical Sketch]] - [[wiki/compile/varnasrama-dharma/conventions|Conventions Used in This Volume]] - [[wiki/compile/varnasrama-dharma/categories|Varṇāśrama Categories]] - [[wiki/compile/varnasrama-dharma/preface|Preface]] - [[wiki/compile/varnasrama-dharma/introduction|Introduction]] --- ## Part One: The Importance of Varṇāśrama ### [[wiki/compile/varnasrama-dharma/importance|Why Is Varṇāśrama Important?]] Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that varṇāśrama-dharma is the only system of social organization which enables a person of any class to discharge his occupational duty as devotional service. ### [[wiki/compile/varnasrama-dharma/mission|Mission: To Create Varṇāśrama Colleges]] While acknowledging challenges in establishing varṇāśrama in the modern age, Śrīla Prabhupāda sets the establishment of varṇāśrama-dharma as a mission for the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. --- ## Part Two: Principles of Varṇāśrama ### [[wiki/compile/varnasrama-dharma/mutual-respect|Mutual Respect in Varṇāśrama]] Testing success of one's occupation; government grants land to citizens; in varṇāśrama everyone's position is treated with honor. ### [[wiki/compile/varnasrama-dharma/different-duties|Different Duties for Different Kinds of People]] Balancing work and worship; sannyāsī's role in community development; our mission of making people peaceful and happy. ### [[wiki/compile/varnasrama-dharma/spiritual-communism|Spiritual Communism]] Conversation with Professor Kotovsky in Moscow, June 1971. ### [[wiki/compile/varnasrama-dharma/not-by-birth|Not by Birth, But by Training]] Government should be scripture-based; training for the social body. ### [[wiki/compile/varnasrama-dharma/brahmana-guidance|Brāhmaṇa Guidance for Kśatriyas]] Temple means educational center; brāhmaṇas' duty to give guidance to the kśatriyas. ### [[wiki/compile/varnasrama-dharma/not-caste-system|Varṇāśrama is Not the Caste System]] Distinguishing divine varṇāśrama from the hereditary caste system. --- ## Part Three: Self-Sufficiency and Farm Life ### [[wiki/compile/varnasrama-dharma/necessities-from-land|Get All Your Necessities from the Land]] Regulative principles to fulfill desires; protect cows and prosper; get all your necessities from the land. ### [[wiki/compile/varnasrama-dharma/real-wealth|False Wealth or Real Wealth?]] Paper currency versus gold standard; real wealth as cattle and grains. ### [[wiki/compile/varnasrama-dharma/grow-own-food|Grow Your Own Food]] Perform sacrifice and become self-sufficient; king grants land, taxes are in-kind. ### [[wiki/compile/varnasrama-dharma/own-land|Every Man Should Own Some Land]] As the body is our field for cultivating Kṛṣṇa consciousness, so the land is our field for cultivating food. ### [[wiki/compile/varnasrama-dharma/self-sufficiency|Self-Sufficiency or Commercial Production?]] Capitalism versus communism; grow to eat or grow to sell? ### [[wiki/compile/varnasrama-dharma/home-grown|Home Grown is Best]] The value of producing one's own food locally. --- ## Part Four: Agriculture and Cow Protection ### [[wiki/compile/varnasrama-dharma/agriculture-noblest|Agriculture: The Noblest Profession]] Simple living; agriculture as the noblest profession. ### [[wiki/compile/varnasrama-dharma/cow-care|Prabhupāda on Cow Care]] Instructions on proper care for cows. ### [[wiki/compile/varnasrama-dharma/utilize-bulls|How to Utilize the Bulls]] How to utilize the bulls; living off the land; milking cows; feed crops versus food crops. ### [[wiki/compile/varnasrama-dharma/petroleum-vs-ox|Petroleum vs. Ox Power]] Energy problems solved through localization; oxen will solve transport; ISKCON should be ideal by practical application. ### [[wiki/compile/varnasrama-dharma/chant-and-plow|Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa and Draw a Plow]] Cure for unemployment; Vedic versus modern society. --- ## Part Five: Simple Living and Economics ### [[wiki/compile/varnasrama-dharma/plain-living|Plain Living, High Thinking]] Material versus spiritual advancement; engage children as Kṛṣṇa was. ### [[wiki/compile/varnasrama-dharma/simple-living|Simple Living, Good Health]] Interview with Newsday Newspaper, July 1976. ### [[wiki/compile/varnasrama-dharma/smash-and-boil|Smash and Boil with Milk]] Room conversation, Paris, August 1976. ### [[wiki/compile/varnasrama-dharma/localized-economics|Localized Economics]] Localized economics—a revolutionary social concept; back to the land, back to freedom. ### [[wiki/compile/varnasrama-dharma/artificial-banking|Artificial Banking Systems]] The collapse of artificial banking. --- ## Part Six: Social Organization ### [[wiki/compile/varnasrama-dharma/save-troubled-world|Varṇāśrama to Save a Troubled World]] Every ISKCON center should be a varṇāśrama college; leaders must engage every person and every resource properly. ### [[wiki/compile/varnasrama-dharma/working-is-preaching|Working Is Also Preaching]] All work for Kṛṣṇa is transcendental because it furthers His preaching mission. ### [[wiki/compile/varnasrama-dharma/guru-guidance|Guru Gives Varṇa Guidance]] In varṇāśrama, all social orders cooperate to serve Kṛṣṇa. ### [[wiki/compile/varnasrama-dharma/natural-inclination|Harnessing Natural Inclination]] Government must maintain varṇāśrama; college must train varṇas; village must show example. ### [[wiki/compile/varnasrama-dharma/protection-women|Protection of Women]] Room conversation with French Commander, August 1976. --- ## Part Seven: Progress and Revolution ### [[wiki/compile/varnasrama-dharma/ugra-karma|Ugra-karma in the Factory]] Hellish factories, fresh fields; women and children must be supplied necessities. ### [[wiki/compile/varnasrama-dharma/illusionary-progress|Illusionary Progress]] Illusory progress; simple agrarian life versus oppressive factory life. ### [[wiki/compile/varnasrama-dharma/peaceful-revolution|Kṛṣṇa Consciousness: The Peaceful Revolution]] Work God's land, pay taxes to His saintly king; Kṛṣṇa consciousness as the peaceful revolution. ### [[wiki/compile/varnasrama-dharma/eskimo-self-sufficient|Eskimo Self-Sufficiency]] Live locally; set the example of how to be ideal. ### [[wiki/compile/varnasrama-dharma/training-power|They Will Be Attracted by Our Training Power]] Become self-independent; the power of purity; people will be attracted by our training power. ### [[wiki/compile/varnasrama-dharma/machines-unemployment|Machines and Unemployment]] Machines, employment and unemployment; duties of the varṇas; our varṇāśrama mission. --- ## Part Eight: Living as Kṛṣṇa Lived ### [[wiki/compile/varnasrama-dharma/living-as-krsna|Living as Kṛṣṇa Lived]] Evening lecture at Gītā-Nagarī Farm, Philadelphia, July 1976. ### [[wiki/compile/varnasrama-dharma/cities-to-villages|From the Cities to the Villages]] Improve rural organization so city people will be attracted; "Farm, farm, farm, farm"—it's Kṛṣṇa's program. --- ## Part Nine: Final Instructions ### [[wiki/compile/varnasrama-dharma/own-wool|Made with Our Own Wool]] Prabhupāda's instructions more important than physical presence; self-sufficient cloth production. ### [[wiki/compile/varnasrama-dharma/wanted-to-introduce|I Wanted to Introduce This]] Live simply, grow your own food, produce your own cloth; varṇāśrama spreads and sustains Kṛṣṇa consciousness; "Do it." ### [[wiki/compile/varnasrama-dharma/no-success-without|No Success Without Varṇāśrama]] Unless in human society the varṇāśrama system is introduced, no scheme will be successful. ### [[wiki/compile/varnasrama-dharma/must-be-introduced|Varṇāśrama System Must Be Introduced]] Leadership training; varṇāśrama-dharma for everyone—beginning with ISKCON. --- *See also: [[wiki/compile/siksamrita|Śikṣāmṛta]] · [[wiki/compile/namamrita|Śrī Nāmāmṛta]] · [[wiki/compile/spiritual-master-disciple|The Spiritual Master and the Disciple]]*