Varnashrama and Bhakti in Gaudiya Siddhanta

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An Overview: Varṇāśṛama Supports Bhakti

In his Śrī Caitanya-śikṣāmṛta, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura describes the general relationship between varṇāśrama-dharma and bhakti:

"What is the relation of varṇāśrama, which was previously discussed, with vaidhi-bhakti? Should people take shelter of vaidhi-bhakti and give up the rules of varṇāśrama dharma, or should they practice vaidhi-bhakti for developing devotion, while still following the varṇāśrama rules and duties? It was previously stated that the purport of varṇāśrama dharma is to maintain the body, develop the mind, perform good works for society and learn spiritual topics, all with the goal of developing pure bhakti. In that humans are bound by a material body, they must follow the varṇāśrama rules. That cannot be denied, for without the development of body, mind, society and spirit, human life becomes degraded. The rules of varṇāśrama are suitable for this purpose, and therefore they should be followed. However, varṇāśrama is not the final goal. With the assistance of varṇāśrama dharma, a person should cultivate bhakti. It is also necessary to follow the rules of varṇāśrama in the cultivation of bhakti.

"[Someone may pose the followign doubt:] 'But by following the rules of varṇāśrama, which are time-consuming, a person may not have any time left to cultivate bhakti. Furthermore, where there is some conflict of principles, what should be done?' 

"First, it should be said that without taking proper care of body, mind, society and spirit, a person cannot perform the more elevated activities of bhakti. How can the seed of devotion, faith, awaken in the heart if a person dies prematurely, develops mental problems and never learns anything about spirit? And if people give up the rules of varṇāśrama and act as they please, their physical and mental actions will be like those of madmen. They will be engaged in the worst sins, and no sign of bhakti will be visible.

"Although varṇāśrama dharma is somewhat engaging, it must be followed as an assistant to bhakti, and, with the cultivation of bhakti, its consumption of time will decrease. Varṇāśrama dharma’s various activities will transform into devotional actions. First a person should practice the five types of devotional activities to the utmost, as directed by Lord Caitanya, while simultaneously being meticulous in observance of varṇāśrama duties, which may take too much time. The person should gradually reject those varṇāśrama duties that are against devotional principles. Finally, being purified by bhakti, varṇāśrama duties will become the servant of sādhana-bhakti. Acting in this way, there will be no conflict between the duties of varṇāśrama and bhakti. By the cultivation of bhakti, the life of a brāhmaṇa and the life of a śūdra, both purified by bhakti, become equalized. The śūdra, being illumined by his state of servitude to the Lord and to the devotees, becomes equal to the selfless brāhmaṇa. The purity of Vaiṣṇava brotherhood will enlighten the lives of the four varṇas so much that the world will seem to be Vaikuntha. By removal of the obstacles arising from identification with body, real equality of the souls is possible. [...]

"When the consciousness of those situated in varṇāśrama matures into devotional sentiment they take up the life of a devotee, but as long as they do not, they must be said to be practicing karma. Karma is not an integral part (aṅga) of bhakti. When karma matures fully, it takes the form of devotional action, and this is called bhakti, not karma. The moment that real faith in the Lord arises, a person transcends karma." (Śrī Caitanya-śikṣāmṛta, Ch. 3)

"The end of action according to varnasrama duties (karma) and the appearance of faith are simultaneous."* (Śrī Caitanya-śikṣāmṛta, Ch. 6)

* Here Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura cites the following verse from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (11.20.9):

tāvat karmāṇi kurvīta

na nirvidyeta yāvatā

mat-kathā-śravaṇādau vā

śraddhā yāvan na jāyate

"One should continue to perform his varṇāśrama duties until he actually becomes detached from material sense gratification and develops faith for hearing and chanting about Me."

Varṇāśrama Designations Do Not Apply to Vaiṣṇavas

When Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura advises all outcastes and persons of mixed caste, who have a degraded nature, to give it up and accept the position of śūdras (Harināma-cintāmaṇi 5.43), he is not talking about devotees who have faith in pure bhakti. This verse cannot be reasonably applied to initiated ISKCON devotees, whom Srila Prabhupada says are already as good as brāhmaṇas:

Hari-śauri: So the varṇāśrama system is like for the kaniṣṭhas, Kaniṣṭha-adhikārī.

Prabhupāda: Kaniṣṭha?

Hari-śauri: When one is only on the platform of neophyte.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Yes. Kaniṣṭha-adhikārī, yes.

Hari-śauri: Varṇāśrama system is beneficial.

Prabhupāda: Kaniṣṭha-adhikārī means he must be a brāhmaṇa. That is kaniṣṭha-adhikārī. The spiritual life, kaniṣṭha-adhikārī, means he must be a qualified brāhmaṇa. That is kaniṣṭha. What is esteemed as very high position in the material world, brāhmaṇa, that is kaniṣṭha-adhikārī.

arcāyām eva haraye

pūjāṁ yaḥ śraddhayehate

na tad-bhakteṣu cānyeṣu

sa bhaktaḥ prākṛtaḥ smṛtaḥ

["A devotee who faithfully engages in the worship of the Deity in the temple but does not behave properly toward other devotees or people in general is called a prākṛta-bhakta, a materialistic devotee, and is considered to be in the lowest position." (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 11.2.47)]

The brāhmaṇa means from the material stage gradually he is elevated to the spiritual stage. And below the brāhmaṇa there is no question of Vaiṣṇava. [End of excerpt, from a room conversation in Mayapur, February 14, 1977, "Varṇāśrama System Must Be Introduced"]

Here, Srila Prabhupada explains that anyone who can follow the four regulative principles and completes their daily vow of chanting Hare Krishna japa is as good as a brāhmaṇa, even if they are otherwise materialistic in their outlook (a prākṛta-bhakta). 

This is affirmed in the Manu-saṁhitā (2.87):

japyenaiva tu saṃsidhyed 

brāhmaṇo nātra saṃśayaḥ 

kuryād anyan na vā kuryān 

maitro brāhmaṇa ucyate

“Undoubtedly, by means of japa alone, a brāhmaṇa achieves complete perfection, regardless of whether or not he performs other Vedic rituals and duties. One who is friendly to all is a true knower of Brahman (brāhmaṇa).”

Therefore, if even prākṛta-bhaktas are considered to be as good as brahmaṇas, what to speak of pure Vaiṣṇavas, who traverse the path of uttama-bhakti, giving up all ulterior desires (anyābhilāṣa)? 

For this reason, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura writes:

"Sometimes, considering pure Vaiṣṇavas and inferior Vaiṣṇavas to be the same, many people ask pure Vaiṣṇavas their varṇa, and just like those persons within society, they attempt to categorize them in one of the four āśramas. Such attempts are simply befitting a non-Vaiṣṇava and are merely a social endeavour." (Śrī Vaiṣṇavera-varṇāśrama)

Srila Prabhupada reiterates this same point in a morning walk on April 20, 1974:

"A devotee, because he is working as a śūdra, he is not a śūdra; neither he is a brāhmaṇa. He is already in the spiritual platform. But for management we have to do that. One can do the śūdra's work nicely—let him be engaged in that way."

Vaiṣṇavas Do Not Place Faith in Varṇāśrama-dharma

Although devotees should externally situate themselves in a varṇa and āśrama until they attain genuine detachment from material life, they should not place faith in varṇāśrama-dharma, for if they do, their bhakti becomes mixed with karma and is no longer considered pure. Srila Visvanatha Chakravarti Thakura explains:

"Faithfully performing one’s worldly religious duties out of fear of incurring sinful reactions by neglecting them constitutes a covering of bhakti. Likewise, performing such duties out of a belief that they will help one attain the desired goal of devotional service in ecstatic love (bhāva-bhakti) also constitutes a covering of bhakti. However, when great souls perform śrāddha to their departed ancestors and similar duties for the sake of setting an example for people in general, without personally having faith in the necessity of such things, this is not outside the scope of pure bhakti." (Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.1.11, commentary)

Moreover, the rules and regulations of the varṇāśrama system do not apply to a surrendered devotee:

devarṣi-bhūtāpta-nṝṇāṁ pitṝṇāṁ

na kiṅkaro nāyam ṛṇī ca rājan

sarvātmanā yaḥ śaraṇaṁ śaraṇyaṁ

gato mukundaṁ parihṛtya kartam

"O King, one who has given up all material duties and has taken full shelter of the lotus feet of Mukunda, who offers shelter to all, is not indebted to the demigods, great sages, ordinary living beings, relatives, friends, mankind or even one’s forefathers who have passed away." (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 11.5.41, quoted in Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.2.68)

Srila Jiva Goswami elaborates in his commentary to this verse in the Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu: "Having surrendered to the Lord, the devotee’s prārabdha-karma is destroyed, which thus cancels his status within the varṇāśrama system. He is therefore no longer required to perform worldly duties."

To reinforce the point, Srila Rupa Goswami next cites the famous verse from Bhagavad-gītā (18.66):

sarva-dharmān parityajya

mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja

ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo

mokṣayiṣyāmi mā śucaḥ

"Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reactions. Do not fear."

Srila Jiva Goswami comments: "By the prefix pari-, meaning “fully,” it is understood that one’s renunciation should be complete. Sarva-pāpebhyaḥ means “from all impediments.” This is because those with faith in bhakti incur no sin for giving up the duties of varṇāśrama-dharma on the Lord’s order."

And then Srila Rupa Goswami quotes a verse from the Agastya-saṁhitā:

yathā vidhi-niṣedhau tu

muktaṁ naivopasarpataḥ

tathā na spṛśato rāmo-

pāsakaṁ vidhi-pūrvakam

"Just as the rules and prohibitions of the smṛtis do not affect a liberated soul, they also do not touch one who properly worships Lord Rāma."

Varṇāśrama-dharma—Not a Limb of Uttama-bhakti 

Later in the same chapter, Srila Rupa Goswami explains that although performing one's prescribed duties as an offering for the Lord (karmārpana) is a type of bhakti-yoga, it is not a limb of uttama-bhakti:

sammataṁ bhakti-vijñānāṁ

bhakty-aṅgatvaṁ na karmaṇām

"The consensus of those learned in bhakti is that the activities prescribed within the varṇāśrama system are not limbs of bhakti." (Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.2.246)

In his purport to this verse, Srila Jiva Goswami raises the following objection: "Why then do we find scriptural statements such as—varṇāśramācāravatā puruṣeṇa paraḥ pumān / viṣṇur ārādhyate panthā nānyat tat-toṣa-kāraṇam, 'Human beings are meant to worship the Supreme Lord Viṣṇu through the prescribed duties of varṇāśrama. There is no other path to satisfy the Lord.'" (Viṣṇu Purāṇa 3.8.9)

Srila Jiva Goswami answers: "This verse from the Viṣṇu Purāṇa and similar statements [which seem to advocate the necessity of varṇāśrama even for practitioners of bhakti] are intended for those who have not yet developed firm faith, and who are therefore not eligible for the practice of pure devotional service (śuddha-bhakti)."

It is in the same spirit that Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, in Harināma-cintāmaṇi (5.42–49) encourages the observance of varṇāśrama-dharma. The duties of the path of karma are for materialistic people and for devotees who deliberately cling to material desires and have weak faith in the process of pure bhakti. Srila Rupa Goswami confirms:

mṛdu-śraddhasya kathitā

svalpā karmādhikāritā

tad-arpitaṁ harau dāsyam

iti kaiścid udīryate

"A devotee of weak faith is said to still be somewhat within the jurisdiction of prescribed duties. Thus some say that offering these duties to Lord Hari is a type of dāsya." (Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.2.186) 

Srila Visvanatha Chakravarti Thakura comments: "Since it has already been stated that pure bhakti should not be covered by jñāna or karma, the offering of one’s prescribed duties in the varṇāśrama system cannot be accepted as uttama-bhakti. A devotee’s weakness of faith may be recognized by his lack of firm conviction in the principle that solely by the performance of bhakti everything will be accomplished."

Varṇāśrama Duties Should Be Accepted to the Extent They Support Bhakti

One might object: "But in Harināma-cintāmaṇi, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura says that one must observe varṇāśrama duties until the awakening of bhāva."

In the third chapter of Śrī Caitanya-śikṣāmṛta, the Thakura clarifies that this refers only to varṇāśrama rules that are conducive for bhakti:

"Those following vaidhi-bhakti should think of dedication to the Lord as their principle work in life. It is a cultivation performed, not from fear or hatred, but with affection and love. That is the meaning of favorable [ānukūlya]. It is necessary to maintain the body by following the rules of varṇāśrama, but the devotee never allows those rules to overpower devotion of the Lord. Those rules always remain as followers of the cultivation of the Lord."

Vaiṣṇavas Serving in the Gṛhastha Āśrama Follow Varṇāśrama Until They are Qualified to Renounce

When a devotee overcomes material desires and develops genuine detachment, varṇāśrama-dharma may be rejected. However, this is not permissible for householders:

"It is not true that one becomes a Vaiṣṇava simply by discarding the social rules and etiquette of varṇāśrama-dharma. For a Vaiṣṇava, anything that is favorable towards the path of bhakti becomes his duty. Only when a person develops genuine detachment from varṇāśrama-dharma by progress in hari-bhajana will he be eligible to disassociate himself from it. Then, he must reject the varṇāśrama system and everything associated with it entirely. [...]

"However, this is not applicable to gṛhastha-vaiṣṇava society. Domestic society may place hindrances in the gṛhastha’s path of bhajana; however, until he gains the full eligibility to reject the norms of varṇāśrama society, he should not do so. Gradually, when he spontaneously develops firm and steady attachment to practices that are beneficial to his spiritual bhajana, then he may forget his dependence on social etiquette." (Jaiva-dharma, Chapter Six)

All Vaiṣṇavas are Eligible to Renounce Householder Life

Certain persons hold the view that outcastes, śūdras, and women are never permitted to renounce the gṛhastha āśrama even if they become Vaiṣṇavas, but this is not the opinion of Srila Gopala Bhatta Goswami:

[Some people object:] "All men have a right to enter the gṛhastha āśrama, but only the three upper varṇas (vaiśya, kṣatriya, and brāhmaṇa) have a right to the other three āśramas (brahmacārī, vānaprastha, and sannyāsa). According to the rules of varṇāśrama, for women, śūdras, and dvija-bandhus these āśramas are forbidden. The śūdra is a person without saṁskāra, or purification, and his characteristic is lamentation (śocana). Lamentation is due to ignorance, which is part of his nature. How is it possible that such a person can become a brahmacārī, or take to any of the activities requiring higher spiritual interest? This is the scriptural statement."

[Srila Gopala Bhatta Goswami answers:] "However, although the Purāṇas place restrictions in this way, the knowers of truth can understand that this stricture applies to non-Vaiṣṇavas. The restrictions apply to a person born in a śūdra family who is not a Vaiṣṇava, and do not apply to a person who, though born in a śūdra family, happens by the grace of the Lord to take to the path of pure devotion. If a person, through association, takes on the qualities of a brāhmaṇa, he can no longer be considered a śūdra. Thus it is stated in scripture: na śūdro bhagavad-bhaktaḥ, "The devotee of the Lord cannot be considered a śūdra."

"This is illustrated by the story of Satyakāma Jābāla in the Upaniṣads. The saṁskāras given in the Sat-kriyā-sāra-dīpikā are meant to raise a person to the level of sannyāsī, a pure devotee of the Lord. When any person, whether he be brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, or śūdra, or lower by family birth, attains actual qualification for sannyāsa through the practice of devotional service, he may take the sannyāsa-āśrama. But until that qualification appears, he should remain a gṛhastha Vaiṣṇava. [...]

"Thus the principle of taking sannyāsa may be stated as follows: taking dīkṣā according to the Pāñcarātrika injunctions from a bona fide guru, a person attains the status of dvija, or twice-born, and as a result of practice as a householder one attains detachment and qualification for viṣṇu-sannyāsa and acyuta-gotra. When one can give up the marks of the sannyāsa āśrama, one attains the status of paramahaṁsa. In the same way that a qualified female Vaiṣṇava is allowed to worship the śālagrāma-śilā, so a qualified female Vaiṣṇava may also take up two pieces of cloth as a brahmacārī or renunciate." (Saṁskāra-dīpikā)

Conclusion

When the numerous instructions given by our ācāryas on this topic are carefully analyzed and understood, we arrive at a coherent and internally consistent position: varṇāśrama-dharma is a provisional framework meant to support embodied life until genuine faith in bhakti awakens. It is neither the goal of spiritual life nor an intrinsic limb of uttama-bhakti. For those who lack firm śraddhā, varṇāśrama provides order, discipline, and gradual purification, but for those who have taken full shelter of bhakti, its obligations lose binding force and are accepted or rejected solely on the basis of their favorability to devotional service.

Thus, varṇāśrama neither competes with bhakti nor defines a Vaiṣṇava. It functions as a servant, not a master. Like a trellis, it supports the growth of the bhakti creeper in its initial stages, and as the bhakti creeper matures, it naturally falls away. 

Oṁ tat sat. 

Note: Quotes from Śrī Caitanya-sikṣāmṛta and Saṁskāra-dīpikā were taken from the translations of Bhanu Swami, quotes from the Jaiva-dharma were taken from the translation of Sarvabhavana Prabhu, and quotes from the Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu were taken from the forthcoming edition of the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust.