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THE SCIENCE OF SELF-REALIZATION
which in Sanskrit is called Sindhu. The Muhammadans pronounce  s  as  h . Instead of  Sindhu , they made it  Hindu . So “Hindu” is a term that is not found in the Sanskrit dictionary, but it has come into use. But the real cultural institution is called  varṇāśrama . There are four  varṇas  (social divisions) —  brāhmaṇa ,  kṣatriya ,  vaiśya , and  śūdra  — and four ashrams (spiritual divisions) —  brahmacārī ,  gṛhastha ,  vānaprastha , and  sannyāsa . According to the Vedic concept of life, unless people take to this system or institution of four  varṇas  and four ashrams, actually they do not become civilized human beings. One has to take this process of four divisions of social orders and four divisions of spiritual orders; that is called  varṇāśrama . India’s culture is based on this age-old Vedic system.
Prof. Kotovsky:   Varṇāśrama .
Śrīla Prabhupāda:   Varṇāśrama . And in the  Bhagavad-gītā  — perhaps you have read the  Bhagavad-gītā ?
Prof. Kotovsky:  Yes.
Śrīla Prabhupāda:  There, in the  Bhagavad-gītā  [4.13], is the statement  cātur-varṇyam mayā sṛṣṭam : this system was created by Viṣṇu [God]. So since  varṇāśrama  is a creation of the Supreme, it cannot be changed. It is prevalent everywhere. It is like the sun. The sun is a creation of the Supreme. The sunshine is there in America, in Russia, and in India — everywhere. Similarly, this  varṇāśrama  system is prevalent everywhere in some form or another. Take, for example, the  brāhmaṇas , the most intelligent class of men. They are the brains of the society. The  kṣatriyas  are the administrative class; then the  vaiśyas  are the productive class, and the  śūdras  are the worker class. These four classes of men are prevalent everywhere under different names. Because it is created by the original creator, so it is prevalent everywhere,  varṇāśrama-dharma .
Prof. Kotovsky:  It is interesting that in the opinion of some European and old Russian scholars, this  varṇāśrama  system is a later creation, and if you would read the old texts of Vedic literature, you would find a much more simple and agrarian society. It is the opinion of these scholars that the  varṇāśrama  system was introduced in Indian society in the late age of the Vedic era but not from the beginning. And if you would analyze the old texts, you would find that in the old classical India it was not so prevalent.
Śrīla Prabhupāda:  As far as we are concerned, it is mentioned in the  Bhagavad-gītā .  Cātur-varṇyam mayā sṛṣṭam . The  Bhagavad-gītā  was spoken five thousand years ago, and in the  Bhagavad-gītā  it is said, “This system of the  Bhagavad-gītā  was spoken by Me to the sun-god.” So if you take an estimation of that period, it comes to forty million years ago. Can