Text 5811
Taliks Between the lord and Bāmānanda Bāva
113
PURPORT
This is a quotation from the  Viṣṇu Purāṇa  (3.8.9). As stated by Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura in his  Amṛta-pravāha-bhāṣya : “The purport is that one can realize life’s perfection simply by satisfying the Supreme Personality of Godhead.” This is also confirmed in  Śrīmaḍ-Bhāgavatam  (1.2.13):
ataḥ pumbhir dvija-śreṣṭhā varṇāśrama-vibhāgaśaḥ svanuṣṭhitasya dharmasya samsiddhir hari-tosanam
“O best among the twiceborn, it is therefore concluded that the highest perfection one can achieve, by discharging his prescribed duties [ dharma ] according to caste divisions and order of life, is to please the Lord Hari.”
Every man should perform his occupational duty in the light of his particular tendency. According to his abilities, one should accept a position in the  varṇāśrama  institution. The divisions of  brāhmaṇa ,  kṣatriya ,  vaiśya  and  śūdra  are natural divisions within society. Indeed, everyone has a prescribed duty according to the  varṇāśrama-dharma . Those who properly execute their prescribed duties live peacefully and are not disturbed by material conditions. The spiritual orders —  brahmacarya ,  gṛhastha ,  vānaprastha  and  sannyāsa  — are called  āśramas . If one executes his prescribed duty in both the social and spiritual order, the Supreme Personality of Godhead is satisfied. If one neglects his duties, however, he becomes a transgressor and a candidate for a hellish condition. Actually we see that different people are engaged in different ways; therefore there must be divisions according to work. To attain perfection, one must make devotional service the center of life. In this way one can awaken his natural instincts by work, association and education. One should accept the  varṇāśrama  divisions by qualification, not by birth. Unless this system is introduced, human activities cannot be systematically executed.
The  brāhmaṇas  are the intellectuals who can understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead. They are always engaged in the cultivation of knowledge. It does not matter whether one is born in India or outside India. Those who are naturally very heroic and who tend to rule over others are called  kṣatriyas . Those who tend to produce food by agricultural methods, protect cows and other animals and engage in trade are called  vaiśyas , or merchants. Those who are not sufficiently intelligent to be  brāhmaṇas ,  kṣatriyas  or  vaiśyas  are required to serve a master and are called  śūdras . Thus everyone can engage in the service of the Lord and Kṛṣṇa consciousness. If a society does not function according to such natural divisions, the social orders become degraded. The conclusion is that the scientific method of  varṇāśrama-dharma  should be adopted by society.