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The Activities of Mahārāja Priyavrata
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this, however, because some say that since one receives a body according to the  guṇa  and  karma  of his past life, it is one's birth that determines his social status. Others say, however, that one's birth according to the  guṇa  and  karma  of his past life is not the essential consideration, since one can change his  guṇa  and  karma  even in this life. Thus they say that the four divisions of the social order— brāhmaṇa ,  kṣatriya ,  vaiśya  and  śūdra —should be arranged according to the  guṇa  and  karma  of this life. This version is confirmed in  Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam  by Nārada Muni. While instructing Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira about the symptoms of  guṇa  and  karma , Nārada Muni said that these symptoms must govern the division of society. In other words, if a person born in the family of a  brāhmaṇa  has the symptoms of a  śūdra , he should be designated as a  śūdra . Similarly, if a  śūdra  has brahminical qualities, he should be designated a  brāhmaṇa .
The  varṇāśrama  system is scientific. Therefore if we accept the divisions of  varṇa  and  āśrama  according to the Vedic instructions, our lives will be successful. Unless human society is thus divided and arranged, it cannot be perfect. As stated in the  Viṣṇu Purāṇa  (3.8.9):
varṇāśramācāravatā  
 puruṣeṇa paraḥ pumān  
 viṣṇur ārādhyate panthā  
 nānyat tat-toṣa-kāraṇam
“The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Viṣṇu, is worshiped by the proper execution of prescribed duties in the system of  varṇa  and  āśrama . There is no other way to satisfy the Supreme Personality of Godhead. One must be situated in the institution of the four  varṇas  and  āśramas .” All of human society is meant to worship Lord Viṣṇu. At the present moment, however, human society does not know that this is the ultimate goal or perfection of life. Therefore instead of worshiping Lord Viṣṇu, people have been educated to worship matter. According to the direction of modern society, men think they can advance in civilization by manipulating matter to build skyscrapers, big roads, automobiles and so on. Such a civilization must certainly be called materialistic because its people do not know the goal of life. The goal of life is to reach Viṣṇu, but