Toward a Peaceful Society 39
one requires to be educated as to his real identity. If,
however, we remain satisfied with our birth by our
father and mother, we will remain in our condition
as Sudra. We have to rise to the brahminical platform
by following the purificatory processes.

As mentioned before, there are four basic char-
acteristics of an impure life—illicit sex, intoxication,
meat-eating and gambling. According to the Vedic
principles, sex should not be indulged in outside of
marriage. In human society there is therefore a sys-
tem of marriage which distinguishes us from the cats
and dogs. Whether we are Hindu, Moslem, or Chris-
tian, we acknowledge the system of marriage. The
purpose of this system is to avoid illicit sex. Accord-
ing to the Vedic system, intoxication is also dis-
couraged; nor is meat-eating advocated, for human
beings should be nonviolent. We have been given
sufficient grains, fruits, milk, and vegetables, and
there is no necessity to kill poor animals. Some
people argue that if we do not eat meat we will be
undernourished, but we can see that the students of
this Krsna consciousness movement have given up
meat and are very healthy, whereas people who are
eating meat are still, despite their meat-eating, sub-
ject to so many diseases and unhealthy conditions.
Gambling is also discouraged because it simply
agitates the mind.

This then is the purificatory process by which
one can become a brahmana. This path is open to
everyone. A brahmana is one who is truthful and
pure, tolerant and simple, full of knowledge and
faith in God. He can control his mind and his senses
