6 TEACHINGS OF QUEEN KUNTI

the part of an innocent woman. Women in general are unable to specu-
late like philosophers, but they are blessed by the Lord because they
believe at once in the superiority and almightiness of the Lord, and thus
they offer obeisances without reservation. The Lord is so kind that He
does not show special favor only to one who is a great philosopher. He
knows the sincerity of purpose. For this reason only, women generally
assemble in great number in any sort of religious function. In every
country and in every sect of religion it appears that the women are more
interested than the men. This simplicity of acceptance of the Lord’s au-
thority is more effective than showy insincere religious fervor.

Kuntidevi prayed to the Lord very submissively, and this is the
symptom of a Vaisnava. The Lord, Krsna, had come to Kuntidevi to offer
respect to her by taking the dust of her feet. Because Krsna considered
Kuntidevi His aunt, He used to touch her feet. But although Kuntidevi, a
great devotee, was in such an exalted position, practically on the level of
YaSodamayi, Krsna’s mother, she was so submissive that she prayed,
““Krsna, You are meant to be understood by the paramahamsas, the most
advanced transcendentalists, but I am a woman, so how can I see You?”’

According to the Vedic system, there are four social divisions (cdtur-
varnyam maya srstam). The highest members of the social order are the
brahmanas, those who are intelligent, and then come the ksatriyas (mili-
tary men and administrators), the vaisyas (farmers and businessmen),
and finally the stdras (ordinary laborers). One’s place in this system is
determined by one’s qualities and work (guna-karma). The Bhagavad-
gita mentions striyo vaisyds tathd sidrah, and the Srimad-Bhagavatam
speaks of stri-stidra-dvijiabandhtinam. According to these references
women, Stdras, and dvija-bandhus are considered to belong to the same
category. The word dvija-bandhu refers to one who is born in an exalted
brahmana ox ksatriya family but who has no qualifications of his own.
One’s social standing, according to the Vedic system, is determined by
one’s qualifications. This is very practical. Suppose a man is born the son
of a high-court judge. This does not mean that he himself is also a high-
court judge. Yet because one happens to take birth in a brahmana family,
even if he has no qualifications and is rascal number one, he claims to be
a brahmana, and although his qualifications are less than those of a sudra,
people accept him as a brdhmana. This has caused the downfall of the
Vedic civilization. The bradhmanas in India are sometimes very much
against my movement because I train and accept brahmanas from Europe
and America. But we do not care about their arguments, nor will any
other reasonable man. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu said:
