Prabhupāda: So this material world is working under three modes of material nature. Goodness, passion, and ignorance therefore in its spiritual nature there is no such qualities. Spirit soul is pure and when the spirit soul comes in contact with matter then the spirit soul becomes influenced by three kinds of material qualities.
Actually we are part and parcel of God so qualitatively God and we are one. He is spirit we are also spirit but we are part and parcel, fragment. God is full, whole and we are fragments. So the example is just like fire and the sparks of fire. The fire is also possessing burning capacity and the small sparks they have also got the burning capacity but not as big as the whole fire.
This is our relationship with God. God has got creative power, we have also got creative power but we are satisfied by creating a sputnik flying in the sky and God has created unlimited number of planets that are floating in the sky. That is the difference between God and us. We have got the creative power we are also trying to fly our sputnik's and we are taking very much credit big, big scientists but we do not want to give any credit to who is floating millions of planets floating in the sky. This is godlessness. So this godlessness is manifested in three qualities.
Those who are in complete ignorance they have practically forgotten what is God. Those who are in the modes of passion, they have got slight information of God and those who are in goodness they can understand what is God. Therefore God says Kṛṣṇa says, cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭam, according to the quality. That there must be four classes of social order the first-class in goodness brāhmaṇa, most intelligent class, brahma jānāti iti brāhmaṇaḥ. Brāhmaṇa does not understand only ordinary things but he understands the Supreme the source of everything that is brāhmaṇa. The qualities are described there.
(banging sound). What is that sound?
Devotee: (indistinct).
Prabhupāda: The kṣatriyas who are supposed to govern over the people they are guided by the brāhmaṇas—that you govern. Brāhmaṇa's are not interested, just like you have heard a great politician Cāṇakya Paṇḍita he was a brāhmaṇa. He was prime minister of Emperor Candragupta but he did not accept any salary.
Even say 500 years ago Sanātana Gosvāmīand Rūpa Gosvāmī they were brāhmaṇa's but because they accepted ministerial position in the government, at least then it was Mohammedan government Hussain Shah. They were immediately I mean to say rejected from brāhmaṇa society. A brāhmaṇa cannot accept any salary, similarly kṣatriyas also, similarly vaiśyas also only the śūdras they can. Paricaryātmakaṁ karma śūdrasyāpi svabhāva-jam (BG 18.44).
Śūdra means he cannot live independently he has to accept some master. So these four classes of men must be there. That is our social idea, just like in your body there are four divisions, the head, the arms, the belly and the legs. Similarly the whole social body should be divided into four classes of order. The brāhmaṇa class, the kṣatriya class, the vaiśya class and the śūdra class and education should be imparted in that state. That is our social idea. Your first question was social strive or?
Pradyumna: Lifestyle.
Prabhupāda: Lifestyle. So lifestyle—generally a living entity born by father and mother he is considered a śūdra. Just like in ordinary life we send our children to school or college's for knowledge. So janmanā jāyate śūdraḥ, anyone who is born is ignorant—foolish, otherwise why is he sent to school or college? He is supposed to be foolish. So education means according to the qualities there must be examination by the teachers who is fit for becoming a brāhmaṇa, who is fit for becoming a kṣatriya, and who is fit for becoming a vaiśya like that.
Of course śūdras were not given any education or they were incapable of receiving education. Especially the brāhmaṇas and kṣatriyas were educated to guide the social welfare. That is the Vedic system and therefore Kṛṣṇa says, cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ. Guṇa and karma—not by birth, Kṛṣṇa says by quality and by work. One must be qualified brāhmaṇa by the symptoms, truthfulness, controlling the mind, controlling the senses very simple simplicity of life. Ārjavam, jñānam, vijñānam—full of knowledge, vijñānam—practical application is life.
Āstikyam—theistic view, in this way one becomes brāhmaṇa. Similarly kṣatriyas qualifications are described, vaiśyas qualifications are also described. The brāhmaṇas qualifications nine, kṣatriyas qualifications seven, reducing. Vaiśyas qualifications three, kṛṣi-go-rakṣya-vāṇijyaṁ, kṛṣi—means agriculture, go-rakṣya—cow protection that is vaiśyas business and the kṣatriyas business is to give protection to the citizens, human beings. Similarly the vaiśyas business is to give protection to the cows. The cow is very important animal in the society.