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Fourth class man means

Lectures

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

The fourth class man means worker. They have no intelligence, but they depend on others for their livelihood.
Lecture on BG 2.9 -- Auckland, February 21, 1973:

According to Vedic system, there should be four classes of men: the brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra, social order; and spiritual order: brahmacārī, gṛhastha, vānaprastha, and sannyāsa. This is perfect system of human civilization. So I shall briefly describe. Brāhmaṇa is compared with the head. Just like you have got your body. In the body there are different departments: the head department, the arms department, the belly department, and the leg department. So to maintain your body fit, you must have all these four departments rightly working. Your brain must work very nicely, your arms must work very nicely, although also the digestive system, intestines, stomach, that must also work very nicely, as well as the legs also must work nicely. Then you are perfectly fit. Similarly, in the social system there must be the head department. (aside:) This child is disturbing. The head department means the most intellectual part of the society, the most intelligent portion of the society. In the society there are naturally four classes of men, very intelligent class of men, politicians, mercantile people and ordinary workers, in every society all over the world, all over the universe. You can name them differently, but these four classes are there. That is by nature's system. Cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ (BG 4.13). By nature's way or by God's arrangement, there are four classes of men. The most intelligent class of men is called the brāhmaṇas. Intelligent means one who knows up to the Supreme Lord. And then next intelligent class: the politicians, administrators. Next intelligent class: the mercantile class, traders. And the fourth class man means worker. They have no intelligence, but they depend on others for their livelihood. So there are first-class, second-class, third-class, fourth-class men everywhere, any part of the world.

Conversations and Morning Walks

1975 Conversations and Morning Walks

The fourth-class man means general worker. He has no brain, he simply helps the other three classes: first-class, second-class, and the third-class.
Press Conference -- July 9, 1975, Chicago:

Reporter (5): Then... Well, how about the third and fourth-classes?

Prabhupāda: Third-class means they should engage themselves, how to produce food and give protection to the cow. It is said...

Reporter (5): The cow?

Prabhupāda: Cow, yes.

Reporter (2): The cow?

Prabhupāda: Yes, cow, from where you get milk, that cow. So the exact word is used in Sanskrit, kṛṣi-go-rakṣya-vāṇijyaṁ vaiśya-karma svabhāva-jam (BG 18.44). Vaiśya, the third-class man, is called vaiśya. So his duty is how to produce food, food grains, for both for the animals and the man. And he gives protection to the cows. As the second-class man, the administrator, he gives protection to the human being from danger, similarly, the third-class man is entrusted to give protection to the cows. Cow is very important animal in the society because it is supplying milk, the most nutritious food. And... Find out. This is the third-class man's duty. And the fourth-class man means general worker. He has no brain, he simply helps the other three classes: first-class, second-class, and the third-class. And below the fourth-class men, they are called fifth-class, sixth-class. So they are called lower class, less than the fourth-class. So the society should be generally divided into four classes. As I have given example, there is head, arm, belly, and leg.

Page Title:Fourth class man means
Compiler:Rishab
Created:26 of Jan, 2012
Totals by Section:BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=1, Con=1, Let=0
No. of Quotes:2