Cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ (BG 4.13). The society must be divided . . . by natural way, it is divided: the intelligent class, the administrator class, the productive class and the worker class. And they should cooperate. Then the society's perfect. The same example: Just like in your body you have got divisions—the head division, the arms division, the belly division and the leg division. It is not that leg is less important than the head. But leg is . . . head is most important. Without head, the arms, the belly or the leg cannot work. So there should be cooperation. But the division must be there.
This is the vision of Kṛṣṇa, and Kṛṣṇa conscious persons. They do not say it is false. They utilize everything for the purpose of Kṛṣṇa. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Most scientific and authorized movement, trying to place people in his original, constitutional position and cooperate for the service of Kṛṣṇa. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement.
And actually, when we relish some mellow, rasa, that is called bhakti-rasa. We are trying to explain Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu by Rūpa Gosvāmī. So this is bhakti-rasa. The leg is serving the body under some rasa. The hand is serving the body under some rasa. The brain is serving the body under some rasa. So similarly . . . that is natural division throughout the whole universe, anywhere. And because the whole universe is being carried on by the three modes of material nature, goodness, passion, ignorance . . . (break)
And there are mixture also. There are three: goodness, passion and ignorance. Just like there are three colors: yellow, red . . .
(aside) You stand and . . . (indistinct) . . . You disturb me.
Yellow, red and blue. And those who are artists, they mix with three colors and it becomes nine. And again, the nine into nine, it becomes eighty-one. In this way, all these divisions, different forms of living entities, they are being conducted under some modes of material nature, either pure or mixture. And therefore we find so many varieties.
(aside) Why don't you put . . .?
Yes. So many varieties of living entities, 8,400,000 species of life, forms, 8,400,000.
- jalajā nava-lakṣāṇi
- sthāvarā lakṣa-viṁśati
- kṛmayo rudra-saṅkhyakāḥ
- pakṣiṇāṁ daśa-lakṣaṇam
- (Padma Purāṇa)
In this way, there are 8,400,000 species of life, and Kṛṣṇa claims, sarva-yoniṣu kaunteya sambhavanti mūrtayaḥ yāḥ (BG 14.4): "All these forms, in different species of life, their mother is this material nature and I am the seed-giving father." Ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā. So Kṛṣṇa . . .
(aside) What you are doing with this? This fly is disturbing me, and what you are doing?
(break) . . . claims everyone His son. Kṛṣṇa says . . . does not say that, "The Indians are My sons" or "The Hindus are My sons." No, Kṛṣṇa does not say. So Kṛṣṇa cannot be a sectarian God. God is one. God is for Hindu, God is for Muslim, God is for any other religious sect. And the definition of religion is that, "the law given by God." That's all. Dharmaṁ tu sākṣād bhagavat-praṇītam (SB 6.3.19). Just like law means the code or the order given by the state. You cannot manufacture law at home. When the state gives something to the citizens that, "You must follow this," that is law. It may be very insignificant thing, but it is law. Just like when we go on the street, the law is, in, in this country, the law is "Keep to the left." In other countries the law is "Keep to the right." Yes. Germa . . . in America it is "Keep to the right."
Guest: Not so in China and Russia, I believe.
Prabhupāda: There are different. You cannot say that, "I am accustomed to drive my car from the left side. Why shall I go to the right?" No. The law is there. You'll have to abide by the law. Similarly, religion means the law given by Kṛṣṇa, by God. That is religion. You cannot manufacture religion. Kṛṣṇa . . . dharmaṁ tu sākṣād bhagavat-praṇītam (SB 6.3.19). Therefore real religion is to surrender to Kṛṣṇa. Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). So actually, this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is real religion. Everyone should follow this. Then he will be saved. Kṛṣṇa assures, ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi.
People suffer out of ignorance. That is called pāpa, sin. Any criminal . . . mostly, he does not know the real law. He commits something unknowingly, by ignorance, and he becomes a subject of criminal punishment. Therefore ignorance is sinful life. Ignorance. So people should be enlightened from ignorance. And that is real religion. One should be enlightened himself, and one should enlighten others also. That is the mission of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. This is Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu's mission.