Suppose one man is stealing. He'll be punished. Either by the law of the state or by the laws of nature or God, he'll be punished. He can escape the laws of the state, but he cannot escape the laws of nature or God. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi (BG 3.27). It is not possible. Just like the laws of nature. If you infect some disease, so you'll have to be punished. You'll suffer from that disease. That is punishment. You cannot escape. Similarly, anything you do, kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgo 'sya (BG 13.22). If you live like a cat and dog, that is infection, guṇa, the modes of ignorance. Then your next life you become a dog. You must be punished. This is law of nature.
So therefore one who does not know all these laws, he commits so many sinful activities. Vikarma. Karma, vikarma, akarma. Karma means what is prescribed. Guṇa-karma. Guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ (BG 4.13). Karma means, as it is in the śāstra, as you have developed a certain type of modes of nature, your karma is according to that: brāhmaṇa-karma, kṣatriya-karma, vaiśya-karma. So if you follow... That is the duty of the spiritual master and śāstra, to designate when he's brahmacārī, that "You work like this." "You work like a brāhmaṇa," "You work like a kṣatriya," "You work like a vaiśya," and others, "Śūdra." So this division is made by the spiritual master. How? Yasya yal lakṣaṇaṁ proktaṁ puṁso varṇābhivyañjakam. The spiritual master will say that "You work like this." So that should be determined. That is karma, guṇa-karma. Spiritual master sees that he has these qualities. That is natural. Just like in the school, college, somebody is being trained up as a scientist, somebody is trained up as an engineer, as a medical man, as a lawyer. According to the tendency, practical psychology of the student, he is advised that "You take this line." Similarly, these four divisions of the society, it is very scientific. So by the instruction of the guru, when he's in the gurukula, he will be specified a particular type of duty, and if he does it faithfully... Sva-karmaṇā tam abhyarcya (BG 18.46). The real purpose is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. And according to his guṇa and karma he's engaged in a particular occupational duty.
Nothing is bad provided it is meant for Kṛṣṇa's satisfaction. Ataḥ pumbhir dvija-śreṣṭhā varṇāśrama-vibhāgaśaḥ. The varṇāśrama-vibhāga must be there. But what is the aim of varṇāśrama? Simply by becoming a brāhmaṇa he's successful? No. Nobody can become successful unless he satisfies Kṛṣṇa. That is real success. Just like Arjuna did. By the military art, he satisfied Kṛṣṇa. Similarly, by your vaiśya-vṛtti, kṛṣi-go-rakṣya-vāṇijyam (BG 18.44), you can satisfy Kṛṣṇa. By your brāhmaṇa-vṛtti you can satisfy Kṛṣṇa. Even by your śūdra-vṛtti you can satisfy Kṛṣṇa. That possibility is here, that Kṛṣṇa says sva-karmaṇā tam abhyarcya. The aim should be how to satisfy Kṛṣṇa. Doesn't matter whether you are a brāhmaṇa or a kṣatriya. Kṛṣṇa confirms it, api cet su-durācāraḥ... No. Māṁ hi pārtha vyapāśritya ye 'pi syuḥ pāpa-yonayaḥ (BG 9.32). Pāpa-yoni means below the vaiśyas, the śūdras, they are pāpa-yonis. Vaiśyas also. Striyo vaiśyās tathā śūdrās te 'pi yānti parāṁ gatim. So there is no impediment to approach Kṛṣṇa because you are a śūdra, or caṇḍāla or woman or vaiśya. No. Everyone can... That facility is there. Therefore our duty should be, "Never mind in whichever position I am posted. Let me satisfy Kṛṣṇa." It is not that... Suppose we are worshiping Deity. That is the duty of brāhmaṇa; but somebody is called that "You cleanse this floor." So he should not think that "I am cleansing the floor; therefore I am lower than the person directly worshiping the Deity." No. Kṛṣṇa's pleasure wanted. If Kṛṣṇa sees that by washing the floor you are doing very nicely, Kṛṣṇa is pleased: "Oh, you are nice." Similarly, one man is decorating Kṛṣṇa with garland and... If Kṛṣṇa is pleased, that is the main point. Not that because you are on the Deity room you are very elevated, and the other man who is cleansing the door, he is not elevated. No. Śrī-vigrahārādhana-nitya-nānā-śṛṅgāra-tan-mandira-mārjanādau **. They are all equal. In whichever position you are, simply your endeavor should be how to please Kṛṣṇa. That is wanted. Sva-karmaṇā tam abhyarcya (BG 18.46).
Also it is said, ataḥ pumbhir dvija-śreṣṭhā varṇāśrama-vibhāgaśaḥ. Because generally we take divisions, varṇa and āśrama. So Sūta Gosvāmī says in the meeting of Naimiṣāraṇya, ataḥ pumbhir dvija-śreṣṭhāḥ. They are all big, big, very learned scholars and brāhmaṇas, so they were addressing, dvija-śreṣṭhāḥ. Dvija means brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya. One who has got the right to take the sacred thread, they are called dvijas. But out of the three, brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, the brāhmaṇa is called dvija-śreṣṭha. Therefore he addressed,
- ataḥ pumbhir dvija-śreṣṭhā
- varṇāśrama-vibhāgaśaḥ
- svanuṣṭhitasya dharmasya
- saṁsiddhir hari-toṣaṇam
- (SB 1.2.13)
Saṁsiddhi. Never mind what you are. Either you may be sannyāsī or may be gṛhastha or may be brahmacārī or a brāhmaṇa, a kṣatriya, or vaiśya, śūdra. Never mind. Try to satisfy Kṛṣṇa. Try to please Kṛṣṇa. Then your life is successful. Otherwise, you are pramatta, mad. Nūnaṁ pramattaḥ kurute vikarma (SB 5.5.4). So long you shall remain a pramatta, you shall act just opposite function, and you'll be entangled. Therefore in the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, yajñārthe karmaṇaḥ anyatra karma-bandhanaḥ. If you do not work for pleasing Kṛṣṇa, then that work will entangle you in the cycle of birth and death.