- ataḥ pumbhir dvija-śreṣṭhā
- varṇāśrama-vibhāgaśaḥ
- svanuṣṭhitasya dharmasya
- saṁsiddhir hari-toṣaṇam
- (SB 1.2.13)
Everyone is engaged in his occupational duties. Everyone is engaged. Generally, according to Vedic civilization, the society is divided into eight divisions. Varṇāśrama-dharma it is called—four varṇas and four āśramas. Materially, four varṇas: brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra. And spiritually, brahmacārī, gṛhastha, vānaprastha and sannyāsa. These eight divisions. So according to these eight divisions, everyone has an occupational duty. So what is the duty, and how the duty is perfected? That is hari-toṣaṇam: to satisfy the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That people do not know. Especially at the present moment, they do not know who is Hari and they do not know how to please Him. That is the defect of the modern civilization, that they do not care to know who is God and how to satisfy Him. That is the defect. The life is meant for, human life, for satisfying God. That is going on under religious system, and the Vedic civilization is called varṇāśrama-dharma. Dharma is not a kind of faith, religion is not a kind of faith, but it is a duty, varṇāśrama-dharma. So that duty we are forgetting, and therefore we are coming to the level of animals. Because the cats and dogs, they have no duty—animal. But human being has an obligation, a duty, to understand God and to satisfy Him. That is human life. Without this knowledge, without this performance of duty, human life is on the level of animal. There are many other verses in this connection. (aside) Where are others? They are not present here?