Varnashrama Dharma is an intricate topic to post about, while a necessary one. Much woman abuse that happened was camouflaged as Varnashrama dharma, thus we walk softly, to elucidate.
When varnashrama dharma is practiced correct, it is a pious and good. It can benefit everyone, when performed in accordance with Srila Prabhuapdas true instructions.
Gurukuli's grew up and went their own way, still Krishna's way, but took the rough road to learn for themselves. Devotee parents raised these children in firm loving Krishna consciousness environments, only to have some exploited by the multi-media western influences all abound them. Many parents wished there was a (bona fide) varnashrama dharma system in place to catch their children when they fell. Not a place for them to remain perputally, simply a Plan B, to hold them up until they matured and readied themselves for the next higher level of Krishna consciousness.
Varnashrama dharma is a catch-all, it inculdes everyone. From the brahmana to the sudra, all can participate. When executed correctly, there's no arrogance of brahmana's, no bullying by kstriyas, no money mongering by vaishyas, and no disrespect by sudras.
The purpose, even some who can't follow all the rules or reguations, they do not have to feel they need give up being devotee. They can simply live in a varnashrama community and find their place.
A genunine varnashrama community also allows for advancement, when ready.
"The social institution known as varnasrama-dharma--the institution dividing society into four divisions of social life and four occupational divisions of caste--is not meant to divide human society according to birth. Such divisions are in terms of educational qualifications. " Bhagavad Gita 16:1 - 3, Purport
In a few commentaries Srila Prabhuada said to start Varnashrama dharma, in many many other places he said it can not be done in this yuga. We see the current practical examples, most who are attracted to practice of this, too often are aso attracted to sex, women, power, money, some have wanting to drink alcohol (as if kstriya) or get high. It has turned many against the idea of varnashrama dharma.
"The institution of varnashrama-dharma is used by selfish men to pose an artificial predominance over the weaker section." Srimad Bhagavatam 1:2:13
However, read more of what Prabhupada said:
Satsvarupa: Varnasrama is not required.
Prabhupada: Not required. Caitanya Mahaprabhu denied, “I am not brahmana, I am not ksatriya, I am not this, I am not this.” He rejected. But in the Bhagavad-gita, the catur-varnyam maya sristam [Bg. 4.13] So we are preaching Krsna consciousness. It must be done.
Hari-sauri: But in Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s practical preaching He only induced them to chant.
Prabhupada: That is not possible for ordinary man.
Hari-sauri: What, to simply induce people to chant?
Prabhupada: Hm?
Hari-sauri: He only introduced just the chanting.
Prabhupada: But who will chant? Who’ll chant?
Satsvarupa: But if they won’t chant, then neither will they train up in the varnasrama. That’s the easiest.
Prabhupada: The chanting will be there, but you cannot expect that people will chant like Caitanya Mahaprabhu. They cannot even chant sixteen rounds. And these rascals are going to be Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
Satsvarupa: No. But if they at least will chant and take some prasada…
Prabhupada: Chanting will go on. That is not stopped. But at the same time the varnasrama-dharma must be established to make the way easy.
Hari-sauri: Well, at least my own understanding was that the chanting was introduced in the age of Kali because varnasrama is not possible.
Prabhupada: Because it will cleanse the mind. Chanting will not stop.
Hari-sauri: So therefore the chanting was introduced to replace all of the systems of varnasrama and like that.
Prabhupada: Yes, it can replace, but who is going to replace it? The… People are not so advanced. If you imitate Haridasa Thakura to chant, it is not possible.
Satsvarupa: We tell them go on with your job but chant also.
Prabhupada: Yes. Thakaha apanara kaje, Bhaktivinoda Thakura. Apanara kaja ki. Caitanya Mahaprabhu recommended, sthane sthita… And if they do not remain in the sthana, then the sahajiya’s chanting will come. Just like the sahajiyas also have got the beads and…, but they have got three dozen women. This kind of chanting will go on. Just like our (name withheld). He was not fit for sannyasa but he was given sannyasa. And five women he was attached, and he disclosed. Therefore varnasrama-dharma is required. Simply show-bottle will not do. So the varnasrama-dharma should be introduced all over the world, and…
Satsvarupa: Introduced starting with ISKCON community?
Prabhupada: Yes. Yes. Brahmana, ksatriyas. There must be regular education"
Hari-sauri: But in our community, if the..., being as we're training up as
Vaishnavas...
Prabhupada: Yes.
Hari-sauri: ...then how will we be able to make divisions in our society?
Prabhupada: Vaishnava is not so easy. The varnashrama-dharma should be established to become a Vaishnava. It is not so easy to become Vaishnava.
Hari-sauri: No, it's not a cheap thing.
Prabhupada: Yes. Therefore this should be made. Vaishnava, to become Vaishnava, is not so easy. If Vaishnava, to become Vaishnava is so easy, why so many fall down, fall down? It is not easy. The sannyasa is for the highest qualified brahmana. And simply by dressing like a Vaishnava, that is... fall down."
Hari-sauri: So the varnasrama system is like for the kanisthas, Kanistha-adhikari.
Prabhupada: Kanistha?
Hari-sauri: When one is only on the platform of neophyte.
Prabhupada: Yes. Yes. Kanistha-adhikari, yes.
Hari-sauri: Varnasrama system is beneficial.
Prabhupada: Kanistha-adhikari means he must be a brahmana. That is kanistha-adhikari. The spiritual life, kanistha-adhikari, means he must be a qualified brahmana. That is kanistha. What is esteemed as very high position in the material world, brahmana, that is kanistha-adhikari. arcayam eva harayepujam yah sraddhayehatena tad-bhaktesu canyesusa bhaktah prakrtah smrtah The brahmana means from the material stage gradually he is elevated to the spiritual stage. And below the brahmana there is no question of Vaisnava.
Hari-sauri: No question of?
Prabhupada: Vaisnavism. srnvatam sva-kathah krsnahpunya-sravana-kirtanahhrdy antah-stho hy abhadranividhunoti suhrt satam
By becoming a brahmana, hearing, hearing, hearing... Or by hearing, hearing, hearing, he becomes a brahmana. The other qualities, sudra quality, ksatriya, vaisya, means finished. So then next stage is, srnvatam sva-kathah krsnah punya-sravana-kirtanah, hrdy antah... Nasta-prayesv abhadresu. By this process, hearing... Without becoming a brahmana nobody is interested to hear. Then, by hearing, nasta-prayesv abhadresu, then abhadra, means the base qualities, means ignorance and passion... These are the base qualities. So nasta-prayesv abhadresu. When these base qualities are finished almost, not complete, nityam bhagavata-sevaya, by hearing from Bhagavata or by serving the spiritual master and Krsna consciousness movement--
nasta-prayesv abhadresunityam bhagavata-sevayabhagavaty uttama-slokebhaktir bhavati naisthiki. Then he becomes fixed up in devotional... This devotional service is the first-grade quality of sattva-guna.
nasta-prayesv abhadresunityam bhagavata-sevayabhagavaty uttama-slokebhaktir bhavati naisthiki
Tada rajas-tamo-bhavah. When one is situated as a devotee, then this base quality, rajas-tamah, ignorance and passion, the symptoms: kama-lobhadayas ca ye. Kama, lusty desires, and greediness. Sex desire, strong sex desire or satisfy the senses, eating too much, lobha, greediness--these things go. Nityam bhagavata-sevaya bhagavaty uttama... When one is situated in devotional service, tada rajas-tamo-bhavah. These are rajas-tamo... These are the symptoms of rajas-tamo-bhavah. Tada rajas-tamo-bhavah kama-lobhadayas ca ye, ceta etair anaviddham. The mind is no more disturbed with all these things. Sthitam sattve prasidati. Then he is to be understood... He's in the sattva-guna. That is perfect brahminical life. Then he'll be pleased. Prasidati. In this way, gradual step... So it is very difficult to bring, [them to chanting stage, so ] introduce varnasrama, but at least there must be some idea. Just like in the university, nobody is going to study higher mathematics, higher English literature. Nobody goes even in your country. The classes are almost vacant. But still, the government does not close it. The expenditure is high, but there is no student, no income. Therefore the professors coming to us, Give us some student."
-Room Conversation, February 14, 1977, Mayapura
I do not read this as Prabhupada authorizing more than one woman, not in the least. Rather that fallen men are doing like this and no one can control or stop them, its a choice which they refuse to control or stop, at least they can chant Hare Krishna and engage in whatever form or amount of devotional service they can.
Thoughtful point where Prabhupada states: "The other qualities, sudra quality, ksatriya, vaisya, means finished." Considering he initiated women and made them disciples, its time men stopped referring to women as "sudras," or worse.
Today I read one devotee man in debate with another, claiming the reason the other did not comprehend woman's perscribed duty (lower postion in this case) is because he had not read the Mahabharata, only the Gita. Surprising such comment to be on Iskcon site without proper refutation, as no one mentioned Prabhupada did not translate the Mahabharata! Srila Prabhuapda taught the highest knowledge. We take our instructions from him. Even he instructed women as Pujari's.
"It is good that you have gone to Amsterdam temple to help with the deity program there. It must be done very nicely. So, help train them up to worship Radha and Krishna very nicely" Srila Prabhupada Letter to Malati devi dasi-- Honolulu 3 February, 1975
In the 1977 conversation at page top, between Prabhupada, I did not see it to indicate a desire of varnashrama-dharma as a replacement for the first class lifestyle of initiated disciples. It's what he may have tried to save them.
Initiates can partake of varnashrama dharma if they are strong and never fall own or misuse it. It appears a great difficulty for initiates to participate in varnashrama-dharma, maintain spiritual strength, and not fall prey the bodily concept. Possibly authorities could get involved to give (temperate) association to such a temple president or make arrangements for him and family to regularly visit other temples. A solution needs to be discovered for proper varanashrama dharma to be instituted in our society. Most unfortunate that His Divine Grace, Srila Prabhupada, must return to pick up those who won't follow yet insisted to obtain initiation. Therefore maybe to catch them in a fishnet of varnashrama-dharma, but not to glorify them as first class spiritual leader.
A once a known fact which seems to have taken a back-seat, is that devotees can go back to Godhead devoid of taking to gender roles prescribed in varnashram-dharma. Srila Prabhupada has all ready introduced the fundamentals into temples or for homes of grhasta's, as it is. That's first class. For the initiate, bodily roles were not to be magnified any further. Should someone wish to avoid them altogether, both genders could renounce if that be their desire.
What varnashrama-dharma has to offer is opportunity for the world to gradually go back to Godhead. Are we strong enough to take that on? This is the difficulty. To save the world sounds marvelous, to actually follow through and not get pulled down along with the crowd, has so far proven very difficult.
Nevertheless, another advanatge of Varnashrama-dharma is, should there be a split between husband and wife, and we are not promoting split, merely a fact that happens sometimes - thus when there is split, the wife has a place to go. We read letters from Srila Prabhupada where he instructed women whose husband was in maya or left her, to move into the temple. Thus is we now create (daivi) Varnashrama-dharma, a woman in distress can move into such a community.
Also to note that when more love (not to be confused with lust) be fostered in community, there are less break ups of marriages. What has too often been fostered is premature renounciation, intollerance to women for acting as a normal female, men maintaining angry egos with pretense it's Krishna conscious, Militant mood, use of Sankirtana tactics on devotees (there should be no such tactics in the first place), can do anything for God thus dishonesty becomes justifiable (inclding to other devotees because the doer supposedly is superior & helping them advance by such tricks), all these have caused divorce. Because they are not very spritual, they are mostly material. While any act or service for Krishna is spiritual, if their root be poor thinking, manipulation, etc, it still harms our consciousness.
Some point out there be no divorce in Krishna consciousness. However, the above activities are not very Krishna conscious, they are mostly maya conscious. When that changes, when there be genuine family and community kindness, truthfulness, love increased - abuse and divorce will decrease. That however, can be executed inside or outside varnashrama dharma.
Srila Prabhupada: The Vedic civilization begins from the varnasrama system. In the varnasrama system there is this arrangement: brahmanas [intellectuals, advisors], ksatriyas [administrators], vaisyas [merchants, farmers], sudras [workers], brahmacaris [celibate students], grhasthas [householders], vanaprasthas [retired married people], and sannyasis [renounced monks].
"The ultimate goal is that Krsna, the Supreme Lord, should be worshiped. So if you worship Krsna, then you fulfill all your occupational duties, either as a brahmana, ksatriya, vaisya, sudra, brahmacari, anything. Take to it immediately--take to Krsna consciousness. This is so important." -Science of Self Realization, Chapter 6
From Srimad Bhagavatam 3.6.33 P: "It is actually better to be a sudra than to be a brahmana and not develop the service attitude because that attitude alone satisfies the Lord. Every living being — even if he be a brahmana by qualification — must take to the transcendental service of the Lord. Both Bhagavad-gita & the Srimad-Bhagavatam support that this service attitude is the perfection of the living entity."
From Conversations With Srila Prabhupada Vol. 7 pg. 302:Srila Prabhupada: "Vaisnava is transcendental, but for proper management of the material world, one should be acting like a brahmana, one should be acting like a ksatriya. That is required. If need be he has to act as ksatriya or a sudra. It doesn't matter. But manage, for management the division must be there. Otherwise it will be mismanagement."
"First of all, one must have followed the regulative principle for at least six months without deviation. It is not necessarily required to live in the temple, but you must observe the rules." Srila Prabhupada Letter- Mexico City 15 February, 1975
This instruction was meant for all iniatiates, as seen in countless letters.
Prabhupada wanted varnashrama-dharma, but he first and foremost wanted everyone to follow strictly their initiation vows. That was his intent of the Hare Krishna Movement. It appears, when too many disciples could not or would not, stick to their vows, he encouraged varnashrama-dharma.
“The system of caste, or varnasrama-dharma, is no longer regular even amongst the so-called followers of the system. Nor is it now possible to reestablish the institutional function in the present context of social, political and economic revolution. S.B. 2.4.18
This subject matter has many sides, for and against. Not easy to resolve. Luckily one that's clear, be it a devotee in practice of varnashrama-dharma or of pure Krishna consciousoness, this is for is certain:
"Because we are so weak in this age and there are so many problems, it is very very difficult to make a solution. Therefore sastra says that you simply take to the chanting of the holy name of God. Harer nama harer nama harer namaiva kevalam kalau nasty eva nasti eva nasti eva gatir anyatha. In this age, there is no other way, that you will feel when you take to chanting without any offense. Very simple thing. You haven't got to spend any money for this chanting. Neither we are charging. We are simply distributing this knowledge, and chant Hare Krishna mantra. All problems will be solved."
"But if you be engaged in devotional service, then immediately you transcend all the qualities. You become more than brahmana -- Vaishnava. Vaishnava means he is transcendental to the brahminical qualities also." -Srila Prabhupada lecture, 1973
