Author : HG Abhiram (acbsp) Das E-Mail : abhiram.acbsp@gmail.com Date Produced : August 2016 Editor : RP Bhakti Raghava Swami Serial No. : 45 of 54

2. Author : HG Abhiram (acbsp) Das
E-Mail : abhiram.acbsp@gmail.com
Date Produced : August 2016
Editor : RP Bhakti Raghava Swami
Serial No. : 45 of 54
AMERICAN
VEDIC
Varnasrama in the Modern Times

3. American Vedic
VARNASRAMA IN THE MODERN TIMES
BY ABHIRAM DAS

4. “50% of my work is
incomplete”
“Na sochati na kanchati......I have no any lamentation”
“no..... I do have one lamentation”
Brahmananda Prabhu : “are you lamenting because you have
not finished the Srimad Bhagavatam, Srila Prabhupada?”
“no, it is because I have not established varnasrama. 50%
of my work is incomplete.”

5. “What would you do?”
“Srila Prabhupada, what would you do to
establish varnasrama?”
“I will go to Gita Nagari, I will sit down and
teach you how to live off the land.”

6. The Bija
“sit down”
◦ stay and figure out practical details - time, place and circumstance.
“teach us”
◦ As in varnasrama college
“live off the land”.
◦ The foundation

7. ISKCON, without this final 50%,
Incomplete = imbalanced.
Other half cannot be sustained
Most of the world left out

8. What’s in the way?
Waiting for Biblical 'End of days' ?
Too attached to city comforts ?
Obstacles in our thinking?
How to do it?

9. Fundamentalism or Pragmatism
‘Self-sufficiency fundamentalism’
Our small community produces everything,
We ignore technologies and economies that surround us
Attempt to return to the 19th century

10. Are we just dreaming
“Big, big monkey.
Big big belly.
Lanka jumping.
Melancholy”.

11. Are the circumstances similar?
Land in agrarian society
◦ Provided by feudal lord, Raja, or whomever controlled it
◦ Or just squat and farm
◦ No need to accumulate capital or take on debt to pay for it
◦ Kings treasury was an insurance policy
Today
◦ zoning and building codes
◦ land tax
◦ inheritance tax
◦ worldwide competition
◦ choking regulations

12. Only for Krishna
“As far as possible try to adjust to a natural
way of life free from dependence on
machines. But our principle should be that we
are against nothing and for nothing. Only for
Krishna. We want whatever is favorable for
Krishna. From the farms we should get
sufficient foodstuffs and these can be sent to
be used at our restaurants.

13. A way forward
Embrace the practical
Aim at the final goal though we can’t fully see it
Maintain the foundations:
◦ living off the land
◦ intimate relationship to mothers earth and cow
◦ natural and dignified divisions of labor
◦ complementary roles and parameters
Interactive, iterative and intuitive
With wisdom, compassion and prayer

14. How will varnasrama
look in
21st century America?
Impossible to say
Over time further wean ourselves from modernity
Now - get out of the cities and
onto the land!

15. Take the best
ideas
“But our point is not to try to bring
back the old type of Hindu society.
That is impossible. Our idea is to
take the best ideas from the original
idea.” (Moscow, June 21, 1971)

16. Not just economics but relationship
Mother Earth and Mother Cow
Bodily sustenance
Cultivate brahminical sentiments
Sattvic diet
ISKCON suffers cut off from the mother

17. Kamadenu - the alchemist
A2 casein protein
Culture the milk into yogurt, then ghee
Magical 'nano nutrient' of love
Plow and work with her partner, the bull

18. “Make Vaikuntha World”
Dignified livelihood
Meaningful community
Depending upon one another
Transforms our fabric of life
Attract millions to our Vaishnava family
Service from any level of devotion to be
offered to the Supreme Lord

19. The Varnasrama Village
Interdependent social and economic group of families
Labor divided according to ability and nature
Rooted in agriculture and cow protection
Everyone contributes their defined work
Capital primarilyaccumulated in the state
or village treasury

20. What makes it Daivi
Varnasrama?
Celebrating Krishna's Name - the ultimate theme for
all participants
All surplus production gets engaged for Sri Krishna’s
service
Through the community all work serving Sri Krishna

21. The Village as a Family.
Gram.
Sanskrit root gru, - gruha (griha)
Aahar ki suraksha
◦ 'secured livelihood'
Kaam ka gaurav
◦ 'respect given to the means of livelihood’.
Secured and respectful livelihood to all its inhabitants
Unity and happiness of a home

22. NOT that everyone is equal.
Different roles and a different status, according to their natural position
Hierarchy and varying degrees of wealth
While cooperatively rise together
True family spirit, devoid of envy
Equality is seen as rising together

23. Spiritual Equality
Common goal of an adhyatmik jeevan (a spiritual life).
Equality = opportunity for adhyatmik jeevan,

24. The Gifting
Economy
Blacksmith and farmer example
Stomach does not ask if the arm
has done its chores
Gifts it's function what it is
supposed to do (it's dharma)
Watering the roots of the tree,
where every other part gets
benefited

25. Trade
Required towards the outside community
Tax collectors
Requirements to live within the modern world

26. Social bond
Social structure economic structure integrated
Common economic enterprise
Pragmatic approach to insure survival
Majority in living off the land

27. Summary
Living off the land
Blessed by mother cow
Pragmatic

28. HG Abhiram (acbsp) Das

29. ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Name HG Abhiram (acbsp) Das
Age and Gender 65, Male
Country/Province of Origin USA, Michigan
Educational Degree and Year Self-taught
Educational Institution Extensive Reading of History and Philosophy
Professional Work/Experience CEO and Founder of Several Companies
Affiliation with ISKCON Since 1969
Present Service in ISKCON Director of New York City Harinam Ashram