When it was suggested that the chanting of Hare Krishna was meant to replace varnasrama for everyone, Srila Prabhupada replied:
Prabhupäda: Yes, it can replace, but who is going to replace it? People are not so advanced. If you imitate Haridäsa Thäkura to chant, it is not possible . . . the sahajiyä’s chanting will come. Just like our (name withheld). He was not fit for sannyäsa but he was given sannyäsa. And five women he was attached and he disclosed. Therefore varnasrama dharma is required. Simply show-bottle will not do. So the varnashrama-dharma should be introduced all over the world, and…
Satsvarüpa: Introduced starting with ISKCON community?
Prabhupäda: Yes. Yes. Brahmanas , Kshatriyas. There must be regular education.
Hari-sauri: But in our community, if the…, being as we’re training up as Vasihnavas…
Prabhupäda: Yes.
Hari-sauri: …then how will we be able to make divisions in our society?
Prabhupäda: Vaishnava is not so easy. The varnasrama dharma should be established to become a Vaishnava. It is not so easy to become Vaishnava. [Mäyäpura 14 February 1977]
From the above, we can understand that the sankirtan movement as introduced by Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu based on the chanting of the holy names and the performance of devotional service to Lord Krishna, is not meant to replace varnasrama as a means of societal organization. Rather the varnasrama dharma should be established in society as a supportive measure to help individuals become Vaishnavas.
In Sri Bhaktyaloka, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura also confirms that Lord Caitanya did not reject varnasrama for social organization. After quoting Bhagavatam 1.2.8 – dharmaù svanuñöhitaù puàsäà viñvaksena-kathäsu yaù / notpädayed yadi ratià çrama eva hi kevalam – the Thakur explains:
“The occupational activities a man performs according to his own position are only so much useless labor if they do not provoke attraction for the message of the Personality of Godhead.”
From this one should not conclude that Sri Chaitanya Mahäprabhu has ordered us to discard varnasrama dharma. If that had been the case, then He would not have instructed all living entities through His pastimes of completely following the orders of grihastha and sannyäsa. As long as one has a material body the system of varnasrama dharma must be followed, but it should remain under the full control and domination of bhakti. Varnasrama dharma is like the foundation of one’s supreme occupational duty. When one’s supreme occupational duty is matured and one achieves his goal, then the process is gradually neglected
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