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Vedic culture\/civilization has two components, one to follow var\u1e47\u0101\u015brama-dharma and second to become God (Krishna) Conscious. Lord Krishna Himself has created Var\u1e47\u0101\u015brama system – c\u0101tur-var\u1e47ya\u1e41 may\u0101 s\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e6da\u1e41. That complete Vedic culture which was prevalent in ancient India up until 100 years ago, Srila Prabhupada wanted to transplant it to the west in its intact form and save human society all over the world from gliding down to hellish life. Having concern for his own society (ISKCON) \u015ar\u012bla Prabhup\u0101da wanted to establish daiva var\u1e47\u0101\u015brama-dharma, which was half of his mission. However, the management of ISKCON in Western countries were unaware this Vedic cultural system. Therefore, it remained obscure for the ISKCON managers up until now. Nevertheless, he began talking about four \u0101sramas as early as 1968. He wanted that all devotees should strive for spiritual advancement and stop sense gratification. He encouraged everyone to go through var\u1e47\u0101\u015brama system and specifically up to V\u0101naprastha-\u0101\u015brama. According to him every man and woman should be trained for this purpose. Every man and woman should be trained for this purpose. He wanted to establish var\u1e47\u0101\u015brama-dharma, specifically, daiva var\u1e47\u0101\u015bram a-dharma, in ISKCON to save human society from gliding down to hellish life. if established systematically, it will change humankind. Var\u1e47\u0101\u015brama-dharma trains one to completely retire from worldly life in his or her remaining days of life and prepares one for going back to Godhead. (SB. 5.19.19, purport) \u201c(One should) prepare for the remaining days of one\u2019s life for spiritual culture. That is called v\u0101naprastha. (Lecture on SB. 7.6.6\u20139, Montreal, June 23, 1968). According to Vedic civilization one should get out of materialistic life -Pa\u00f1c\u0101\u015bordhva\u1e41 vana\u1e41 vrajet means one must climb out of the g\u1e5bham andha-k\u016bpam (the \u201cblind well of householder life\u201d) and vana\u1e41 vrajet (go to the forest). Vrajet means \u201ccompulsory.
\n\u015ar\u012bla Prabhup\u0101da gave all his disciples br\u0101hma\u1e47a d\u012bk\u1e63\u0101. He wanted all br\u0101hma\u1e47a men and women to accept v\u0101naprastha, and then for the men to take sanny\u0101sa. He mentioned, \u201cOne should not simply remain at home until the time of death, but should separate from family life at a timely moment and prepare himself to go back to Godhead.\u201d (SB. 4.23.1\u20133, purport) If a man leaves home and dies without his family\u2019s knowing, that is considered to be a glorious death.\u201d He propagated the idea that systematically planned separation is better than forced separation. He argued that if one will be separated from his or her family in one way or another, why not separate willingly.
\n\u201cIn any case, one should wind down material life until nothing is left so that one will have to totally depend on the Supreme Lord\u2019s mercy. Life is the preparation and death is the final examination.\u201d
\n\u015ar\u012bla Prabhup\u0101da himself took v\u0101naprastha. \u201cI myself passed my life as a householder until 1950, when I retired from family life as a v\u0101naprastha. I was preaching and writing for eight or nine years as v\u0101naprastha. \u201cLetter to Mah\u0101tm\u0101, Bombay, May 1, 1974) (Austerity, study of Vedic literature, and philosophical research are meant for the v\u0101naprasthas, or retired persons.)
\nWhat is v\u0101naprastha-\u0101\u015brama?
\nThe v\u0101naprastha order is complete retirement from householder life, a time when one prepares oneself for going back to Godhead. It can be both a physical and mental place where one cultivates spiritual life, where culture of the spiritual is foremost.\u201d
\nThe main qualifications for entering v\u0101naprastha for men are Detachment from material life and dependence on K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a is required. V\u0101naprastha is not a change of dress or title but a change of mentality. Association with one\u2019s wife, if done at all, should be restricted and in order to gain her help in serving the Lord. Many of the devotee couples who were young during \u015ar\u012bla Prabhup\u0101da\u2019s time have been steadily practicing K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a consciousness in the g\u1e5bhastha-\u0101\u015brama for years. Now, those devotees are in their fifties and sixties. It\u2019s time for them to come forward and take \u015ar\u012bla Prabhup\u0101da\u2019s instructions on v\u0101naprastha to heart. Because there are few visible examples of devotees practicing v\u0101naprastha, the v\u0101naprastha-\u0101\u015brama is not an officially established and visible \u0101\u015brama. But all the devotees at their mature age (55+) should follow Srila Prabhupada\u2019s order. He said, \u201cOne should be very much ashamed of remaining a householder. It is not that a g\u1e5bhastha should live at home until he dies.\u201d \u201cTapa, or austerity, is especially meant for the retired life. One should not remain a householder throughout his whole life with grandchildren.\u201d \u015ar\u012bla Prabhup\u0101da propagated the idea that systematically planned separation by taking v\u0101naprastha is better than forced separation. He argued that if one will be separated from his or her family in one way or another, why not separate willingly. In any case, one should wind down material life until nothing is left so that one will have to totally depend on the Supreme Lord\u2019s mercy and prepare for the final examination- DEATH.
\nThe main qualifications for entering v\u0101naprastha for men are Detachment from material life and dependence on K\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e47a is required. V\u0101naprastha is not just a change of dress or title but also a change of mentality.
\nIt has become obvious to us that what our movement needs more than scholars are exemplars of our philosophy. \u201cWhat we live is what we give. As we live bhakti, we give bhakti. Let us become what we believe.\u201d So kindly come forward, adopt this third A\u015brama \u2013 v\u0101naprastha, and please Srila Prabhupada by fulfilling his other half of his mission. Make this \u0101srama visible by taking part in fire sacrifice ceremony and adopting appropriate formal attire after that.
\nThank you very much,
\nSincerely praying for mercy and the dust of the lotus feet of Vaishnavas and aspiring to be Your most humble servant,
\nJaya Gaursundar D\u0101sa GauraVanac\u0101ri<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Vedic culture\/civilization has two components, one to follow var\u1e47\u0101\u015brama-dharma and second to become God (Krishna) Conscious. Lord Krishna Himself has created Var\u1e47\u0101\u015brama system – c\u0101tur-var\u1e47ya\u1e41 may\u0101 s\u1e5b\u1e63\u1e6da\u1e41. That complete Vedic culture which was prevalent in ancient India up until 100 years ago, Srila Prabhupada wanted to transplant it to the west in its intact form<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[94],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-106973","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-testing"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/106973","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=106973"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/106973\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":106974,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/106973\/revisions\/106974"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=106973"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=106973"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=106973"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}