Culture and Business – Bhagavad-gita's Social System

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Lecture at Bhārata Chamber of Commerce "Culture and Business" — January 30, 1973, Calcutta 730130LE-CALCUTTA [52:40 Minutes] Lecture_730130LE-CALCUTTA Prabhupāda: oṁ ajñāna timirāndhasya jñānāñjana śalākayā cakṣur unmīlitaṁ yena tasmai śrī-gurave namaḥ [Śrī guru-praṇāma] Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen, I thank you very much for your kindly inviting me. I'll serve you to my capacity. Today's subject matter is "Culture and Business." So business, we mean..., business means the occupational duty.

According to our Vedic culture, there are different types of businesses. As it is described in the Bhagavad-gītā, cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgasaḥ [Bg. 4.13]—the four divisions of social system, namely the brāhmaṇa, the kṣatriya, the vaiśya and the śūdra. Before doing business, there must be a division who can do what kind of business. There are different businesses.

Now we have taken that everyone should take everyone's business. That is not very scientifical division. Therefore there is cultural division. Just like the whole body.

The whole body's one unit, but there are different departments also—just like the head department, the arms department, the belly department and the leg department. This is scientific. The head department is called the brāhmaṇa, in the society. And the arms department is called the kṣatriyas, and the belly department is called the vaiśyas, and the leg department is called the śūdras.

This is scientific division of business. Although the head department is most important department, because without head, other departments—the arms departments, the belly department and the leg department—will be finished... If the arms department is lacking, still business can go on. If the leg department is lacking, the business may go on. But if the head department is not there, if the..., your head is cut off from the body, then in spite of having all these arms, legs and bellies, they all become useless. So the head department is meant for culture.

Without culture... Just like without head, the arms department, the belly department, the leg department are all useless. Similarly, without culture, all these businesses, they creates confusion and chaos. That is the position at the present moment, because there is intermingling of different businesses.

There must be one section of people head department, who should give advice to the other departments. The brāhmaṇas, they're intelligent. They are qualified. Satya śama dama titikṣa ārjava jñānaṁ vijñānam astikyaṁ brahma-karma svabhāva-jam [Bg. 18.42]. So culture means that one should know what is the aim of life.

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