VEDIC EVOLUTION AND DIVISIONS OF HUMAN BEINGS
The spirit soul is born in many different species of life within the material world. Some species are born from eggs (andaja), others from embryos (jarayuja, placenta), others from the seeds of plants and trees (udbhijja), and others from perspiration (svedaja).
Highest perfection of the evolutionary process: As described by the Vaiñëava poet Jayadeva Gosvämé, pralaya-payodhi jale dhåtavän asi vedam. Let us begin tracing the evolutionary process from the point of devastation (pralaya), when the whole universe is filled with water. At that time there are many fishes and other aquatics, and from these aquatics evolve creepers, trees, etc. From these, insects and reptiles evolve, and from them birds, beasts and then human beings and finally civilized human beings. (SB 4.24.29)
While instructing Çréla Rüpa Gosvämé on the science of devotional service, Lord Caitanya discussed in some detail the material world and the living entities. Jalajä nava-lakñäëi sthävarä lakña-viàçati kåmayo rudra-saìkhyakäù, He pointed out that among the 8,400,000 species of life—900,000 species of aquatics, 2,000,000 kinds of plants, 1,100,000 varieties of insects, 1,000,000 species of birds, 3,000,000 kinds of beasts, and 400,000 species of humans—Homo sapiens are clearly in the minority. (Bhagavad-gétä 9.2, New York, November 22, 1966)
DIVISIONS OF HUMAN BEINGS - 1:
Four hundred thousand of human beings are subdivided into three categories, namely, the uncivilized, the half-civilized, and the civilized.
And out of many civilized persons, they are actually devoted to the scriptures, not all.” Some of them, they agree that “I belong to Christian religion,” “I belong to Hindu religion,” or “I belong to Muhammadan religion,” but at the present age, mostly they simply claim that “I belong to this religion” but do not believe in the scripture.
Some say they are white, red, black, so many varieties. So those who are believing in the scriptures, they are mostly attracted by pious, philanthropic activities.
They, some of them, those who actually believe that charity is very good thing, and.. Religious means these three things: yajïa-däna-tapaù. Yajïa-däna-tapaù. Yajïa means sacrifice, däna means charity, and tapaù means penance. Just like brahmacäré. It is tapasya. Tapasya. A sannyäsé, it is tapasya. Tapaù. Tapaù means penance, voluntarily accepting very rigid principles of life. That is called tapasya. And charity. Charity means voluntarily giving away his material possessions. (Renunciation through wisdom, Bhakti kathä, The Science of Devotion, RTW 2.1: Everything Is Achieved by Serving Lord Kåñëa & Bhagavad-gétä 13.4, Miami, February 27, 1975 & Bhagavad-gétä 9.2, New York, November 22, 1966)
DIVISIONS OF HUMAN BEINGS - 2:
There are two types of living entities—moving and nonmoving. Among 2,000,000 nonmoving are plants & trees. Among, 6,400,000 moving entities there are birds, beasts, insects, aquatics & human beings.
Of these. the 400,000 human beings are supposed to be the best, but they are few. Of these small numbers of human beings, there are many low-class human beings like mlecchas, Pulindas, bauddhas and çabaras. The human being elevated enough to accept the Vedic principles is superior. Among those who accept the Vedic principles generally known as varëäçrama (presently known as the Hindu system), few actually follow these principles. Of those who actually follow the Vedic principles, most perform fruitive activity or pious activity for elevation to a high position. Manuñyäëäà sahasreñu kaçcid yatati siddhaye: (Bg. 7.3) out of many attached to fruitive activity, one may be a jïäné—that is, one philosophically inclined and superior to the karmés. Yatatäm api siddhänäà kaçcin mäà vetti tattvataù: (Bg. 7.3) out of many jïänés, one may be liberated from material bondage, and out of many millions of liberated jïänés, one may become a devotee of Kåñëa. (SB 5.5.21-22)
Now, the civilized human being is at a junction where he can make further evolutionary progress in spiritual life. Here it is stated (sva-dharma-niñöhaù) that when a living entity comes to a civilized form of life, there must be sva-dharma, social divisions according to one’s work and qualifications. This is indicated in Bhagavad-gétä (4.13): cätur-varëyaà mayä såñöaà guëa-karma-vibhägaçaù
“According to the three modes of material nature and the work ascribed to them, the four divisions of human society were created by Me.”
In civilized human society there must be the divisions of brähmaëa, kñatriya, vaiçya and çüdra, and everyone must properly execute his occupational duty in accordance with his division. Here it is described (svadharma-niñöhaù) that it does not matter whether one is a brähmaëa, kñatriya, vaiçya or çüdra. If one sticks to his position and properly executes his particular duty, he is considered a civilized human being. Otherwise he is no better than an animal. (SB 4.24.29)
DIVISIONS OF HUMAN BEINGS - 3:
The living entities are of two kinds: one class is called nitya-mukta, ever liberated, and the other is called nitya-baddha, ever conditioned.
The nitya-mukta living entities are in the spiritual kingdom, and the nitya-baddhas are in the material world.
In the spiritual world both the living entities and the Lord are manifest in their original status, like live sparks in a blazing fire. But in the material world, although the Lord is all-pervasive in His impersonal feature, the living entities have forgotten their Kåñëa consciousness to a greater or lesser degree, just as sparks sometimes fall from a blazing fire and lose their original brilliant condition. (Krishna the Supreme personality of Godhead, KB 87, prayers by personified Vedas)
Compiled by: Sri Krishna Hari Das, (Dr Satish Chander Gosain MBBS, DNB (i) Med)
Congregation Preacher, Delhi & Gurgaon.
Attached file needs special fonts Balaram or Scagoudy or Scapalatino
Please download the fonts from the following site & paste them to fonts folder in the windows directory
http://www.hknet.org.nz/fonts.htm
following chart is taken from Essence of Bhagavad-gita, for preaching under permission from H.G. Radheshyam Prabhu, M.Tech. (IIT), President ISKCON Temple & Director Youth preaching, Pune.
LIVING ENTITIES
ETERNALLY ETERNALLY
LIBERATED CONDITIONED
MOVING NON-MOVING
(Aquatics, Insects, Birds, Beasts, humans) (Trees & plants)
THOSE THAT THOSE THAT THOSE THAT
FLY IN THE SKY SWIM IN WATER WALK ON LAND
400,000 SPECIES 3,000,000 SPECIES
OF HUMAN BEINGS OF BEASTS
MAJOR PART:UN-CIVILISED (ANARYA) SMALLPART:CIVILISED (ARYA)
* Totally Ignorant of Spiritual Life * Believe in Scriptures
* Unclean in their Habits * Believe in God’s existence
* Have Faith in God * Have Proper Behavior
RIGHTEOUS UNRIGHTEOUS
Generally Execute FRUITIVE ACTIVITIES to derive some
GOOD RESULT for SENSE GRATIFICATION
Majority caught up in a CYCLE Only a FEW come to KNOW of
of GOOD/BAD ACTIVITIES ABSOLUTE TRUTH (JNANIS)
Only a HANDFUL attain LIBERATION MAJORITY DO NOT attain
out of THOUSANDS of JNANIS LIBERATION
Desire to become Desirous of attaining ONE OUT OF MILLION LIBERATED
ONE WITHGOD MYSTIC POWERS SOULS UNDERSTANDS HIM TO BE
ETERNAL SERVANT OF KRISHNA ENGAGES WITH FAITH & DEVOTION
IN SERVICE OF THE LORD
K R I S H N A B H A K T A S