Hindunet: The Hindu Universe: Re: Role of a Kshatriya in Kali Yuga

Thank you for your insight. I do not believe in varna based on ancestral birth. I believe it is based on interest and qualification. I am a Kshatriya for I find this dharma most attractive and I feel that I am more qualified at this than the other three dharmas. The question that arises is how to practice varna dharma in Kali Yuga. I've read what the scriptures say about the various varna dharmas. They still hold true today but the environment is so different. A Brahmin has less people to teach and it is extremely difficult to even get the proper knowledge to impart that knowledge so such souls are extremely rare. Kshatriyas are here to protect but the question is what is being protected. I will get back to this one later. A Vaishya should provide to people through services and ownership of a business but must be done according to a code of ethics. That is difficult in a world based on greed and cheating. A Shudra must work selflessly to provide for all but that is also difficult in a society that produces stuff with little value and a society that lacks respect for anyone doing any kind of dharma. Most people are fifth-class people for they don't know what their dharma is nor do they want to follow any kind of dharma at all.

Kshatriya Dharma will be fundamentally the same in Kali Yuga but just with different actions and situations. A Kshatriya in this age will probably not join the police or the military because those insitutions are there to serve the government instead of serving God. After analyzing this for some time, I have come to the conclusion that the bulk of what a Kshatriya must protect is dharma. A Brahmin is supposed to *teach* dharma and a Kshatriya is supposed to preserve it. That means that the majority of what a Kshatriya does will not be with the body or with weapons but with the mind and the mouth (or the pen or keyboard). A Kshatriya must call a spade a spade and have a no-nonsense attitude toward Truth. Someone at a Brahmin level will be at the point where he or she won't care whether or not people try to twist or maniuplate truth because he/she is there simply to teach whoever wants to hear it. This is a rare and difficult attitude to obtain.

A Kshatriya should avoid violent fighting in this age because there is little to no proper training for that in this age and the more one fights, the more one is likely to lose and thus be killed. Since Kshatriyas or any varna is rare in this age, someone trying to follow varna dharma should try to not mess it up. So basically the protection can be physical, mental, and spiritual. If people spread un-truths, a Kshatriya should not be quiet unless it is necessary. When a Kshatriya is in the presence of highly-spiritual Brahmin devotees of God, his duty is to protect them from demonic influences such as misbehaviors by nearby "devotees." Even if they are at the stage that their mental and spiritual states cannot be disturbed, their physical states can. Last but not least, protecting people on the physical platform is also extremely important. Many people are stupid and many people are evil and it is important for a Kshatriya to always be alert for any kind of danger.

So maybe I have answered my own question here. It is a difficult one because there is no education in our world on this subject. Generally the Hindus who claim to believe in varna dharma believe that their "caste" is birth-based which is not correct. For the Hindus who don't believe that it is "birth-based" they go to the extremes of not believing in varna at all and thus we have no education on the subject. I've seriously searched Google and sadly there just aren't websites giving practical advice on how to follow varna dharma effectively in this age. Apparently Bollywood films and Indian dating websites are more important.

Anyway, because in this age of confusion dharma is limited and the capabilities to expand dharma are also limited, it is best for one to keep any dharmic pursuits simple. That is the only conclusion I can come to since there is no education on this subject as I mentioned before. Most countries won't even allow common people to carry weapons of any kinds and in the ones who do, the people still look at them like they are terrorists. That in of itself is limiting as it is essentially a conspiracy to keep people from protecting themselves and one another and giving the keys to those who are not qualified. So even though by putting our best foot forward we may only practice 1% of the varna dharma that the people in the previous ages practiced at least it is still a form of valuable devotional service. So basically what I have always done which has always worked well is simply been alert and ready to help people at least the best I could whether it be simple counseling to those with personal problems to giving friends rides through dangerous neighborhoods so they don't have to walk through them, through speaking up against un-truths even to the point where it angers people. Once you put your mind to it, it is amazing how much can be accomplished. There is no action we do that does not have an affect. I have noticed that the more I have a desire for something pure, the more opportunities God will make it available. So if you have any other thoughts or wish to comment on mine, please do so. While I feel I am on the right track, I do regret that there is no formal education on this matter.

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