Varnasrama-dharma or eternal occupation of family members

As per vedic civilization, human society is divided, according to work into four divisions of social order (varna):

- brahmana are the intelligent class of people who are in mode of goodness and spiritual master of other sections of society.
- ksatriya are the administrative class who are trained for challenging and killing to protect society from irreligious elements. They are usually in the mode of goodness and passion.
- vaisya are the mercantile class and are engaged in farming, cow protection and business. They are people in mode of passion and ignorance.
- sudra are the labourer class serving the other social orders in society and are in mode of ignorance.
The varna is determined as per a person’s qualities and activities and not birth.

Human life is also divided into four stages (asrama) –

- brahmacari are students who gain spiritual knowledge under the care of a spiritual master
- grhastha are householders who lead a married life and function as per the four divisions of social order
- vanaprastha are retired people who engage in attaining spiritual understanding
- sannyasi are persons in the renounced order of life and are considered to be the spiritual master of the brahmana.

This vedic classification of society belongs to the sanatana-dharma. sanatana means eternal. The whole purpose of Bhagavad-gita is to revive our sanatana occupation, or sanatana-dharma, which is the eternal occupation of the living entity. We are temporarily engaged in different activities, but all of these activities can be purified when we give up all these temporary activities and take up the activities which are prescribed by the Supreme Lord. That is our pure life. It is the eternal function of the eternal living entities or jiva in relationship with the eternal Supreme Lord.