| From The River Of Heaven |
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| Books By David Frawley |
| VEDIC SOCIAL SCIENCE : THE SPIRITUAL BASIS OF CULTURE | |
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In ancient cultures all these roles were tied with some religious or
spiritual purpose. Now they are purely of a secular or profane nature. In the religious orders of the
ancient world the laborers worked for the spiritual good of the society
by providing not only food for themselves but also for the priests and the
monks. The merchants set aside a certain portion of their wealth to provide for both the lower
and the higher classes, to give shelter to the poor or to build churches and temples. The warriors
served to protect the whole society from invasions which would disrupt
it. The priests dispensed knowledge to all and kept the society in harmony with the cosmic
order. Actually all the outer values of life tend to go together. They are all based on an external seeking and keep us dependent upon external influences. Pleasure, wealth, power and outer knowledge are all based upon desire. We seek wealth and power to give us more pleasure. We seek knowledge to give us more wealth and power. Only spiritual knowledge is an inner value. Our values determine our life experience. They color our perception and determine our view of the world. The merchant sees the world in terms of money or saleable goods. His perception of the world is bound by commercial values.
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