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I found this YouTube video (with English subtitles) of Swami Nischalananda Saraswati, the current Shankaracharya of Puri, but don't quite understand what he's trying to convey.

Can someone summarize what he's trying to say?

According to him, is one's varna fixed at birth?

Is this consistent with teachings or commentary of Adi Shankara?

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    Yes. Not only advaita, or dwaita, or any other -ta, all varna is determined by birth, because birth is determined by previous karma. But some persons mistakenly decide not to follow the duties of their varna - and this leads to confusion like he said 'Kshatriya-brahman', or 'shudra-brahman'. For example, my category would probably fall under 'vaishya-brahman', because I work in IT. But this kind of categorization does not make sense, because tomorrow if I join army, then i become kshatriya-brahman etc. Instead it is better to say I am neglecting the duties of my varna and doing something else.
    – mar
    Nov 5, 2020 at 18:19
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    The question as currently framed doesn't make a lot of sense. Usually dharma shastras determine if a person if eligible for something or not. Not a philosophy. You could instead ask, "Is Varna based on birth according to Shankaracharya?" - then it will be a valid question for the site. "Can any one give explanation to this video youtu.be/EB1f_nv5V-I" -- this is an opinion-based question - not suitable for the site. Nov 6, 2020 at 11:48
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    lol @sv - you ask questions like this quoting some kondar's interpretation of ISKCON. and then you call this question, based on a traditional guru's discourse, as 'opinion-based'.
    – mar
    Nov 6, 2020 at 22:57
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    I never said the whole question is opinion-based, only this part: "Can any one give explanation to this video youtu.be/EB1f_nv5V-I" -- it's like telling someone to watch a movie and then write a review or message conveyed by it. So I told OP to convert this into an objective question, e.g., "Does Shankaracharya of Puri consider Varna is based on birth?" @ram Nov 7, 2020 at 11:11
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    @PashamVishnuVardhanGoud In Rig Veda - I am a singer, my Father’s a physician, my Mother’s task is to grind the corn. Diverse are our callings but we all aim at wealth. We run in its wake like a cowherd trailing cows. It seems in one family many Varna can exist.
    – Kumar
    Nov 8, 2020 at 3:15

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