Misc 33 — Srimad-Bhagavatam 7.9.10, 1971, CAL
А. Ч. Бхактиведанта Свами Прабхупада · Калькутта
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Qualifications and duties of brahmins
Manye tad-ātmānam avibhat-unmānam hitvār-kyā-praṇāma-puṇāti sa kula-mana-guruḥ. This verse we are discussing, that uh, a Brahmin, well-qualified, he has twelve qualifications.
Dharmaś ca satyaṃ ca damaś ca tapaś ca amātsaryaṃ hrī-stitikṣānasūyā yajñaś ca dānaṃ ca dhṛtiḥ śrutaṃ, vratāni dvādaśa brāhmaṇasya. These are the twelve qualifications of a qualified Brahmin.
He must be religious, dharmaś ca; he must be truthful, satyaṃ ca; damaś ca, self-control; tapaś ca, austerity; amātsaryam, is not envy.
General people, everyone is envious of his neighbor, of his even of his father, even of his brother. That is the general condition. Matsara.
Mātsarya means, Śrīdhara Svāmī says, para-utkarṣa- asahanam, uh, one who cannot, uh, tolerate others' prosperity, that is the nature. The whole fight of this material world is that one is envious of others' prosperity.
But a Brahmin is not like that. Amātsaryam, is not envious. This is a special quality. Amātsaryam, hrīḥ, titikṣā, anasūyā. Intelligent, tolerant, not inimical to anyone. Yajñaś ca yajña.
Performance of sacrifices. As recommended in the śāstra. Veda-yajña. So this yajña satisfies. It's not possible to perform in this day. It is very expensive, neither there is any qualified Brahmin who can perform this.
Sankirtana and universal spiritual practice
Therefore in this day, Kali-yuga, yajñaiḥ saṅkīrtana-prāyair, this saṅkīrtana-yajña, which was just now performed, that is the only yajña in which everyone can participate.
In this yajña, we are practically preaching this yajña all over the world, and in our camp we have got all kinds of people, from a national point of view or from a religious point. All over the world.
There are Christians, there are Jews, there are Hindus, there are Mohammedans, there are Parsis, all kinds of religions and all kinds of nations.
There are Indians, there are Americans, there are Englishmen, there are French people, German people, French, Japanese, everyone is joining. It is such a nice movement and everyone is satisfied.
Everyone is feeling that we have got something substantial. But as it is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, they have given up their old habits for anything getting in exchange.
Our students are not allowed to even smoke; that is ordinary gentlemen's affair nowadays. They don't drink tea, don't drink coffee, and what to speak of flesh-eating, meat-eating, drinking—they have given up.
This is such a nice movement. Ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanaṁ bhava-mahā-dāvāgni-nirvāpaṇam. It is the process, it is a program for cleansing the heart.
And as soon as the heart is clean, one becomes released from the blazing fire of material existence.
Everyone, these boys and girls that are foreigners, you can see, I am not able to give them comfort and seasonal fooding, but still they are satisfied. Because materially they have no more any desire. They are satisfied.
This is the first characteristic of devotional life. Bhaktiḥ pareśānubhavo viraktir anyatra ca.
If one is actually advanced in devotional service, then he sees the presence of the Supreme Lord and naturally he becomes averse to all kinds of material life.
So here also we are discussing the qualification of a bona fide brāhmaṇa. A brāhmaṇa's qualification is also described in the Bhagavad-gītā: śamo damas tapaḥ śaucaṁ.
So dravya-sādhanāni dīkṣitaḥ, a brāhmaṇa should observe the vratas, the kṣatradharmaś ca. Śama-damas-tapas-vratas, dharma-samid-darbhāḥ. There are many vratas. So a brāhmaṇa, a qualified brāhmaṇa must observe these vratas.
So these boys and girls, they strictly follow these vratas. Therefore, if we study from the qualification point of view, all these boys of the International Society are automatically brāhmaṇas.
Brāhmaṇas are not to be supposed monopolized by the Indians, by the Hindus. Kṛṣṇa says—Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Whatever He creates, He creates for everyone.
Because every living entity, originally, is His son.
Charity and worship in Vedic culture
So there was no need to call. In any species of life, He's not only father of human beings, He's father of all animals, all insects, all trees. That is God.
Śāstra has said that cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ. These qualities in ruling over the world, everywhere, there are qualified vaiśyas, qualified kṣatriyas, qualified brāhmaṇas, and they are discussed.
The symptoms are discussed. Characteristics there: vipra-dvija-varya-śubha-anujam vipro dvādaśa-guṇa-yuktaḥ. Every characteristic.
So vipra, dvādaśa-guṇa, cyuta-pundarīkākṣa-padāravinda-parāṅ-mukhaḥ vipro dvādaśa-guṇa-yuktaḥ. Qualified brāhmaṇa, but he is a-bhakta. He's not in his hope. Then he becomes this quality.
He's materially qualified, spiritually unqualified.
And another place it is stated that mantra, tantrādi-pāra-sa-karma-nipuṇaḥ, brāhmaṇa, a brāhmaṇa has got twelve characteristics, qualifications, and he is meant for being engaged in six kinds of activities. What is that?
Ṣaṭ-karma-nipuṇaḥ. Paṭhana-pāṭhana-yajana-yājana. Dāna-pratigraha. These are the brāhmaṇa's livelihoods. He should be a teacher. He should be a learner, scholar, and all, very researcher. That was in our country still.
Brāhmaṇa is addressed, at least in northern India, it is very... Brāhmaṇa. Paṇḍita, Paṇḍita. Paṇḍita means, Paṇḍita means very learned scholar. So paṭhana, that is the first qualification of a brāhmaṇa.
He must be a learner, scholar, and dedicated. Paṭhana, pāṭhana. And he must be a teacher. Brāhmaṇa's profession. He is not profession. It is not for money, an exchange of money, a brāhmaṇa becomes a teacher.
Brāhmaṇa sits down in any place and students come there. Automatically, those who are interested in being students. That was the system in every village in India. There was no question of illiterate or no education.
The education from the very beginning... brāhmaṇa would take charge of the village school, pāṭhaśālā. Just like Prahlāda Mahārāja was in charge, up to brāhmaṇa. That is the old system. The paṭhana-pāṭhana. He is to educate.
If the brāhmaṇa takes care for educating the children, then where is the question of illiteracy? He taught everything. I know everything. But that is now forgotten.
Now one has to go to school and you have to bribe the headmaster to say that we can, and if he does not get money, so many things. This is the duty, it's an absolute paṭhana-pāṭhana.
It is the brāhmaṇa's duty to do education. Brāhmaṇa is liberal, and the opposite number is kṛpaṇa. Brāhmaṇa is liberal. He gives education to everyone. And the students bring dhal, rice, gur, vegetable, cloth.
So where is the necessity of his working outside? He is given everything brought by the students, and there is no charge; necessarily, the parents of the students give sufficient.
So there is no question of brāhmaṇa accepting some business or some service for life. There is no question. Paṭhana-pāṭhana yajana-yājana. Brāhmaṇa is worshiper of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Viṣṇu.
And every brāhmaṇa family, still those who are observing strictly the traditional rules and regulations, there is this Viṣṇu, or Lord Śiva, in every bhavana, house. Yājana.
And yājana, he would accept many yajamāna to educate them in spiritual life, how to worship Śrī Vigraha: «śrī-vigrahārādhana-nitya-nānā-śṛṅgāra-tan-mandira-mārjanādau», «yuktasya bhaktāṁś ca niyuñjato 'pi vande guroḥ śrī-caraṇāravindam».
He not only worships Lord Viṣṇu personally, but he teaches how to worship Lord Viṣṇu. How to decorate: śrī-vigrahārādhana, how to wash it, śrī-vigrahārādhana-nitya-nānā-śṛṅgāra, decorating, tan-mandira-mārjanādau.
Keeping the temple neat and clean, very clean. «yuktasya bhaktāṁś ca niyuñjato 'pi», vande guroḥ, spiritual master, he engaged himself and he engages the disciples and the students and all. This is the duty.
Paṭhana-pāṭhana, yajana-yājana, dāna-pratigraha. A brāhmaṇa is supposed to give everything, but the way he has got in his position down.
And therefore, it is a government duty that each and his charity is to be given when it is to be given to deserve. Not for any other purpose.
Nowadays there are so many purposes for charity, but according to our Vedic principle, the charity is offered to the brāhmaṇa, to the vaiṣṇava, to the sannyāsī. Nothing. No one has got any rights to accept charity.
Because brāhmaṇa, vaiṣṇava, they accept charity for spending in the service of the Lord. The dāna, dāna-pratigraha, the brāhmaṇa is not supposed to take any money for his poṣaṇa, maintenance.
Yajana-yājana, dāna-pratigraha. So śāstra says, we not only is expert in the six kinds of occupational duties, the brāhmaṇa, for example. He may be expert, the paṭhana-pāṭhana.
Ṣaṭ-karma-nipuṇo vipro mantra-tantra-viśāradaḥ. Not only that, he knows all the Vedic mantras. Viśārada means very well. Because he must do paṭhana-pāṭhana, he must educate.
Importance of association and hearing
Avaiṣṇava, he averse Viṣṇu, Lord Viṣṇu. Vaiṣṇava means worshipper of Lord Viṣṇu. Viṣṇur asya devatā iti vaiṣṇavaḥ.
So avaiṣṇava, even a brāhmaṇa is too qualified, too advanced in everything, but it means he does not worship Lord Viṣṇu, but any other devatā. Viṣṇu always. That's a Rāvaṇa. Rāvaṇa was a brāhmaṇa.
And he was mantra-tantra-viśārada. But he was always careful for Lord Rāma. Therefore he's called rākṣasa. Asura. He was a great devotee of Lord Śiva. But it's still not recognized as as a qualified. That is the śāstra.
Avaiṣṇavo gurur na syāt, vaiṣṇavaḥ śvapaco guruḥ. But as śvapaca, when he's coming from the family of dog-eaters, if he is vaiṣṇava, then he shall be guru. Not that way. That is the injunction.
That was the way: to become vaiṣṇava is the first qualification to become guru or spiritual master or śiṣya. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu said—he's quoting so many ślokas from different śāstras just to receive Sanātana Gosvāmī.
And again he says: "Tomāra darśane, tomāra gātra-sparśe sarva-pāpa-kṣaya."
Mahāprabhu says, this is the final decision of all śāstra: that one should simply see a vaiṣṇava. "Tomāra darśane, puṇya-darśane," everyone seeks the darśana of the lotus feet of the vaiṣṇava.
"Tomāra darśane, gātra-mārjana," and glorifying, "eva sarva." "Ei tomāra guṇa, sarva-śāstra-nirūpaṇa." This is the verdict of all śāstra: that one should associate with the vaiṣṇava.
"Satāṁ prasaṅgān mama vīrya-saṁvido bhavanti hṛt-karṇa-rasāyanāḥ kathāḥ."
If anyone is interested to know about the Supreme Personality of God, he should hear from a devotee, bhakta, not from a professional; that is not the teacher. Satāṁ prasaṅgāt. Then it is vīrya-saṁvidaḥ. Vīrya. Vīrya.
Forceful. Vīrya. That's why when there is vīrya in sex life, they're pregnant. Similarly, if with the same kathā, if we try to hear from a pure devotee, immediately we'll inherit to understand what is God.
That is pregnancy of spiritual, as Kṛṣṇa consciousness. "Satāṁ prasaṅgān mama vīrya-saṁvido bhavanti." So if you hear from a pure devotee, it becomes so pleasing to the ear and the heart. Hṛt-karṇa-rasāyanāḥ.
But those who are—if anyone is interested, if they hear what is from a pure devotee and try to apply in his own life, taj-joṣaṇād. It is yes, simply it is yes from a pure devotee. Then the path of liberation becomes open.
"Aśv-apavarga-vartmani śraddhā ratir bhaktir anukramiṣyati." Kramaśaḥ, one by one.
Hari-bhakti, śuddha-bhakti, as phala-darśana. "Darśane nāśe pāpa, darśane puṇya, tanvoḥ phalaṁ tvādṛśa-gātra-saṅgaḥ. To see a devotee, to meet a devotee,
Sense control and spiritual deliverance
to see a devotee, to meet a devotee. That is the highest perfection of the eyes. Our eyes are meant for seeing some wonderful, beautiful thing.
So Śāstra says that if your eyes can see some vaiṣṇava, some devotees, then that is the perfection of your having the eyes.
Otherwise, it is just like — it is a comparison — just like the eyes in the peacock feather. The peacock feather has also painted eyes.
So anyone who does not see Viṣṇu-mūrti or vaiṣṇava, his eyes are just like compared with the peacock feather. It appears like that by night in the peacock. But it has no power to see. So akṣṇoḥ phalam.
And because we have got this body, tanvoḥ phalam, this is the perfection of having body and flesh, hands and legs, when one touches the lotus feet of a vaiṣṇava. Jihvā-phalaṁ tvādṛśa-kīrtanaṁ hi. And you have got tongue.
If you don't glorify... when you glorify a devotee, automatically it glorifies the Lord. Because this devotee's life is nothing but service to the Lord. So how he can glorify? He can glorify a devotee.
Oh, such a personality, so great a devotee that he sanctifies everything for Krishna. That is glorification of a devotee, which means automatically glorification of the Lord. Jihvā-phalam.
Otherwise, the tongue is considered like the tongue of the frog. The frog also has a tongue. But what is the result? The result is that the snake... It wants to eat the frog, but in the darkness he cannot find out.
By the sound, he approaches the frog and snaps. Invited. Similarly, our speech without Krishna consciousness is just like croaking. It means we are diminishing the duration of our life, and one day Yamarāja will come.
"Please stop your croaking, come on." Very good. Darśana, you have this. But it is very difficult to find out the pure devotee in this world. Caitanya Mahāprabhu is taking advantage of Sanātana Gosvāmī's presence. presence.
There it is very difficult to see if you are a devotee. But by chance I see he is exhorting too much Sanātana Gosvāmī. Utho, kahi, prabhu, pahi, śuna sanātana, kṛṣṇa-bhakti-bhāgyamaya, patita-pāvana.
Then he begins that samāśrayaṇa. Kṛṣṇa is very kind and patita-pāvana. His business is to deliver the fallen soul. This is very important. Patita-pāvana. Kṛṣṇa is patita-pāvana.
And he appears as patita-pāvana, Lord Caitanya, claiming, reclaiming all fallen souls. That is the business of Lord Caitanya. Jaba. Pāpī tāpī yata chilo hari-nāme uddhārilo.
This is the business of the Lord: to deliver all kinds of sinful persons, all kinds of deceptive persons. If he believes in this, we must have the belief. There is no alternative.
The people are very unhappy at the present moment on account of their being pāpī and tāpī. Some of them are sinful and some of them are distressed by circumstance.
So this is the greatest opportunity for this Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Because the world is full of pāpī and tāpī. Pāpī tāpī yata chilo hari-nāme uddhārilo. So this advantage should be taken. And they should also take advantage.
They should cooperate with us, how we can spread Kṛṣṇa consciousness all over the world. But they are lacking. They are thinking that let these people chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra in the street and everything will be done.
For them, it's just a little contribution. No. Yajñaiḥ saṅkīrtana-prāyair yajanti hi sumedhasaḥ. If actually they want peace, then they should spend the money for performing this yajña everywhere.
In Calcutta, there are at some times so many Durgā-pūjā pandals. But now, instead of Durgā-pūjā pandals, they should open in every level a panel for chanting Hare Krishna mantra.
And let them pass from the sankirtana-yajna and see what it is. But that they will not do. They will spend thousands of rupees for Durga-puja, Kali-puja, this puja, that puja.
But they are not prepared for the sankirtana-yajna. So how can they be teaching prosperity? But we can get it.
The program of Caitanya Mahaprabhu, the program of Caitanya Mahaprabhu's followers, real followers, bona fide followers—there will be immediately peace and trust. There is no doubt about it.
Krishna, bhakta-vatsala, patita-pavana. So Krishna is very kind. Dayamaya. He saw all these problems.
And He declared all these persons who are creating the service, they will be delivered also, just like Jagai-Madhai was delivered. Patita-pavana.
Mahaprabhu, uddharite prabhu-avatara, korila uddhara para-samudra Krishna gambhiraya. Mahaprabhu. Vishnu, antaryami.
These people are going to the darkest region of hellish condition of life by committing such grievous mistakes and murders and suicide which is going on.
But they can be also protected from coming on the path, the mistaken path, gliding down toward the hellish condition of life. It has already become a hellish condition of life in Calcutta.
I will be that, therefore, this sankirtana-yajna must be performed through the agency of bona fide devotees. It is easy to change; the whole atmosphere will change.
Guidance from the spiritual master
Tad-vijnanartham. Samit-panih srotriyam brahma-nistham, acaryavan puruso veda. And this is another instruction. We should not try to approach Krishna directly.
If you want to approach Krishna directly, then sometimes we may leave it useless. Sometimes we shall understand that Krishna was born and He was enjoying the company of the gopis just like ordinary life.
And sometimes we shall understand Krishna was so— I mean to say, self-interested that He induced Arjuna to fight. As Krishna killed His maternal uncle Kamsa. In this way, he'll find so many.
Because he cannot approach Krishna directly. Directly Krishna means... and left. Otherwise, Krishna open order servant for Krishna, become a servant.
But foolish people understand that Krishna is so proud that He's asking everyone to surrender, and He's so proud. Because in this material world, if somebody says... we do not relish that. "God" is His name.
So foolish people take Krishna as an ordinary man. Avajānanti māṁ mūḍhā mānuṣīṁ tanum āśritam, because they are foolish persons. They accept Krishna as an ordinary man. Ah, let me head. Yeah. Sanātana.
We have to take instruction following the sādhu-mārga. So Sanātana Gosvāmī says that "I do not know Krishna directly, but I want to know Krishna through you."
Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura says the same thing: viṣaya chāḍiyā sebe rādhā-kṛṣṇa-pā, kabe hama heraba śrī-vṛndāvana. rūpa-raghunātha-pade ha-ibe ākuti, kabe hama bujhaba se yugala-pīriti.
It is not to be understood all of a sudden, then it is misunderstood, and they saw it. One should understand through the agency of Lord Caitanya, Śrī Rūpa, Sanātana.
Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu and all the literature left by the Gosvāmīs, and then we can understand. Because Gosvāmī, Rūpa Gosvāmī and Sanātana Gosvāmī, were directly taught, directly instructed by Lord Caitanya.
So if anyone wants to know Krishna, they should follow the instruction of Caitanya Mahāprabhu or the Ṣaḍ-gosvāmīs.
Otherwise, kṛṣṇa-bhakti-rasa-bhāvitā matiḥ kriyatāṁ yadi kuto 'pi labhyate tatra laulyam api mūlyam ekalam.
So Sanātana Gosvāmī, how he was released from the confinement in the prison house, as I've already described that he was arrested, so everything was explained to him.
Renunciation and service of Sanatana Gosvami
prabhu kahe, "tomāra bhāgya, prayāge milila rūpa." Sanātana Gosvāmī was met by Lord Caitanya at Benares, and He was coming back from Prayāga. At Prayāga, Lord Caitanya taught Rūpa Gosvāmī and asked him to go to Vrindavan.
She is giving the information that "I have seen your two brothers, three brothers left of Sanātana Gosvāmī, Rūpa Gosvāmī and his younger brother Anupama." And see that Jīva Gosvāmī happens to be the son of Anupama.
Caitanya Mahāprabhu gave them the information to go to līlā. Rūpa, Anupama, to the Vrindavan līlā. They have already gone to Vrindavan, and then Tapana Miśra, Tapana Miśra, Rāmacandra Śekhara.
Prabhu āni' Sanātana milāila sabāre. Then Lord Caitanya introduced Sanātana Gosvāmī to Tapana Miśra and Candraśekhara. Tapana Miśra tabe tāre kailā nimantraṇa, sabāre khāoyāila karāñā ācamana.
He had a big beard and mustache for several days, or maybe for two months, uh, he could not, um, shave.
So there is a big, deep, uh, beard on Sanātana. Caitanya Mahāprabhu first, uh, they called for a barber and let him become bhadra. That means Caitanya Mahāprabhu does not approve this beard and mustache.
That we keep our food and clean. Tapana Miśra tabe kailā nimantraṇa, sabāre khāoyāila karāñā ācamana. Karāñā. Saba-saṅkāre Prabhupāda balāya, abhyāsa dūra kailā jahāṅ-tāṅ. Please just take away all this beard.
Making this is initial. At the initiation, one should be shaven and clean, bhadra. Kṣaura karāñā tāre gaṅgā-snāna karāila. Śekhara āniyā tāre nūtana bahirvāsa dila.
Then, if you can look like a gentleman, after having completely shaven and after taking bath in the Ganges, and a new set of cloth was offered to him.
Kṣaura karāñā tāre gaṅgā-snāna karāila, Śekhara āniyā tāre nūtana bahirvāsa dila. But Sanātana did not accept a new set of clothes. He asked for some, uh, used clothes. You see how they are building up.
Paṭṭa-vastra nūtana āni' Sanātana dila, bahirvāsa dila, śikhā-sūtra rākhila, gopī- nātha. So he did not accept a new set of clothes. He asked, "Give me some used clothes." Śuniyā Prabhupāda.
When he did so, Caitanya Mahāprabhu was very glad. Oh, he has become so renounced that he doesn't like to accept anything new. Vidagdha-mādhava, the Krishna consciousness movement is Vidagdha- mādhava.
It should not be very luxurious. Of course, we should not imitate Sanātana artificially, keeping all these things in mind. But actually we should be disinterested if any time some... But
as far as possible, we should not renounce everything all of a sudden. That's not possible. That is the contribution of Lord Caitanya. People used to know that to become a vaiṣṇava, he he must have a loincloth and... but
that part of artificial vairāgya, Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī recommended by Mahārāja. He said that no, for service of Krishna, we shall take all the opportunities. Simply we shall engage for Krishna's service.
Unless he would have introduced this system, then nobody could go to spread the vaiṣṇava dharma. Then it was simply... it will remain in the hands of the so-called sahajiyās.
That is a special contribution of Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī. Thank you.