Dayananda: "Prahlada Maharaja
continued to think that a brahmana who has qualified himself with all the
brahminical qualities, twelve in number, as they are stated in the book known as
Sanat-sujata, such a brahmana, if he is not a devotee and averse to the lotus
feet of the Lord, he is especially lower than a devotee who is a dog-eater even,
but his mind, words, activities, wealth, and life -- everything is dedicated to
the Supreme Lord. Such a low person is better than a brahmana as above mentioned
because such lowborn person can purify his whole family, whereas a so-called
brahmana falsely in prestigious position cannot purify himself."
Prabhupada:
viprad dvi-sad-guna-yutad aravinda-nabha-
padaravinda-vimukhat svapacam varistham
This is the verdict of the sastra. Svapacam varistham.
manye tad-arpita-mano-
pranam punati sa kulam na tu bhurimanah
[SB 7.9.10]
Mahajano yena gatah sa panthah [Cc. Madhya 17.186]. This is Prahlada Maharaja's instruction, that don't be falsely proud unless you have got the qualification. That is our mistake, dambha, dambha. And the pure life begins when we give up dambha, false prestige. Adambhitvam amanitvam ahimsa ksantih arjavam. This is the begin... One who is falsely proud, he is... (aside:) What is that sound? One should not be falsely proud. Everyone... Material world means everyone is falsely proud. Everyone is thinking, adhyo 'smi dhanavan asmi ko 'sti mama samah, everyone. This is the disease. "I am the richest. I am the powerful. I am the very intelligent." Everything, "I am." This is called ahankara. Ahankara vimudhatma kartaham iti manyate [Bg. 3.27]. This false prestige... When one is absorbed with false things, he becomes vimudha, rascal. Ahankara-vimudhatma kartaham iti manyate [Bg. 3.27]. This is false prestige. We have to give up this false prestige. Ahankara must be there because you are a reality. You are not false. Your body is false, but you are reality. "I am soul." That realization must come. Aham brahmasmi. Not that ahankara-vimudhatma, "I am dog," "I am American," "I am Indian," "I am this." This is ahankara, this false ahankara. But giving up all these nonsense prestigious position... A dog is also thinking he's in a prestigious position: "I am dog. I can bark very loudly. Gow! Gow!" He's also thinking that. Similarly, if I also think, "I am Indian," "I am white," "I am black," "I am this," what is the difference? Therefore Bhagavad-gita says, ahankara-vimudhatma kartaham iti manyate [Bg. 3.27]. He is completely under the control of material nature, and he's thinking falsely that "I am very advanced in...," so on, so on. This should be given up.
So how it is given up? When one becomes devotee. Manye tad-arpita-mano-vaca. One who has given everything to Krsna, the, our sannyasa, tri-danda, that is tad-arpita-mano-vaca. Tri-danda means "I am accepting, my Lord, three kinds of chastisement from You, that I dedicate my body, my mind and my vaca, my words." This is called tri-danda. You should understand, those who are sannyasis, tri-danda-sannyasi. The Mayavadi sannyasis, they take one danda. Eka brahma dvitiya nasti. That is their philosophy, that "Only Brahman is there, and nothing else. So I am Brahman; you are Brahman" -- one, monism. That is their philosophy. Of course, that is our philosophy also, because everything is Krsna. There is nothing except Krsna. Krsna said in the Bhagavad..., maya tatam idam sarvam: "Everything I am." But their mistake is that because everything is Krsna, er, Krsna is everything, therefore everything is Krsna. No, that is mistake. That Krsna explains, that:
maya tatam idam sarvam
jagad avyakta-murtina
mat-sthani sarva-bhutani
naham tesu avasthitah
[Bg. 9.4]
This is the mistake committed by the Mayavadis, that "If everything is Brahman, then whatever I worship, that is all right." That is nonsense. Krsna says, naham tesu avasthitah. Just like this microphone: it is Krsna. But if I worship this microphone instead of the Deity, then I am a fool. Then I am fool. This is the mistake the Mayavadis commit. They put the argument, "If everything is Krsna, everything is Brahman, so whatever I worship, that is Brahman." Krsna says, "No. That is not. Everything is Myself." This is called simultaneously one and different, acintya-bhedabheda-tattva. Goloka eva nivasaty akhilatma-bhutah [Bs. 5.37]. This is there in the Brahma-samhita. Krsna is always in Goloka. Just like here is Krsna. He's in Goloka, but He's so powerful, omnipotent... This is called omnipotency. In spite of His becoming in Goloka, He's everywhere. That is Krsna. That is the difference between Krsna and you or me. I am here; I'm not in upstairs. I'm here only. But Krsna simultaneously can be everywhere. Isvarah sarva-bhutanam hrd-dese 'rjuna tisthati [Bg. 18.61]. So many pretenders, they claim that they are God: "I am God." But are you present everywhere? Can you say what I am thinking now? No, that he cannot. Still, he claims, "God." Nonsense. How he can become God? If you cannot say what I am thinking now, then how you can become God? God is situated everywhere. Andantara-stham paramanu-cayantara-stham. Everywhere. Paramanu-cayantara-stham. Even within the atom there is God. So how you can claim God? Isvarah sarva-bhutanam hrd-dese 'rjuna tisthati [Bg. 18.61]. Then they will answer, "I'm not in God now I am God, but maya... Therefore I cannot say now." That... "Why you have become under the control of maya? Then maya is greater than God. Then how you can become God? Maya is greater than God." So they cannot answer this. Because their theory is foolish, they cannot answer all these things. Actually, unless one is a devotee, he'll have all these bad qualification.
So Prahlada Maharaja is thinking himself that "I am less than svapaca." Just like Caitanya-caritamrta author says,
purisera kita haite muni se laghistha
jagai madhai haite muni se papistha
[Cc. Adi 5.205]
He said that "I am insignificant, more insignificant than the stool-worm." The worm... There are worms in the stool. "So I am lower than that." Purisera kita haite muni se laghistha: "My value is less than the worm in the stool." This is called trnad api sunicena. It is not that Kaviraja Gosvami is artificially posing in that way. No. He's sincerely... No Vaisnava thinks himself, "I am very big man." No. He's not Vaisnava. Vaisnava means trnad api sunicena taror api sahisnuna. This is Vaisnava. Even he is exalted more than anyone in this world, still he thinks himself as lowest: "I am lower than the worm in the stool." Prahlada Maharaja, Vaisnava, he is engaged to offer prayers to the Lord, Nrsimhadeva. So he's thinking in that way, that "What...? What form of prayer I can offer? I am born in a demonic family, low-grade family, and Brahma, he's coming from Brahmaloka, Satyaloka, Janaloka. They are so exalted. They could not satisfy the anger of the Lord, and I am born in low family. How can I do this?" This is his idea. But he's taking courage in this way, that in the sastra it is accepted that even one is born in low, low-grade family, svapaca... Svapaca means the most low grade. They're eating pigs. No... According to Vedic civilization, the pig-eater, even cow flesh eater is given better position. But the pig-eaters, they are the lowest, svapacas, untouchable. They are called untouchable. Any meat-eater is untouchable, but especially the pig-eater, svapaca. In India still, no even meat-eaters... Generally those who are meat-eaters, they take meat of such animals like goats, lambs, like that, those who are meat-eaters. And they never take cow's flesh because cow is protected, go-raksya. So in the Bhagavad-gita to the meat-eaters also it is said, krsi go-raksya vanijyam [Bg. 18.44]. Even if you are meat-eater, don't eat cow. You can eat others animals. But don't eat... "We are svapacas," svapaca is there. So if you are at all meat-eater, you can eat pigs, goats, but don't eat cows' flesh. That is very sinful. Why it is sinful? Because it's a very, very important animal in the human society, very important animal. You get milk and milk products. Then your brain becomes very nice, memory sharpened. That is, therefore, important. Don't eat. It is economically.
So svapacam varistham. Who is that svapaca? Now, who has given everything to Krsna, tri-danda. That means even a person coming out of the family of a svapaca, dog-eaters, dog-eaters, pig-eaters, yes... Svapaca, means dog-eater. Yes. Pig-eaters are also better. But the dog-eaters, they are the lowest. I think in China and Korea they are very much fond of dog-eating. So they are the lowest. So if... So here it is proof that dog-eaters or pig-eaters or any low-grade man is not prohibited to become a devotee. That is our Krsna consciousness movement. They say that without becoming a Hindu or born in India, nobody can become brahmana, nobody can become sannyasi. But here is the proof. In the sastra it says, svapacam varistham. The dog-eater is also highly praised. When? Tad-arpita-mano-vacana: "When he sacrifices everything -- his body, his mind, his words -- only for Krsna." This is called tri-danda-sannyasa. So why the low-grade man cannot be offered tri-danda if he is qualified? If he has dedicated everything to Krsna, why he should be prohibited? No. That is not the sastric injunction. Sastric injunction is for anyone. Nobody is prohibited to become Krsna conscious. Mam hi partha vyapasritya ye 'pi syuh papa-yonayah [Bg. 9.32], Krsna says. Krsna says even papa-yoni, less than the sudra... Sudra is also papa-yoni. Even woman is called papa-yoni according to strict... Striyah sudras tatha vaisya. Vaisya. Except brahmana and ksatriyas, everyone is considered to be lowborn, according to the Vedic injunction. But not that because he is lowborn, he cannot elevate himself. That is not the fact. The present, so-called Hindu society is degraded because if one is born in higher family, brahmana, ksatriya -- he may be less than a svapaca -- he's accepted as a brahmana. That is the fault.
But sastra does not say that without... Even if you are born in a high family, brahmana family, ksatriya family, and if you do not act or if (you) have not the qualification of brahmana, dvi-sat, twelve qualifications... What is that? Dvi-sad-guna-yutad aravinda... That is explained, what are the twelve qualifications. Dharmah: "He must be strictly religious principles." Dharmah. Dharmah begins strictly when one is fully surrendered to Krsna. There begins dharmah, because Krsna says, sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja [Bg. 18.66]. He says that dharma-samsthapanarthaya sambhavami yuge yuge. He comes to establish the principles of dharma. And why He is speaking, sarva-dharman parityajya? Why? If He has come to reestablish the principles of dharma-dharma-samsthapanartha -- then why He says sarva-dharm...? Sarva so-called dharmas, they are not dharma. Dharma means... Dharmam tu saksad bhagavat-pranitam [SB 6.3.19]. Dharma means the order that is given by God. That is dharma. And anything, so-called dharma, that is not dharma. That you manufacture, so many things. That is another thing. But real dharma, the... Just like I have several times explained, law means given by the government. You cannot manufacture law. That is not law. Similarly, dharma means the order given by God. That is dharma. Just like Krsna says. He said, yada yada hi dharmasya glanir bhavati bharata, tadatmanam srjamy aham: [Bg. 4.7] "When there is discrepancies, misuse of dharma, I appear." So He has appeared. He therefore said that "This is not dharma." You are declaring, "This is Hindu dharma," "This is Muslim dharma," "This is Jain dharma," "This is Christian dharma," "This is family dharma," "This is country dharma," so on, so on, so on. You have created so many dharmas. But Krsna said, sarva-dharman parityajya: [Bg. 18.66] "You give up all these dharmas." "Then what I..., shall I accept?" Mam ekam saranam vraja. That is dharma. Otherwise there is no dharma.
The Bhagavata also says, dharmah-projjhita-kaitavo 'tra: [SB 1.1.2] "The so-called dharmas, cheating process, is given up, kicked out." Projjhita. Prakrsta-rupena ujjhita. That is called projjhita. Sridhara Svami gives his note in this connection: atra moksa-vancha api nirastam. Anyone who is desiring for liberation, that is also cheating. That is also cheating. How you can be liberated? You are eternal servant of Krsna. Where is your liberation? You must serve Krsna. That is your dharma. Jivera svarupa haya nitya krsna dasa [Cc. Madhya 20.108-109]. If you don't serve Krsna, then you are immediately culprit, immediately punishable. That is going on. Maya is engaged to punish.
krsna bhuliya jiva bhoga vancha kare
pasate maya tare japatiya dhare
As soon as. As soon as one tries to become independent without serving Krsna, that means he is in maya. He's in maya. Immediately maya is there. Just like as soon as you become a criminal, a thief, immediately you are under the jurisdiction of the police, immediately, without the... You may hide yourself for time being, but immediately you have become criminal. Similarly, as soon as one is not Krsna conscious, he's immediately a criminal, punishable. Therefore Krsna said, na mam duskrtino mudhah prapadyante naradhamah, mayayapahrta... [Bg. 7.15]. He does not know what he's doing, this rascal naradhamah, mudha. These mudhas... Therefore when we say that a man who is not Krsna conscious, he is naradhamah, mudhah, that is a fact. But the world is such that satyam bruyat priyam bruyat ma bruyat satyam apriyam. They want if you can say the truth, but don't say the unpalatable truth. But that is social etiquette. When you speak about spiritual life there is no such scope. You must speak the truth: "Yes, you are rascal. Because you are not Krsna conscious: rascal, mudha. You are sinful. You are lowest of the mankind." Krsna says. Krsna says, na mam duskrtino mudhah.
So this is the test. This is the test, that as soon as one is not Krsna conscious, immediately he comes to the group of sinful activities, rascaldom, lowest of the mankind, mayayapahrta-jnana, all knowledge taken away, and he's an asura, Hiranyakasipu's family, Hiranyakasipu's category. So this is not optional, that "If I don't take to Krsna consciousness, that is my wish, my desire." No. If you desire in that way then you'll be punished. You become immediately... You cannot say, "It is my optional. I may become a thief; I may remain honest. That is my option." No. As soon as you become thief, you are punishable. Similarly, anyone who is not Krsna conscious, he's immediately punishable. Daivi hy esa gunamayi mama maya duratyaya [Bg. 7.14]. The punishment will go on in various ways. That is going on. Ei rupe brahmanda bhramite kono bhagyavan jiva [Cc. Madhya 19.151]. The punishment... This is punishment. That is presented by Krsna. Janma-mrtyu-jara-vyadhi-
janma karma ca me divyam
yo janati tattvatah
tyaktva deham punar janma
naiti mam eti kaunteya
[Bg. 4.9]
This is... If you want to be really happy, if you want to be really in your original position, eternity, then you must take to Krsna consciousness. There is no alternative. It is not possible. It is not optional. The more you delay accepting Krsna consciousness, the more you are put into sufferings of this material world. Therefore Prahlada Maharaja said that... The brahminical qualification is certainly very good. Within this material world there are three modes of material nature: sattva-guna, rajo-guna, tamo-guna. Those who are in the tamo-guna, they are the lowest, mudha, naradhama. Rajo-guna, they are little better. They have got some activities just like materialistic person. But sattva-guna, they are simply interested in spiritual realization. So spiritual realization means God realization. Unless one becomes a devotee... Just like in our Indian society, they say brahmana pandita and brahmana Vaisnava. So pandita, that is general qualification. Without becoming a pandita, he's not a brahmana. But above pandita, one has to become a Vaisnava. Then he's perfect brahmana, brahmana Vaisnava. So these are the twelve qualification of the brahmana enunciated in the dharma-sastra. There are twenty kinds of dharma-sastra. The most important of the dharma-sastras is the Manu-samhita. [break] ...doing all nonsense. Such kind of bhakti, aikantiki harer bhak..., utpatayeva kalpate: it is simply disturbance in the society, without full knowledge from the sruti-smrti, if by sentiments one becomes bhakta. That is not bhakta. Bhakta must be following the regulative principles, the instruction of guru and so on.
So here Prahlada Maharaja said the dvadasa-guna. The dvadasa-guna is dharmas ca, dharmasya satyam ca dhamas ca tapas ca amatsarya hi titiksa-anusuyava-yajnas ca danam dhrtih sutam ca vratani vai dvadasa brahmanasya. So one must be qualified with these twelve qualities. In the Bhagavad-gita it is given, nine qualities, so, sama dama satyam saucam, jnanam-vijnanam astikyam brahma-karma sva-bhava... So you cannot become a brahmana simply by becoming a son of a brahmana. That is not possible. That is not the injunction. Just like you cannot become a high-court judge simply by becoming the son of a high-court judge. No. You must be qualified how to become a high-court judge. Then you'll be accepted. Not that... You cannot say, "I am... My father is high-court judge. I am high-court judge." That is going on. No. So here are the qualities of a brahmana, dvi-sad-guna-yutad viprat. Must be there, twelve qualities, at least nine qualities. Then you become a brahmana. And Narada Muni supports this in another place, that,
yasya hi yal laksanam proktam
(pumso) varnabhivyanjakam
yad anyatrapi drsyeta
tat tenaiva vinirdiset
[SB 7.11.35]
Narada Muni said, the greatest authority. He said that these are the qualities of brahmana, as described. If these qualities are found elsewhere, anyatra... Suppose a man is born in the sudra family, but he had developed these qualities. Then he should be called a brahmana. And suppose a person is born in the brahmana family but he has acquired the qualities of sudra or candala. Then he should be called candala. This is Narada Muni's statement. And Sridhara Swami gives his comment upon this sloka, that birth is not primary; the qualities are primary.
So Prahlada Maharaja also explained. Prahlada means in the Satya-yuga, long, long, millions and millions... The principles was this, that simply born in a brahmana family, he does not become, even with qualities... He must be a devotee. And a devotee, if he, even if he's born in a family of dog-eaters, he is varistham. He is fully qualified. We shall discuss again.
Thank you very much. Hare Krsna. (end)
© 2001 The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International.
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