Brahmanas: Respect or Not?

Mahanidhi Madan Gopal Das

#Brahmanas #Puja #WorshipTheBrahmanas #BrahminsInKaliYuga #Respect #VaisnavaBehavior

It is very sad to see that in the holiest of places, Sri Dhama Vrindavana, the yatris and pilgrims show very little if any respect to the brahmanas, pandas and tirtha gurus.

Of course, such neglect can be expected since this is the age of Kali which is characterized by ignorance and degeneration, a lack of quality,  and total distrust in anyone and everything. It is very, very rare to find a good anything; be it a good teacher, good parent, good spouse, friend, politician, doctor, soldier, merchant or laborer, or a good devotee, guru or brahmana.

Everyone is faulty in one way or another. The Srimad Bhagavatam confirms that Kali-Yuga is the AGE OF FAULTS—each and every one of us is drowning in an ocean of faults and shortcomings, kaler dosha nidhe. (SB 12.3.51)

Thus we all have a “faulty outlook” and for various reasons or even no reason, many people have personal prejudices or negative feelings toward brahmanas.

However, if we just follow our minds and impulses, whims and wants, impressions, negative samskaras, dislikes and prejudices we will never attain any happiness or success in human life.

Follow the mind and attain frustration, anxiety and failure at last. Or follow shastra and attain happiness, perfection and liberation forever.

Sri Krishna describes these two paths in Gita (16.23): “One who rejects and neglects the shastra vidhi (rules and suggestions of scripture) and just follows his/her desires and lust will never achieve happiness, perfection or the spiritual world, yah shastra vidhim utsrjya, vartate kama-karatah, na sa siddhim avapnoti, na sukham na param.

And intelligent person should guide his thinking, desiring and actions on the basis of the perfect knowledge given by Bhagavan Sri Krishna, personally appearingbefore us in the form of shastra to guide, be friend and help all of us. In Srimad Bhagavatam (10.85.42), Daityaraja Bali said, “O Bhagavan, Your divine form comprises the revealed scriptures, tvayi shastra sharirini.

To create a healthy attitude toward brahmanas, to improve our understanding of their postion, and to learn how to properly respect, honor and treat them, we offer the following shastric references for the benefit of all.

While touring South India, Bhagavan Sri Krishna and His exalted entourage visited the home of a brahmana devotee named Shrutadeva. At that time, Sri Krishna gave some very important “eternal instructions for everyone” regarding the proper vision and treatment of brahmanas.

By reading, reflecting upon, and trying to follow these Puranic teachings one will acquire a peaceful, controlled mind which will be shown by proper behavior toward the brahamanas. 

Bhagavan Sri Krishna said, “My dear brahmana Shrutadevaji! You should know that these great sages have come here just to bless you. They travel throughout the worlds with Me, purifying them with the dust of their feet.”

Tika: Sri Krishna said, “I have heard you praise Me but not the brahmanas accompanying Me. Being favorable to the brahmanas, I will personally praise them in order to teach devotion to the brahmanas.” By saying this Krishna implies, “Even though I am Your object of praise, the brahmanas are Mine

Sri Krishna: “One can gradually become purified by seeing, touching and worshiping temple deities, places of pilgrimage and holy rivers. But one can attain the same result immediately simply by receiving the glance of exalted sages.”

Tika: “Moreover, the brahmanas, who immediately purify one just by their darsana, are even greater than temple deities who slowly purify one.”

Sri Krishna: “By his very birth, a brahmana is the best of all living beings in this world, and he becomes even more exalted when he is endowed with austerity, learning and self-satisfaction, what to speak of devotion to Me.”

Tika: Krishna continued, “By birth, austerity, peace and knowledge the brahmana is the best of all living entities. He is even more so when he has attained direct realization of Me by intensely worshiping Me.”

Sri Krishna: “Even My own four-armed form is no dearer to Me than a brahmana. Within himself a learned brahmana comprises all the Vedas, just as within Myself I comprise all the demigods.”

Tika: The phrase sarva-veda-mayo vipraḥ means that the brahmana sages, who are the Vedas personified, can reveal Krishna who embodies all the demigods and Vishnu-tattva expansions of Narayana.

Sri Krishna: “Ignorant of this truth, foolish people neglect and enviously offend a learned brahmana, who, being nondifferent from Me, is their spiritual master and very self. They consider worshipable only such obvious manifestations of divinity as My Deity form.

Tika: Krishna said, “Foolish people who are ignorant of this truth find fault (asūyavaḥ) with brahmanas, and think that deities are worshipable but notbrahmanas.”

Sri Krishna: “Because he has realized Me, a brahmana is firmly fixed in the knowledge that everything moving and nonmoving in the universe, and also the primary elements of its creation, are all manifest forms expanded from Me.”

Tika: This verse describes the qualities of the brahmana. Krishna said, “Special brahmanas like Narada Muni, who are endowed with direct realization of Me (mad-ikshaya), know that this universe and its causes (hetavah), the primary elements (bhavah) such as mahat-tattva, are all manifest forms expanded from Me.”

Concluding His glorification of brahmanas, Bhagavan Sri Krishna said, “Therefore you should worship these brahmana sageswith the same faith you have in Me. If you do so, you will worship Me directly, which you cannot do otherwise, even with offerings of vast riches. (SB 10.86.51-59 v& tikas Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti) See more in part two.

Respecting and serving brahmanas ki jai! Jaya Jaya Sri Radhe!

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touring South India

an=Murari Gupta’s biography titled “Krishna Chaitanya Carita Maha Kavya” (1.15.11-12) and other books describe how Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu honored the brahmanas Gaya by drinking their foot water.

Srila Prabhupada described the pastime thus: “When Çré Caitanya Mahäprabhu went to Gayä, accompanied by many of His disciples, He became sick on the way. He had such a high fever that He asked His students to bring water that had washed the feet of brähmaëas, and when they brought it the Lord drank it and was cured. Therefore everyone should respect the position of a brähmaëa, as indicated by Çré Caitanya Mahäprabhu. Neither the Lord nor His followers displayed any disrespect to brähmaëas.The followers of the Lord must be prepared to offer brähmaëas all due respect. (Cc. 1.17.9 p.)

=Padma Purana Kriya-yoga-sara khanda cp 21Brahma said:

3-4. Of all the castes Brähmaëa is the most venerable per-son. Gifts should be given to him by men having devotion and faith. A brähmaëa is the resort of all deities. He is actually a god on the earth. He saves a giver in this ocean of the universe, which is difficult to cross.

The brähmaëa said:

5. O best god, you have declared brähmaëa to be the most respectable of all castes. But out of them (i.e. brähmaëas) who is the greatest? To whom is a gift given?

Brahma said:

6-8. O best Brähmaëa, all the brähmaëas are superior, and all are always respectable. But those brähmaëas who are spoilt by such blemishes as theft, so also our haters, are not respectable. So (gifts should) not be given to others. brähmaëas of bad con-duct are not respectable. çudras with their senses curbed are respectable. So also those who eat what is prohibited (are not to be honoured). Cows are supposed to be the mothers of people. O best Brähmaëa, I am now particularly telling the greatness of brähmaëas through affection for you. Listen to it attentively.

9-11. brähmaëas are respectable to kñatriyas, vaiçyas and ‘çudras. brähmaëas are respectable to one another, and brähmaëas are to be honoured. O best man, the life, sons, fame, wealth of him who would worship a brähmaëa looking upon him as Vishnu, increase. O Brähmaëa, Vishnu desires to cut off the head of that foolish man who hoards (wealth) on the earth.

12-15. O Jaimini(?), a wise man should not salute abrähmaëa who has flowers in his hand, who has water in his hand, who has (the idol of) a god in his hand, and whose body is smeared with oil. A wise man should not salute a brähmaëa who is in water, who is in a temple of a deity, whose mind is absorbed in medi-tation, and who is worshipping a deity. O best brähmaëa, a wise man should not salute a brähmaëa performing outside (i.e. morning) duties, who is taking his meal, so also a brähmaëa who is singing Samans. An intelligent man should not salute everyone ‘of the brähmaëas (separately) where many brähmaëas are pre-sent, O best brähmaëa.

16. He who would not salute (in return) abrähmaëa who has ‘devoutly saluted, should be known to be like a candala, and should never be saluted.

17. Parents saluted by their son, should not salute him (in return). All brähmaëas saluted by (other) brähmaëas, should salute them (in return).

18. The wise ones do not hate brähmaëas and cows who have committed faults. If through folly they hate, Vishnu is always angry with them.

19. Yama puts a needle into both the eyes of him who looks angrily at suppliants (and) brähmaëas.

20. O brähmaëa, Yama puts a heated iron rod into that mouth with which fools reproach (others).

21. In that house where a brähmaëa eats (food), Vishnu. himself (lives). So also all deities, manes and divine sages.

22-28. Yama quickly destroys all the sin in the body of him, the wise one, who would carry just a drop of water from the foot of a brähmaëa. All the holy places that exist in crores of worlds, exist in the right foot of a brähmaëa. He whose head is sprinkled with water from the feet of a brähmaëa, has bathed at all holy places and is initiated for all sacrifices. By carrying (on his head) the water from the foot of a Brähmaëa all his fierce sins like the murder of a Brähmaëa perish at once. By carrying (on the head) the water from the foot of a brähmaëa, all diseases like con-sumption, highly afflicting, perish instantly. The dead ancestors gratified by the water offered at the feet of a brähmaëa for the dead ancestors, live in heaven as long as the moon and the stars (exist). By a wise man who would worship a Brähmaëa’s feet with durvas after washing them, Vishnu, the lord of the world and. the best of all gods, is worshipped.

29-33. I am telling the truth (and) the truth (only). That mortal who would carry on his head the remains of the offering at the feet of brähmaëas, obtains eternal liberation. That best man who goes round a Brähmaëa while keeping him to his right, has gone round the earth with the seven islands. He who would give a fruit or a tambüla after wetting the feet of brähmaëas is free from a disease if he is ill, and from a sin if he is a sinner. One that is bound gets free from his bond on washing the feet of brähmaëas. By washing the feet of brähmaëas those women who have no children or whose children are dead, have many children and their children Live (long). O best brähmaëa, listen to the greatness (of the wetting of a brähmaëa’s feet) which re-moves all sins.

34a. I (shall) tell you in brief about (the importance of) wetting the feet of a Brähmaëa.

34b-46a. Formerly there was a brähmaëa named Bhadra-kriya, born in a pure family and highly devoted to worshipping Vishnu. He knew the Vedas, he was tranquil, and was highly devoted to his parents. He honoured guests; so also he honoured his kinsmen. Once that best brähmaëa, with his body smeared with oil, went, taking with him clothes used for bath-ing, to a lake to bathe (then). That best brähmaëa who knew all holy texts and who was engaged in the well-being of all people, having bathed made offerings to his dead ancestors in the proper manner. Having finished the bath-rite, and repeating Vishnu’s names, he came to his own house and was engrossed in worship-ping Vishnu. With very cold Water he washed both his feet. That brähmaëa who honoured (other) brähmaëas, who had washed his feet and hands, placed all utensils for the bath (of the deity). O best brähmaëa, to the region of the door came a dog that was tormented by the heat of the summer sun, resembling that of fire. He lay in the very cold water used by the brähmaëa for washing his feet. Due to the touch of the water used by the brähmaëa for washing his feet, the extremely sinful dog was freed from all sins committed during crores of existences.