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Imported quote 13923

To take birth in a family of brahmanas is not the ultimate finishing touch; one must have the power of a brahmana, which is called brahma-tejas. Similarly, taking birth in a royal family is not the all in all; one must possess the power to rule the world. Similarly, taking birth as a vaisya is not all; one must possess hundreds or thousands of animals (specifically cows) and rule over other vaisyas as Nanda Maharaja did in Vrndavana. Nanda Maharaja was a vaisya who possessed 900,000 cows and ruled over many cowherd men and boys. A person who is born in a sūdra family can become greater than a brahmana simply by accepting devotional service and giving aural reception to the pastimes of the Lord and His devotees. (More...)

Imported quote 14776

It is not a fact that because one is born in a brahmana family he is automatically a brahmana. He has a better chance to become a brahmana, but unless he meets all the brahminical qualifications, he cannot be accepted as such. On the other hand, if the brahminical qualifications are found in the person of a sūdra, he should immediately be accepted as a brahmana. To substantiate this there are many quotations from Bhagavatam, Mahabharata, Bharadvaja-samhita and the Pancaratra, as well as many other scriptures. (More...)

Imported quote 15611

So Narada Muni says that men should be judged by his tendencies, not by his birth, and this is also confirmed in Bhagavad-gita by Lord Krishna that the four divisions of human society should be judged by the qualities in actual work. Therefore with reference to all Vedic Scriptures our members are all Brahmanas and therefore we offer them the sacred thread although they are born, according to Vedic culture, in the families of other than Brahmanas or even than the Sudras. But that does not mean they cannot be purified. Actually they are being trained in such a way, their hearts are being purified by chanting the Mahamantra. And after some days when the Spiritual Master sees that one has followed the regulative principles faithfully and has abstained himself from the restricted items like illicit sex life, etc. and has chanted regularly 16 rounds then say after a year or six months when he appears to be purified in the judgment of the Spiritual Master he is offered the sacred thread, and he is given the chance of Deity worship in the Temple. These Smarta Brahmanas contest that unless one is born in a Brahmana family one cannot be given these facilities. But Narada Muni says no; a man should be judged by the symptoms of his character. And Srimad-Bhagavatam says that the Kiratas, etc. can be purified by a pure devotee because the influence of Lord Visnu is so strong. Prabha Vishnave means the powerful Lord Visnu; prabha means that the light or heat of Visnu is so strong that it is possible to melt them. Only the devotees of Lord Visnu or Krishna can be purified, not the devotees of any demigod. They will have to wait for their next birth according to their own karma. (More...)

Imported quote 15781

Varnasrama, the consideration of four varnas and four asramas prevails. Until this system is established it is dog society. This too has to be given up. First we should give up this doggish and sheepish propensity and by culture one should claim to be a brahmana, ksatriya, vaisya and sūdra. By culture. That also has to be given up. And that is called sarva-dharman parityajya [Bg 18.66] So long one is situated in the four varnas, varnasrama, that is also a material platform. That too has to be abandoned. The Supreme Lord said sarva-dharman parityajya, the point He is making is that you are proud of being American, Indian, brahmana, ksatriya, white, black and the activities you are pursuing accordingly, all that has to be given up. That is called amanitvam. Adambhitvam. This manitvam or false prestige that I am brahmana, I am ksatriya, I am American, this false prestige everybody is having. That I am great and everyone else is insignificant. This is a material disease. That has to be given up, adambhitvam or prestigious position. It has to be given up. Amanitvam adambhitvam ahimsa, ahimsa, if we try to explain each words it will take whole night even if I will try to explain briefly. We have to acquire this ahimsa. Actually if you notice these four or five slokas beginning from eight to twelve it is filled with complete knowledge. It is a platform of jnana-yoga. Complete knowledge. Take any religious system, take any moral instruction, everything is available here. Ahimsa. Ahimsa is possible only when you have acquired amanitvam adambhitvam. Otherwise it is useless. The Supreme Lord Himself is describing. Ahimsa can be accomplished when you are amanitvam adambhitvam. The general meaning of ahimsa is not to become envious of anyone unnecessarily. That is called ahimsa. Without any cause. Just like kill the animals and eat it. If you have got nice foodstuffs to eat by which your body will be nourished then why do you unnecessarily kill a poor animal? This is called jnana. When the Supreme Personality of Godhead has supplied us wheat, rice, ghee, milk, fruits, vegetables with which we can prepare delicious foodstuffs. We can offer that food to the Supreme Lord and take His remnants, prasada then why you uselessly kill a poor animal. That is called ahimsa. We won't die of starvation. This is in the sastra. If you can spare someone then spare him. That is ahimsa. Nowadays human society has become uncivilized. When they don't know how to grow rice, they live in the forest. They cannot clear the jungle and grow rice. If they kill animal and eat that is not sinful. God has given you plenty of food grains you eat and live. Why do you kill animals? When you learn to do it that is called ahimsa. The Supreme Lord says, patram puspam phalam toyam. [Bg 9.26] (More...)

Imported quote 16142

The regulative principles are such that one who follows them is promoted from the plane of fruitive activities to the plane of transcendental knowledge, and from transcendental knowledge he becomes perfect, after many, many births, when he surrenders unto the Lord. This is the general procedure. But one who surrenders at the very beginning, as is mentioned in this mantra, at once surpasses all the stages of progression by simple adoption of the devotional attitude. As is stated in the Gita [18.66], the Lord at once takes charge of such a surrendered soul and makes him free from all the reactions to his sinful acts. In the karma-kanḍa activities there are many sinful actions, and in jnana-kanḍa, the path of philosophical development, the number of such actions is less. But in devotional service, to the Lord, the path of bhakti, there is practically no chance of sinful reactions. One who is a devotee of the Lord attains all the good qualifications of the Lord Himself, not to mention becoming a Brahmana. A devotee automatically attains the qualifications of an expert Brahmana authorized to perform sacrifices, even though such a devotee may not have taken his birth in the family of a Brahmana. Such is the omnipotence of the Lord that He can make a man born in the family of a Brahmana as degraded as a lowborn dog-eater, and He can also make a lowborn dog-cuter more than a qualified Brahmana, simply on the strength of devotional service. (More...)

Imported quote 16756

So a ksatriya... These four principles must be there in the society, brahmana, ksat... The brahmana will not be required to fight. A brahmana will not be required to work like sūdra. A brahmana will not be required to work like vaisya. Therefore brahmana can beg. Pathana pathana yajana yajana dana pratigrahaḥ. This is brahmana's business. He must be good scholar in Vedic literature and he must teach others. Not that "I have learned everything; I'll not teach anything." No. (More...)

Imported quote 17012

Everyone is lamenting, because he's a sūdra. Sūdra's business is to lament. But when one understands, brahmana, brahma janatiti brahmanaḥ, he does not lament. We have seen many brahmanas, they are not very materially opulent, but they are happy. They are happy with Krsna. That is brahmana's business. Brahmana-vaisnava. Brahmana must be a Vaisnava, Krsna conscious. If a brahmana is not Vaisnava, then he cannot become guru. That is the injunction of the sastra. Sat-karma-nipuno vipro mantra-tantra-visaradaḥ [Padma Purana]. A vipra, a brahmana, a learned... Vipra means a learned brahmana. Veda-pathad bhaved vipraḥ. One who has learned, studied all the Vedic literatures and has acquired knowledge, he is called vipra. So simply studying Vedic literature will not do. Brahma janatiti brahmanaḥ. He must realize what is Brahman. Then he becomes brahmana. (More...)

Imported quote 17185

There are ten kinds of sanctifying process. Even when the father is going to give birth to the child, he has to undergo a ritualistic ceremony, which is called garbhadhana-samskara, seed-giving ceremony. That is the Vedic function, garbhadhana. But in the Kali-yuga all these samskaras are not followed strictly. Otherwise, according to sastra, if these garbhadhana-samskara is not done… Garbhadhana-samskara is especially recommended for the brahmanas, the ksatriyas and the vaisyas-especially the brahmanas.
So now in this age no samskara is adopted; therefore he remains a sūdra, janmana jayate sūdraḥ, because the purificatory processes are not practised. Therefore, janmana jayate sūdraḥ. And in this age, Kali-yuga, the processes are not observed; therefore sastra says, kalau sūdra-sambhava. In this age, Kali-yuga, it is everyone is sūdra: kalau sūdra-sambhava.
So this process of Krsna consciousness movement is making everyone a brahmana from the sūdra stage. This is a purificatory process. Just like you see these European and American boys, they are undergoing purificatory process. Purificatory process means to avoid sinful activities. That is purificatory. If you don't act sinfully, then you are pure.
So the basic principles of sinful life are four: striya sūna pana dyūta yatra papas catur-vidha [Bhag. 1.17.38]. Catur-vidha means four kinds of sinful activities are… Striya means to have illicit sex life. According to Vedic principles, sex life cannot be performed without a married life that is sanctioned by religion. Therefore in human society there is system of marriage.
Not that you keep a woman, you keep a man, like cats and dogs; no human society. May be Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Sikh-it doesn't matter-any civilized form of society has got this system of marriage, because without marriage sex life is irreligious. Therefore this is one of the sinful activities: to have illicit sex life.
And sūna, sūna means killing of animals. Killing of animals… Even in Christian religion it is forbidden: "Thou shall not kill." Out of the Ten Commandments the first commandment is, "Thou shall not kill." In the Buddha religion there is also the same thing: ahimsa paramo dharmaḥ. So in other religions, Hindu religion, they are…, there are sometimes killing of animals in sacrifices. But that is not for eating purpose. The test of Vedic mantra was, I mean to say, verified how the mantras are being chanted. So sometimes the animals were put into the fire, and the animal would come out again with new life. That was the test of Vedic mantras.
In this age, Kali-yuga, there is no such qualified brahmana to perform the sacrifices; therefore all kinds of animal sacrifices are forbidden.
asvamedham gavalambham
sannyasam pala-paitrkam
devarena sutotpattim
kalau panca vivarjayet
[Brahma-vaivarta Purana]
So sūna, sūna means unnecessary animal-killing. Unnecessary. Human society should be sober and continent. If I can…, I require to eat something, if I have got sufficient grains, fruits, milk, flour, vegetables, why should I kill unnecessarily a poor animal? So this is sinful.
Striya sūna pana. Pana means intoxication. Therefore those… Of course, in this country, it is not very much so, but in India pan, betel, betel nut, and pan eating. The pana means drinking; pana means intoxication. So even drinking tea, chewing pan is also intoxication, what to speak of drinking wine and other things. Striya sūna pana dyūta. And dyūta means gambling. So if we want to be purified, then we must give up these four principles of sinful activities.
So these boys are being trained up for their purification, and although from their birth they are habituated to all these habits, they have given up. They have no other bad habits. Nothing. They don't take even tea, and smoke. This is purificatory process. Janmana jayate sūdraḥ samskarad bhaved dvijaḥ. As mentioned before, there are four basic characteristics of an impure life-illicit sex, intoxication, meat-eating and gambling. According to the Vedic principles, sex should not be indulged in outside of marriage. In human society there is therefore a system of marriage which distinguishes us from the cats and dogs. Whether we are Hindu, Moslem, or Christian, we acknowledge the system of marriage. The purpose of this system is to avoid illicit sex. According to the Vedic system, intoxication is also discouraged; nor is meat-eating advocated, for human beings should be nonviolent. We have been given sufficient grains, fruits, milk, and vegetables, and there is no necessity to kill poor animals. Some people argue that if we do not eat meat we will be undernourished, but we can see that the students of this Krsna consciousness movement have given up meat and are very healthy, whereas people who are eating meat are still, despite their meat-eating, subject to so many diseases and unhealthy conditions. Gambling is also discouraged because it simply agitates the mind. (More...)

Imported quote 18131

So the whole world is going like that, guna-karma-vibhagasaḥ. So guna means we are, according to our position or according to our mentality, we are infecting some guna, sattva-rajas-tamo-guna. So guna-karma, guna-karma-vibhagasaḥ. Very scientific this is. You can become... If you acquire the qualities of a brahmana, then, and if you work as a brahmana, then guna-karma-vibhagasaḥ, you become a brahmana. If you have the qualities of a ksatriya and if you work as a ksatriya, then you are ksatriya. If you have the qualification of a mercantile man, businessman, and if you work as a businessman or cultivator, then you become vaisya. This is very scientific. Not that one is classified according to the birth. No. According to qualification. Just like there is medical association. Medical association does not mean all the medical men in the association, they are born of the same family. No. They are born in different family. But because they have got qualification and working as medical man, they are admitted as the member of medical association or member of bar association. This is practically. Similarly, if you acquire the qualification of a brahmana and if you work as a brahmana, then you are accepted as a brahmana. Similarly ksatriya, similarly vaisya. (More...)

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