11.17 · Lord Kṛṣṇa's Description of the Varṇāśrama System

Lord Kṛṣṇa has already elaborately explained the process of jṣāna-yoga, bhakti-yoga and aṣṭāṅga-yoga. Now Uddhava inquires how those inclined toward karma-yoga can achieve the perfection of life, Kṛṣṇa consciousness. In Bhagavad-gītā (4.13) Lord Kṛṣṇa describes that He is personally the creator of the varṇāśrama system. Cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ. Therefore the ultimate goal of the varṇāśrama system is to please the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In other words, one should become a devotee of the Lord and learn the process of pure devotional service. The easiest method of achieving pure devotional service is by the association of pure devotees of the Lord. If one submissively and faithfully associates with pure devotees, one can immediately achieve the perfection of life. A Kṛṣṇa conscious person is not required to execute all the formalities of the varṇāśrama system, because a Kṛṣṇa conscious person, absorbed in love of Godhead, automatically gives up all sense gratification and mental speculation. Those human beings who do not follow the varṇāśrama system are here referred to as dvi-padām, or two-legged. In other words, one who does not follow the religious path of life is known to be human only by the possession of two legs. Even ordinary animals and insects are eagerly engaged in eating, sleeping, mating and defending; the human being, however, is distinguished from such lower forms of life by his capacity to become religious and, ultimately, to love God in pure Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

The word naiḥśreyasa-kara indicates that which awards the highest perfection of life, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, which the Lord is explaining to Śrī Uddhava. When considering religious principles, ordinary human beings remain bogged down in sectarian mundane considerations. The process that awards the highest perfection of life should be considered the most auspicious for human beings. The varṇāśrama system is the most scientific presentation of religiosity on the earth, and those who are most perfect in that system come to the point of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, or dedicating everything for the satisfaction of the Supreme Lord.

It is understood from this verse that the supreme religious principle is unalloyed surrender to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In Satya-yuga there is no influence of the lower modes of nature, and therefore all human beings belong to the highest social order, called haṁsa, in which one comes under the direct supervision of the Personality of Godhead. In the modern age people are crying out for social equality, but unless all human beings are situated in the mode of goodness, which is the position of purity and unalloyed devotion, social equality is not possible. As the lower modes of nature become prominent, secondary religious principles arise, by which people may be gradually elevated to the pure stage of unalloyed surrender to God. In Satya-yuga there are no inferior human beings, and thus there is no need of secondary religious principles. Everyone directly takes to the unalloyed service of the Lord, fulfilling perfectly all religious obligations. In Sanskrit, one who perfectly executes all duties is called kṛta-kṛtya, as mentioned in this verse. Therefore Satya-yuga is called Kṛta-yuga, or the age of perfect religious action. According to Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī, the word ādau (“in the beginning”) refers to the moment of universal creation. In other words, the varṇāśrama system is not a recent concoction but naturally arises at the time of creation and should therefore be accepted by all intelligent human beings.

The bull of religion is described in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (1.17.24) : tapaḥ śaucaṁ dayā satyam iti pādāḥ kṛte kṛtāḥ. “In the age of Satya [truthfulness], your four legs were established by the four principles of austerity, cleanliness, mercy and truthfulness.” Śrī Vyāsadeva divided the one Veda into four — the Ṛg, Yajur, Sāma and Atharva Vedas — at the end of Dvāpara-yuga, but in Satya-yuga the whole of Vedic knowledge is easily understood by everyone simply by vibrating the syllable om. In this age there are no ritualistic or pious activities such as sacrifice, since everyone is sinless, austere and fully engaged in worshiping the Personality of Godhead, Lord Haṁsa, through the process of meditation.

In Tretā-yuga, the bull of religion loses one leg, and only seventy-five percent of religious principles are manifested, represented by the three principal Vedas — Ṛg, Sāma and Yajur. The Lord appears in the process of threefold Vedic sacrifice. The three divisions are understood as follows. The hotā priest offers oblations into the fire and chants the Ṛg Veda; the udgātā priest chants the Sāma Veda; and the adhvaryu priest, who arranges the sacrificial ground, altar, etc., chants the Yajur Veda. In Tretā-yuga such sacrifice is the authorized process for spiritual perfection. The word prāṇāt in this verse refers to the universal form of the Personality of Godhead. This form is further described in the following verses.

There are two classes of brahmacārī life. The naiṣṭhiki-brahmacārī remains celibate throughout life, whereas the upakurvāṇa-brahmacārī marries upon finishing his student life. One who remains perpetually celibate is situated within the heart of Lord Kṛṣṇa, but those brahmacārīs who eventually marry are situated within the loins of the universal form of the Lord. The word vane-vāsaḥ refers to vānaprastha, or the retired order of life, which is situated on the chest of the Lord.

According to Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura, the brāhmaṇas and sannyāsīs, being situated on the head of the universal form of the Lord, are considered to be the most qualified, whereas the śūdras and gṛhasthas, being on the legs or loins of the Personality of Godhead, are considered to be in the lowest position. A living entity is born with a certain amount of intelligence, beauty and social opportunity, and he is therefore situated in a particular occupational and social position within the varṇāśrama system. Ultimately, such positions are external designations, but since the majority of human beings are conditioned by the external energy of the Lord, they should act according to the scientific varṇāśrama divisions until they reach the stage of jīvan-mukta, or liberated life.

Atuṣṭir arthopacayaiḥ indicates that a vaiśya is never satisfied with any amount of wealth and always wants to accumulate more. On the other hand, he is dāna-niṣṭha, or dedicated to charitable work; brahmasevī, always engaged in assisting the brāhmaṇas; and adambha, free from hypocrisy. This is due to āstikyam, or complete faith in the Vedic way of life, and confidence that one will be rewarded or punished in the next life for one’s present activities. The fervent desire of the vaiśyas to accumulate wealth is not the same as ordinary material greed, because it is purified and tempered by the superior qualities mentioned in this verse.

When the entire social order is functioning properly according to Vedic standards, everyone is happy and satisfied. Although the śūdras are to be satisfied with whatever income they obtain through their service, they never lack the necessities of life, because the other orders of society, such as kṣatriyas and vaiśyas, are required to be abundantly generous, and the brāhmaṇas are well known for being the most merciful of all. Therefore, if all social classes obey the Vedic injunctions there will be a new and blissful life for the entire human society under the guidance of Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Here the Lord describes those who reside outside the scientific social system called varṇāśrama. In Europe and America, we have practically observed that the standards of cleanliness are abominable even among so-called educated persons. Going without bathing and the use of indecent language are common. In the modern age people whimsically speak whatever they like, dispensing with all authority, and there is therefore very little truthfulness or true wisdom. Similarly, in both the capitalistic and communistic countries, everyone is busily engaged in stealing and robbing from everyone else in the name of business, taxation or outright crime. People are not confident of the kingdom of God nor of their own eternal nature, and thus their faith is very weak. Moreover, since modern human beings are not very interested in Kṛṣṇa consciousness they constantly quarrel, bicker and fight over completely insignificant issues relating to the material body. Thus at the slightest provocation there are huge wars and massacres. Lust, anger and hankering have become practically unlimited in Kali-yuga. The symptoms and characteristics mentioned here can be abundantly observed throughout the world, wherever people have fallen away from the varṇāśrama system. Because of sinful habits such as animal killing, illicit sex, intoxication and gambling, the great majority of human beings have become caṇḍālas, or untouchables.

The word sārva-varṇika indicates that the above-mentioned principles constitute general piety, which should be observed by all members of society, even those outside the varṇāśrama system. We practically find that even in societies that have fallen away from the varṇāśrama system, the above-mentioned principles are honored and encouraged. Such principles do not constitute a specific path of liberation but are perennial virtues in human society.

The term dvija, or “twice-born,” here indicates the three superior classes, namely brāhmaṇas, kṣatriyas and vaiśyas, who all receive the Gāyatrī mantra, which signifies their second birth through spiritual initiation. One’s first birth is biological, or seminal, and does not necessarily indicate that one is intelligent or enlightened. A young brāhmaṇa boy, if qualified, may be initiated with Gāyatrī mantra at the age of twelve, and kṣatriyas and vaiśyas a few years later. In order to become enlightened with spiritual knowledge, the boy resides within the gurukula, or āśrama of the spiritual master. The International Society for Krishna Consciousness has established similar gurukulas all over the world and is issuing a great call to civilized human beings to arrange for the proper education of their children. Every young boy and girl should learn to be self-controlled and should become enlightened through study of authorized Vedic literatures. In this way, unlike ordinary animals, insects, fish and birds, etc., an enlightened human being may take birth twice and thus become perfect in the knowledge that leads to ultimate liberation. The word ānupūrvyāt in this verse indicates the system of saṁskāras, or purificatory rites, beginning with garbhādhāna-saṁskāra, or the purification of the sexual act. Generally, śūdras and those who do not follow the Vedic system are not attracted to such purificatory ceremonies; therefore they remain ignorant of spiritual life and envious of the bona fide spiritual master. Those whose character has been civilized by a systematic cleansing process give up the tendency to be argumentative and whimsical and instead become submissive and eager to learn in the presence of a bona fide spiritual master.

The word adhauta-dad-vāsa indicates that a renounced brahmacārī is not concerned with a glistening smile to attract the opposite sex, nor does he pay much attention to his outer garments. Brahmacārī life is meant for austerity and obedience to the spiritual master so that later in life, when one becomes a businessman, politician or intellectual brāhmaṇa, one will be able to call upon resources of character, discipline, self-control, austerity and humility. Student life, as described here, is far different from the mindless hedonism known as modern education. Of course, in the modern age, Kṛṣṇa conscious brahmacārīs cannot artificially adopt the ancient dress and ritualistic duties described here; but the essential values of self-control, purity and obedience to a bona fide spiritual master are just as necessary today as they were in Vedic times.

Nārada Muni gives a similar technical description of Vedic brahmacārī life in Canto Seven, Chapter Twelve, of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.

This verse appears in Caitanya-caritāmṛta ( Ādi 1.46) . His Divine Grace Oṁ Viṣṇupāda Paramahaṁsa Parivrājakācārya Aṣṭottara-śata Śrī Śrīmad A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda has commented on this verse as follows.

“This is a verse from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (11.17.27) spoken by Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa when He was questioned by Uddhava regarding the four social and spiritual orders of society. He was specifically instructing how a brahmacārī should behave under the care of a spiritual master. A spiritual master is not an enjoyer of facilities offered by his disciples. He is like a parent. Without the attentive service of his parents, a child cannot grow to manhood; similarly, without the care of the spiritual master one cannot rise to the plane of transcendental service.

“The spiritual master is also called ācārya, or a transcendental professor of spiritual science. Manu-saṁhitā (2.140) explains the duties of an ācārya, describing that a bona fide spiritual maser accepts charge of disciples, teaches them the Vedic knowledge with all its intricacies, and gives them their second birth. The ceremony performed to initiate a disciple into the study of spiritual science is called upanīti, or the function that brings one nearer to the spiritual master. One who cannot be brought nearer to a spiritual master cannot have a sacred thread, and thus he is indicated to be a śūdra. The sacred thread worn on the body of a brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya or vaiśya is a symbol of initiation by the spiritual master; it is worth nothing if worn merely to boast of high parentage. The duty of the spiritual master is to initiate a disciple with the sacred thread ceremony, and after this saṁskāra, or purificatory process, the spiritual master actually begins to teach the disciple about the Vedas. A person born a śūdra is not barred from such spiritual initiation, provided he is approved by the spiritual master, who is duly authorized to award a disciple the right to be a brāhmaṇa if he finds him perfectly qualified. In the Vāyu Purāṇa an ācārya is defined as one who knows the import of all the Vedic literatures, explains the purpose of the Vedas , abides by their rules and regulations, and teaches his disciples to act in the same way.

“Only out of His immense compassion does the Personality of Godhead reveal Himself as the spiritual master. Therefore in the dealings of an ācārya there are no activities but those of transcendental loving service to the Lord. He is the Supreme Personality of Servitor Godhead. It is worthwhile to take shelter of such a steady devotee, who is called āśraya-vigraha, or the manifestation or form of the Lord of whom one must take shelter.

“If one poses himself as an ācārya but does not have an attitude of servitorship to the Lord, he must be considered an offender, and this offensive attitude disqualifies him from being an ācārya. The bona fide spiritual master always engages in unalloyed devotional service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. By this test he is known to be a direct manifestation of the Lord and a genuine representative of Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu. Such a spiritual master is known as ācāryadeva. Influenced by an envious temperament and dissatisfied because of an attitude of sense gratification, mundaners criticize a real ācārya. In fact, however, a bona fide ācārya is nondifferent from the Personality of Godhead, and therefore to envy such an ācārya is to envy the Personality of Godhead Himself. This will produce an effect subversive to transcendental realization.

“As mentioned previously, a disciple should always respect the spiritual master as a manifestation of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, but at the same time one should always remember that a spiritual master is never authorized to imitate the transcendental pastimes of the Lord. False spiritual masters pose themselves as identical with Śrī Kṛṣṇa in every respect, to exploit the sentiments of their disciples, but such impersonalists can only mislead their disciples, for their ultimate aim is to become one with the Lord. This is against the principles of the devotional cult.

“The real Vedic philosophy is acintya-bhedābheda-tattva, which establishes everything to be simultaneously one with and different from the Personality of Godhead. Śrīla Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī confirms that this is the real position of a bona fide spiritual master and says that one should always think of the spiritual master in terms of his intimate relationship with Mukunda (Śrī Kṛṣṇa). Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī, in his Bhakti-sandarbha (213), has clearly defined that a pure devotee’s observation of the spiritual master and Lord Śiva as one with the Personality of Godhead exists in terms of their being very dear to the Lord, not identical with Him in all respects. Following in the footsteps of Śrīla Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī and Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī, later ācāryas like Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura have confirmed the same truths. In his prayers to the spiritual master, Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura confirms that all the revealed scriptures accept the spiritual master to be identical with the Personality of Godhead because he is a very dear and confidential servant of the Lord. Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavas therefore worship Śrīla Gurudeva (the spiritual master) in the light of his being the servitor of the Personality of Godhead. In all the ancient literatures of devotional service and in the more recent songs of Śrīla Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura, Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura and other unalloyed Vaiṣṇavas, the spiritual master is always considered to be either one of the confidential associates of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī or a manifested representation of Śrīla Nityānanda Prabhu.”

One who desires to receive the mercy of a bona fide spiritual master should not be eager to accumulate the paraphernalia of sense gratification; rather, whatever one is able to collect one should offer at the lotus feet of the ācārya. Being self-controlled, one should humbly accept that which is allotted by the bona fide spiritual master. Every living entity must ultimately be trained to serve the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but until one has become expert in the techniques of spiritual service one should offer everything to the spiritual master, who is completely realized in the process of worshiping the Lord. When the spiritual master sees that the disciple is advanced in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he then engages the disciple in directly worshiping the Personality of Godhead. A bona fide spiritual master does not use anything for his personal sense gratification and entrusts to his disciple only as much material opulence as the disciple can properly offer to the lotus feet of the Lord. The example may be given that when an ordinary father tries to train his son in business and other material activities, he entrusts to the son only as much wealth as the son can intelligently engage in profitable enterprises without foolishly wasting the father’s hard-earned money.

Similarly, the bona fide spiritual master teaches his disciple to worship the Lord, and an immature disciple must simply deliver everything to the lotus feet of the guru, just as an immature child does not keep a personal bank account but rather receives his maintenance from the father, who trains the son to be responsible. If one cheats oneself by defying the order of a bona fide spiritual master or Kṛṣṇa, one certainly becomes a nondevotee, or sense enjoyer, and falls from the spiritual path. Therefore, one should be trained to serve a bona fide spiritual master and thus become mature in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

This verse describes the upakurvāṇa-brahmacārī, who enters gṛhastha-āśrama, or family life, after completing his Vedic education. The word evaṁ-vṛttaḥ indicates that although one may eventually marry and become prominent in society as an intellectual, politician or businessman, during student life one must remain without false prestige as a humble servant of the bona fide spiritual master. The naiṣṭhiki-brahmacārī, who never marries, is described in the following verse.

One who desires the supreme perfection of life must engage his body, mind and words in the service of a bona fide spiritual master. One desiring elevation to superior planets such as Brahmaloka and Maharloka must fully engage in the spiritual master’s service. We can thus imagine the sincerity of purpose and service required to achieve the Kṛṣṇaloka planet, which lies far beyond the material universe.

One becomes glorious and enlightened by faithfully serving a bona fide spiritual master, who is expert in the Vedic way of life. Thus purified, one never engages in sinful activities, which immediately extinguish the fire of spiritual enlightenment; nor does one become foolish and small-minded, trying to exploit material nature for personal sense gratification. A purified human being is apṛthag-dhī, or without consciousness of duality, because he has been trained to observe the Supreme Personality of Godhead within all things. Such sublime consciousness should be systematically taught throughout the world so that human society will become peaceful and sublime.

Prāṇinaḥ indicates all living entities, whether birds, bees or human beings. Among most species of life, sexual intercourse is preceded by diverse mating rituals. In human society, all types of entertainment (books, music, films) and all places of amusement (restaurants, shopping centers, resorts) are designed to stimulate the sexual urge and create an aura of “romance.” One who is not married — a sannyāsī, brahmacārī or vānaprastha — should rigidly avoid anything related to sex and of course should never see any living entity, whether bird, insect or human, engaging in the various phases of sexual intercourse. When a man jokes with a woman, an intimate, sexually charged atmosphere is immediately created, and this should also be avoided for those aspiring to practice celibacy. Even a householder who becomes attached to such activities will also fall down into the darkness of ignorance.

The process of liberation is described in this verse. Once when Śrīla Prabhupāda was traveling by airplane, a fellow passenger, who happened to be a priest, told him that he had seen his disciples and found them “bright-faced.” Śrīla Prabhupāda was fond of relating this incident. The spirit soul is more brilliant than the sun, and as the process of spiritual purification gradually takes effect, even the external form of a devotee becomes effulgent. The glowing fire of spiritual knowledge burns to ashes the mentality of sense gratification, and one naturally becomes austere and disinterested in mundane enjoyment. Among all austerities, the best is celibacy, by which the shackles of material life immediately become slackened. One who is amala, free from material desire, is known as a pure devotee of the Lord. On the paths of jṣāna, karma and yoga the mind retains the concept of personal interest, but on the path of pure devotion the mind is trained to see only the interests of the Personality of Godhead. Thus a pure devotee of the Lord is amala, completely pure.

This verse describes the process called samāvartana, or returning to one’s home after finishing Vedic education in the āśrama of the spiritual master. One who cannot concentrate all of his desires in the devotional service of the Lord is attracted to householder life, and if this attraction is not regulated, one will fall down. Being covered by the ignorance of fruitive activities and mental speculation, a living entity seeks enjoyment outside the devotional service of the Supreme Lord and becomes a nondevotee. One who takes to family life must rigidly follow the Vedic rules and regulations in order to avoid the collapse of his spiritual determination. One who enjoys intimate sense gratification with women must become duplicitous in his dealings with others and consequently falls down from the platform of simple, pure life. When the mind is disturbed by lust, one begins to resent the principle of submission to the Supreme Personality of Godhead and His pure devotee, and the dark clouds of one’s offensive mentality completely cover the light of spiritual knowledge. One should dovetail his propensity to love someone by serving the lotus feet of a pure devotee. As stated in Vedic literature, “One who worships Govinda, Lord Kṛṣṇa, but does not worship His devotees is not to be considered an advanced Vaiṣṇava; rather, he is to be considered a proud hypocrite.”

Those who are not surrendered devotees of the Lord must rigidly observe the regulations governing one’s authorized social status. There are four social divisions of life, namely brahmacarya, gṛhastha, vānaprastha and sannyāsa. One who wants to fulfill material desires should become an ordinary householder ( gṛhastha ), establish a comfortable residence and maintain his family. One desiring to accelerate the process of purification may give up his home and business and live in a sacred place with his wife, as indicated here by the word vanam, or “forest.” There are many sacred forests in India meant for this purpose, such as Vṛndāvana and Māyāpur. The word dvijottama indicates the brāhmaṇas. Brāhmaṇas, kṣatriyas and vaiśyas are all dvija, or initiated in the Gāyatrī mantra, but the brāhmaṇa is dvijottama, or the highest among those who have received second birth by spiritual initiation. It is recommended that a purified brāhmaṇa take to the renounced order of life ( sannyāsa ), giving up further contact with his so-called wife. The brāhmaṇa is specifically mentioned here, since kṣatriyas and vaiśyas are not to take the renounced order of life. Even so, there are many stories in the Bhāgavatam wherein great kings retire with their aristocratic wives to the forest to practice the austerities of vānaprastha and thus accelerate the process of purification. The brāhmaṇas, however, may directly accept the renounced order of life.

The words āśramād āśramaṁ gacchet indicate that one may progressively move from brahmacārī life to gṛhastha life to vānaprastha life and then to sannyāsa. The words āśramād āśramam emphasize that one should never remain without an authorized social status, nor should one go backward, falling down from a higher position. Those who are not surrendered devotees of the Lord must rigidly observe such injunctions, for otherwise they will quickly become degraded, and their sins will place them outside the bounds of authorized human civilization.

Lord Kṛṣṇa emphasizes here that a nondevotee must rigidly observe the rituals and regulations of Vedic social divisions, whereas the Lord’s pure devotee, engaged twenty-four hours a day in Lord Kṛṣṇa’s mission, is transcendental to such divisions. If, however, one performs illicit activities on the strength of being transcendental to Vedic social divisions, one is revealed to be a materialistic neophyte and not an advanced devotee of the Lord. An advanced devotee, who remains aloof from material sense gratification, is not bound by the Vedic social divisions; thus even a householder may live very austerely, traveling and preaching Kṛṣṇa consciousness away from home, and even a sannyāsī may sometimes engage women in the devotional service of Lord Kṛṣṇa. The most advanced devotees cannot be restricted by the rituals and regulations of the varṇāśrama system, and they move freely around the world distributing love of Godhead. Mat-para indicates a pure devotee of the Lord who always keeps the Lord fixed in his heart and consciousness. One who falls down to become a victim of sense gratification is not fully established on the platform of mat-para and should rigidly observe the social divisions and regulations to remain steady on the platform of pious human life.

As stated in the Vedic literature,

tisro varṇānupūrvyeṇa dve tathaikā yathā-kramam brāhmaṇa-kṣatriya-viśāṁ bhāryāḥ svāḥ śūdra-janmanaḥ

The purport of this verse is that one’s first wife must always be sadṛśīm, or similar to oneself. In other words, an intellectual man should marry an intellectual wife, a heroic man should marry a heroic wife, a business minded man should marry a woman who can encourage him in such activities, and a śūdra should marry a less intelligent woman. The wife must be beyond reproach in terms of her background and character and should always be younger than oneself, ideally five to ten years younger. If one desires to marry a second wife, then, as stated in this verse by the word varṇānupūrvyeṇa and in the verse spoken by Lord Kṛṣṇa by the word anukramāt, one must wait until the first marriage is established and then select a second wife from the next-lower caste. If one marries a third time the wife must be, again, from the next-lower caste. For example, a brāhmaṇa’s first wife will be a brāhmaṇī, his second wife will be from the kṣatriya community, his third wife from the vaiśya community and fourth wife from the śūdra community. A kṣatriya may first marry a kṣatriya lady and then vaiśya and śūdra ladies. A vaiśya can accept wives from two classes, and a śūdra will accept a wife only from the śūdra class. By this progression of marriages there will be relative peace in the family. These Vedic marriage injunctions, as mentioned in the previous verse, are especially for those who are not pure devotees of the Lord.

All civilized men must participate in sacrificial performances, give charity and study the Vedic literature. The best of the twice-born, namely the brāhmaṇas, are specifically empowered to lead sacrificial performances on behalf of all members of society, teach everyone Vedic knowledge and receive everyone’s charity. Without the assistance or participation of qualified brāhmaṇas, the lower classes cannot properly study the Vedic literature, perform sacrifices or give in charity, because they do not have the required intelligence to perfectly execute such functions. When kṣatriyas and vaiśyas take shelter of bona fide brāhmaṇas, they are able to properly execute their respective duties, and society functions smoothly and efficiently.

A pure devotee of the Lord should always remember that the Supreme Personality of Godhead will personally take care of him. As the Lord states in Bhagavad-gītā (9.22) :

ananyāś cintayanto māṁ ye janāḥ paryupāsate teṣāṁ nityābhiyuktānāṁ yoga-kṣemaṁ vahāmy aham

“But those who worship Me with devotion, meditating on My transcendental form — to them I carry what they lack and preserve what they have.”

A brāhmaṇa should not become a professional beggar for his personal maintenance. In India there are many so-called brāhmaṇas who sit at the gates of important temples and beg from everyone who comes and goes. If someone does not give a donation they become angry and chase that person. Similarly, in America there are many big preachers who collect huge amounts of money by begging on television and radio. If a brāhmaṇa or Vaiṣṇava considers that being a professional beggar is weakening his austerity, destroying his spiritual influence and giving him a bad reputation, then he should give up that process. One may beg everyone to contribute to the cause of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but one will be diminished in austerity, influence and reputation by begging for one’s personal livelihood. A brāhmaṇa may then take up the task of teaching Vedic knowledge and performing sacrifice. But even such occupations do not bring one to the highest platform of trust in God. A brāhmaṇa who teaches as a means of livelihood may often be curbed in his teaching, and one who performs sacrifice may be manipulated by materialistic worshipers. In this way, a brāhmaṇa may be placed in an embarrassing and compromised position. Therefore a high-class brāhmaṇa or Vaiṣṇava ultimately will depend completely on the mercy of the Lord for his maintenance. The Lord promises to maintain His devotee, and an advanced Vaiṣṇava never doubts the word of the Lord.

One may ask why a brāhmaṇa should voluntarily accept inconvenience in keeping his body and soul together. In this verse the Lord explains that advanced human life is meant for serious austerity and not for insignificant sense gratification. By spiritual advancement one is fixed in transcendental bliss on the spiritual platform and gives up useless absorption in the temporary material body. One should remain detached from the material body, accepting only the bare necessities of life. The brāhmaṇas, by accepting a troublesome form of livelihood, never forget that the material body is destined to grow old, become diseased and die in misery. Thus remaining alert and transcendental, an advanced brāhmaṇa, at the end of this life, goes back home, back to Godhead, where he enjoys unlimited spiritual bliss. Without such higher awareness, how can one be considered a qualified brāhmaṇa?

Those devotees engaged twenty-four hours a day in spreading the mission of Lord Kṛṣṇa are beyond the platform of renunciation or sense gratification because they engage everything in Lord Kṛṣṇa’s service. A pure devotee of the Lord eats only to get strength for serving the Lord and does not accept either sumptuous or meager food simply for the body’s sake. However, everything may be accepted for the Lord, even sumptuous meals. A brāhmaṇa who is not working day and night to spread the glories of the Lord should feel embarrassed to eat sumptuously for his personal sense gratification, but a renounced Vaiṣṇava preacher may accept invitations from all classes of pious people, and just to bless their homes he will eat the opulent foods they offer to him. Similarly, he sometimes eats sumptuously to get strength for defeating atheists and impersonalists. As stated in Vedic literature, one cannot be a highly qualified brāhmaṇa unless one becomes a devotee of the Lord. And among the devotees, those who are preaching Kṛṣṇa consciousness are the best, as confirmed by the Lord Himself in the Eighteenth Chapter of Bhagavad-gītā.

Mahāntam refers to magnanimous religious principles such as very hospitably receiving guests, even those who are uninvited and unexpected. Householders must always be magnanimous and charitable to others, being alert to curb unnecessary affection and attachment in family life. In the past, very renounced brāhmaṇa householders would collect grains that had fallen on the ground in the marketplace or those that had been left behind in the fields after harvesting. The most important item here is mayy arpitātmā, or fixing the mind in Lord Kṛṣṇa. Despite his material situation, anyone who constantly meditates upon the Lord can become a liberated soul. As stated in Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (1.2.187):

īhā yasya harer dāsye karmaṇā manasā girā nikhilāsv api avasthāsu jīvan-muktaḥ sa ucyate

“A person acting in Kṛṣṇa consciousness [or, in other words, in the service of Kṛṣṇa] with his body, mind, intelligence and words is a liberated person, even within the material world, although he may be engaged in many so-called material activities.”

The Lord has described how brāhmaṇas and devotees achieve the perfection of life, and now a similar perfection is offered to those who utilize their materialistic wealth to relieve the poverty-stricken condition of devotees and brāhmaṇas. Although one may neglect the devotional service of the Lord to pursue a material life of sense gratification, one can rectify one’s position by dedicating one’s hard-earned money to the service of the Lord. Seeing the difficult austerities accepted by saintly persons, a pious person should make arrangements for their comfort. Just as a boat saves hopeless people who have fallen into the ocean, similarly, the Lord uplifts persons who have hopelessly fallen into the ocean of material attachment if they have been charitable to the brāhmaṇas and devotees.

Lord Kṛṣṇa, having concluded His discussion of brahminical duties, now describes the character and activities of a king. Protecting all of the citizens from difficulty is an essential duty for the king.

Śva-vṛttyā, or “a dog’s profession,” refers to the śūdras, who cannot live without accepting a master. A destitute brāhmaṇa who is suffering intolerably may become a merchant and then a kṣatriya but may never take the position of a śūdra by working in a company or accepting a master. Although a kṣatriya is ordinarily considered more elevated than a vaiśya, the Lord here recommends that distressed brāhmaṇas first accept the vaiśya occupation, since it is not violent.

The Lord again discusses the duties of those in the household order of life. Obviously, the five ritualistic daily sacrifices mentioned here are meant for those who are not pure devotees of the Lord and who thus have to counteract their exploitation of material nature by the abovementioned sacrifices. The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) is training householders, sannyāsīs, brahmacārīs and vānaprasthas to engage twenty-four hours a day in the loving service of the Lord. Those who are full-time missionary workers in ISKCON have no further obligations or sacrifices to perform, as confirmed in the Eleventh Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (11.5.41) :

devarṣi-bhūtāpta-nṛṇāṁ pitṝṇāṁ na kiṅkaro nāyam ṛṇī ca rājan sarvātmanā yaḥ śaraṇaṁ śaraṇyaṁ gato mukundaṁ parihṛtya kartam

“Anyone who has taken shelter at the lotus feet of Mukunda, the giver of liberation, giving up all kinds of obligation, and has taken to the path in all seriousness, owes neither duties nor obligations to the demigods, sages, general living entities, family members, humankind or forefathers.”

The Lord here describes the religious duties that are to be performed as far as possible, according to one’s means, and when there is opportunity.