Caste Brahmanas: Difference between revisions
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:smārta-brāhmaṇas, caste brāhmaṇas | |||
[[Category:Caste]] | [[Category:Caste]] | ||
[[Category:Intellectual Class - Brahmana]] | |||
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Latest revision as of 22:24, 24 June 2017
"smarta-brahmana" | "smarta-brahmanas" | "caste brahmana" | "caste brahmanas"
- smārta-brāhmaṇas, caste brāhmaṇas
Subcategories
This category has the following 3 subcategories, out of 3 total.
Pages in category "Caste Brahmanas"
The following 148 pages are in this category, out of 148 total.
A
- A brahmana is not supposed to offer his obeisances by falling flat before anyone because a brahmana is considered to be in the highest caste. However, when a brahmana sees a devotee, he offers his dandavats
- A class of men, who claim brahminical qualification simply by their birthright in the family of a brahmana, claim that the study of the Vedas is a monopoly of the brahmana caste only
- A common man must execute the rules & regulations of varnasrama-dharma by working in his prescribed duty according to the caste system (brahmana, ksatriya, vaisya and sudra) and the spiritual-order system - brahmacarya, grhastha, vanaprastha and sannyasa
- A pure Vaisnava is not subject to the rules and regulations of the smarta-brahmanas. That was the reason for Advaita Acarya’s stating, apanara sama more karibara tare: to raise Me to Your own standard
- According to smarta-brahmanas, a person not born in a brahmana family could not be elevated to the position of a brahmana. Sanatana Gosvami, however, says that anyone can be elevated to the position of a brahmana by the process of initiation
- According to the Vedic system there are four castes - the brahmanas, ksatriyas, vaisyas and sudras - and below them are the pancamas (literally - members of the fifth group), who are lower than the sudras
- According to Vedic culture, anyone who does not follow the regulative principles observed by the higher castes (the brahmanas, ksatriyas and vaisyas) or even those observed by the laborer class (the sudras) is called a mleccha or yavana
- Actually the caste brahmanas of the smarta community are opposed to the principles of the Satvata-pancaratra. Furthermore, there are many Mayavadis and those overly addicted to material sense enjoyment
- Addressing him (Gargamuni) very politely, he (Nanda) said, “My dear brahmana, your appearance in a householder’s place is only to enlighten. We are always engaged in household duties and are forgetting our real duty of self-realization"
- Advaita Acarya said, "feeding you is equal to feeding ten million brahmanas. Therefore, accept this sraddha-patra." Thus Advaita Acarya made him eat
- Advaita Acarya, although a grhastha, was initiated by Madhavendra Puri, and many devotees born in caste brahmana familes were initiated by Sri Rasikananda (a disciple of Sri Syamananda Prabhu), although Rasikananda was not born in a brahmana family
- After offering the used articles to the singers and reciters, Vasudeva and his wives, dressed with new ornaments and garments, fed everyone very sumptuously, from the brahmanas down to the dogs
- After the brahmanas are fed, it is the custom for the host, with their permission, to accept prasadam. Thus, with the permission of the brahmanas, all the members of the Yadu dynasty took lunch
- All the sannyasis in the Krsna consciousness movement, who are preaching all over the world, are regular brahmana-sannyasis. Thus the so-called caste brahmanas should not object to offering them respectful obeisances
- Although your father and uncle are charitable to brahmanas and greatly help them, they are nevertheless not pure Vaisnavas. However, they are almost like Vaisnavas
- Among the dayitas there are many who come from the brahmana caste. Those dayitas coming from the brahmana families are called dayita-patis, or leaders of the dayitas
- Another section of the people take this (that the study of the Vedas is a monopoly of the brahmana caste only) as an injustice to members of other castes, who do not happen to take birth in a brahmana family. But both of them are misguided
- As the ideal Supreme Personality, He (Krsna) fulfilled the desires of everyone, from the brahmanas, the highest persons in human society, down to the ordinary living entities, including the lowest of men
- At that time, five hundred years ago, the Hindu society was very rigid, and if a member of the brahmana caste accepted the service of a Muhammadan ruler he was at once rejected from brahmana society
B
- Before the birth takes place, or before father and mother unite, there is a ceremony called garbhadhana-samskara, which must be adopted. This garbhadhana-samskara is especially recommended for higher castes, especially the brahmana caste
- Bhagavata-dharma means living according to the instructions of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In Bhagavad-gita we find that the Supreme Lord has arranged human society in four social divisions, namely brahmana, ksatriya, vaisya and sudra
- Brahmin does not mean caste. Brahmin means one who knows the Supreme Brahman. He is Brahmin
- By offering such obeisances (to the sannyasis of the Krsna consciousness movement), as recommended by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, they (caste brahmanas) will diminish their offenses and automatically awaken to their natural position of devotional service
D
- Damodara Pandita again and again forbade the son of the brahmana to visit the Lord, but the boy could not bear staying home and not seeing Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu
- Despite all protests from so-called Hindus and members of the brahmana caste, we are propagating the Krsna consciousness movement all over the world, according to the injunctions of the sastras and the order of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu
- Devotees like Acaryaratna, Acaryanidhi, Nandana Acarya, Raghava Pandita and Srivasa were all of the brahmana caste
- Devotees who actually engage in devotional service with faith and love are inspired by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Vaisnavas are never concerned with ritualistic smarta-brahmanas
- Durvasa Muni, a caste brahmana and great yogi, used to hate Maharaja Ambarisa. When he decided to chastise Maharaja Ambarisa through his yogic powers, he was chased by the Sudarsana cakra of the Supreme Personality of Godhead
E
- Education or learning means to understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead; therefore, although Lord Balarama appeared on the earth as a ksatriya, all the brahmanas and sages stood up because they knew who Lord Balarama was
- Especially in every brahmana’s house there must be a salagrama-sila to be worshiped by the brahmana family. This system is still current. People who are brahmanas by caste, who are born in a brahmana family, must worship the salagrama-sila
- Even a ksatriya could not contact a woman of the brahmana caste
- Even the so-called saints and higher castes of the social orders, generally known as the dvija janas or the twice-born, will become atheists. As such, all of them will practically forget even the holy name of the Lord, and what to speak of His activities
- Even to date, in a Hindu family a woman shows proper respect to the brahmana caste, however fallen and heinous a brahma-bandhu may be
F
- Followers of the smrti-sastra are called smartas. Most of them are nondevotees, and their main business is following the brahminical principles strictly. However, they are not enlightened in devotional service
- Formerly, especially in Bengal, the higher castes (namely the brahmanas, ksatriyas and vaisyas) observed four months after the birth of a child as a quarantine. At the end of the fourth month, the mother could see the sun rise
- Formerly, the members of the higher castes - the brahmanas, ksatriyas and vaisyas (everyone but the sudras) - were trained in the guru-kula to adhere to a life of renunciation and sense control by practicing brahmacarya and mystic yoga
- From the statement of Sukracarya (in SB 8.19.33), it appears that he was in all respects a smarta-brahmana interested only in personal gain
H
- Haridasa must have committed suicide by drinking poison, and because of this sinful act, he has now become a brahmana ghost
- Haridasa Thakura replied, "Immediately go home and distribute to the brahmanas whatever property you have. Then come back to this room and stay here forever in Krsna consciousness"
- Haridasa Thakura was born in a Muslim family and was later recognized as a great Vaisnava, but nevertheless the brahmanas were very critical of him
- He (Balarama) again went to the holy place of pilgrimage at Naimisaranya, and the sages, saintly persons and brahmanas all stood up to receive Him
- He (Balarama) took His bath there (the place of pilgrimage known as Prabhasa-ksetra), and He pacified the local brahmanas and offered oblations to the demigods, Pitas, great sages and people in general, in accordance with Vedic ritualistic ceremonies
- He (Diksita Maharaja, the head of the Vallabha sampradaya of Bombay) is a life member of our Society, and although he is a learned scholar in the brahminical caste tradition, he accepts our Society & considers its members bona fide devotees of Lord Visnu
- He (Nityananda Prabhu) threw the remnants of food on the ground, and some of these remnants touched the body of Advaita Acarya. Advaita Acarya accepted this happily because He presented Himself as a member of the community of smarta-brahmanas
- He (Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami) claims that the smarta-samaja, which is strictly followed by caste brahmanas, has influenced portions that Gopala Bhatta Gosvami collected from the original Hari-bhakti-vilasa
- He (the author of Caitanya-caritamrta) says - Let the neophyte devotees - the devotees who are very expert in arguing though they have no sense of advanced devotional service, who think themselves very advanced because they imitate some smarta-brahmana
I
- If it is asked, “Why don’t the householders go to a saintly person or a brahmana for enlightenment?” the answer is that householders are very poor-hearted"
- If this (Varnasrama) system is neglected & the qualities & divisions of society are not considered, the result will be brahma-vit-ksatra-sudranam yo bali bhavita nrpah: the so-called caste system of brahmana, ksatriya, vaisya & sudra will be meaningless
- In India in those days and even until fifty years ago, polygamy was freely allowed. Any man, especially of the higher castes - the brahmanas, the vaisyas and particularly the ksatriyas - could marry more than one wife
- In India nowadays there is a great movement for removing the caste system because the higher caste, brahmanas, they are claiming, due to their birthright, higher position, and the others, they are in inconvenience
- In India the caste brahmanas have become enemies of the Krsna consciousness movement because we elevate foreigners, who are supposed to be mlecchas and yavanas, to the position of brahmanas
- In India, the caste brahmanas object greatly when persons from other castes, who are not born in brahmana families, recite this pranava mantra
- In Jagannatha Puri there was a young boy who had been born of an Orissan brahmana but had later lost his father. The boy's features were very beautiful, and his behavior was extremely gentle
- In Kali-yuga, caste brahmanas are accepted as brahmanas
- In order to distinguish this class of men (caste brahmanas) from the real brahmanas, Maharaja Prthu is giving an exact description of a brahmana and brahminical culture
- In our KC society, some of the members are very anxious to introduce worship of the salagrama-sila, but we have purposely refrained from introducing it because most of the members of the KCM do not originally come from families of the brahmana caste
- In the ordinary course of dealing, this was not very unnatural, but in the case of Maharaja Pariksit's dealing with a brahmana sage, this was certainly unprecedented. It so happened by the will of the Lord
- In this age there are many so-called caste brahmanas and caste Gosvamis who, taking advantage of the sastra and of the innocence of people in general, claim to be brahmanas and Vaisnavas by hereditary right
- In this particularly holy place (Setubandha), Lord Balarama distributed ten thousand cows to the local brahmana priests
- In those days (of Lord Caitanya) also, the caste brahmanas were very proud. They were not prepared to accept chastisement even from a teacher or spiritual master
- It is a prejudice among smarta-brahmanas that a widow must observe fasting on Ekadasi but a woman who is sa-dhava - who has her husband - should not. It appears that before Lord Caitanya’s request, Sacimata, being sa-dhava, was not observing Ekadasi
M
- Mahabharata especially was written for three classes of men. What are those? Stri, sudra, dvija-bandhu. Stri means woman, sudra means worker class, and dvija-bandhu means persons who have taken their birth in higher caste, but they're degraded
- Medical man. Nobody asks him, "Are you a brahmin? Then I make my treatment with you." Nobody asks that. So this is the sastric injunction. Then later on this caste brahmanism, sudra-ism made the whole thing, whole Hindu culture, Vedic culture, spoiled
N
- Nityananda Prabhu had nothing to do with the rules governing smarta-brahmanas. Thus under pretense of condemning Him, Advaita Acarya was actually praising Him
- Not only do the householder caste gosvamis disrespect the title gosvami, but also, following the principles of the smarta Raghunandana, they exhibit great foolishness by burning a straw image of Advaita Acarya in a sraddha ceremony
O
- O great sage, we are all eager to know the cause for this mercy of the Lord. I have heard that formerly a king named Vena blasphemed the Supreme Personality of Godhead and that all the brahmanas consequently obliged him to go to hell
- O hero's wife, kindly tell me if someone has offended you. I am prepared to give such a person punishment as long as he does not belong to the brahmana caste. But for the servant of Muraripu (Krsna), I excuse no one within or beyond these three worlds
- One will not derive any benefit by rendering service to such false brahmana-kulas - caste brahmanas
- Other residents of the world does not refer only to those who are exactly like the Indian brahmanas and ksatriyas, or like the caste brahmanas, who claim to be brahmanas because they were born in the families of brahmanas
S
- Seeing His (Caitany's) anger, the foolish student, who was an ordinary atheistic smarta-brahmana, foolishly misjudged Him. Thus he and a party of students were ready to strike the Lord in retaliation
- Smarta-brahmanas and Mayavadis do not believe that one can achieve liberation in this way (by chanting the holy name of the Lord), but the truth of Haridasa Thakura's statement is supported by many quotations from Srimad-Bhagavatam
- Some high-caste brahmanas and gosvamis refuse to take prasadam in the temples of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. Actually this is against the instruction of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu
- Some offered Him (Balarama) respects by standing up and then paying obeisances, and those who were elderly great sages and brahmanas offered Him blessings after standing up
- Sometimes caste brahmanas argue that unless one changes his body he cannot be accepted as a brahmana, for since the present body is obtained as a result of past actions, one who has in the past acted as a brahmana takes birth in a brahmana family
- Sometimes it is said, brahmanah panditah. Pandita means a highly learned person. A brahmana cannot be foolish or uneducated. Therefore there are two divisions of brahmanas, namely Vaisnavas and panditas
- Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu expected that even the caste brahmanas would offer respectful obeisances to a sannyasi because five hundred years ago the social custom was to offer obeisances immediately to any sannyasi, known or unknown
- Sridhara Svami especially remarks in this connection, anena pujyatvam laksyate. Some caste brahmanas remark that by chanting Hare Krsna, purification begins
- Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura remarks that although the brahmana (who cooked for Lord Caitanya) did not belong to a superior community, he fearlessly chastised so-called caste brahmanas because he was situated on the platform of pure ds
- Sukadeva Gosvami especially recommends that those who are brahmanas (sucayah) recite all these mantras (verses in the Vedic literature) after rising from bed in the morning
T
- That is a natural arrangement made by the supreme order, for it is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gita that four social orders or castes, namely the brahmanas, the ksatriyas, the vaisyas and the sudras, are set up according to quality and work done by them
- The author of Sri Caitanya-caritamrta says - I beg their pardon (who imitate some smarta-brahmana) with great humility, but I am submitting that I personally have no desire to add or subtract anything
- The author of Sri Caitanya-caritamrta says - let such devotees (who imitate some smarta-brahmana) not be displeased with me, thinking that I have committed errors in this regard
- The brahmacari, especially from the higher castes, namely from the scholarly parents (the brahmanas), the administrative parents (the ksatriyas), or the mercantile or productive parents (the vaisyas), is trained until twenty-five years of age
- The brahmana boy considered Maharaja Pariksit to be kulangara, or the wretched of the dynasty, but factually the brahmana boy himself was so because only from him did the brahmana caste become powerless, like the snake whose poisoned teeth are broken
- The brahmana said, "The present King, Ugrasena, is envious of the brahmanas!" The exact word used in this connection is brahma-dvisah. One who is envious of the Vedas, of a qualified brahmana or of the brahmana caste is called brahma-dvis
- The brahmanas could understand the purpose of the Lord (Balarama), and thus they suggested that He atone in a manner beneficial to them
- The brothers Jagai and Madhai belonged to the brahmana caste, and their residence was in the holy place of Navadvipa. They never served low-class persons, nor were they instruments to abominable activities
- The difference between a Vaisnava and a smarta-brahmana. A smarta-brahmana is always interested in material profit, whereas a Vaisnava is interested only in satisfying the Supreme Personality of Godhead
- The downfall of the brahminical powers began as they gave importance to birthright without culture. The downfall of the brahmana caste began in the age of Kali
- The European and American devotees in the Krsna consciousness movement are sometimes accepted as brahmanas, but the so-called caste brahmanas are very much envious of them
- The exact word used in this connection is brahma-vidam, which means those who know the Supreme very well. An expert brahmana is able to give reformatory facilities to the subcastes - the ksatriyas and vaisyas. Sudras observe no reformatory performances
- The first samskara, the garbhadhana-samskara, or child-begetting samskara, is compulsory, especially for the higher castes, the brahmanas and the ksatriyas
- The four castes (the brahmanas, ksatriyas, vaisyas and sudras) are created by the Supreme Personality of Godhead according to the material modes of nature and the particular duties discharged in those modes
- The higher castes - the brahmanas, the ksatriyas and even the vaisyas - were known as brahmana-saj-jana
- The higher castes, namely the brahmanas, ksatriyas and vaisyas, observed only twenty-one days as a quarantine (for the mother, after the birth of the child), whereas the sudras had to observe thirty days
- The higher castes, the brahmanas, ksatriyas especially, and the vaisyas also, they must observe the dasa-veda samskara, ten kinds of reformatory methods. The first method is garbadhana-samskara
- The higher-caste men, namely the brahmanas and ksatriyas, could accept a woman of the vaisya or the sudra community, but a man from the lower castes could not contact a woman of the higher caste
- The inhabitants of Kulina-grama, such as Satyaraja Khan and Ramananda Vasu, were not brahmanas by caste, nor were the inhabitants of Khanda, such as Mukunda dasa, Narahari dasa and Raghunandana
- The inhabitants of Naimisaranya, learned sages and brahmanas, became most pleased by seeing this, and they offered their respectful prayers to Lord Balarama
- The Lord is very fond of devotees, or brahmanas. This does not refer to so-called caste brahmanas, but to qualified brahmanas
- The monistic disciples of the Mayavada school (known as smarta-brahmanas) are generally householder brahmanas who accept the Mayavadi sannyasis as Narayana incarnate; therefore they offer their obeisances to them
- The other palanquin carriers were sudras, whereas Jada Bharata was not only a high-caste brahmana but also a great devotee. Sudras do not sympathize with other living beings, but a Vaisnava cannot act like a sudra
- The residents of Vrndavana and Mathura are devotees of Krsna in parental affection, and their feelings always conflict with the opinions of smarta-brahmanas
- The sages and brahmanas then performed a ceremonial bathing of Lord Balarama, just as the demigods bathe King Indra when he is victorious over the demons
- The sages said, "Because You (Balarama) desired to kill him, he should not be brought to life again. At the same time, You may remember that we sages and brahmanas voluntarily gave him long life; therefore, such a benediction should not be nullified"
- The sages said, "Dear Lord Yadunandana, we may inform You that we brahmanas posted Romaharsana Suta on that exalted position for the duration of this great sacrifice"
- The sages said, "We (the sages) awarded Romaharsana Suta an undisturbed duration of life. Under the circumstances, since Your Lordship (Balarama) has killed him without knowing all these facts, we think that Your action is equal to killing a brahmana"
- The Sankara-sampradaya awards the sannyasa order only to caste brahmanas, or born brahmanas, but in the Vaisnava system even one not born in a brahmana family may be made a brahmana according to the direction of the Hari-bhakti-vilasa
- The smarta-brahmanas reject the fact that maha-prasadam (food offered to the Deity) is transcendental and materially uncontaminated
- The smartas, they are thinking like that, "How these mlecchas and yavanas can become a brahmana?" But they do not know that by Krsna consciousness one can jump over. Mayam etam taranti te. Daivi hy esa gunamayi mama maya duratyaya. Maya is very strong
- The words apanara sama indicate that Advaita Acarya considered Himself to belong to the smarta-brahmanas, and He considered Nityananda Prabhu to be on the transcendental stage with pure Vaisnavas
- Then Lord Krsna warned His friends, "These brahmanas are not Vaisnavas. They cannot even chant Our names, 'Krsna' and 'Balarama.' They are very busy in chanting the Vedic hymns, although the purpose of Vedic knowledge is to find Me"
- There (Pancapsarasa) also He bathed according to the regulative principles and observed the ritualistic ceremonies. This site is also celebrated as a shrine of Lord Visnu; therefore Lord Balarama distributed ten thousand cows to the local brahmana priests
- There are also nondevotees who compose unauthorized songs, who establish different temples for money, who worship the Deity as priests for salaries, who accept caste brahmanism as all in all, and who do not know the value of a pure Vaisnava
- There is a difference between the smarta process and the gosvami process. According to the smarta process, one cannot be accepted as a brahmana unless he is born in a brahmana family
- There is a hereditary class of brahmanas called the smarta-brahmanas who are of the opinion that even if such persons who are chanting the holy name of the Lord are accepted as purified, they still have to perform the Vedic rites
- There is a persistent misunderstanding between caste brahmanas and advanced Vaisnavas, or gosvamis, because caste brahmanas, or smartas, are of the opinion that one cannot become a brahmana unless he changes his body
- There is always a difference of opinion between a smarta-brahmana and a Vaisnava gosvami. There are even smarta opinions and Vaisnava gosvami opinions available in astrological and astronomical calculations
- There may be caste brahmanas, and we have all respect for them, but their birth in brahmana families does not mean that they are qualified to bestow blessings upon the other members of human society. This is the verdict of the sastras
- Thereafter, the prostitute distributed to the brahmanas whatever household possessions she had, following the order of her spiritual master
- These servants (of Lord Jagannatha) do not come from very high-caste families (brahmanas, ksatriyas or vaisyas), but because they are engaged in the service of the Lord, they have been elevated to a respected position. Thus they are known as dayitas
- They (caste brahmanas) contend, without such a brahminical body, one cannot be accepted as a brahmana
- They (pasandis) do not like the idea that others should also develop spiritual qualities, because this would curb their false pride in having taken birth in families of the elevated brahmana caste, with a monopoly on spiritual activities
- They (Rupa and Sanatana) actually belonged to the brahmana caste. Unfortunately, because of being associated with the Muslim governmental service, their customs and behavior resembled those of the Muslims. Therefore they presented themselves as nica-jati
- They (sages of Naimisaranya) understood that Lord Balarama, although a ksatriya, was now retired from the fighting business. The brahmanas and sages, who were always for peace and tranquillity, were very much pleased at this
- They accused, "Nimai Pandita alone has spoiled the entire country, He wants to strike a caste brahmana. He has no fear of religious principles
- They created a caste of gosvamins, just like they created a caste of brahmins. So this gosvami will come by hereditary birth, just like brahmin. So Bhaktivinoda Thakura was very sorry to see the condition of the society
- They were not very well educated, although they heard all sorts of knowledge from the brahmanas, the authorities of Vedic knowledge. The gopis' only purpose was to remain always absorbed in thoughts of Krsna
- This (Caitanya delivered Jagai and Madhai) was so because, despite the fact that they were addicted to sinful activity, in other ways their life was brilliant. They belonged to the brahmana caste of Navadvipa, and such brahmanas were pious by nature
- This has always been the system (the brahmanas are always honored first), and it is still prevalent in India, even though the caste brahmanas are not qualified. The system is still current due to the varnasrama institutional rules and regulations
- This system of brahmanas, ksatriyas, vaisyas and sudras has now become vitiated as the present caste system in India, but it appears that this system has been current a very long time, since it is mentioned in Srimad-Bhagavatam and Bhagavad-gita
- This system of visiting places of pilgrimage and providing the local brahmana priests with all necessities of life has greatly deteriorated in this Age of Kali
W
- We train them in austerities and penances and recognize them as brahmanas by awarding them sacred threads. Thus the caste brahmanas of India are very displeased by our activities in the Western world
- When Lord Balarama arrived, all the participants in the meeting (at Naimisaranya) - great sages, ascetics, brahmanas and learned scholars - immediately arose from their seats and welcomed Him with great honor and respect
- When Lord Balarama returned to Prabhasa-tirtha, He heard from the brahmanas that most of the ksatriyas in the Battle of Kuruksetra had been killed. Balarama felt relieved to hear that the burden of the world had been reduced
- When the brahmana caste degraded themselves other members of society also gradually fell down from the social standard of progressive life
- When the brahmana class or caste gradually became easygoing, being fed by the society although they had no brahminical qualifications, they degraded themselves into brahma-bandhus, or disqualified brahmanas
- When the King (Yudhisthira) and the Queen finished their bath in the Ganges, all the other citizens, consisting of all the varnas, or castes - the brahmanas, ksatriyas, vaisyas and sudras - took their baths in the Ganges
- When we established a Krsna-Balarama temple in Vrndavana, we were obliged to have Vedic ceremonies enacted by brahmanas because the inhabitants of Vrndavana, especially the smarta-brahmanas, would not accept Europeans and Americans as bona fide brahmanas