SB 05.05.23 na brahmanais tulaye bhutam anyat... cited

Expressions researched:
"asnami kamam na tathagni-hotre" |"na brahmanais tulaye bhutam anyat" |"pasyami viprah kim atah param tu" |"yasmin nrbhih prahutam sraddhayaham"

SB Canto 5

SB 5.5.23, Translation and Purport:

O respectful brāhmaṇas, as far as I am concerned, no one is equal or superior to the brāhmaṇas in this world. I do not find anyone comparable to them. When people know My motive after performing rituals according to the Vedic principles, they offer food to Me with faith and love through the mouth of a brāhmaṇa. When food is thus offered unto Me, I eat it with full satisfaction. Indeed, I derive more pleasure from food offered in that way than from the food offered in the sacrificial fire.

According to the Vedic system, after the sacrificial ceremony the brāhmaṇas are invited to eat the remnants of the offered food. When the brāhmaṇas eat the food, it is to be considered directly eaten by the Supreme Lord. Thus no one can be compared to qualified brāhmaṇas. The perfection of evolution is to be situated on the brahminical platform. Any civilization not based on brahminical culture or guided by brāhmaṇas is certainly a condemned civilization. Presently human civilization is based on sense gratification, and consequently more and more people are becoming addicted to different types of things. No one respects brahminical culture. Demoniac civilization is attached to ugra-karma, horrible activities, and big industries are created to satisfy unfathomable lusty desires. Consequently the people are greatly harassed by governmental taxation. The people are irreligious and do not perform the sacrifices recommended in Bhagavad-gītā. Yajñād bhavati parjanyaḥ: (BG 3.14) by the performance of sacrifice, clouds form and rain falls. Due to sufficient rainfall, there is sufficient production of food. Guided by the brāhmaṇas, society should follow the principles of Bhagavad-gītā. Then people will become very happy. Annād bhavanti bhūtāni: when animals and man are sufficiently fed with grains, they become stronger, their hearts become tranquil and their brains peaceful. They can then advance in spiritual life, life's ultimate destination.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Lecture on SB 5.5.23 -- Vrndavana, November 10, 1976:

Pradyumna: "O respectful brāhmaṇas, as far as I am concerned, no one is equal or superior to the brāhmaṇas in this world. I do not find anyone comparable to them. When people know My motive, after performing rituals according to the Vedic principles they offer food to Me with faith and love through the mouth of a brāhmaṇa. When food is thus offered unto Me, I eat it with full satisfaction. Indeed, I derive more pleasure from food offered in that way than from the food offered in the sacrificial fire."

Prabhupāda:

na brāhmaṇais tulaye bhūtam anyat

paśyāmi viprāḥ kim ataḥ paraṁ tu

yasmin nṛbhiḥ prahutaṁ śraddhayāham

aṣnāmi kāmaṁ na tathāgni-hotre

(SB 5.5.23)

So Ṛṣabhadeva is teaching us what is the value of brahminical culture. Human society without brahminical culture is animal society. We offer our obeisances to the Lord, namo brāhmaṇya-devāya go-brāhmaṇa-hitāya ca. Kṛṣṇa is first of all interested to see whether in the society the brāhmaṇa and the cow is properly respected. Namo brāhmaṇya-devāya go-brāhmaṇa-hitāya ca. His first business is to see that the brāhmaṇa and cow is being properly honored. Then jagad-dhitāya. Then automatically the whole world will be peaceful. This secret of success they do not know. Nobody is prepared to become brāhmaṇa, and so far cow protection is concerned, it is in the oblivion. This is the whole world position. Therefore it is in chaotic condition. It must be, because this is animal society. When these two things are neglected, it is animal society, and then other animal qualities and paraphernalia follow.

Therefore Ṛṣabhadeva personally speaking that na brāhmaṇais tulaye bhūtam anyat (SB 5.5.23). There are 8,400,000 of living entities, and as we have studied yesterday, how gradually evolution comes, elevated. So here it is the conclusion, the evolution must come to the topmost platform of brahminical culture. Satya śamo dama titikṣa ārjavaṁ, jñānaṁ vijñānam āstikyaṁ brahma-karma svabhāva-jam (BG 18.42). Now people are not at all interested. If you advertise that "We are opening one gurukula where brahminical culture will be instructed. Send your boys," nobody will send. They are not concerned anymore that "My son should be truthful, self-controlled, mind controlled," śama dama. Śama means mind-control, śamata, and dama means sense-control. Without controlling the mind, how you can control the senses? The yoga system is practiced to control the mind, to control the senses, because we have to evolve from animal platform to brāhmaṇa platform or spiritual platform, sattva-guṇa.

tato rājas-tamo-bhāvāḥ

kāma-lobhādayaś ca ye

ceta etair anāviddhaṁ

sthitaṁ sattve prasīdati

(SB 1.2.19)

Unless we control the base qualities, namely the modes of ignorance and passion, you cannot be happy. It is not possible. Tato rājas-tamo-bhāvāḥ. Rājas tamo-bhāvāḥ means kāma and lobhā. So long I have lusty desire and so long I have greediness to acquire more and more and more, to enjoy senses more and more That is greediness. One should be satisfied, the minimum possible.

Lecture on SB 5.5.23 -- Vrndavana, November 10, 1976:

There are three guṇas—sattva-guṇa, rajo-guṇa, tamo-guṇa. If you remain in the lower platforms, tamo-guṇa, rajo-guṇa... Tamo-guṇa, rajo-guṇa means, as I have already explained, greediness and lust, desires. That is tamo-guṇa, rajo-guṇa. Tato rājas-tamo-bhava kāma-lobhādayaś ca ye. What is that rajo-guṇa, tamo-guṇa? Now, kama, lusty desires, and greediness, not satisfied with the minimum necessities of life, want to increase more and more, more and more. That is called greediness. The Vedic civilization teaches that "Be satisfied with the minimum necessities of life. Don't increase unnecessary necessities of life, and then you have to work for it very hard like hogs and dogs." That's all. Then you have to work very... Modern world, they have increased their unnecessary necessities of life, and therefore you'll find how hard working. In European and American cities we have seen how people are working very hard, beginning from morning at five o'clock till four o'clock next night, for sense gratification. So this is not civilization. This is condemned civilization. Nāyaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛloke kaṣṭān kāmān arhate viḍ-bhujāṁ ye (SB 5.5.1). This is not civilization. This is animal civilization, working so hard day and night for eating. That is the business of the hogs and dogs. You will find the hogs and dog, they are loitering on the street whole day and night: "Where is food? Where is sex?" That is not civilization. They must be peaceful brāhmaṇa. Of course, not that everyone can be elevated to the position of a brāhmaṇa, but at least they must have the chance to see that "Here is a class of men, brāhmaṇa." That is wanted. Otherwise the civilization is failure.

Therefore it is said, na brāhmaṇais tulaye bhūtam anyat (SB 5.5.23). Actual brāhmaṇa, not the so-called brāhmaṇa, that was the Vedic culture. Just like Kṛṣṇa Himself. He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. When He received Sudāmā Vipra, a brāhmaṇa, He immediately vacated His own seat: "My dear friend, sit down here." And Kṛṣṇa's first wife?

Devotee: Rukmiṇī.

Lecture on SB 5.5.23 -- Vrndavana, November 10, 1976:

Here also said, na brāhmaṇais tulaye bhūtam anyat (SB 5.5.23). Namo brāhmaṇya-devāya go brāhmaṇa-hitāya ca. So when Kṛṣṇa takes care of you, He..., attention is on you. Then who can...? Māyā's... There is no strength of māyā to touch you. Mām eva ye prapadyante māyām etāṁ taranti te (BG 7.14). Māyā may be there. Police may be there. Police is there, so what business I have got with the police if I am honest? If I am properly observing the rules and regulation of the government, what business police has got to touch me? Māyā is there. Māyā must be there. Māyā... (aside:) Don't stop... Māyā is there, but it does not mean māyā can touch you if you are actually surrendered to Kṛṣṇa. Mām eva ye prapadyante māyām etāṁ taranti te (BG 7.14). So here it is (aside:) Sitting there. So Kṛṣṇa personally will take care. And to come to the brāhmaṇa stage, this is also Everything is described. Everything is prescribed. If you have to follow again and again We can come to the brāhmaṇa stage by a simple method, as we are practicing, that nityaṁ bhāgavata. Naṣṭa-prāyeṣu abhadreṣu nityaṁ bhāgavata-sevayā (SB 1.2.18). Bhāgavata-sevayā. The book Bhāgavata and the person bhāgavata. Person bhāgavata, the guru, is the symbolic representation of person bhāgavata, whose life is bhāgavata and book Bhāgavata. So you have to serve two bhāgavata, nityaṁ bhāgavata, not the bhāgavata-saptāha. This is another cheating. Nityaṁ bhāgavata-sevayā. There is no such thing as bhāgavata-saptāha in authoritative literature. They have manufactured as a business. But bhāgavata should be served nityam. Nityaṁ bhāgavata.