Picking up the brahmanas
Expressions researched:
"we are picking up some of them, best"
|"We are picking up first-class brain"
|"we are picking up from everywhere brahmanas,"
|"picking up where there are brahminical class of boys, girls, men"
|"We are picking up persons who desire to be Krsna conscious"
|"we are picking up the brahmanas"
|"picking up who are the brahmanas"
|"picking up of the brahmanas"
|"pick"
|"picking"
|"brahmana"
|"brahmanas"
|"picked"
|"brahmanas"
Lectures
Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures
Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures
So now this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is picking up who are the brāhmaṇas. They mixed up. They are mixed up. So long there was no picking up of the brāhmaṇas. Now, by this movement, Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, we are picking up the brāhmaṇas. Because there is need of brāhmaṇas at this time. Because brain is not there. The brain... Brāhmaṇa means the brain. They must have knowledge. That is brāhmaṇa. In India, the brāhmaṇas are called paṇḍita, although nowadays he is fool number one. But it is a title of the brāhmaṇa to become paṇḍita. Paṇḍita. He must know everything. Satyaṁ śamaḥ, jñānaṁ vijñānam āstikyaṁ brahma-karma svabhāva-jam [Bg. 18.42]. He must be very wise man. Jñānaṁ vijñānam, and practical application, vijñānam. Jñānaṁ vijñānam āstikyam. And not nāstika, not atheist. Jñānaṁ vijñānam means one must know what is God. That is jñāna. And brahma jānātīti brāhmaṇaḥ. Brāhmaṇa means one who has already known God, or brahma-vastu. Brahmeti paramātmeti bhagavān iti śabdyate [SB 1.2.11]. That is brāhmaṇa. Therefore people should go to brāhmaṇa. Tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum eva abhigacchet [MU 1.2.12]. Without becoming a brāhmaṇa, one cannot become guru. Because if he does not know Brahman, Paramātmā, Bhagavān, what kind of brāhmaṇa he is, and what kind of guru he is? So therefore one must know the ultimate truth, Bhagavān. Brahmeti paramātmeti bhagavān iti. Not silent, simply by understanding Brahman or Paramātmā, but he must know what is Bhagavān. Kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam [SB 1.3.28]. Bhagavān is Kṛṣṇa. That is the verdict of the Vedas. Kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam.
So a brāhmaṇa, even with good qualification, but if he does not now Kṛṣṇa, then he cannot become guru. That is the injunction.Initiation Lectures
General Lectures
Conversations and Morning Walks
1971 Conversations and Morning Walks
Prof. Kotovsky: Generally it seems to me that this old varṇāśrama system to some extent practiced the nature of division of labor in ancient society. So now division of labor among people in any society is much more complicated and sophisticated. So it would be very...
Prabhupāda: Not complicated.
Prof. Kotovsky: ...conditionally(?) to group them in four classes because...
Prabhupāda: The, the confusion, confusion has come into existence because in India in later days the son of a brāhmaṇa, without having the brahminical qualification, claimed to be brāhmaṇa, and others, out of superstition or traditional way, they were accepted as brāhmaṇa. Therefore the Indian social order has disrupted. But our, this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, we are picking up from everywhere brāhmaṇas, everywhere, because the world needs the brain of a brāhmaṇa. Just like here, Mahārāja Parīkṣit, although he was a monarch, he had a body of learned sages and brāhmaṇas to consult, advisory body. It is not that the monarchs were independent. In the history it is found that some of the monarchs were not in order. They were dethroned by the brahminical advisory committee. Although the brāhmaṇas, they did not take part in politics, but they would give advice to the monarch how to, I mean to say, execute the royal function. Just like not, not very old, very, say, about... What is the age of, I mean to say, Asoka? Say about thousands of years ago.1975 Conversations and Morning Walks
Sandy Nixon: Well, I think there's always been castes. It's just that we don't recognize the fact that they're there.
Prabhupāda: No, recognize means if a man is qualified medical man we accept him as medical man. And if a man is qualified engineer, we accept him as engineer. Similarly, Bhagavad-gītā suggests—not suggest, it is there—there are four classes of men, the most intelligent class of men, the administrator class of men, the productive class of men and ordinary worker. That is already there. Bhagavad-gītā says how they should be classified, that "He belongs to this class, he belongs to that class." That is described in the Bhagavad-gītā, not that by birth, hereditarily, one becomes a caste. You don't try to misunderstand. The classification is already there: one class of men, very intelligent. Is he not there in the human society? Do you think all men are equally intelligent? Do you think? There must be one class, very highly intelligent class. So what are the symptoms of the intelligent class? That is described in the Bhagavad-gītā. The first-class intelligent man... [break] ...you find all these qualities, he is first-class man. So we are trying to introduce that, that without first-class man, the society is useless. So there are first-class men. You train up. Just like a boy is intelligent; still, he requires training in the school, college. Then he maintains his first-class brain, first-class position. So there is first-class man. Now we have to train them properly how to become controller of the mind, how to become controller of the senses, how to become truthful, how to become cleansed internally, externally, how to become full of knowledge, how to try to apply the knowledge in practical life, how to become God conscious. This training is... A first-class man can take up, just like they are taking, all these boys. They had their first-class brain, and now they are being trained up. That is required, trained up first-class men. That training is required. So we are not introducing caste system, that any rascal born in a brāhmaṇa family, he becomes a brāhmaṇa. We don't accept that. A man who is first-class trained up to become a brāhmaṇa, we accept him. It doesn't matter whether he is India or Europe or America. It doesn't matter. We are trying to introduce this system. That is mentioned in the Bhagavad-gītā. Caste system means a man is born in a brāhmaṇa family, and if by habit he is fifth-class man, and he is accepted first-class man on account of birth. Similarly, a person, very intelligent, he can be adaptable to all first-class habit, but because he is born in a śūdra family, he is śūdra. We want to stop this nonsense. We are picking up first-class brain and training up how to become first-class men. This is our business, not that introducing this rubbish thing. No, we are not introducing. Otherwise how I am offering them sacred thread? Now just see. Anyone from India, he will understand he is a first-class brāhmaṇa. We are training like that.Harikeśa: How in the beginning is it decided that somebody is working and he should be given or not given?
Prabhupāda: Hm?
Harikeśa: How in the beginning... Let's say you have a king...
Prabhupāda: Beginning Kṛṣṇa.
Harikeśa: No, no. Let's say you have a king, and he is deciding this person is worthy of...
Prabhupāda: No, no, beginning, Kṛṣṇa. Why don't you read Bhagavad-gītā? You do not know?
Harikeśa: No, no. Yes.
Prabhupāda: What is the social arrangement? What is that?
Harikeśa: That Kṛṣṇa created the four orders.
Prabhupāda: Yes. So you make that four orders, and then society will be in order. But you are not taking Kṛṣṇa's advice. You are manufacturing your hellish ideas.
Harikeśa: No, I was just wondering how one would be able to see who was acting in a certain way unless they were first engaged in something. They have to be doing some activity...
Prabhupāda: No, no.
Harikeśa: ...so you can see what kind of quality they have.
Prabhupāda: No, no. Take "everyone is rascal," then train them. That is wanted. Take everyone as rascal. There is no question that "Here is intelligent man, here is rascal, here is the..." No. First of all take them all rascals, and then train them. That is wanted. That is wanted now. At the present moment the whole world is full of rascals. Now, if they take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, select amongst them. Just like I am training. You are brāhmaṇa by training. So one who is prepared to be trained as brāhmaṇa, classify him in the brāhmaṇa. One is trained up as kṣatriya, classify him. In this way, cātur-varṇyaṁ māyā sṛṣ...
Harikeśa: And that kṣatriya would engage everyone basically as śūdra and then pick from them.
Prabhupāda: Hm?
Harikeśa: He would initially pick...
Prabhupāda: No, no, no. You pick up... You take the whole mass of people as śūdra. Then...
Harikeśa: Pick out.
Prabhupāda: Pick out. And rest, who is neither brāhmaṇa nor kṣatriya nor vaiśya, then he is śūdra. That's all, very easy thing. If he cannot be trained up as engineer, then he remains as a common man. There is no force. This is the way of organizing society. There is no force. Śūdra is also required.
Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Now the incentive in modern society to become educated or to become engineer is money. What is the incentive in Vedic culture?
Prabhupāda: There is no need of money. The brāhmaṇa teaches everything free of charge. There is no question of money. Anyone can take education as a brāhmaṇa or a kṣatriya, as a vaiśya. There is no... Vaiśya doesn't require any education. Kṣatriyas require little. Brāhmaṇa require. But that is free. Just find out a brāhmaṇa guru and he will give you free education. That's all. This is society. Now, as soon as... At the present moment, as soon as one wants to be educated, he requires money. But in the Vedic society there is no question of money. Education free.1976 Conversations and Morning Walks
Correspondence
1947 to 1965 Correspondence
Page Title: | Picking up the brahmanas |
Compiler: | Visnu Murti |
Created: | 24 of Oct, 2008 |
Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=9, Con=5, Let=1 |
No. of Quotes: | 15 |