Brahminical business

Expressions researched:
"Brahminical business"

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

First-class men, let them become scholars, philosophers, preachers, instructors, brahminical business.

Lecture on BG 4.15 -- Bombay, April 4, 1974:

People should be trained up according to quality and work. There must be institution to train first-class men. There are first-class men, intellectuals. They should be trained up as brāhmaṇas. That is the system. Second-class men, they should be trained up as kṣatriyas. Third-class men, they should be trained up as vaiśyas. And fourth-class men, means below third-class, they should be engaged as śūdras, workers, and below them, caṇḍāla. That I have already explained. So nobody should be left alone. Everyone should be engaged. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Everyone should be engaged in Kṛṣṇa consciousness business. Then there will be no unemployment.

First-class men, let them become scholars, philosophers, preachers, instructors, brahminical business. Paṭhana pāṭhana yajana yājana dāna pratigrahaḥ. These are the six businesses for the brāhmaṇa class. They should be highly educated, paṭhana, highly learned, and pāṭhana, and they should educate others also. But if he is not educated, how he will educate others? Paṭhana pāṭhana yajana yājana. He should be worshipper of the Supreme Lord, yajana, and yājana, he should instruct others also.

śrī-vigrahārādhana-nitya-nānā-

śṛṅgāra-tan-mandira-mārjanādau

yuktasya bhaktāṁś ca niyuñjato 'pi

vande guroḥ śrī-caraṇāravindam **

Śrī-vigraha. This is yajana yājana. Śrī-vigraha. This is Śrī-vigraha, Kṛṣṇa's arcā-mūrti. Kṛṣṇa has taken, advented, as avatāra, arcā-avatāra. Arcā-avatāra means made of stone, wood, metal, jewel, or coloring, painting. There are eight kinds of arcā-avatāra. So Kṛṣṇa has consented to descend before us to accept our service in a manner which we can do. If Kṛṣṇa remains in His virāḍ-rūpa, then it will be very difficult to capture Him. Kṛṣṇa remains in virāḍ-rūpa, but He becomes arcā-vigraha, a small deity, so that everyone can worship Him at home. It does not take much time, it does not take much place. To make dress of Kṛṣṇa you can utilize little cloth. Kṛṣṇa is agreeable to accept your service. And offering? Patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati (BG 9.26). At any means you can worship Kṛṣṇa, and that is the business of brāhmaṇa and Vaiṣṇava.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

A person, vipra, brāhmaṇa, he is expert in six kinds of brahminical business, ṣaṭ-karma.

Lecture on SB 1.8.25 -- Vrndavana, October 5, 1974:

The Māyāvādī rascals, they do not know. They think after changing this body, one becomes purified. No. Therefore śāstra says that ṣaṭ-karma-nipuṇo vipro mantra-tantra-viśāradaḥ. A person, vipra, brāhmaṇa, he is expert in six kinds of brahminical business, ṣaṭ-karma. Ṣaṭ means six, and karma means activities. Ṣaṭ-karma-nipuṇo vipraḥ. Nipuṇa. Nipuṇa, very expert. He knows all the brahminical activities. What is that? Paṭhana-pāṭhana yajana-yājana dāna-pratigraha. He knows, he is educated. Brāhmaṇa means paṇḍita. He's personally educated, and he educates others. That is brāhmaṇa. Brāhmaṇa does not keep himself educated. That education, that means he is brāhmaṇa, he makes others also brāhmaṇa. That is brāhmaṇa, not that "I remain brāhmaṇa. I remain Vaiṣṇava, and others may suffer." No. Paṭhana-pāṭhana. He must educate others. That is the business of brāhmaṇa. Para-duḥkha-duhkhī. That is Vaiṣṇava. Vaiṣṇava means who is unhappy by seeing other's unhappy.

The brāhmaṇa, he knows the brahminical business, sat-karma, means paṭhana pāṭhana yajana yājana dāna pratigraha.

Lecture on SB 5.5.29 -- Vrndavana, November 16, 1976:

It is said in the śāstra that ṣaṭ-karma-nipuṇo vipro mantra-tantra-viśāradaḥ. The brāhmaṇa, he knows the brahminical business, sat-karma, means paṭhana pāṭhana yajana yājana dāna pratigraha. A brāhmaṇa must be very learned scholar, pathana, and he shall make others also good scholar. The brāhmaṇa is the teacher. That is brāhmaṇa's business. Paṭhana pāṭhana yajana yājana. He must be a good worshiper of the Supreme Lord, and he must teach others how to become brāhmaṇa, how to worship. Yajana yājana. And dāna pratigraha. Brāhmaṇa, Vaiṣṇava Still the world is going on. At least in India the brāhmaṇa Vaiṣṇavas, they are given charities without any hesitation. Because that mentality is still existing in India, so somebody is taking advantage of it. Unnecessarily they are changing dress and begging and making money. No. So dāna pratigraha. Therefore a brāhmaṇa, as soon as there is excess money, he would immediately spend it for Kṛṣṇa. Dāna pratigraha. He will charity. He'll make charity. He'll distribute prasādam. He'll not keep money for future. No. Dāna pratigraha. So even one is perfect brāhmaṇa like that, yajana yājana paṭhana pāṭhana dāna pratigraha, and mantra-tantra-viśāradaḥ... So if he is actually learned scholar, he must be very expert in quoting, chanting the Vedic mantra, Vedic hymns. That is the sign that he has read something. He has studied Vedas. So mantra-tantra-viśāradaḥ. So avaiṣṇavo gurur na sa syāt. One disqualification: if he is not a Vaiṣṇava, then he cannot become guru. Forgive him, immediately. Ṣaḍ vaiṣṇavaḥ śva-paco guruḥ. Śvapaca means dog-eaters. If one is coming from the family of dog-eaters In India the dog-eaters are considered the lowest of the society, caṇḍāla. But if he is a Vaiṣṇava, then he can become guru. It doesn't matter. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu also supports this.

yei bhaje sei baḍa, abhakta-hīna, chāra

kṛṣṇa-bhajane nāhi jati-kulādi-vicāra

(CC Antya 4.67)

So this is brahminical business. Paṭhana-pāṭhana yajana-yājana dāna-pratigraha.

Lecture on SB 6.1.41-42 -- Surat, December 23, 1970:

So this is brahminical business. Paṭhana-pāṭhana yajana-yājana dāna-pratigraha. Again... (aside:) You can... Again, in the śāstra it is said that ṣaṭ-karma-nipuṇo vipro mantra-tantra-viśāradaḥ: "If a brāhmaṇa has become very much expert in this six kinds of business," and mantra-tantra-viśāradaḥ, "and he knows also all the mantras and tantras, but he is impersonalist or voidist, then he cannot become guru." Avaiṣṇavo gurur na syāt. In spite of having all these qualities, if he is impersonalist and voidist, he cannot become spiritual master. Avaiṣṇavo gurur na syād vaiṣṇavaḥ śvapaco guruḥ: "On the other hand, if a person is Vaiṣṇava, devotee of the Lord, even if he is born in the family of caṇḍāla, less than the śūdra, he can become the spiritual master." These are the injunctions of the śāstra.