56
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
[Canto 10, Ch. 7]
good  brāhmaṇas  showered their blessings, the child Kṛṣṇa would be happy. The blessings of qualified  brāhmaṇas  can bring happiness not only to Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but to everyone. Because Kṛṣṇa is self-sufficient, He does not require anyone's blessings, yet Nanda Mahārāja thought that Kṛṣṇa required the blessings of the  brāhmaṇas . What then is to be said of others? In human society, therefore, there must be an ideal class of men,  brāhmaṇas , who can bestow blessings upon others, namely, upon the  kṣatriyas ,  vaiśyas  and  śūdras , so that everyone will be happy. Kṛṣṇa therefore says in  Bhagavad-gītā  (4.13) that human society must have four social orders ( cātur-varṇyam mayā sṛṣṭam guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ ); it is not that everyone should become a  śūdra  or a  vaiśya  and human society will prosper. As enunciated in  Bhagavad-gītā , there must be a class of  brāhmaṇas  with qualities like  satya  (truthfulness),  śama  (peacefulness),  dama  (self-control) and  titikṣā  (tolerance).
Here also, in the  Bhāgavatam , Nanda Mahārāja invites qualified  brāhmaṇas . There may be caste  brāhmaṇas , and we have all respect for them, but their birth in  brāhmaṇa  families does not mean that they are qualified to bestow blessings upon the other members of human society. This is the verdict of the  śāstras . In Kali-yuga, caste  brāhmaṇas  are accepted as  brāhmaṇas .  Vipratve sūtram eva hi  ( Bhāg.  12.2.3): in Kali-yuga, simply by putting on a thread worth two paise, one becomes a  brāhmaṇa . Such  brāhmaṇas  were not called for by Nanda Mahārāja. As stated by Nārada Muni ( Bhāg.  7.11.35),  yasya yal lakṣaṇam proktam . The symptoms of a  brāhmaṇa  are stated in  śāstra , and one must be qualified with these symptoms.
The blessings of  brāhmaṇas  who are not envious, disturbed or puffed up with pride and false prestige and who are fully qualified with truthfulness will be useful. Therefore a class of men must be trained as  brāhmaṇas  from the very beginning.  Brahmacārī guru-kule vasan dānto guror hitam  ( Bhāg.  7.12.1). The word  dāntaḥ  is very important.  Dāntaḥ  refers to one who is not envious, disturbing or puffed up with false prestige. With the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, we are trying to introduce such  brāhmaṇas  in society.  Brāhmaṇas  must ultimately be Vaiṣṇavas, and if one is a Vaiṣṇava, he has already acquired the qualifications of a  brāhmaṇa .  Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā  ( Bg.  18.54). The word  brahma-bhūta  refers to becoming a  brāhmaṇa , or understand-