4
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
[Canto 4, Ch. 1]
prajāpatiḥ —one who is entrusted to beget children;  saḥ —he;  bhagavān —the most opulent;  ruciḥ —the great sage Ruci;  tasyām —in her;  ajījanat —gave birth;  mithunam —couple;  brahma-varcasvī —very much spiritually powerful;  parameṇa —with great strength;  samādhinā —in trance.
TRANSLATION
Ruci, who was very powerful in his brahminical qualifications and was appointed one of the progenitors of the living entities, begot one son and one daughter by his wife, Ākūti.
PURPORT
The word  brahma-varcasvī  is very significant. Ruci was a  brāhmaṇa , and he executed the brahminical duties very rigidly. As stated in  Bhagavad-gītā , the brahminical qualifications are control of the senses, control of the mind, cleanliness within and without, development of spiritual and material knowledge, simplicity, truthfulness, faith in the Supreme Personality of Godhead, etc. There are many qualities which indicate a brahminical personality, and it is understood that Ruci followed all the brahminical principles rigidly. Therefore he is specifically mentioned as  brahma-varcasvī . One who is born of a  brāhmaṇa  father but does not act as a  brāhmaṇa  is called, in Vedic language, a  brahma-bandhu , and is calculated to be on the level of  śūdras  and women. Thus in the  Bhāgavatam  we find that  Mahābhārata  was specifically compiled by Vyāsadeva for  strī-śūdra-brahma-bandhu .  Strī  means women,  śūdra  means the lower class of civilized human society, and  brahma-bandhu  means persons who are born in the families of  brāhmaṇas  but do not follow the rules and regulations carefully. All of these three classes are called less intelligent; they have no access to the study of the  Vedas , which are specifically meant for persons who have acquired the brahminical qualifications. This restriction is not based upon any sectarian distinction but upon qualification. The Vedic literatures cannot be understood unless one has developed the brahminical qualifications. It is regrettable, therefore, that persons who have no brahminical qualifications and have never been trained under a bona fide spiritual master nevertheless comment on Vedic literatures like the  Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam  and other  Purāṇas , for they cannot deliver their real message. Ruci was considered a first-class  brāhmaṇa ; therefore he is mentioned here as  brahma-varcasvī , one who has full prowess in brahminical strength.