Krsna, the Ranchor 3951

In due time, the brahmana took his bath, accepted his meals and took
to rest on a bedstead completely bedecked with soft silk. As he was
resting, Lord Sri Krsna silently approached and, with great respect, put
the brahmana’s legs on His lap and began to massage them. In this way,
Krsna appeared before the bradhmana and said, ‘My dear brahmana, I hope
that you are executing the religious principles without any difficulty and
that your mind is always in a peaceful condition.” Different classes of
people in the social system are engaged in various professions, and when
one inquires as to the well-being of a particular person, it must be done
on the basis of that person’s occupation. Therefore, when one inquires as
to the welfare of a brahmana, the questions should be worded according
to his condition of life so as not to disturb him. A peaceful mind is the
basis for becoming truthful, clean, equipoised, self-controlled and tolerant.
Thus by attaining knowledge and knowing its practical application in life,
one becomes convinced about the Absolute Truth. The brahmana knew
Krsna to be the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and still he accepted
the respectful service of the Lord on the grounds of Vedic social conven-
tion. Lord Sri Krsna was playing just like a human being. Belonging to the
ksatriya division of the social system, and being a young boy, it was
His duty to show respect to such a brahmana.

Lord Krsna continued: “O best of all the brahmanas, you should
always remain satisfied because if a brahmana is always self-satisfied he
will not deviate from his prescribed duties; and simply by sticking to
one’s prescribed duties, everyone, especially the brahmanas, can attain the
highest perfection of all desires. Even if a person is as opulent as the King
of heaven, Indra, if he is not satisfied he inevitably has to transmigrate
from one planet to another. Such a person can never be happy under any
circumstances; but if a person’s mind is satisfied, even if he is bereft of
his high position, he can be happy living anywhere and everywhere.”

This instruction of Krsna to the brahmana is very significant. The
purport is that a true brahmana should not be disturbed in any situation.
In this modern age of Kali-yuga, the so-called brahmanas have accepted
the abominable position of the sidras or less than stdras and still want to
pass as qualified brahmanas. Actually, a qualified brahmana always sticks
to his own duties and never accepts those of a sidra or of one less than a
Sidra. It is advised in the authorized scriptures that a brahmana may,
under awkward circumstances, accept the profession of a ksatriya or even
a vaisya, but never is he to accept the profession of a sidra. Lord Krsna
declared that a brahmana should never be disturbed by any adverse
conditions of life if he scrupulously sticks to his religious principles. In
