Text 34] Maharaja Pariksit Cursed by a Brahmana Boy 967

they gave importance to birthright without culture. The downfall of the
brahmana caste began in the age of Kali. And since brahmanas are the
heads of the social order, all other orders of society also began to deterio-
rate. This beginning of brahminical deterioration was highly deplored by
the father of Srnigi, as we will find.

TEXT 34

aa TE she: MAS AaAELa |v

brahmanaih ksatra-bandhur hi
grha-palo niripitah

sa katham tad-grhe dvahsthah
sa-bhandam bhoktum arhati

brahmanaih—by the brahminical order; ksatra-bandhuh—the sons of the
ksatriyas; hi—certainly; grha-palah— the watchdog; niriipitah— designated;
sah—he; katham—on what grounds; tat-grhe—in the home of him (the
master); dvahsthah—keeping at the door; sa-bhandam—in the same pot;
bhoktum—to eat; arhati— deserves.

TRANSLATION

The descendants of the kingly orders are definitely designated as
watchdogs, and they must keep themselves at the door. On what grounds
can dogs enter the house and claim to dine with the master on the
same plate?

PURPORT

The inexperienced brahmana boy certainly knew that the King asked
for water from his father and the father did not respond. He tried to
explain away his father’s inhospitality in an impertinent manner befitting
an uncultured boy. He was not at all sorry for the King’s not being well
received. On the contrary, he justified the wrong act in a way characteristic
of the brahmanas of Kali-yuga. He compared the King to a watchdog, and
so it was wrong for the King to enter the home of a brahmana and ask for
water from the same pot. The dog is certainly reared by its master, but that
does not mean that the dog shall claim to dine and drink from the same
pot. This mentality of false prestige is the cause of the downfall of the
