Text 15] The Killing of the Demon Trnavarta 57

ing what is Brahman (brahma janatiti brahmanah). One who is brahma-
bhita is always happy (prasannatma). Na Socati na kariksati: he is never
disturbed about material necessities. Samah sarvesu bhiitesu: he is ready
to bestow blessings upon everyone equally, Mad-bhaktim labhate param:
then he becomes a Vaisnava. In this age, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati
Thakura introduced the sacred thread ceremony for his Vaisnava disci-
ples, with the idea that people should understand that when one becomes
a Vaisnava he has already acquired the qualifications of a brahmana.
Therefore in the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, those
who are twice initiated so as to become brahmanas must bear in mind
their great responsibility to be truthful, control the mind and senses, be
tolerant, and so on. Then their life will be successful. It was such
brédhmanas that Nanda Maharaja invited to chant the Vedic hymns, not
ordinary braéhmanas. Verse thirteen distinctly mentions himsd-mana.
The word mana refers to false prestige or false pride. Those who were
falsely proud, thinking that they were brahmanas because they were
born in braéhmana families, were never invited by Nanda Maharaja on
such occasions.

Verse fourteen mentions pavitrausadhi. In any ritualistic ceremony,
many herbs and leaves were required. These were known as pavitra-
patra. Sometimes there were nimba leaves, sometimes bael leaves,
mango leaves, asvattha leaves or dmalaki leaves. Similarly, there were
pafica-gavya, pafica-sasya and parica-ratna. Although Nanda Maharaja
belonged to the vaisya community, everything was known to him.

The most important word in these verses is mahd-gunam, indicating
that the brahmanas were offered very palatable food of exalted quality.
Such palatable dishes were generally prepared with two things, namely
food grains and milk products. Bhagavad-gita (18.44) therefore enjoins
that human society must give protection to the cows and encourage
agriculture (krsi-go-raksya-vanijyam vaisya-karma svabhdvajam). Sim-
ply by expert cooking, hundreds and thousands of palatable dishes can be
prepared from agricultural produce and milk products. This is indicated
here by the words annarh mahd-gunam. Still today in India, from these
two things, namely food grains and milk, hundreds and thousands of
varieties of food are prepared, and then they are offered to the Supreme
Personality of Godhead. (Catur-vidha-sri-bhagavat-prasdda. Patrarn
puspam phalarh toyarn yo me bhaktyé prayacchati.) Then the prasdda is
