58 Srimad-Bhagavatam [Canto 6, Ch. 7
PURPORT
A first-class brahmana does not accept any rewards from his disciples
or yajamanas. Practicing austerities and penances, he instead goes to the
agricultural field and collects food grains left by the agriculturalists to be
collected by bréhmanas. Similarly, such brahmanas go to marketplaces
where grains are purchased and sold wholesale, and there they collect
grains left by the merchants. In this way, such exalted brahmanas main-
tain their bodies and families. Such priests never demand anything from
their disciples to live in opulence, imitating ksatriyas or vaisyas. In other
words, a pure brahmana voluntarily accepts a life of poverty and lives in
complete dependence on the mercy of the Lord. Not very many years ago,
a brahmana in Krsnanagara, near Navadvipa, was offered some help
from the local Zamindar, Vraja Krsnacandra. The brahmana refused to
accept the help. He said that since he was very happy in his householder
life, taking rice given by his disciples and cooking vegetables of tamarind
leaves, there was no question of taking help from the Zamindar. The
conclusion is that although a bradhmana may receive much opulence
from his disciples, he should not utilize the rewards of his priesthood for
his personal benefit; he must use them for the service of the Supreme
Personality of Godhead.
TEXT 37
aarts a cheat Teh: fi Ferg |
watt ut at obey area 112011
tathapi na pratibriiyam
gurubhih prarthitam kiyat
bhavatam prarthitam sarvam
pranair arthais ca sadhaye
tatha api—still; na—not; pratibriyam—I may refuse; gurubhih—by
persons on the level of my spiritual master; prarthitam—request;
kiyat—of small value; bhavataém—of all of you; prarthitam—the
desire; sarvam—whole; prdnaih—by my life; arthaih—by my posses-
sions; ca—also; sédhaye—I shall execute.
