Who or what is a Brāhmaṇa?

Q: Can a śūdra or a mleccha become a brāhmaṇa in this birth?

A: In the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava missions that operate in the western countries we see
everyone ultimately receiving brāhmaṇa-initiation. But which varṇāśrama-society has
only brāhmaṇas? Qualities and birth are non-different— kāraṇaṁ guṇa saṅgo'sya sad
asad yoni janmasu (Bhagavad Gītā 13.22). "The cause of birth in either a good or a bad
species is one's attachment to a certain psychological quality (culture, habit)." Śrī
Caitanya Mahāprabhu has taught His followers tṛṇād api sunīcena "One must consider
oneself lower than a blade of grass", not a mleccha claiming to be equal to a brāhmaṇa.
Caste is for life, just as one cannot change one's biological father and mother during
this lifetime. Once born a European one cannot suddenly, during this lifetime, become
an Asian or African. One cannot change ticket mid-flight. A human being can and
should not launch one’s own varṇāśrama dharma, for it is created by God Himself, and
He is the highest authority— catur varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ (Bhagavad Gītā 4.12) "The
four castes are created by Me (God, Kṛṣṇa)”, and not by a human being, who wishes
to ‘reform’ society, however elevated he may have been. In Śrīmad Bhāgavata
(7.15.14) human concoctions about varṇāśrama dharma are called ābhāsa dharma, or
fallacious religion – yas tvicchayā kṛtaḥ pumbhir ābhāso hyāśramāt pṛthak: “That which
has been created by man according to their own whim, separately from the established
āśramas, is called abhāsa.” Finding fault in a brāhmaṇa or trying to usurp his position
will cost you dear, for Śrī Kṛṣṇa Himself says in the Bhāgavata (10.64.41-42):

vipraṁ kṛtāgasam api naiva druhyata māmakāḥ

ghnantaṁ bahu śapantaḥ vā namaskuruta nityaśaḥ
yathāhaṁ praṇame viprān anukūlaṁ samāhitaṁ
tathā namata yūyaṁ ca ye'nyathā me sa daṇḍa-bhāk
 Who and what is a brāhmaṇa, guru or sannyāsī?

"O My relatives! Do not harm a brāhmaṇa, even if he mistreats you! Even if he

is a sinner, abuses you or abundantly curses you, you should always bow down to him.
Even I bow down to the brāhmaṇas. Whoever acts otherwise is punishable by Me!"

The best example is Indra, who had to suffer severely for killing the brāhmaṇa
Vṛtrāsura, even though he was a demon.

If the river Gangā is considered pure in spite of all dirt, if Go is considered

worshipable and inviolable even if it comes to kill, the brāhmaṇa must also be
considered worshipable right from birth despite his faults. Just like gotva, it is the
brāhmaṇatva which is glorified. This brāhmaṇatva is by birth, just as the gotva of the
cow is by birth. The Lord further tells Śrutadeva -

brāhmaṇo janmanā śreyān sarveṣāṁ prāṇinām iha

tapasā vidyayā tuṣṭyā kim u mat kalayā yutaḥ
duṣprajñā aviditvaivam avajanānantyasūyavaḥ; guruṁ māṁ vipram ātmānam

“The brāhmaṇa is superior to all living beings by birth. Let alone when he is
austere, learned, content and devoted to Me…..”

“Men of crooked understanding, who do not know this, disrespect a brāhmaṇa

and are envious of him, who is identical with Me and their very self." (Śrīmad
Bhāgavata (10.86.53, 55)

In his commentary to verse 53, Śrī Sanātana Gosvāmī says: janmanā jāti mātreṇa
– “janmanā means, just by jāti, caste.”

Nanda Mahārāja told Garga Muni:

tvaṁ hi brahma-vidāṁ śreṣṭhaḥ saṁskārān kartum arhasi

bālayor anayor nṛṇāṁ janmanā brāhmaṇo guruḥ
(Śrīmad Bhāgavata 10.8.6)

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 Who and what is a brāhmaṇa, guru or sannyāsī?

“You are the greatest knower of the Vedas, so you are qualified to perform this
rite on my sons. A brāhmaṇa is Guru by birth.”

Jīva Goswāmī comments in his Vaiṣṇava Toṣaṇī ṭīkā–janmanā jātyeva kiṁ punar
jñānādinetyarthaḥ - He is Guru by caste, what to speak of by knowledge and so?

Jīva Goswāmī Bṛhad Vaiṣṇava Toṣanī – janmanā janma mātreṇaiva kiṁ punar
jñānādinetyarthaḥ “janmanā means only by birth, what to speak of knowledge and so?”

Jīva Goswāmī Krama Sandarbha – janmanā jātyeva “By birth means by caste only.”

The Bhāgavata (7.11.13) declares that a brāhmaṇa must first be born in a family
that has always, throughout the generations, followed all the saṁskāras for the
brāhmaṇas—

saṁskārā yad avichinnāḥ sa dvijo'jo jagāda yam

"A twice born brāhmaṇa is he in whose family the (16) purificatory rites have
been performed in unbroken succession and whom Lord Brahmā has denominated as
such."

Śrīpāda Śrīdhara Svāmī comments on this verse:

śūdraṁ tu na mantravat saṁskāra yuktaṁ jagāda na copanayanavantam ato nāsau

dvijaḥ....ato vivāha vyatirikta saṁskārānavaśyakatvāt upanayanasya tu sarvathā niṣedhāt
na tasya dvijatvam

"The śūdra is not to be invested with mantras nor with the sacred thread, hence
he is not a dvija." "Other than marriage there is no saṁskāra for the śūdra, therefore
the sacred thread ceremony is forbidden for him in all respects and he cannot be a
dvija."

What to speak then of a person who is born entirely outside of varṇāśrama?

Śrī Viśvanātha Cakravartīpāda comments on this verse:

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 Who and what is a brāhmaṇa, guru or sannyāsī?

saṁskāra mantravanto garbhādhānādayo yasmin sa dvijaḥ. vichinna saṁskāro

dvijabandhur ityarthaḥ. ajo brahmā yaṁ jagādeti brahma sṛṣṭyārambhata eva pravṛttāyāṁ
dvija jātau viśuddha mātā pitṛkaṁ janmaiva mukhya lakṣaṇam

"A dvija is a person whose parents have gone through purificatory rites like the
garbhādhāna saṁskāra. When there is no unbroken succession of saṁskāras the
brāhmaṇa is called dvija bandhu. This practise is going on since the creation by the
unborn Brahmā. The main symptom of the twice-born caste is merely birth from
a pure father and mother."

Those who preach mere meritocracy often quote this verse from Śrīmad
Bhāgavata (7.11.35):

yasya yallakṣaṇaṁ proktaṁ puṁso varṇābhivyanjakam

yad anyatrāpi dṛśyeta tat tenaiva vinirdiśet

“If what has been declared as a feature of the grade of society of a man is
perceived even in another (person belonging to another caste), the latter should be
particularly called by that very denomination (caste).”

Śrīdhara Svāmī comments on this verse:

śamādibhir eva brāhmaṇādi vyavahāro mukhyaḥ na jāti mātrād ityāha yasyeti. yad
yadi anyatra varṇāntare'pi tad varṇāntaraṁ tenaiva lakṣaṇa nimittenaiva varṇena
vinirdiśet na tu jāti nimittenetyarthaḥ

“One is not just a brāhmaṇa by birth - the main symptom is good behaviour like
self-control. If such virtue is found elsewhere, in another caste, this determines the
person's varṇa, not just birth."

However, Śrīdhara Svāmī does not say here that non-brāhmaṇas can receive the
sacred thread. If he did, then he would contradict his commentary of verse 13.

This verse from the Mahābhārata (Anuśāśana Parva chapter 163) is often quoted –

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 Who and what is a brāhmaṇa, guru or sannyāsī?

na yonir nāpi saṁskāro na śrutam na ca santatiḥ

kāraṇāni dvijatvasya vṛttaṁ eva tu kāraṇam

"Neither birth, purificatory ceremonies, nor learning, nor progeny, but one's
mode of life alone is the cause for dvijatva."

The meaning of this is that, if a brāhmaṇa leads his whole life in a manner that
is not conform to how a brāhmaṇa must live (as per śāstras), in his next life, he will
attain that mode in which he led his life. In the same mode often the Vajra Sucika
Upaniṣad is quoted, but this Upaniṣad says nothing about giving brāhmaṇa-threads to
mlecchas or śūdras, nor does it say that one should not be first born a brāhmaṇa to be
considered qualified.

Śrīpāda Bhaktivinoda explains in his Jaiva Dharma (Chapter 6):

"Cuḍāmaṇi: “One must take birth in a brāhmaṇa-family to perform yajñas and

other such activities, and even one who is born in a brāhmaṇa-family must be purified
by the ceremony of investiture with the sacred thread before he is eligible to perform
the duties of a brāhmaṇa. Similarly, a caṇḍāla may have become purified by the
chanting of harināma, but he is still not eligible to perform yajñas until he acquires a
seminal birth in a brāhmaṇa-family. However, he can perform the limbs of bhakti
which are infinitely greater than yajñas."

Cuḍāmani: “What kind of conclusion is that? That a person not qualified for an
ordinary thing can be qualified for an exalted thing! What is the clear proof for that?”

Vaiṣṇava dāsa: "There are two types of human activity: material activities that
relate to practical existence (vyavahārika); and spiritual activities that relate to the
ultimate truth (pāramārthika). A person may have attained spiritual qualification, but
that does not necessarily qualify him for particular material activities. For example,
one who is a Muslim by birth may have acquired the nature and all the qualities of a
brāhmaṇa, so that he is a brāhmaṇa from the spiritual point of view, but he still remains
ineligible for certain material activities, such as marrying the daughter of a brāhmaṇa.”

Cuḍāmaṇi: “Why not? What is wrong with that?”

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 Who and what is a brāhmaṇa, guru or sannyāsī?

Vaiṣṇava dāsa: “If one violates social customs, one is guilty of secular
impropriety, and members of society who take pride in their social respectability do
not condone such activities. That is why one should not perform them, even if he is
spiritually qualified.”

Śrīla Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmī writes in his Śrī Manaḥ śikṣā (1):

gurau goṣṭhe goṣṭhālayiṣu sujane bhū-sura-gaṇe

sva-mantre śrī-nāmni vraja-nava-yuva-dvandva-smaraṇe
sadā dambhaṁ hitvā kuru ratim apūrvām atitarāṁ
aye svāntar bhrātaś caṭubhir abhiyāce dhṛta-padaḥ

"O mind, I grasp your feet and beg you with sweet words: please cast away
hypocrisy at all times and have unprecedented love for my Guru, Vrajabhūmi, the
people of Vraja, the Vaiṣṇavas, the brāhmaṇas, the mantras given by my Guru, the holy
name and the fresh young couple of Vraja."

Here he uses two words, sujana (Vaiṣṇavas) and bhū-sura-gaṇa (brāhmaṇas). If

Vaiṣṇavas are automatically brāhmaṇas in every respect, then there is no need to give
two categories. Giving two categories means each is unique and yet both have
something in common. If a brāhmaṇa is to be worshipped only if he is a Vaiṣṇava, then
there is no need to specifically mention brāhmaṇa and Vaiṣṇava.

Śrīmad Bhāgavata (3.33.6) states:

yan-nāmadheya-śravaṇānukīrtanād yat-prahvaṇād yat-smaraṇād api kvacit

śvādo ’pi sadyaḥ savanāya kalpate kutaḥ punas te bhagavan nu darśanāt

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 Who and what is a brāhmaṇa, guru or sannyāsī?

“O Lord! By occasionally hearing and chanting Your divine names, bowing to

You or even remembering You, a pariah (a dog-eater) becomes instantly worshipable
as a brāhmaṇa that performs a Soma-sacrifice. Who can then imagine the benefit of
seeing You directly?”

However, Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī comments on Bhakti Rasāmṛta Sindhu 1.1.22,

which is Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī’s comment on this verse:

tasmād durjātir evetyatra savanāyogyatve’pi kāraṇam iti tad-yogyatā pratikūla-

pāpamayīty arthaḥ. na tu tad-yogyatvābhāva-mātra-mayīti. brāhmaṇāṇāṁ śaukre janmani
durjātitvābhāve’pi savana-yogyatvāya puṇya-viśeṣa-maya-sāvitra-janmāpekṣatvāt. tataśca
savana-yogyatva-pratikūla-durjāty-ārambhakaṁ prārabdham api gatam eva kintu
śiṣṭācārābhāvāt sāvitraṁ janma nāstīti brāhmaṇa-kumārāṇāṁ savana-
yogyatvābhāvāvacchedaka-puṇya-viśeṣa-maya-sāvitra-janmāpekṣāvad asya
janmāntarāpekṣā vartata iti bhāvaḥ. ataḥ pramāṇa-vākye’pi savanāya kalpate
sambhāvito bhavati na tu tadaivādhikārī syād ity abhipretam vyākhyātaṁ ca taiḥ sadyaḥ
savanāya soma-yāgāya kalpate. anena pūjyatvaṁ lakṣyata iti .

“Therefore bad birth itself is here the cause of being unqualified for Soma-
sacrifice and that means possessing sin that is antagonistic to qualification for that,
not merely having an absence of qualification for that. Even though there is an absence
of bad birth in being born from the seed of brāhmaṇas there is still the necessity for a
sūrya-birth (sacred thread initiation) which possesses the merit suitable for qualifying
one for Soma-sacrifice. Therefore though the prārabdha that caused the bad birth that
is antagonistic to suitability for Soma-sacrifice is gone, like brāhmaṇa-boys who
because of absence of cultured practice have no sūrya-birth and must await a sūrya-
birth that possesses the merit that can cut to pieces their absence of suitability for
Soma-sacrifice, he (the dog-eater who chants the names of Kṛṣṇa) must await
another birth. This is the position. Therefore, in the statement of authority (Ś.B.
3.33.6) the words savanāya kalpate, "he becomes fit for Soma sacrifice," are intended
to mean he becomes respected or honored, but not that he has actually become
qualified then and there (to perform that sacrifice).”

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 Who and what is a brāhmaṇa, guru or sannyāsī?

Śrīdhara Svāmī comments on Śrīmad Bhāgavata 3.33.6: anena pūjyatvaṁ

lakṣyate – “This verse just describes how the chanting dogeater is worshipable.”

Śrī Jīva Goswāmī comments on this verse and Śrīdhara Swāmī’s comment in
Bhakti Sandarbha (128): tasmāt pūjyatva mātra tātparyam ityabhipretya ṭīkā-kṛdbhir apy
uktam anena pūjyatvaṁ lakṣyata iti – “The only purpose of Śrīdhara Swāmī’s
commentary on this verse is to show how the chanting dog-eater is worshipable (not
that he literally becomes a brāhmaṇa).”

Śrī Sanātana Gosvāmī repeats that point in his Dig-darśini ṭīkā to Hari bhakti
vilāsa:

brāhmaṇa-kumārāṇāṁ śaukre janmani yogyatve saty api sāvitra-daikṣya-

janmāpekṣāvat. sāvitrādi-janmani tu sad-ācāra-prāpter iti savane pravṛttir na yujyate.
tasmāt pūjyatva-mātre tātparyam ity abhipretya ṭīkā-kṛdbhir apy uktam anena pūjyatvaṁ
lakṣyata iti

“Just as even though there is the eligibility in the son of a brāhmaṇa through
seminal birth, there is still the dependence on the birth through sāvitra-dīkṣā (initiation
into gāyatrī mantra), birth through sāvitra-dīkṣā is but attained through sad-ācāra and
thus, performing soma yāga is not suitable. Therefore, the purport here is only pūjyatva
(being worshipable) and thus the commentator (Śrīdhara Svāmī) too has said "anena
pūjyatvam lakṣyata”.

In his Bhāgavata ṭīkā named Krama Sandarbha Jīva Gosvāmī says:

tatra yogyatāyāṁ labdhārambho bhavatīty arthaḥ. tad-anantara-janmany eva

dvijatvaṁ prāpya tad-ādy-adhikārī syād

„It just means that there is a beginning made with qualification – he only
becomes really qualified by taking a brāhmaṇa-birth in the next life.”

From this huge amount of authorised evidence it must be clear that the phrase
guṇa karma vibhāgaśaḥ, “divided according to quality and activity”, which is often
quoted from Bhagavad-Gītā 4.12 to prove that mere qualification at this very instant
is enough to qualify as a brāhmaṇa, refers to previous births’ accumulation of a certain

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 Who and what is a brāhmaṇa, guru or sannyāsī?

attitude (guṇa) and activities (karma) that cause one to take birth in a certain caste in
the present life. Śrīla Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa comments on Bhagavad Gītā 18.41 that
svabhāva, or nature, is formed by impressions from previous births - svabhāvaḥ
prāktana-saṁskāras. You cannot reform the laws of karma, nature and subsequent
reincarnation.

Śrī Viśvanātha Cakravartīpāda has elaborated further on this point to some

degree, stating that since such sacrificial activities are lower on the spiritual hierarchy
than direct service to Kṛṣṇa, they are not to be taken up even by brāhmaṇa Vaiṣṇavas.
Sanātana Gosvāmī says in Bṛhad Bhāgavatāmṛta (2.2.57):

eṣāṁ yajñaika niṣṭhānām aikyenāvaśyake nije

jape ca sad gurūddiṣṭe māndyaṁ syād dṛṣṭa sat phale

"Mahārṣis offered Gopa Kumāra the status of a brāhmaṇa, but he thought to

himself: "If I accept the position of a brāhmaṇa, I will surely slacken in my practise of
the mantra that I received from the bonafide guru, and that is certainly not good.
brāhmaṇas are only engaged in yajñas and are not engaged in other matters."

Second initiation or mantra-initiation is not

brāhmaṇa-initiation
The brāhmaṇa-thread is only for practising the Brahma Gāyatrī, not for the
Vaiṣṇava-dīkṣā-mantras like Gopāla mantra and Kāma Gāyatrī. Only the last two are
mentioned in Hari Bhakti Vilāsa as Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava dīkṣā-mantras. Proof that
brāhmaṇa-initiation and mantra initiation are two different things is shown in Hari
Bhakti Vilāsa (2.3-4):

dvijānāṁ anupetānāṁ sva-karmādhyayanādiṣu

yathādhikāro nāstīha syāccopanayanād anu
tathātrādīkṣitānāṁ tu mantra devārcanādiṣu

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nādhikāro'styataḥ kuryād ātmānaṁ śiva saṁstutam

A.C. Bhaktivedānta Swāmī quotes this verse in his commentary on Caitanya

Caritamrita (Madhya 15.108) and translates it as follows:

"Even though born in a brahmana family, one cannot engage in Vedic rituals
without being initiated and having a sacred thread. Although born in a brahmana family,
one becomes a brahmana after initiation and the sacred thread ceremony. Unless one is
initiated as a brahmana, he cannot worship the holy name properly."

This is, however, not a correct translation. The proper translation is:

"Just as an anupanita vipra (born brāhmaṇa who is not yet initiated with the
brāhmaṇa thread) does not yet qualify to study the Vedas, but does so after getting the
upanayana (sacred thread) saṁskāra, similarly an uninitiated person does not qualify
for the Lord's arcana (temple worship). Hence one should take dīkṣā (śiva saṁstutam
iti dīkṣitam)."

Noteworthy are the words tathā (also) and atra (here), 'here' meaning "in
practise of arcanā", showing that this verse is a comparison between brāhmaṇa-hood
on the one hand and Vaiṣṇava-dīkṣā on the other, and that these are two separate
things, not one and the same.

A brāhmaṇa is called dvija, or twice born. How can you have the second birth
(upanayaṇa saṁskāra) without having had the first one (śaukra or seminal birth)?
brāhma gāyatri investment is done by the father of a brāhmaṇa-boy when he is 11 years
old. The boy should not see the sun for many days (since the brāhma gāyatrī is a solar
mantra) and is locked up into a room with the windows shut, given only haviṣyānna
(porridge without salt, spices or sugar) to eat. Initiation into Kṛṣṇa-mantra is a
separate initiation which is only given to active Vaiṣṇava-brāhmaṇas. For instance,
Mahāprabhu already wore His thread when He received kṛṣṇa mantra from Īśvara Puri
and Advaita Prabhu had been doing brāhma gāyatrī for decades when He received
Kṛṣṇa-mantra from Mādhavendra Puri. And what if the ‘qualified’ brāhmaṇa falls down

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 Who and what is a brāhmaṇa, guru or sannyāsī?

and starts drinking and engaging in illicit sex? Then we take his thread away and give
it back to him as soon as he follows the principles again? Isn’t this bizarre? Has this
ever been shown in any Vedic scripture? We are seeing that western Vaiṣṇava
organizations, which have a 100% ‘brāhmaṇa’-population, also have the highest
divorce rate in the world, women have children from different men - in India even the
sweepers’ wives don’t do that. Some ‘qualified brāhmaṇas’ keep dogs in their houses,
again something even the sweepers in India won’t do – where is the qualification then?

“Qualified brāhmaṇas” drink beer and “qualified brāhmaṇīs” wear bikini.

Considering the dvijatva in the Haribhakti Vilāsa-verse that says -

yathā kāñcanatāṁ yāti kāṁsyaḥ rasa vidhānataḥ

tathā dīkṣā vidhānena dvijatvaṁ jāyate nṛṇāṁ

“As bell metal is turned into gold through the process of alchemy, similarly a
human being attains twice born status through the process of dīkṣā.”

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In his commentary Sanātana Gosvāmī confirms that dvijatva means vipratā for
everyone (sarveṣām eva dvijatva vipratā), and this seems a justification for turning
everyone into a brāhmaṇa. However,

1) This does not mention the brāhma gāyatrī, this statement deals with Vaiṣṇava dīkṣā.

2) If this referred to brāhma gāyatrī, then that would contradict Śrīdhara Svāmī’s and
Jīva Gosvāmī’s verdict that this is not attainable for non-brāhmaṇas in their current
births.

3) In his Bhakti Sandarbha (298) Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī has quoted this verse under the
heading athārcanādhikāri nirṇayaḥ - ‘Now follows the designation of eligibility for
deity worship.” Then he proceeds by quoting scripture on the eligibility of all castes
and genders for deity worship, ending with yathā kāñcanatāṁ. This is the context in
which this verse appears.

4) None of Mahāprabhu's nitya siddha associates, like Advaita or Nityānanda,

Gadādhara, Śrīnivāsācārya, Narottama, Śyāmānanda, nor any of Their disciples or
grand-disciples have ever put such a 'brahmana-initiation' into practise, involving the
Brāhma Gāyatrī in the process. mahājano yena gata sa pantha — One must follow in
the footsteps of the mahājanas. Before 1918, 350 years after the compilation of
Haribhakti Vilāsa, no one has ever given 'brāhmaṇa-initiation'. Shall we assume that
Śrīpād Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī knew it better than the Pañca Tattva, the Six
Gosvāmīs, and all their successor ācāryas?

5) In Bhakti Rasāmṛta Sindhu (1.2.62) Rūpa Gosvāmī quotes the Kāśī-khaṇḍa —

antyajā api tad-rāṣṭre śaṅkha-cakrāṅka-dhāriṇaḥ

samprāpya vaiṣṇavīṁ dīkṣāṁ dīkṣitā iva sambabhuḥ

“In that country even the outcastes wore conch and disc signs. They received
Vaiṣṇava dīkṣā and thus becames just like sacrificial priests.”

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Viśvanātha Cakravartī comments: dīkṣitā yājñikā iva sambabhur - “dīkṣitā means

just like sacrificial priests.” iva means ‘just like’, not that they actually became
sacrificial priests.

6. If the Haribhakti Vilāsa-verse yathā kāncanatāṁ yāti was really about giving
brāhmaṇa-threads to all the mlecchas, why was this verse not followed by a description
of how such a ceremony is to be held?

Gauḍīya Maṭha-followers try to dismiss or play down the authority of the

Haribhakti Vilāsa by writing (as Swami A.C. Bhaktivedānta did in his purport of
Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya 1.35:)

"According to Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura, the regulated principles of

devotional service compiled by Gopāla Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī do not strictly follow our Vaiṣṇava
principles….It is Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī’s opinion, however, that to follow
the Hari-bhakti-vilāsa strictly is to actually follow the Vaiṣṇava rituals in perfect order. He
claims that the smārta-samāja, which is strictly followed by caste brāhmaṇas, has influenced
portions that Gopāla Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī collected from the original Hari-bhakti-vilāsa. It is
therefore very difficult to find out Vaiṣṇava directions from the book of Gopāla Bhaṭṭa
Gosvāmī.”

However, when Śrīman Mahāprabhu outlines the contents of Haribhakti Vilāsa,

he assures Sanātana Gosvāmīpāda; yabe tumi likhibā kṛṣṇa korābe sphuraṇa, "Kṛṣṇa will
reveal to you what to write." (Caitanya Caritāmṛta Madhya 24, 340) It was not written
under pressure of smārtas but through the inspiration of Śrī Kṛṣṇa. That is an offence
to Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī, Śrīla Gopāla Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī and even to Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa
Himself, who has revealed the text to Sanātana Gosvāmī. Sanātana Gosvāmī clarifies
in the very first verse of Haribhakti Vilāsa that he has written this book for the pleasure
of the Vaiṣṇavas (and not for smārtas and bodily conscious people) - caitanya-devaṁ
bhagavantam āśraye śrī-vaiṣṇavānāṁ pramude’ñjasā likhan. To say that certain
statements of Sanātana's are for the appeasement of a certain class would be like

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 Who and what is a brāhmaṇa, guru or sannyāsī?

saying that Sanātana Gosvāmī is not an ācārya at all. This is the biggest aparādha. If
indeed, he did appeasement, why did not Gopāla Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī clarify it in the Dig-
darśinī-ṭīkā written on those verses of Haribhakti Vilāsa? Why both Gopāla Bhaṭṭa
Gosvāmī and Sanātana Gosvāmī are silent on this issue both in Haribhakti Vilāsa and
in Dig-darśinī? Jīva Gosvāmī clarifies in the beginning of his Locana-rocanī-
commentary on Ujjvala Nīlamaṇi that svecchayā likhitaṁ kiñcit kiñcit likhitaṁ
parecchayā or “Some statements I have written according to my own desire, whereas
some statements are written keeping into mind the desire of others”. But, any such
statement from the two authors themselves i.e. Gopāla Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī and Sanātana
Gosvāmī – have not been issued in the case of Haribhakti Vilāsa and its commentary.
Indeed the word smārta never appeared in the 6 Gosvāmīs’ books in any negative way.

Śrīmad Bhāgavata 1.7.43 –

uvāca cāsahanty asya bandhanānayanaṁ satī

mucyatāṁ mucyatām eṣa brāhmaṇo nitarāṁ guruḥ

“Draupadi could not tolerate Aśvatthāmā's being bound by ropes, and being a
devoted lady, she said: Release him, for he is a brāhmaṇa, our spiritual master.”

The text brāhmaṇo nitarāṁ guruḥ actually means ‘brāhmaṇas are always Guru’.
This clearly shows that Aśvatthāmā was still referred to as a brāhmaṇa despite his
heinous act. He did not get demoted to a śūdra or less because of his sinful behavior.
Even a dvija-bandhu must be treated differently from others even if he commits the
most grievous sins and is an ātatāyī; he must never be killed - śrī-bhagavān uvāca—
brahma-bandhur na hantavya. The Lord said: “One should not kill a fallen brāhmaṇa.”
(Śrīmad Bhāgavata 1.7.53) Thus respect shown to brāhmaṇas is real and a must.

The Bhāgavata teaches respect for Guru-families as well, as in this statement by

Draupadī (Śrīmad Bhāgavata 1.7.46)-

tad dharmajña mahā-bhāga bhavadbhir gauravaṁ kulam

vṛjinaṁ nārhati prāptuṁ pūjyaṁ vandyam abhīkṣṇaśaḥ

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 Who and what is a brāhmaṇa, guru or sannyāsī?

“O knower of dharma! You should not cause suffering to the family of your
Guru, because they are always praiseworthy and worthy of worship.”

Śrīdhara Swāmī and Viśvanātha Cakravartī both gloss gaurava as guroḥ kulam,
the family of the Guru.

Droṇa: He was a brāhmaṇa but took to the life of a kṣatriya due to his war-like
disposition. Was he then referred to thereafter as a kṣatriya? No. Anyone who has read
the Mahābhārata can tell you that the text continued to refer to him as a brāhmaṇa.

Arjuna: He demonstrated a propensity towards renunciation when he declined to fight

on the battlefield of Kurukṣetra. He was ready to renounce everything and just live by
begging. Did Lord Kṛṣṇa accept it? No. He argued that Arjuna was a kṣatriya and
should fight the battle despite his brāhmiṇical disposition.

These examples refute the point of view that one's varṇa changes on the basis
of his "mentality." Other śāstric evidence that further refutes this point of view:

Bhagavad-gītā As It Is 18.41

brāhmaṇa kṣatriya viśāṁ śūdrāṇāṁ ca parantapa

karmāṇi pravibhaktāni svabhāva prabhavair guṇaiḥ

“Brāhmaṇas, Kṣatriyas, Vaiśyas and śūdras are distinguished by the qualities

born of their own natures in accordance with the material modes, o chastiser of the
enemy.”

The ācāryas wrote the following commentaries –

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Śrīdhara Swāmī - svabhāvaḥ pūrva-janma-saṁskāraḥ – “svabhāva means the cultivation

from previous birth.”

Śrī Viśvanātha Cakravartī - svabhāvenotpattyaiva prabhavanti prādurbhavanti ye guṇāḥ

– “The guṇas of the four varṇas appear due to svabhāva, utpatti (utpattyā) or birth.”

ISKCON’s own translations of utpattyā -

utpattyā — from the beginning of His appearance; SB 5.4.1

utpattyā — because of my birth (in a demoniac family); SB 7.10.2

saha utpattyā — by our very birth; SB 10.16.56

utpattyā eva — simply by birth; SB 11.21.24

Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa – svabhāvaḥ prāktana-saṁskāras – “svabhāva means cultivation

from previous birth”.

All ācāryas here confirm varṇa is by birth, not merely by quality.

Bhagavad-gītā As It Is 18.47 -

śreyān sva-dharmo viguṇaḥ para-dharmāt sv-anuṣṭhitāt

svabhāva-niyataṁ karma kurvan nāpnoti kilbiṣam

“It is better to engage in one's own occupation, even though one may perform
it imperfectly, than to accept another's occupation and perform it perfectly. Duties
prescribed according to one's nature are never affected by sinful reactions.”

Śrī Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa's commentary to 18.47:

nanu kṣatriyādi-dharmānāṁ rājasāditvāt teṣu ruci-śūnyaiḥ kṣatriyādibhiḥ sāttviko brahma-

dharma evānuṣṭheya iti cet tatrāha śreyān iti. sva-dharmo viguṇaḥ nikṛṣṭo’pi samyag-
anuṣṭhito’pi vā para-dharmād utkṛṣṭāt svanuṣṭhitāc ca śreyān atipraśaṣṭo vihitatvāt.

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“If it is said by someone that, only sāttvika brāhmaṇa dharma must be conducted
by those kṣatriyas that have no taste for the dharmas of kṣatriyas and others because of
their being in rajas, it is said, śreyān svadharmo-viguṇaḥ – it is better to practice one’s
own dharma imperfectly than another’s dharma perfectly….”

Bhagavad-gītā As It Is 18.59 -

yad ahaṅkāram āśritya na yotsya iti manyase

mithyaiṣa vyavasāyas te prakṛtis tvāṁ niyokṣyati

“If you do not act according to My direction and do not fight, then you will be
falsely directed. By your nature, you will have to be engaged in warfare.”

Why did Lord Kṛṣṇa say it was Arjuna's nature to fight? And that too despite
Arjuna offering to give up everything and take to begging? Because Arjuna was born
a kṣatriya and he was obligated to follow kṣatriya dharma. Arjuna did not get promoted
to brāhmaṇa status because of his compassion for his family.

Someone may argue:

janmanā jāyate śūdraḥ saṁskārāt bhaveddvijaḥ

veda-paṭhād bhaved vipraḥ brahmajānātīti brāhmaṇaḥ.

“The meaning of who is a brāhmaṇa is very clear - one who knows brahman.
Hence, all scriptural statements that apply to a brāhmaṇa can only apply to one who
has realised brahman and is completely free of faults such as lust, anger etc and does
not depend on considerations of one's birth.”

Refutation: The scriptural statements applicable to a brāhmaṇa apply only to

that person who has directly realised brahman and is completely devoid of lust, anger,
greed etc. Then, when it comes to practicality the following points are to be
considered:

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a) Those who directly experience brahman and are free from all six faults are very,
very rare. One in a million. So what happens to all the injunctions in the śāstras meant
for brāhmaṇas? Are they to be done by anyone at all or wait only for those extremely
rare personalities to do whenever they become qualified by realising brahman? If they
are not done by the millions of so called brāhmaṇas citing disqualification, it then
leads to destruction of dharma. A result which will be contrary to the purpose of those
injunctions.

b) Once one becomes a true brāhmaṇa, what interest does he have in performing the
activities in the śāstras for all of them are laukika and he will have no laukika śraddhā,
having directly realised brahman? He practically is a non-starter and these activities
will never be performed by anyone at all. If he can do it only after he attains such
realisation, it is known that such realisation comes by years of sādhana? What
activities does he do till he gets such realisation? Anything that he pleases or his
svadharma? If he does anything that he pleases, there are numerous statements in all
scriptures including bhakti-śāstras that stand against him. Thus he must only follow
his svadharma according to his birth.

So far no source reference is given for the above śloka. Ācārya Vaṁśīdhara
writes in his ṭīkā of Śrīmad Bhāgavata 1.1.2 - ādhunikair vipra dviḍbhis tu 'janmanā
jāyate śūdraḥ' iti pāṭhaḥ kalpitaḥ. sa cānādaraṇīya eva – “Modern quotes by brāhmaṇa-
haters like ‘janmanā jāyate śūdraḥ’ are concocted reading, which should be
disregarded.” If the meaning is taken literally as "by birth one is born a śūdra" and is
taken to apply to every human being born on earth, then this contradicts numerous
other statements which mention about a brāhmaṇa that he is a brāhmaṇa right from
birth.

Q.: There are numerous non-brāhmaṇas who became brāhmaṇas in the same life.
If brāhmaṇa-hood is by birth then how did they become brāhmaṇas?

A: It is true that there were non-brāhmaṇas who became brāhmaṇas in the same life,
but these were exceptions, not the rule. The scriptures themselves question these

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exceptions and answer them. For example, in the Mahābhārata, Anuśāśana parva (3.1-
2) -

brāhmaṇyaṁ yadi duṣprāpaṁ tribhir varṇair narādhipa

kathaṁ prāptaṁ mahārāja kṣatriyeṇa mahātmanā
viśvāmitreṇa dharmātman brāhmaṇatvaṁ nararṣabha
śrotum icchāmi tattvena tan me brūhi pitāmaha

'If, O prince, brāhmaṇa-hood is so hard to attain by the three classes (Kṣatriyas,

Vaiśyas and śūdras), how then did the high souled Viśvāmitra, though a Kṣatriya (by
birth), attain the status of a brāhmaṇa? I desire to know this, O sire. Therefore, relate
this matter to me in truth please.”

The description continues wherein, sage Ṛcīka, a son of sage Bhṛgu married
Satyavatī, a princess. Please with her nature, he blessed her that she will have a
brāhmaṇa-son. Satyavatī's mother, wife of King Gādhi also wanted a child. On
Satyavatī's request, sage Ṛcīka gave both of them 2 carus (pāyasa) along with
instructions to embrace two different trees. The mother and daughter exchanged their
carus and the trees. Hearing this, sage Ṛcīka explained that he had infused the potency
of an effulgent brāhmaṇa in the caru meant for Satyavatī and that of a fiery kṣatriya in
the caru meant for her mother. But since they exchanged the carus and also embraced
the trees meant for the other, Satyavatī would give birth to a fiery kṣatriya, though a
brāhmaṇa by birth and her mother an effulgent brāhmaṇa, though a kṣatriya by birth.
On account of Satyavatī's pleas, he agreed to make her grandson instead of son with
the nature of a fiery kṣatriya. The grandson was Paraśurāma. The kṣatriya who was
actually a brāhmaṇa was Viśvāmitra. Thus Viśvāmitra became a brāhmaṇa because of
the grace of sage Ṛcīka. In chapters 28 and 29 of Anuśāśana parva, Bhīṣma-deva
explained through the story of Mataṅga that it is not possible to become a brāhmaṇa
in the same birth even through the fiercest of penances.

In his purport to Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 1, 63, Swami A.C

Bhaktivedānta says:

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“Śrī Rūpa, Śrī Sanātana and Śrī Haridāsa were prohibited from entering the
Jagannātha Mandir and Lord Caitanya did not approve of such dogmatic prohibitions. To
avoid unnecessary turmoil, however, these great personalities would not enter the
Jagannatha temple.”

The Caitanya Caritāmṛta text says, however:

haridāsa ṭhākura āra rūpa-sanātana

jagannātha-mandire nā yāna tina jana

"Haridāsa Ṭhākura and Rūpa and Sanātana, these three men, did not go to the
Jagannātha Mandir."

From this it is clear that they voluntary, out of sheer humility, did not enter the
Jagannātha Mandir, not grudgingly, due to prohibition or to avoid turmoil. There is
no mentioning anywhere in this Bengali text that they wanted to avoid turmoil, that
they were prohibited to enter or that they protested or resisted such prohibitions. If
that were so, then why did Sanātana Gosvāmī prefer to have his foot-soles scorched
over having to touch Lord Jagannātha's pūjārīs? If Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu wanted
to overthrow the caste system He could have done so easily. Pratāparudra Mahārāja
was at His feet:

prabhura nikaṭe āche joto bhakta-gaṇa; mora lāgi’ tā-sabāre koriho nivedana
sei sab doyālu more hoiyā sadaya; mora lāgi’ prabhu-pade karibe vinaya
tā-sobāra prasāde mile śrī-prabhura pāya; prabhu-kṛpā vinā mora rājya nāhi bhāya
yadi more kṛpā nā koribe gaurahari; rājya chāḍi’ yogī hoi’ hoibo bhikhārī

In a letter King Pratāparudra requested Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya, “Please

appeal to all the devotees associated with Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and submit this

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petition to them on my behalf. If all the devotees associated with the Lord are
favorably disposed toward me, they can submit my petition at the lotus feet of the
Lord. By the mercy of all the devotees, one can attain the shelter of the lotus feet of
the Lord. Without His mercy, my kingdom does not appeal to me. If Gaurahari, Lord
Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, will not show mercy to me, I shall give up my kingdom,
become a mendicant and beg from door to door.”

With such influence Mahāprabhu could have easily told the king to lift the ban
on non-Hindus entering the Jagannāth Mandir so that Rūpa Gosvāmī, Sanātana
Gosvāmī and Haridās Ṭhākur could enter, but there is no evidence from any śāstra
that He never did that.

During Advaita Prabhu’s feast in honor of Mahāprabhu, when He had just taken
sannyāsa, Śrīla Haridās Thākur humbly said:

mui pāpiṣṭha adhama, bāhire eka muṣṭi pāche korimu bhojan

(Caitanya Caritāmṛta Madhya 3.63)

“I am a fallen sinner – I will eat a handful later, outside.”

When Rūpa Gosvāmī’s dramas were about to be read to the Lord, Rūpa and
Haridās humbly sat at the base of the platform where the other devotees were seated:

rūpa haridāsa duṅhe bosilā piṇḍātale; sabāra agre nā uṭhilā piṇḍāra upare

(Caitanya Caritāmṛta Antya 1.111).

When the brāhmaṇa Kālidāsa glorified his śūdra-friend Jhaḍu Ṭhākura, stating
that a low-caste devotee is greater than a non-devotee brāhmaṇa, Jhaḍu Ṭhākura did
not say: “Yes, you see! I am greater than or equal to you!” Rather, he said:

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śuni ṭhākura kohe – śāstre ei satya hoy; sei nīca nahe – yāte kṛṣṇa-bhakti hoy
āmi – nīca jāti, āmār nāhi kṛṣṇa-bhakti; anya aiche hoy, āmāy nāhi aiche śakti

“The scriptures speak the truth, a low caste person is not low if he/she has
devotion for Kṛṣṇa. I, however, am low-born and I have no devotion for Kṛṣṇa. This
may apply to others, but I do not have such a power.” (Caitanya Caritāmṛta Antya 16,
28-29)

These are perfect examples of maryādā-pālana, maintaining the etiquette.

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was NOT AGAINST THE CASTE SYSTEM. When He
heard that Sanātana Gosvāmī had burned his footsoles to avoid touching Lord
Jagannātha’s pūjārīs, He praised him, saying (Caitanya Caritāmṛta Antya 4, 129-132):

yadyapi tumi hao jagat pāvan; tomā sparśe pavitra hoy deva muni-gaṇa
tathāpi bhakta svabhāva - maryādā rakṣaṇa; maryādā pālana hoy sādhura bhūṣaṇa
maryādā laṅghane loka kore upahāsa; iha loka, para loka - dui hoy nāśa
maryādā rakhile, tuṣṭa hoy mora mana; tumi aiche nā korile kore kon jana?

"Although you are the purifier of the whole world and the gods and sages are
purified by your mere touch, still it is the nature of a devotee to follow the social
protocol. Maintaining the social protocol is the ornament of a sādhu. When a Vaiṣṇava
violates the social protocol people will ridicule him and he will perish in this birth
and in the next. By keeping the social standard you have pleased My mind. Who else
but you could do such a thing?"

By saying: ‘Although you are the purifier…’, Mahāprabhu acknowledges the

spiritual superiority of a Vaiṣṇava, but then He immediately warns that the external
social protocol must be maintained. These are two separate worlds, one spiritual and
the other material.

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On the other hand, a person who violates the social protocol can expect
Mahāprabhu’s wrath: maryādā laṅghana āmi sohite nā pāri (Caitanya Caritāmṛta Antya
4.166) “I cannot tolerate violation of the protocol.”

When Śrīman Mahāprabhu travelled Śrī Svarūpa Dāmodara and Śrī Rāmānanda
Rāy wanted to take a brāhmaṇa with Him - He would not eat grains from non-
brāhmaṇas:

āmā duṅhāra mone tabe boro sukh hoy; ek nivedana yadi dhara, dayāmaya
‘uttama brāhmaṇa’ ek saṅge avaśya cāhi ; bhikṣā kori bhikṣā dibe jābe pātra bohi
banapathe jāite nāhi ‘bhojyānna’ brāhmaṇa; ājñā koro – saṅge coluk vipra ekjan

(Caitanya Caritāmṛta Madhya 17.10-12)

“We would both be very happy if you could heed our plea, O merciful One! You
should definitely travel with one topmost brāhmaṇa, who can beg alms for You, serve
You these alms and carry your vessels. When You traverse the forest path You will
have no brāhmaṇa with You who will cook and serve Your grains. Order us to send a
brāhmaṇa along with You.”

ye grāme rohen prabhu tathāya brāhmaṇa; pānca sāt jan āsi kore nimantraṇa
keho anna āni dey bhaṭṭācārya sthāne; keho dugdha dadhi keho ghṛta khaṇḍa āne
jāhā vipra nāhi tāhā ‘śūdra mahājana’; āsi sabe bhaṭṭācārye kore vanya vyañjana
bhaṭṭācārya pāka kore vanya vyañjana; vanya vyañjana prabhura ānandita mana

(Caitanya Caritāmṛta Madhya 17.58-60)

“In whatever village the Lord stayed five to seven brāhmaṇas invited Him. Some
gave grains to Bhaṭṭācārya, others gave milk, yoghurt, clarified butter or rock candy.
Wherever there were no brāhmaṇas the great devotee-śūdras came and gave
Bhaṭṭācārya forest-vegetables to cook for the Lord. Prabhu was very happy to eat these
vegetables cooked by Bhaṭṭācārya.”

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Note here that the Lord accepted only vegetables from the śūdra-devotees.

In Caitanya Caritāmṛta (Antya 10.139-141):

ācārya-ratna, ācārya-nidhi, nandana, rāghava; śrīvāsa-ādi joto bhakta, vipra sab

eimata nimantraṇa koren jatna kori; vāsudeva gadādhara, gupta murāri
kulīna-grāmī, khaṇḍavāsī, āra joto jan; jagannāthera prasāda āni koren nimantraṇa

“Devotees like Ācārya-ratna, Ācārya-nidhi, Nandana, Rāghava and Śrīvāsa were

all brāhmaṇas and they invited the Lord for meals. Vāsudeva, Gadādhara, Murāri
Gupta and the villagers from Kulīna and Khaṇḍa (who were not brāhmaṇas) brought
prasāda from Lord Jagannātha.” And later on in that chapter (verses 154-155):

gopīnāthācārya, jagadānanda, kāśīśvara;

bhagavān rāmabhadrācārya, śaṅkara, vakreśvara
madhye madhye ghara bhāte kore nimantraṇa;
anyera nimantraṇa prasāde kauḍi dui paṇa

“Gopīnāthācārya, Jagadānanda, Kāśīśvara; Bhagavān Rāmabhadrācārya,

Śaṅkara, Vakreśvara (who were all brāhmaṇas) cooked for the Lord in their homes
while others bought prasāda for Him for (a price of) 2 kauḍis.”

śrīvāsādi joto prabhura vipra bhakta-gaṇa; prabhuke bhikṣā dite hoilo sobākāra mana

“(When the Lord took His first alms in Advaita Prabhu’s house just after taking
sannyāsa) Śrīvāsa and all the other brāhmaṇa-devotees of the Lord wanted to invite
the Lord for a meal.” (Caitanya Caritāmṛta Madhya 3. 168)

Caitanya Caritāmṛta (Ādi 7.45-46):

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 Who and what is a brāhmaṇa, guru or sannyāsī?

kāśīte lekhak śūdra candra-śekhara;

tār ghare rohilā prabhu svatantra īśvara
tapana miśrera ghare bhikṣā nirvāhaṇa……

“When in Benares, the independent Lord (Mahāprabhu) stayed in the house of

the scribe Candraśekhara, who was a śūdra, but He took His meals in the house of
Tapan Miśra (who was a brāhmaṇa)…”

Also in Caitanya Bhāgavata (Antya 9.118-119) it is described that Mahāprabhu

ate only from brāhmaṇas -

tathā bhikṣā āmāra, ye hoy lakṣeśvara; śuniyā brāhmaṇa sab cintita antara
vipragaṇa stuti kori bolen gosāi; lakṣera ki dāy sahasreko kāro nāi

“I will invite invitations only from those who have one lakh. Hearing this, the
brāhmaṇas were all worried. The vipras said ‘O Lord, what to speak of a lakh, we don’t
have even a thousand.”

It is also very clear from all these quotations that no one in Mahāprabhu’s
entourage was initiated as a brāhmaṇa without being born one first, otherwise the
above distinction would not have been made.

Although Mahāprabhu played the pastime that a brāhmaṇa and sannyāsī can be
enlightened by a śūdra and a gṛhastha like Rāmānanda Rāya, who, in Caitanya
Caritāmṛta Madhya līlā chapter 8, took Him to the limit of Vaiṣṇava teachings as a
śikṣā guru (kibā vipra kibā nyāsī śūdra kene noy ye kṛṣṇa tattva vettā sei guru hoy),
Mahāprabhu would not accept meals from him. First He humbly submitted (Caitanya
Caritāmṛta Madhya 8.43):

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 Who and what is a brāhmaṇa, guru or sannyāsī?

ei jāni – kaṭhin mora hṛdaya; śodhite sārvabhauma kohilen tomāra milite

“I know that My heart is hard, hence Sārvabhauma told Me to meet you.”

But then He did follow the maryādā, or external protocol -

heno kāle vaidika eka vaiṣṇava brāhmana; daṇḍavat kori koilo prabhura nimantraṇa

(Caitanya Caritāmṛta Madhya 8.45)

“At that time a Vedic Vaiṣṇava brāhmaṇa came and invited Mahāprabhu.” This
proves that external protocol and spiritual appreciation are two separate worlds,
which should not be mixed.

Śrī Kṛṣṇa proclaimed in Bhagavad-Gītā (3.21-24) that He follows the rules,

otherwise the worlds would go to ruin. Indeed, even in the aṣṭakāliya līlā Kṛṣṇa
followed the external protocol -

tuṅgī subhadra jananī jananīti vijñā vijñāpitā vrajapayā pariveśanāya;

bhojyaṁ kramāt pariviveśa sarohiṇīkā viprātmaja svadhava devara putrakebhyaḥ

(Govinda Līlāmṛta 20.45)

“Subhadra's mother Tuṅgī was expert in etiquette and serving, so on mother

Yaśodā's request and with Rohiṇī's help she served. First she served the brāhmaṇas,
then her husband, then her brothers-in-law and then the boys (including Kṛṣṇa).”

Kṛṣṇa was the last to get prasāda. If the Supreme Lord can be that humble,
should not śūdras and mlecchas follow suit by simply accepting the fact that they do
not belong to the upper class?

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 Who and what is a brāhmaṇa, guru or sannyāsī?

kiṁ punar brāhmaṇāḥ puṇyā bhaktā rājarṣayas tathā

(Bhagavad Gītā 9.33)

“(If the women, vaiśyas and śūdras can attain the Supreme Destination) What to speak
then of the brāhmaṇas, the virtuous and the saintly kings?”

Why even mention brāhmaṇas separately from other devotees? The previous
verse would have said that vaiśyas and śūdras become brāhmaṇas by surrendering to
Kṛṣṇa, but instead Kṛṣṇa said kiṁ punar brāhmaṇa, what to speak of brāhmaṇas? If
considering brāhmaṇas superior devotees to non brāhmaṇa-devotees is ‘smārta’ then
Kṛṣṇa is a smārta too, by speaking this verse. Kiṁ punaḥ means "what to speak of?"

One may challenge here: “But what about these verses then, that are quoted in
the Gosvāmīs’ books?”

śūdraṁ vā bhagavad bhaktaṁ niṣādaṁ śvapacaṁ tathā

vīkṣate jāti-sāmānyāt sa yāti narakaṁ dhruvam

“A votary of the Supreme Lord may be born a śūdra, or niṣāda, nay, even a dog-
eater, but anyone who views such a votary according to pedigree or caste, most
certainly percipitates his fall to the infernal regions.” (Hari Bhakti Vilāsa 10,119), or:

arcye viṣṇau śilā-dhīr guruṣu nara-matir vaiṣṇave jāti-buddhiḥ….yasya vai nārakī saḥ

“Those who consider the deity of Viṣṇu to be a mere stone, one’s superiors to
be mere human beings and the Vaiṣṇava to belong to a certain caste…..are surely
hellish persons.” (Cited in Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī’s ‘Padyavalī’, 114)

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To that the response is: These verses are glorifications of the Vaiṣṇavas that
caution us not to treat lower born Vaiṣṇavas with disdain or contempt and urge us to
keep them in honour. As in Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī’s ‘Upadeṣāmṛta’ (5) - kṛṣṇeti yasya giri
taṁ manasādriyeta dīkṣāsti cet praṇatibhih, “Mentally honour anyone who says Kṛṣṇa,
and bow down if someone has received initiation”, and the following verse -

dṛṣṭaiḥ svabhāva janitair vapuṣaś ca doṣair

na prākṛtatvam iha bhakta janasya paśyet
gangāmbhasaṁ na khalu budbuda phena pankair
brahma-dravatvam apagacchati nīra-dharmaiḥ

“Though a devotee may have bad habits or a faulty body he should not be seen
(judged) in this mundane way, just as Ganges-water is considered a divine substance
though it may be covered with bubbles and foam.”

However, in practical Vaiṣṇava-life we see that distinction is being made.

Mahāprabhu would not eat grains from non-brāhmaṇa Vaiṣṇavas, including
Rāmānanda Rāya (see pages 14-16), and Vaiṣṇavas were mentioned with their caste-
adjectives – certainly that wouldn’t make Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu a ‘hellish person’.
Examples –

miśrera sakhā teṅho prabhura pūrva dāsa

vaidya-jāti, likhana-vṛtti, vārānasī-vāsa

(Caitanya Caritāmṛta Madhya 17.92)

“Candraśekhara was a friend of Tapan Miśra and a former servant of the Lord.
He was of a Vaidya-caste. His profession was writing and he lived in Benares.”

heno kāle āilo vaiṣṇava 'kṛṣṇadāsa' nāma;

rājapūta-jāti,----gṛhastha, yamunā-pāre grāma

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 Who and what is a brāhmaṇa, guru or sannyāsī?

(Caitanya Caritāmṛta Madhya 18.82)

“Just then a Vaiṣṇava arrived named Kṛṣṇadās. He was of the rājapūt-caste,

a householder who lived in a village on the other bank of the Yamunā.”

śūdra viṣayī-jñāne upekṣā nā koribe; āmāra vacane tāṅre avaśya milibe

(Caitanya Caritāmṛta Madhya 7.63)

"Please do not neglect him, thinking he belongs to a śūdra family engaged in

material activities. It is my request that You meet him without fail."

yāhāṅ vipra nāhi tāhāṅ 'śūdra-mahājana'; āsi' sabe bhaṭṭācārye kore nimantraṇa

(Caitanya Caritāmṛta Madhya 17.60)

“Wherever there were no brāhmaṇas - nonetheless, great śūdra saints came and
extended invitations to Balabhadra Bhaṭṭācārya.”

ye te kule vaiṣṇavera janma kene nohe; tathāpi-o sarvottama sarva śāstre koy
ei tār pramāṇa yavana haridāsa; brahmādira durlabha dekhilo prakāśa

(Caitanya Bhāgavata Madhya 10.100-101)

“In whatever family a Vaiṣṇava may take his birth, still he is the greatest person.
All scriptures proclaim this. The evidence of this is Yavana Haridāsa, who saw
manifestations rarely seen even by Brahmā.”

śūdra vaiṣṇavera ghare jāy bheṭ loiyā (C.C. Antya 16.13)

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“Kālidās went to the homes of śūdra vaiṣṇavas with gifts.”

bhuimāli jāti vaiṣṇava jhoru tāra nāma (C.C. Antya 16.14)

“There was a Vaiṣṇava from the Bhuimāli caste named Jhoru.”

Sanātana Goswāmī writes in his commentary to Haribhakti Vilāsa 1.2 – śrī

raghunātha dāso nāma gauḍīya kāyastha kulābja-bhāskaraḥ parama bhāgavataḥ - “The
parama bhāgavata named Śrī Raghunātha dāsa is the sun that shines on the lotus of
the kāyastha clan of Bengal.”

Each time a Vaiṣṇava is mentioned with his caste it was done with the utmost
respect, but it is not that a Vaiṣṇava is casteless.

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu had His Raghunāthas – one was Raghunātha Vaidya,
one was Raghunāth Bhaṭṭa and one was Raghunāth Dās - all named according to jāti.
Even Nityānanda Prabhu, who is considered most liberal, had himself served by
brāhmaṇas during the chipped rice festival in Pānihāti –

āra tina kuṇḍikāya avaśeṣa chilo; grāse-grāse kari’ vipra saba bhakte dilo
puṣpa-mālā vipra āni’ prabhu-gale dilo; candana āniyā prabhura sarvāṅge lepilo

“There was food remaining in the three other big pots of Lord Nityānanda, and
a brāhmaṇa distributed it to all the devotees, giving a morsel to each. Then a brāhmaṇa
brought a flower garland, placed the garland on Nityānanda Prabhu’s neck and
smeared sandalwood pulp all over His body.” (Caitanya Caritāmṛta Antya 6.95-96).

All members of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s entourage followed the social

protocol. Śrī Gadādhara Paṇḍit was once forced by Vallabha Bhaṭṭa to hear his
devotional explanations (bhaṭṭa jāy, tabu poḍe kori balātkār, Caitanya Caritāmṛta Antya

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7.96), although no one in Purī would hear them because they had already been
rejected by Mahāprabhu (prabhur upekṣāy sab nīlācaler jan; bhaṭṭera vyākhyān kichu nā
kore śravaṇ, 7. 91). Thus Gadādhara ended up in a dilemma (sankaṭe poḍilo paṇḍit,
koroye saṁśoy, 7.95). Nevertheless, because Vallabha Bhaṭṭa was of a high birth
Gadādhara did not forbid him to speak his rejected theories (ābhijātye paṇḍit korite
nāre niṣedhan, 7.97). He followed the protocol, though he risked scorn by his fellow
Mahāprabhu-followers because of it, and actually received it too (tathāpi prabhur gaṇ
kore praṇaya roṣa, 7.99).

Śrīla Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī is the rāgānugā ācārya pur sang, but he too kept
the protocol, however transcendental rāgānugā bhakti is to the external world and even
to compulsory devotion (vidhi bhakti). Though in the second verse of his Manaḥ Śikṣā
(teachings to the mind) he warned na dharmaṁ nādharmaṁ śrutigaṇa niruktaṁ kila
kuru “Do not engage in either religious or irreligious activities mentioned in the
Vedas” and thus showed himself as being aloof from the world, still in the opening
verse, yes even in the opening line of Manaḥ Śikṣā he said: gurau goṣṭhe goṣṭhālayiṣu
su-jane bhū-sura gaṇe “Oh mind, worship the Guru, Vraja-bhūmi, the Vrajabāsīs, the
saints and the brāhmaṇas.”

In short, there is the internal world of bhakti and there is the external world of
maryādā (respect, protocol). The 12th Canto of the Bhāgavata predicts a decay of
Vedic society and the 6 Gosvāmīs have read the Bhāgavata very well and commented
upon it as well. They were therefore aware of what was going to happen later on in
Kali-yuga and could have created an artificial new caste system if they had wanted to,
or, as they are puppets in Mahāprabhu’s hands, if Śrīman Mahāprabhu had wanted to.
But they did not do that and later ācāryas should respect that and not speak before
their turn.

Who or what is a Guru?

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Q: Can a non-Hindu become a Guru in this life?

A: Non-Indian Vaiṣṇava Gurus are falling down from Vedic and Vaiṣṇava principles
much more often than their Indian counterparts do. The Vaiṣṇava scriptures show us
why. Proponents of casteless Gurus quote this verse from Caitanya Caritāmṛta
(Madhya 8,128):

kibā vipra kibā nyāsī śūdra kene noy; yei kṛṣṇa tattva vettā – sei guru hoy

“Whether someone is a brāhmaṇa, a sannyāsī or even a śūdra – whoever knows

the truth about Kṛṣṇa is a Guru.”

However, the context in which this verse was spoken is as follows: Although
Himself a brāhmaṇa and a sannyāsī, Caitanya Mahāprabhu considered the śūdra and
gṛhastha Rāmānanda Rāya to be His śikṣā guru, since He was on the receiving end of
all the enlightenment passed on by Rāmānanda Rāya. In the preceding verses Caitanya
Mahāprabhu said about His personal āśrama-status:

māyāvādī āmi to sannyāsī; bhakti tattva nāhi jāni māyāvāde bhāsi

sārvabhauma saṅge mora mon nirmala hoilo; kṛṣṇa bhakti tattva koho, tāhāre puchilo
tiho kohe āmi nāhi jāni kṛṣṇa kothā; sabe rāmānanda jāne; tiho nāhi ethā
tomāra ṭhāi āilām tomāra mahimā śuniyā; tumi more stuti koro sannyāsī jāniyā

“I am a māyāvādī sannyāsī, hence I do not know about bhakti. I was purified in

Sārvabhauma’s company, so I asked him: ‘Tell Me the truth about devotion to Kṛṣṇa.”
He (Sārvabhauma, although he was a brāhmaṇa) said: “I do not know about Kṛṣṇa.
Rāmānanda knows all, but he is not here.” So I have come here after hearing of your
greatness, but you praise Me because I am a sannyāsī.”

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(Caitanya Caritāmṛta Madhya 8.124-127)

And then Mahāprabhu speaks the famous verse, in this context – kibā vipra kibā
nyāsi śūdra kene noy; yei kṛṣṇa tattva vettā sei guru hoy - Rāmānanda Rāya never gave
dīkṣā to Mahāprabhu. The context of this verse is a personal one, and there is no
question here of dīkṣā. The word guru in this verse means śikṣā guru. The words yei
kṛṣṇa tattva vettā (“Whoever knows the truth about Kṛṣṇa”) clearly show that this verse
refers to the qualification of a śikṣā guru. After the famous kibā vipra-verse Mahāprabhu
continues:

sannyāsī boliyā more nā koro vañcana; kṛṣṇa rādhā tattva kohi’ pūrṇa koro man

“Don’t deprive Me because I am a sannyāsī; fulfil My desire my speaking of

Kṛṣṇa and Rādhā.”

Indeed, throughout the lengthy conversation between Rāmānanda Rāya and Śrī
Caitanya Mahāprabhu there is no mentioning of dīkṣā anywhere!

Many westerners, who are not acquainted with Vedic culture, think that this
idea of ‘brāhmaṇa by quality alone’ has always been the Vedic norm, but, in his
comment on Caitanya Caritāmṛta Madhya 8.128, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami himself
confirms that it was introduced by Bhaktisiddhānta Saraswati:

“Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura therefore introduced the sacred thread

ceremony for all Vaiṣṇavas according to the rules and regulations.”

In the Haribhakti Vilāsa (chapter 1), Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī and Gopāla Bhaṭṭa
Gosvāmī state that the first choice of a qualified Guru should be a born brāhmaṇa —
vipraṁ pradhvasta kāma (1.29) avadātānvayaḥ śuddhaḥ svocitācāra tatparaḥ (1.32) “He
must be from a spotless dynasty and dedicated to proper conduct.” brāhmaṇaḥ

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sarvakālajña (1.36). varṇottame'tha ca gurau (1.37) These traits are not secondary
requirements of a Guru. They are listed under the heading viśeṣataḥ śrī guror lakṣaṇa –
‘Special characteristics of Śrī Guru’. Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī’s commentary on
Haribhakti Vilāsa 1.32 –

avadātaḥ śuddhaḥ pātityādi doṣa rahito’nvayo vaṁśo yasya sad vaṁśa jāta ityartha.
śuddhaḥ svayam api pātityādi doṣa rahitaḥ.

“The word avadāta means that his family is free from the faults of being fallen.
That means he comes from a good family. The word śuddhaḥ means that he himself is
also not fallen.”

Monier Williams’ Sanskrit dictionary translates patita as: “fallen, dropped,

descended, alighted, fallen upon or from, fallen (morally), wicked, degraded, out-
caste…”

In the Brahma Vaivarta Purāṇa (Kṛṣṇa Janma Khaṇḍa 83.42) it is also said:

jāti hīnād guror mantraḥ gṛhnīyān na kadācana

"Never take mantra from a casteless Guru."

If a qualified brāhmaṇa cannot be found, a qualified kṣatriya must be sought,

and so on downwards:

tad abhāvād dvija śreṣṭha śāntātmā bhagavanmayaḥ

bhāvitātmā ca sarvajñaḥ śāstrajñaḥ sat kriyāparaḥ
siddhi traya samāyukta ācāryatve’bhiṣecitaḥ.
kṣatra viṭ śūdra jātīnāṁ kṣatriyo’nugrahekṣamaḥ
kṣatriyasyāpi ca guror abhāvād īdṛśo yadi
vaiśyaḥ syāt tena kāryaśca dvaye nityam anugrahaḥ
sajātīyena śūdrena tādṛśena mahāmate

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anugrahābhiṣekau ca kāryau śūdrasya sarvadā

“In the absence of a qualified brāhmaṇa Guru, one can take a kṣatriya Guru,
who is filled with God consciousness, peaceful, knows all about the dīkṣā ritual, knows
scripture, is conversant with all rites, has the three siddhis (perfection in practise of
mantra, worship of the Guru and the devatās, attained through practises like
puraścaraṇa). Such a kṣatriya-Guru can give dīkṣā to his fellow kṣatriyas as well as to
vaiśyas and śūdras. Similarly śūdras can always give dīkṣā to their fellow śūdras.”
(Haribhakti Vilāsa 1.47)

Furthermore, these verses of Haribhakti Vilāsa say that one should not give
pratiloma dīkṣā, viz. a low caste Guru giving dīkṣā to a high caste disciple —
prātilomyaṁ na dīkṣayet (1.52). Śrīla Narottama Dās Ṭhākura was an exceptional case
- he gave dīkṣā to high caste persons, but at the end he rose from the dead and his
body melted like milk into the Gaṅgā (dugdha samādhi). This is not something that
every non-brāhmaṇa that gives dīkṣā to brāhmaṇas can imitate.

There has never been a prohibition by the Vaiṣṇava Ācāryas or the

scriptures to calling householder-ācāryas 'Gosvāmī'.

On the contrary, Śrī Narottama Ṭhākura Mahāśaya sang: doyā koro sītāpati,
advaita gosāi, addressing the householder-Guru, the husband of Sītā, Advaita Prabhu
as gosāi. Advaita is also repeatedly called gosvāmī in Kavi Karṇapūra's 'Caitanya
Candrodaya Nāṭakam', and in Gaura Gaṇoddeśa Dīpikā (76) he writes: sa evādvaita
gosvāmī caitanyābhinna vigrahaḥ “He, Advaita Gosvāmī, is non-different from Lord
Caitanya.” To see the ‘caste-‘ Gosvāmīs as different from the Lords - Nityānanda and
Advaita - that they directly descend from in family line is an offence to Nityānanda
and Advaita, for the Vedas teach us ātmā vai jāyate putraḥ — "So father, so son", or:
"The child is the image of the father." (CC. Madhya 12.56) Lord Balarāma said in
Śrīmad Bhāgavata (10.78.36): ātma vai putra utpanna iti vedānuśāsanam; tasmād asya
bhaved vaktā “O worshipable sages, the Vedas declare that one’s own self is reborn as

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the son, therefore let Romaharṣaṇa’s son recite the Purāṇas to you!” pituḥ putro yena
jāta sa eva saḥ (Ś.B. 9.20.21): “The son belongs to the father. Indeed, the son is the
father.”

Staying with family-succession, it is not true that one can/should not be

initiated by one's parents: Hemalatā Ṭhākurāṇī, guru of Yadunandana Ṭhākura, took
initiation from her father Śrīnivāsācārya, Kṛṣṇa Miśra took initiation from his mother
Sītā-devī and Vīrabhadra Prabhu took intiation from his co-mother Jāhnavā-devī.
Vīrabhadra was a son of Nityānanda Prabhu, but according to 'Advaita Prakāśa' he
went to Advaita Prabhu for dīkṣā. Advaita Prabhu, however, sent him back to his own
family to take dīkṣā there, which confirms that it was the wish of Nityānanda and
Advaita Prabhu that these family-guru paramparās would be created.

Sanātan Gosvāmī gave dīkṣā to his brother Rūpa Gosvāmī and Rupa Gosvāmī gave
dīkṣā to his nephew Jīva Gosvāmī.

Prabodhānanda gave dīkṣā to his nephew Gopāl bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī.

Vīrabhadra gave dīkṣā to his father-in-law and his three sons.

Śrīnivāsācārya gave dīkṣā to his two wives, three sons and three daughters.

Kṛṣṇacaran Cakravartī gave dīkṣā to Rādhāraman Cakravartī (Viśvanātha

Cakravartī’s Guru)

Gati Govinda, Śrīnivāsācārya's son, gave dīkṣā to his son who gave dīkṣā to his son.

Kavi Karṇapura was already told to chant by Mahāprabhu, after which he took dīkṣā
from Śrīnātha Cakravartī, the kula-guru of his father and grandfather.

Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa took dīkṣā from kula-guru Rādhā-Dāmodar Gosvāmī.

Family-Gurus ('caste Gosvamīs') are sometimes rejected by pointing at Śrī Jīva

Gosvāmī's Bhakti Sandarbha (210) tad etat paramārtha gurvāśrayo vyavahārika gurvādi
parityāgenāpi kartavyam "One should give up a mundane Guru and take a spiritual
Guru", but this 'mundane Guru' refers to a marriage-priest, village elder or parent, not
to a family-Guru, for in Haribhakti Vilāsa (4.363) the Brahma Vaivarta Purāṇa is
quoted:

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upadeṣṭāram āmnāyāgataṁ pariharanti ye

tān mṛtān api kravyādāḥ kṛtaghnān nopabhuñjate

"Even the vultures will not eat the dead corpse of the ungrateful one who
abandons the āmnāyāgataṁ guru."

In his commentary to this verse Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī writes: āmnāyāgataṁ

kula kramāyātaṁ— This āmnāyāgata guru means a Guru who has come in a family
succession." Just before this, in his dik darśiṇī ṭīkā of verse 361, Sanātan Goswāmī
quotes how many other Gurus exist other than the spiritual master -

prasaṅgād anyeṣām api gurūṇāṁ saṅgrahārtham. te coktāḥ kaurme— upādhyāyaḥ

pitā jyeṣṭha-bhrātā caiva mahīpatiḥ. mātulaḥ śvaśuraḥ sūto mātāmaha-pitāmahau. varṇa-
jyeṣṭhaḥ pitṛvyaś ca sarve te guravaḥ smṛtāḥ.

“…others are also named Guru, as it is said in the Kūrma Purāṇa - the Veda-
teacher, father, elder brother, king, mother and family, in-laws, parents' parents, upper
caste people and other elders.”

Śrī Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī was initiated by the family-Guru Yadunandana

Ācārya, but he did not leave him to take dīkṣā from, for example, Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī.
On the contrary, in Mukta Caritra (4) he acknowledged that he had gotten everything
from his family-Guru Yadunandana Ācārya -

nāma śreṣṭhaṁ manum api śacī-putram atra svarūpaṁ

rūpaṁ tasyāgrajam uru purīṁ māthurīṁ goṣṭha-bāṭīm
rādhākuṇḍaṁ girivaram aho rādhikā mādhavāśāṁ
prāpto yasya prathita kṛpayā śrī guruṁ taṁ nato'smi

“I bow down to my blessed Śrī Guru (Yadunandana Ācārya), by whose grace I

have received the greatest name in existence, the holy name of Kṛṣṇa, the 18-syllable
Gopāla-mantra, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, the son of Mother Śacī, Svarūpa Dāmodara,
Rūpa Gosvāmī, his elder brother Sanātana Gosvāmī, the great city of Mathurā, the

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pastures of Vraja, Rādhākuṇḍa, the best of mountains Govardhana, and the hope of
attaining Rādhikā and Mādhava.....”

With ‘Śrī Guru’ he could not have meant anyone else but Yadunandanācārya,
for he lists all his other possible ‘Gurus’ like Mahāprabhu, Svarūpa Dāmodara and
Rūpa Gosvāmī as his great gifts.

Those who claim that dīkṣā-mantras received from a family-Guru are ‘dead
mantras in a body-succession’ should remember that –

Jagannāth dās Bābājī, Madhusūdan dās Bābājī of Sūryakuṇḍa, Manohar dās Bābājī of
Govinda-kuṇḍa, Jaya Kṛṣṇa dās Bābājī of Kāmyavan and Vamśī dās Bābājī of
Navadvīpa all took dīkṣā from kula-gurus without giving them up for 'mahā-bhāgavatas'
and became siddha. How is their mantra ‘dead’ then?

Who or what is a sannyāsī?

Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartīpāda comments on the famous Bhagavad Gītā verse
sarva dharmān parityajya (18.66), refuting Śankarācārya’s explanation that ‘giving up
all dharma’ means that Arjuna should have taken Sannyāsa: parityajya sannyasyeti na
vyākhyeyam arjunasya kṣatriyatvena sannyāsānadhikārān… ”Completely giving up
dharma cannot mean sannyāsa for Arjuna, for as a kṣatriya he had no right to take
sannyāsa.”

This confirms the Vedic teaching that only brāhmanas are eligible for sannyāsa,
what to speak of śūdras or mlecchas?

Śrīmad Bhāgavata (11.17.38) clearly says that sannyāsa is only for brāhmaṇas -
pravrajed vā dvijottamaḥ.

Preaching is not a ground to give sannyāsa - a vow of lifelong celibacy - to

young westerners. The western audience is anyway not impressed nor does it respect
saffron cloth, like Indians. They simply know nothing about it! Indeed, all devotees
who opened the temples in America and Europe were white-clad householders!

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Who or what is a spouse?

Due to air travel everyone mixes nowadays - Africans marry with Eskimos,
Latinos with Chinese and Brahmins with Russians. Spiritual oneness and equality is
transported down to the physical plane, with the slogan ‘we are all spirit souls
anyway’. If we are all only spirit souls, with no subtle cultural coverings at all, then –

1) Why marry at all, because we are not at all this body (why even dress then?)

2) Why not marry a fly or a pig? They are also spirit souls.

Despite spiritual equality there are huge cultural and economic differences
between all the peoples that become Vaiṣṇavas - the result of genetically mixing them
up is confused children who are part of neither parents’ ethnicity or culture. This is
called varṇa saṅkara, or a mixed race, in Bhagavad Gītā (1.41-43). Spouses from poor
countries (especially Indian men) exploit their rich spouses (usually naive gullible
western girls). After they flattered them into sending them a plane ticket to the rich
west they call them prostitutes and abandon them to start businesses in the west. For
material relationships one must follow material rules. Śrīmad Bhāgavata says:
(11.17.39) gṛhārthī sadṛśīṁ bhāryām „A brahmacārī who wants to marry should seek a
bride like him.” sadṛśīṁ (like him) is glossed by Śrīdhara Swāmī as savarṇa, ‘of the
same caste’.

Bhaktivinoda writes in Jaiva-dharma, chapter 6 –

ye mata yavana-vaṁśīya viśuddha brahma svabhāva sampanna vyakti vastutaḥ

pāramārthika viṣaye brāhmaṇa hoiyāchen, tathāpi vyavahārika kriyā ye brāhmaṇa
kanyāra pāṇi-grahaṇa tāhāte tāhār adhikāra hoy nā –

“Though a person born in a yavana-family may have accrued the pure nature
of a brāhmaṇa, and thus actually became a brāhmaṇa from the spiritual perspective,
still he has no right to perform material actions like marrying a brāhmaṇa-girl.”

A marriage CAN be spiritual, as a side effect, but it is never the root cause of
marriage. “I want sex, but only with a devotee girl/boy.” But the first motive is sex,
not bhakti.

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About respect in general

From Caitanya Caritāmṛta (Antya 4. 135-169) we learn that junior devotees
should not instruct senior devotees. In this narration we see that Jagadānanda Paṇḍit
advised Sanātana Gosvāmī to go to Vṛndāvana, but when Mahāprabhu heard that he
was very angry, because Jagadānanda Paṇḍita was junior to Sanātana not just
vyavahāre, materially, by being younger in age, but also paramārthe, spiritually,
because Sanātana Gosvāmī was like his Guru (Caitanya Caritāmṛta Antya 4.159,
vyavahāre paramārthe tumi - tāra guru tulya). Mahāprabhu thus set the standard for
devotees of all time to act according to maryādā, or protocol. He will be very angry
when junior devotees instruct senior ones - maryādā laṅghana āmi sahite nā pāri
(Caitanya Caritāmṛta Antya 4.166) "I cannot tolerate breach of the protocol."

One should note, however, that if a devotee senior in age is inferior in spiritual
advancement one need not heed the instructions of such a senior devotee-by-age-only.
After all, Mahaprabhu said of Sanatana Gosvami:

kāhā tumi - prāmāṇika, śāstre pravīṇa; kāhā jagā - kālikāra baṭuyā navīna

(Caitanya Caritāmṛta Antya 4.167)

"Where are you, expert in the scriptures and a great authority, and where is
Jagadānanda in comparison, a new student?" Sanātana Gosvāmī was not just superior
in age.…….

Giving a 'brāhmaṇa’-thread is meant to give respect to aspirants and flatter them

into becoming your follower. It does not change the quality of your semen into
brāhmaṇa-semen. Without humility one cannot enter into the kingdom of God, and
Vaiṣṇava leaders that encourage their followers in thinking that they are equal to or
even higher than brāhmaṇas thus throw up serious barriers for them. Śrīman
Mahāprabhu kindly gave the keys to the kingdom of God with this formula:

tṛṇād api sunīcena taror iva sahiṣṇunā

amānina mānadena kīrtanīya sadā hariḥ

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“Lower than a blade of grass, more tolerant than a tree.

Expecting no honour for yourself, always giving honour to others.

In this way Hari is always to be glorified.”

maryādā pālana, or observing the protocol, is the way to get there.

Concluding, the daiva-varnāśrama-project is pratiyogitā, envious rivalry – in

Śrīmad Bhāgavata Lord Kapila says (3.29.8) –

abhisandhāya yo hiṁsāṇ dambhaṁ mātsaryam eva vā

saṁrambhī bhinna dṛg bhāvaṁ mayi kuryāt sa tāmasaḥ

abhisandhāya – with the intention of; yaḥ - whoever; hiṁsān – with violence;
dambhaṁ - deceitful; mātsaryam – with envy; eva – surely; vā – or; saṁrambhī – an
angry or proud person; bhinna dṛk – separate view; bhāvaṁ - such a mood; mayi – unto
Me; kuryāt – does; sa – he; tāmasaḥ - darkness.

“An angry and proud person who worships me with intentions of violence,
duplicity and envy, having a dualistic vision about others, is rendering tāmasik bhakti
towards Me.”

Thus ends the essay on Vaiṣṇava protocol compiled by Advaitadās, 2005-2018.

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