| Canto 11: General History | Chapter 23: The Song of the Avanti Brahmana. |
Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Srimad Bhagavatam 11.23.11
kincid dasyava uddhava
SYNONYMS
jnatayah -- the relatives; jagrhuh -- took away; kincit -- some; kincit -- some; dasyavah -- thieves; uddhava -- O Uddhava; daivatah -- by providence; kalatah -- by time; kincit -- some; brahma-bandhoh -- of the so-called brahmana; nr -- by common men; parthivat -- and by elevated government officials.
TRANSLATION
Some of the wealth of this so-called brahmana was taken away by his relatives, My dear Uddhava, some by thieves, some by the whims of providence, some by the effects of time, some by ordinary men and some by government authorities.
PURPORT
It appears that even though the so-called brahmana was determined not to spend his money, his wife and other relatives managed to squeeze out a portion. According to Srila Sridhara Svami, providence here refers to fires in the home and other types of occasional misfortune. Effects of time here refers to the destruction of agricultural crops through seasonal irregularities and other such occurrences. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura points out that one should not merely proclaim oneself to be a brahmana but should actually understand one's original identity as a servant of the Lord. One declaring himself to be a brahmana but maintaining a materialistic mentality is not a real brahmana, but rather a brahma-bandhu, or so-called brahmana. The humble devotees of Lord Visnu, following the indications of the Vedic scriptures, refer to themselves as unfortunate and unable to understand the kingdom of God; they do not proudly proclaim themselves to be brahmanas. Those who are wise, however, know that such humble devotees are actually brahmanas whose hearts are cleansed by the pure mode of goodness.
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His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Founder Acarya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness
His Holiness Hrdayananda dasa Goswami
Gopiparanadhana dasa Adhikari
Dravida dasa Brahmacari