Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 4.22.46

svam eva brāhmano bhuńkte

svam vaste svam dadāti ca

tasyaivānugrahenānnam

bhuñjate kshatriyādayah

SYNONYMS

svam — own; eva — certainly; brāhmanah — the brāhmana; bhuńkte — enjoy; svam — own; vaste — clothing; svam — own; dadāti — gives in charity; ca — and; tasya — his; eva — certainly; anugrahena — by the mercy of; annam — food grains; bhuñjate — eats; kshatriya-ādayah — other divisions of society, headed by the kshatriyas.

TRANSLATION

The kshatriyas, vaiśyas and śūdras eat their food by virtue of the brāhmanas' mercy. It is the brāhmanas who enjoy their own property, clothe themselves with their own property and give charity with their own property.

PURPORT

The Supreme Personality of Godhead is worshiped with the words namo brahmanya-devāya, which indicate that the Supreme Lord accepts the brāhmanas as worshipable gods. The Supreme Lord is worshiped by everyone, yet to teach others He worships the brāhmanas. Everyone should follow the instructions of the brāhmanas, for their only business is to spread śabda-brahma, or Vedic knowledge, all over the world. Whenever there is a scarcity of brāhmanas to spread Vedic knowledge, chaos throughout human society results. Since brāhmanas and Vaishnavas are direct servants of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, they do not depend on others. In actuality, everything in the world belongs to the brāhmanas, and out of their humility the brāhmanas accept charity from the kshatriyas, or kings, and the vaiśyas, or merchants. Everything belongs to the brāhmanas, but the kshatriya government and the mercantile people keep everything in custody, like bankers, and whenever the brāhmanas need money, the kshatriyas and vaiśyas should supply it. It is like a savings account with money which the depositor can draw out at his will. The brāhmanas, being engaged in the service of the Lord, have very little time to handle the finances of the world, and therefore the riches are kept by the kshatriyas, or the kings, who are to produce money upon the brāhmanas' demand. Actually the brāhmanas or Vaishnavas do not live at others' cost; they live by spending their own money, although it appears that they are collecting this money from others. Kshatriyas and vaiśyas have no right to give charity, for whatever they possess belongs to the brāhmanas. Therefore charity should be given by the kshatriyas and vaiśyas under the instructions of the brāhmanas. Unfortunately at the present moment there is a scarcity of brāhmanas, and since the so-called kshatriyas and vaiśyas do not carry out the orders of the brāhmanas, the world is in a chaotic condition.

The second line of this verse indicates that the kshatriyas, vaiśyas and śūdras eat only by virtue of the brāhmana's mercy; in other words, they should not eat anything which is forbidden by the brāhmanas. The brāhmanas and Vaishnavas know what to eat, and by their personal example they do not eat anything which is not offered first to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. They eat only prasāda, or remnants of the food offered to the Lord. The kshatriyas, vaiśyas and śūdras should eat only krishna-prasāda, which is afforded them by the mercy of the brāhmanas. They cannot open slaughterhouses and eat meat, fish or eggs or drink liquor, or earn money for this purpose without authorization. In the present age, because society is not guided by brahminical instruction, the whole population is only absorbed in sinful activities. Consequently, everyone is deservedly being punished by the laws of nature. This is the situation in this age of Kali.

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His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Founder Ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness