Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 4.1.3

prajāpatiḥ sa bhagavān

rucis tasyām ajījanat

mithunaḿ brahma-varcasvī

parameṇa samādhinā

SYNONYMS

prajāpatiḥ — one who is entrusted with begetting children; saḥ — he; bhagavān — the most opulent; ruciḥ — the great sage Ruci; tasyām — in her; ajījanat — gave birth; mithunam — couple; brahma-varcasvī — spiritually very much powerful; parameṇa — with great strength; samādhinā — in trance.

TRANSLATION

Ruci, who was very powerful in his brahminical qualifications and was appointed one of the progenitors of the living entities, begot one son and one daughter by his wife, Ākūti.

PURPORT

The word brahma-varcasvī is very significant. Ruci was a brāhmaṇa, and he executed the brahminical duties very rigidly. As stated in Bhagavad-gītā, the brahminical qualifications are control of the senses, control of the mind, cleanliness within and without, development of spiritual and material knowledge, simplicity, truthfulness, faith in the Supreme Personality of Godhead, etc. There are many qualities which indicate a brahminical personality, and it is understood that Ruci followed all the brahminical principles rigidly. Therefore he is specifically mentioned as brahma-varcasvī. One who is born of a brāhmaṇa father but does not act as a brāhmaṇa is called, in Vedic language, a brahma-bandhu, and is calculated to be on the level of śūdras and women. Thus in the Bhāgavatam we find that Mahābhārata was specifically compiled by Vyāsadeva for strī-śūdra-brahma-bandhu. Strī means women, śūdra means the lower class of civilized human society, and brahma-bandhu means persons who are born in the families of brāhmaṇas but do not follow the rules and regulations carefully. All of these three classes are called less intelligent; they have no access to the study of the Vedas, which are specifically meant for persons who have acquired the brahminical qualifications. This restriction is based not upon any sectarian distinction but upon qualification. The Vedic literatures cannot be understood unless one has developed the brahminical qualifications. It is regrettable, therefore, that persons who have no brahminical qualifications and have never been trained under a bona fide spiritual master nevertheless comment on Vedic literatures like the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and other purāṇas, for such persons cannot deliver their real message. Ruci was considered a first-class brāhmaṇa; therefore he is mentioned here as brahma-varcasvī, one who had full prowess in brahminical strength.

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