What is a Brahmin?

[Guest guest]

achintya, Prasada Rao <prasad@d...> wrote:

 

> Some speakers unfortunately focus much of their classes speaking

bad about

> the brahmanical class, not realizing that their class is not doing

good to

> any one, and in particular their loose statements have the

potential to

> scare away their congregation for once and all.

 

>

> I often ask some of these speakers, "How many of the Brahminical

initiated

> devotees in ISKCON have all the qualities of a Brahmin?".

 

While these are all valid points with which I agree, I would prefer

for us to steer the discussion back into a more positive,

nonpolitical course, specifically on what constitutes a proper

Brahmin.

 

This is an important subject, because while in theory one can be

reformed by the process of devotional service into acquiring

brahminical qualities, it does not automatically follow that because

one is chanting 16 rounds, has shaved his head, wears dhoti, tilak,

and shikha, that therefore he is a brahmin. There are many

descriptions of the brahminical class given in the scriptures, and

above and beyond these, there are many less tangible attributes that

are found in a proper Brahmin.

 

It is important for us to recognize these, and to thus know what it

means to be a Brahmin. I invite postings describing the attributes

of a Brahmin, preferably with Srila Prabhupada's quotes and quotes

from scriptures on the subject.

 

yours,

- K