SB 11.17.40 · Srimad-Bhagavatam

Devanagari

इज्याध्ययनदानानि सर्वेषां च द्विजन्मनाम् । प्रतिग्रहोऽध्यापनं च ब्राह्मणस्यैव याजनम् ॥ ४० ॥

Verse text

ijyādhyayana-dānāni sarveṣāṁ ca dvi-janmanām pratigraho ’dhyāpanaṁ ca brāhmaṇasyaiva yājanam

Synonyms

ijyā — sacrifice ; adhyayana — Vedic study ; dānāni — charity ; sarveṣām — of all ; ca — also ; dvi — janmanām — those who are twice-born ; pratigrahaḥ — acceptance of charity ; adhyāpanam — teaching Vedic knowledge ; ca — also ; brāhmaṇasya — of the brāhmaṇa ; eva — only ; yājanam — performing sacrifices for others .

Translation

All twice-born men — brāhmaṇas, kṣatriyas and vaiśyas — must perform sacrifice, study the Vedic literature and give charity. Only the brāhmaṇas, however, accept charity, teach the Vedic knowledge and perform sacrifice on behalf of others.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

All twice-born men—brāhmaṇas, kṣatriyas and vaiśyas—must sponsor sacrifice, study the Vedic literature and give charity. Only the brāhmaṇas, however, accept charity, teach the Vedic knowledge and perform sacrifice on behalf of others. The three upper varṇas must sponsor sacrifice, study the Vedas and give charity. But only the bṛāhmaṇa performs sacrifice, teaches the Vedas and receives charity.

Purport

All civilized men must participate in sacrificial performances, give charity and study the Vedic literature. The best of the twice-born, namely the brāhmaṇas, are specifically empowered to lead sacrificial performances on behalf of all members of society, teach everyone Vedic knowledge and receive everyone’s charity. Without the assistance or participation of qualified brāhmaṇas, the lower classes cannot properly study the Vedic literature, perform sacrifices or give in charity, because they do not have the required intelligence to perfectly execute such functions. When kṣatriyas and vaiśyas take shelter of bona fide brāhmaṇas, they are able to properly execute their respective duties, and society functions smoothly and efficiently.