Devanagari
सर्वभक्षा द्विजा वृत्त्यै धृतविद्यातपोव्रता: ।
वित्तदेहेन्द्रियारामा याचका विचरन्त्विह ॥ २६ ॥
Verse text
sarva-bhakṣā dvijā vṛttyai
dhṛta-vidyā-tapo-vratāḥ
vitta-dehendriyārāmā
yācakā vicarantv iha
Synonyms
sarva
—
bhakṣāḥ — eating everything
;
dvijāḥ
—
the brāhmaṇas
;
vṛttyai
—
for maintaining the body
;
dhṛta
—
vidyā — having taken to education
;
tapaḥ
—
austerity
;
vratāḥ
—
and vows
;
vitta
—
money
;
deha
—
the body
;
indriya
—
the senses
;
ārāmāḥ
—
the satisfaction
;
yācakāḥ
—
as beggars
;
vicarantu
—
let them wander
;
iha
—
here .
Translation
These brāhmaṇas take to education, austerity and vows only for the purpose of maintaining the body. They shall be devoid of discrimination between what to eat and what not to eat. They will acquire money, begging from door to door, simply for the satisfaction of the body.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
Let the brāhmaṇas who eat anything and have taken vows of knowledge and austerity for maintaining the body, and who enjoy wealth, body and senses, wander about the earth as beggars.
They will lose discrimination in what should be eaten and what should not be eaten. This is the third curse of the brāhmaṇas. They will take vows only for maintaining their bodies. This is the fourth curse. They will enjoy wealth, body and sense. That is the fifth curse. They will beg. That is the sixth curse.
Purport
The third curse inflicted by Nandīśvara on the
brāhmaṇas
who supported Dakṣa is completely functioning in the Age of Kali. The so-called
brāhmaṇas
are no longer interested in understanding the nature of the Supreme Brahman, although a
brāhmaṇa
means one who has attained knowledge about Brahman. In the
Vedānta-sūtra
also it is stated,
athāto brahma-jijṣāsā:
this human form of life is meant for realization of the Supreme Brahman, the Absolute Truth, or, in other words, human life is meant for one’s elevation to the post of a
brāhmaṇa.
Unfortunately the modern
brāhmaṇas,
or so-called
brāhmaṇas
who come in originally brahminical families, have left their own occupational duties, but they do not allow others to occupy the posts of
brāhmaṇas.
The qualifications for
brāhmaṇas
are described in the scriptures, in
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Bhagavad-gītā
and all other Vedic literatures.
Brāhmaṇa
is not a hereditary title or position. If someone from a non-
brāhmaṇa
family (for example, one born in a family of
śūdras
) tries to become a
brāhmaṇa
by being properly qualified under the instruction of a bona fide spiritual master, these so-called
brāhmaṇas
will object. Such
brāhmaṇas,
having been cursed by Nandīśvara, are actually in a position where they have no discrimination between eatables and noneatables and simply live to maintain the perishable material body and its family. Such fallen conditioned souls are not worthy to be called
brāhmaṇas,
but in Kali-yuga they claim to be
brāhmaṇas,
and if a person actually tries to attain the brahminical qualifications, they try to hinder his progress. This is the situation in the present age. Caitanya Mahāprabhu condemned this principle very strongly. During His conversation with Rāmānanda Rāya, He said that regardless of whether a person is born in a
brāhmaṇa
family or
śūdra
family, regardless of whether he is a householder or a
sannyāsī,
if he knows the science of Kṛṣṇa he must be a spiritual master. Caitanya Mahāprabhu had many so-called
śūdra
disciples, like Haridāsa Ṭhākura and Rāmānanda Rāya. Even the Gosvāmīs, who were principal students of Lord Caitanya, were also ostracized from
brāhmaṇa
society, but Caitanya Mahāprabhu, by His grace, made them first-class Vaiṣṇavas.