Gurus and Brahmans:
All That Glitters Is Not Gold

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Sri Nabadwip Dham, evening class, part 7
7 November 2012, translated from Bengali

গুরুর্ন স স্যাৎ স্বজনো ন স স্যাৎ, পিতা ন স স্যাজ্জননী ন সা স্যাৎ ।
দৈবং ন তৎ স্যান্ন পতিশ্চ স স্যান্ন, মোচয়েদ্ যঃ সমুপেতমৃত্যুম্ ॥

gurur na sa syat svajano na sa syat
pita na sa syaj janani na sa syat
daivam na tat syan na patis cha sa syan
na mochayed yah samupeta-mrtyum

"It is not your guru, it is not your family, it is not your father, it is not your mother, it is not your gods, it is not your husband if that person cannot save you from the world of birth and death."

(Srimad Bhagavatam, 5.5.18)

It is said here: such guru is not a guru. What kind of guru is that? The one who cannot save you from this material world of birth and death—such guru is not a guru, it is a vitta harankari guru (বিত্ত হরণ কারী গুরু, a guru who will take away your money, steal your property, and so on). Do you know what kind guru it is?

Suppose a patient comes to a doctor:

"Doctor, I have blood sugar," he says.

"You must not eat potato and sweets, and I will prescribe you some medicine, you must take it," the doctor will reply.

"Doctor," argues the patient, "I have money—you can prescribe me some medicine, I will take it, but I cannot give up sweets and potato."

What is the doctor to say then? Some doctors will think, "If this patient comes to me I will get money, but if I reject him he will not come again!" So, such doctors will say, "Yes, you can take potato and sweets, eat whatever you want—just take this medicine only and come to me again in a few days."

You get such gurus in this world. They say: do whatever you want, do whatever your mind fancies. They tell quite the opposite of the truth—they say you are an atma, so you can eat whatever your soul wishes. But the soul does not eat anything!

জিহ্বার লালসে যেই ইতি-উতি ধায় ।
শিশ্নোদরপরায়ণ সে কৃষ্ণ নাহি পায় ॥

jihvara lalase yei iti-uti dhaya
sisnodara-parayana se krsna nahi paya

"One who is subservient to the tongue and who thus goes here and there, devoted to the genitals and the belly, cannot attain Krishna."

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, Antya-lila, 6.227)

The tongue eats (to eat you need a tongue, eyes, nose, ears, skin, mind, intelligence, ego), but the soul does not eat anything! As we were just singing,

না করি প্রার্থনা কোন বিভূতির লাগি ॥

na kari prarthana kona vibhutira lagi

"I do not pray for any supernatural powers."

(Sri Siksastakam, 4.2, Srila Bhakti Vinod Thakur)

And if it is a good doctor, he will say, "I do not want such a patient. If you want to be cured, then you must take this medicine and give up potato and sweets." Such doctors do not mind even if the patient leaves him.

We must know and understand these things... Then, it says also that demigods who cannot rescue the soul from this material world should not take worship from them. Just now the Kali puja is coming and, when I called somebody to invite to Vrindavan parikrama, they told me, "Maharaj, I cannot go to Vrindavan—the Kali puja is soon!"

Here in this Gaudiya-kantha-hara, it is written about the varna-dharma and the ashrama-dharma. (If you read Gaudiya-kantha-hara, you can preach well.) Do you know who the brahmans in this world are? Those souls who previously made offence to the twice-born, who behave like demons, are born as brahmans in Kali-yuga.

In this Kali-yuga, there are four varnas (castes, or orders of life): brahman, ksatriya, vaisya, and sudra, but:

ব্রাহ্মণাঃ ক্ষত্রিয়া বৈশ্যাঃ শূদ্রাঃ পাপপরায়ণাঃ ।
নিজাচারবিনীনাশ্চ ভবিষ্যন্তি কলৌ যুগে ॥
বিপ্রা বেদবিহীনাশ্চ প্রতিগ্রহ-পরায়ণাঃ ।
অত্যন্তকামিনঃ ক্রূরা ভবিষ্যন্তি কলৌ যুগে ॥
বেদনিন্দাকরাশ্চৈব দ্যূতচৌর্যকরাস্তথা ।
বিধবাসঙ্গলুব্ধাশ্চ ভবিষ্যন্তি কলৌ দ্বিজাঃ ॥
বৃত্ত্যর্থং ব্রাহ্মণাঃ কেচিৎ মহাকপটধর্মিণঃ ।
রক্তাম্বরা ভবিষ্যন্তি জটিলাঃ শ্মশ্রুধারিণঃ ॥
কলৌ যুগে ভবিষ্যন্তি ব্রাহ্মণাঃ শূদ্রধর্মিণঃ ॥

brahmanah ksatriya vaisah sudrah papa-parayanah
nijachara-vihinas cha bhavisyanti kalau yuge
vipra veda-vihinas cha pratigraha-parayanah
atyanta-kaminah krura bhavisyanti kalau yuge
veda-nindakaras chaiva dyutachaurya karas tatha
vidhava-sanga-lubdhas cha bhavisanti kalau dvijah
vrtty-artham brahmanah kechit mahakapata-dharminah
raktambara bhavisyanti jatilah smasrudharinah
kalau yuge bhavisanti brahmanah sudra-dharmina

"In Kali-yuga, all four varnas are devoid of character and proper behavior and are addicted to sin. The brahmanas are devoid of Vedic knowledge and sacrifice. Giving up the five sacrifices recommended in the Vedas and all brahminical behavior and consciousness, they engage in inferior activities. They collect charity to satisfy their unlimited appetite for sense enjoyment. The brahmanas of Kali-yuga are characterized by the qualities of lust and cruelty. Unholy in deed and thought, they take pleasure in envy and malice. These professional thieves blaspheme the Vedas, drink liquor, and exploit women for sex, taking great pleasure in adultery and fornication. They accept extremely sinful means of maintaining their lives and, posing as swamis, dress in red cloth and wear long hair and beards. In this way the wretched so called brahmanas of Kali-yuga accept the dharma of sudras, that is, they become fourth-class men."

(Padma Purna)

In Kali-yuga, brahmans become sudras:

রাক্ষসাঃ কলিমাশ্রিত্য জায়ন্তে ব্রহ্মযোনিষু ।
উৎপন্না ব্রাহ্মণকুলে বাধন্তে শ্রোত্রিয়ান্ কৃশান্ ॥

raksasah kalimasritya jayante brahma-yonisu
utpanna brahmana-kule badhante srotriyan krsan

"Those who were raksasas in previous ages, have taken birth as brahmanas in Kali-yuga to torment the physically weak saintly persons who are engaged in the culture of hearing about the Lord."

(Sri Chaitanya Bhagavata, Adi-khanda, 16.301 & Varaha Purana)

This is what is written in the Puranas.

চারি বর্ণাশ্রমী যদি কৃষ্ণ নাহি ভজে ।
স্বকর্ম্ম করিলেও সে রৌরবে পড়ি মজে ॥

chari varnasrami yadi krsna nahi bhaje
svakarma karileo se raurave padi maje

"Whatever varna (a priest, fighter, manager, or worker) or asram (a celibate, householder, renouncer of the household life, or monk) you may belong to, if you do not worship Krishna but engage in your prescribed duties, you will have to fall into a terrible hell."

(Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, Madhya-lila, 22.26)

Always remember this.

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