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304 Glimpses of Traditional Indian Life

Brāhmaṇas

The brāhmaṇas especially were known as sajjana, or
respectable gentlemen who guided the entire society. If
there were disputes in the village, people would approach
these respectable brāhmaṇas to settle them. Now it is very
difficult to find such brāhmaṇas and sajjanas, and thus every
village and town is so disrupted that there is no peace and
happiness anywhere. To revive a fully cultured civilization,
the scientific division of society into brāhmaṇas, kṣatriyas,
vaiśyas, and śūdras must be introduced all over the world.
Unless some people are trained as brāhmaṇas, there cannot
be peace in human society. (Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā
17.42 Purport)

Human life should be blissful and should have as its
goal spiritual advancement. At one time that was India’s
principle of life, and there was a class of people, the
brāhmaṇas, who engaged themselves exclusively in
spiritual culture. (Elevation to Kṛṣṇa Consciousness, Ch. 6)

Formerly, even fifty year or sixty years ago, in India a
brāhmaṇa would not accept anyone’s service. Because
whoever had knowledge, he would sit down anywhere,
underneath a tree or in somebody’s corridor, and would
invite the village small children and teach them a little
grammar, little mathematics, gradually. And the children
would bring presents from their father and mother.
Somebody would bring rice; somebody would bring dāl.
So he had no necessity of making any contract, that “You