SB 7.11.21
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
TEXT 21
- śamo damas tapaḥ śaucaṁ
- santoṣaḥ kṣāntir ārjavam
- jñānaṁ dayācyutātmatvaṁ
- satyaṁ ca brahma-lakṣaṇam
SYNONYMS
śamaḥ—control of the mind; damaḥ—control of the senses; tapaḥ—austerity and penance; śaucam—cleanliness; santoṣaḥ—satisfaction; kṣāntiḥ—forgiveness (being unagitated by anger); ārjavam—simplicity; jñānam—knowledge; dayā—mercy; acyuta-ātmatvam—accepting oneself as an eternal servant of the Lord; satyam—truthfulness; ca—also; brahma-lakṣaṇam—the symptoms of a brāhmaṇa.
TRANSLATION
The symptoms of a brāhmaṇa are control of the mind, control of the senses, austerity and penance, cleanliness, satisfaction, forgiveness, simplicity, knowledge, mercy, truthfulness, and complete surrender to the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
PURPORT
In the institution of varṇāśrama-dharma, the symptoms of a brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra, brahmacārī, gṛhastha, vānaprastha, and sannyāsī are all described. The ultimate aim is acyutātmatvam—to think always of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa, or Viṣṇu. To make advancement in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, one has to become a brāhmaṇa, with the above-mentioned symptoms.