Gaudiya siddhanta - ebooks - ISKCON desire tree

even demons are born in the families of brahmanas. It is also interesting to note from this sloka that
those demons in the guise of brahmanas obstruct the saintly devotees engaged in chanting the holy
names of the Lord. 6
So we may observe that although the glories, prestige and prowess of the brahmanas are sung in the
sastras, their degraded condition in the age of Kali is also described there. A similar verse to the
previous one is found in Padma Purana —
brahmanah ksatriya vaisah
sudrah papa-parayanah
nijacara-vihinas ca
bhavisyanti kalau yuge
vipra veda-vihinas ca
pratigraha-parayanah
atyanta-kaminah krur
bhavisyanti kalau yuge
veda-nindakaras caiva
dyutacaurya karas tatha
vidhva-sanga-lubdhas ca
bhavisyanti kalau dvijah
vrttyartham brahmanah kecit
mahakapata-dharminah
raktambara bhavisyanti
jatilah smasrudharinah
kalau yuge bhavisyanti
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 mentioned 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
malice and envy. 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 sadhus, dress in red cloth and wear long hair and beards. In this
way the wretched so-called brahmanas of Kali-yuga accept the dharma if sudras."
One can give ample historical evidence of the degredation of the brahminical society. When Sri Krsna
returned to His divine abode, it was the brahmanas who became affected by Kali first when Srngi, the
son of Samika Rsi, cursed Maharaja Pariksit. Later, in the history of India, we see that Lord Buddha
appeared to preach against the Vedic injunctions because the brahmana class were misusing them and
performing indescriminate animal-sacrifices. Many highly learned brahmanas such as Boddhidharma,
Buddhapalita, Nagarjuna, Asvaghosa, Asanga, Kumarajiva, Dinnaga, Dharmakirti, Candrakirti,
Santideva, and Ratnakirti all became Buddhists and decried the Vedas. By their influence, many kings
began to patronize Buddhism and as a result the country became weak and was eventually conquered
by foreign invaders. The nastika Jain philosophy was also spread throughout India by such brahmanas
as Prabhacandra, Anantavirya, Devasuri, Hemacandra, Nemicandra, Mallisena, and Siddhasena
Divakara. The followers of Adi Sankara such as Hastamalaka, Padmapada, Suresvaracarya,
Totakacarya, Vidyaranya, and Madhusudana Sarasvati all hailed from brahmana families and spread the