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Library » Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta » Madhya-līlā » CHAPTER FOUR

CC Madhya 4.84

Bengali

সবে বসি’ ক্রমে ক্রমে ভোজন করিল ।
ব্রাহ্মণ-ব্রাহ্মণীগণে আগে খাওয়াইল ॥ ৮৪ ॥

Text

sabe vasi’ krame krame bhojana karila
brāhmaṇa-brāhmaṇī-gaṇe āge khāoyāila

Synonyms

sabe — all; vasi’ — sitting; krame krame — by and by; bhojana karila — honored prasādam and ate it; brāhmaṇa-brāhmaṇī-gaṇe — the brāhmaṇas and their wives; āge — first; khāoyāila — were fed.

Translation

All the people gathered there sat down to honor the prasādam, and by and by they took food. All the brāhmaṇas and their wives were fed first.

Purport

According to the varṇāśrama system, the brāhmaṇas are always honored first. Thus at the festival, the brāhmaṇas and their wives were first offered the remnants of food, and then the others (kṣatriyas, vaiśyas and śūdras). This has always been the system, and it is still prevalent in India, even though the caste brāhmaṇas are not qualified. The system is still current due to the varṇāśrama institutional rules and regulations.