“The Supreme Lord said: My dear Arjuna, because you are never envious of Me, I shall impart to you this most secret wisdom, knowing which you shall be relieved of the miseries of material existence.” (Bhagavad-gita, 9.1)

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श्री-भगवान् उवाच
इदं तु ते गुह्यतमं
प्रवक्ष्याम्य् अनसूयवे
ज्ञानं विज्ञान-सहितं
यज् ज्ञात्वा मोक्ष्यसे ऽशुभात्

śrī-bhagavān uvāca
idaṁ tu te guhyatamaṁ
pravakṣyāmy anasūyave
jñānaṁ vijñāna-sahitaṁ
yaj jñātvā mokṣyase ‘śubhāt

The premise of the following discussion is an objection raised about the glories of the brahmana, in the traditional sense. While we may think of the brahmana as the priest, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada explains that there are six distinct aspects to that way of life. The brahmana might choose to focus on only one item or they may be expert in all six. One of those duties is teaching. The distinction is that there is no payment required. The brahmana does not typically run an academy that involves tuition and tenure.

“In the scriptures it is stated, ṣaṭ-karma-nipuṇo vipro mantra-tantra-viśāradaḥ. A qualified brāhmaṇa must be expert in the occupational duties of a brāhmaṇa. His duties are mentioned as six brahminical engagements. Paṭhana means that a brāhmaṇa must be conversant with the Vedic scriptures. He must also be able to teach others to study the Vedic literatures. This is pāṭhana. He must also be expert in worshiping different deities and in performing the Vedic rituals (yajana). On account of this yajana, the brāhmaṇa, being the head of society, performs all the Vedic rituals for kṣatriyas, vaiśyas and śūdras. This is called yājana, assisting others in performing ceremonies. The remaining two items are dāna and pratigraha. The brāhmaṇa accepts all kinds of contributions (pratigraha) from his followers (namely, the kṣatriyas, vaiśyas and śūdras). But he does not keep all the money. He keeps only as much as required and gives the balance to others in charity (dāna)” (Shrila Prabhupada, Chaitanya Charitamrita, Madhya 4.87 Purport)

The objection is that while there is no payment required, there is still the concept of dakshina. At the conclusion of the instruction, the disciple brings a gift for the brahmana. In the traditional way, that gift is whatever the brahmana might ask for. We have the example of Krishna and Balarama. Their guru, Sandipani Muni, asked for something extraordinary. The two brothers did not balk at the suggestion. They proved to be ideal disciples in securing proper dakshina.

“Lord Krishna and Balarama, the reservoir of all knowledge of arts and sciences, exhibited Their perfect understanding when They offered to serve Their teacher by awarding him anything he desired. This offering by the student to the teacher or spiritual master is called guru-dakshina. It is essential that a student satisfy the teacher in return for any learning received, either material or spiritual. When Krishna and Balarama offered Their service in this way, the teacher, Sandipani Muni, thought it wise to ask Them for something extraordinary, something which no common student could offer. He therefore consulted with his wife about what to ask from Them. They had already seen the extraordinary potencies of Krishna and Balarama and could understand that the two boys were the Supreme Personality of Godhead. They decided to ask for the return of their son, who had drowned in the ocean on the bank of Prabhasakshetra.” (Krishna, The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Volume 1, Chapter 44)

That was an extraordinary case, as the dakshina is usually something within the means of the disciple. In other words, it is a gift that they should not have a problem procuring. The dakshina issue aside, the following hypothetical situations help to get a better understanding of the glories of the genuine brahmana. We see that the knowledge they end up providing cannot be assigned a monetary value, as there is no accurate price tag for transcendence.

1. I will put you into debt for the rest of your life

“Attention, students, please listen up. Today is the first day of class. Thank you for enrolling. As you can see, we are a large group. I will obviously not have a chance to address each of you individually. There will be no roll call. I expect you to stay up to date, to complete and submit assignments on time. This stack of papers right here is your syllabus. I am handing it to the student in the front, who will then pass it along such that every person in attendance will receive a copy.

“Yes, you will need multiple textbooks for this class. Each one costs five hundred dollars. Do not bother looking for used versions from previous sessions. That information is out of date. Yes, that applies to even the most recent publication, from six months ago. If you are majoring in this subject, you are in luck. I will be your teacher for most of the classes across the next four years.

“I can hear some of you grumbling already. This is the age that we live in. Student loans are there for a reason. Some of you will amass a large debt at the completion of your studies. I cannot guarantee a high income, as a result. But then again, why would you be so eager to participate in the evil capitalistic system? I am teaching you valuable information. I am not exactly sure where you can apply it, but do not concern yourselves with those things at the moment.”

2. I will put you to work for the rest of your life

“Are you unhappy in life? Are you bewildered? Are you unsure of yourself? I can show you the way out. I can give you confidence. I can give you direction, such that you will never be lost again. This is nothing I have created. The knowledge is not new. It is as old as you can imagine, since prior to the creation. There is confirmation of the fact in the sacred texts that we will be reading.”

अहम् एवासम् एवाग्रे
नान्यद् यत् सद्-असत् परम्
पश्चाद् अहं यद् एतच् च
यो ऽवशिष्येत सो ऽस्म्य् अहम्

aham evāsam evāgre
nānyad yat sad-asat param
paścād ahaṁ yad etac ca
yo ‘vaśiṣyeta so ‘smy aham

“Brahma, it is I, the Personality of Godhead, who was existing before the creation, when there was nothing but Myself. Nor was there the material nature, the cause of this creation. That which you see now is also I, the Personality of Godhead, and after annihilation what remains will also be I, the Personality of Godhead.” (Shrimad Bhagavatam, 2.9.33)

“I cannot promise you a high salary. I cannot assure you friendship and sensual enjoyment. The price to pay is sincerity. You should follow what I say. You should implement the different kinds of austerity. This voluntary restriction is what sets the human beings apart from the animals. You have a greater potential in consciousness for a reason. Make the most of this human birth. I want you to really reach for the stars.

“At the completion of the term of study, you will have a lifetime engagement at your disposal. You will be able to put the principles to work on any playing field you happen to find. There might be obstruction along the way, but no one will be able to remove your resolve. That is if you really assimilate the knowledge, if you have both jnana and vijnana. This was the confidential information shared with the bow-warrior named Arjuna. We can access what Arjuna learned because of the presence of Bhagavad-gita, which is like a transcript of that event, preserved to the present day. There can be no greater reward than this.”

In Closing:

Cost to student passing,
In largest debt amassing.

Not guaranteed to earn,
Of temporary matters to learn.

Meanwhile brahmana knowledge giving,
Applicable for any mode of living.

With renewing enthusiasm to be,
Ideal of transcendence to see.

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