यस्तून्मुखत्वाद्वर्णानां मुख्योऽभूद्ब्राह्मणो गुरुः ॥३०॥
mukhato 'vartata brahma
puruṣasya kurūdvaha
yas tÅ«nmukhatvÄd varṇÄnÄá¹
mukhyo 'bhÅ«d brÄhmaṇo guruḥ
mukhataḥ - from the mouth; avartata - generated; brahma - the Vedic wisdom; puruá¹£asya - of the virÄá¹-puruá¹£a, the gigantic form; kuru-udvaha - O chief of the Kuru dynasty; yaḥ - who are; tu - due to; unmukhatvÄt - inclined to; varṇÄnÄm - of the orders of society; mukhyaḥ - the chief; abhÅ«t - so became; brÄhmaṇaḥ - called the brÄhmaṇas; guruḥ - the recognized teacher or spiritual master.
O chief of the Kuru dynasty, the Vedic wisdom became manifested from the mouth of the virÄá¹, the gigantic form. Those who are inclined to this Vedic knowledge are called brÄhmaṇas, and they are the natural teachers and spiritual masters of all the orders of society.
As confirmed in Bhagavad-gÄ«tÄ (4.13), the four orders of human society developed with the order of the body of the gigantic form. The bodily divisions are the mouth, arms, waist and legs. Those who are situated on the mouth are called brÄhmaṇas, those who are situated on the arms are called ká¹£atriyas, those who are situated on the waist are called vaiÅ›yas, and those who are situated on the legs are called śūdras. Everyone is situated in the body of the Supreme in His gigantic viÅ›va-rÅ«pa form. In terms of the four orders, therefore, no caste is to be considered degraded because of being situated on a particular part of the body. In our own bodies we do not show any actual difference in our treatment towards the hands or legs. Each and every part of the body is important, although the mouth is the most important of the bodily parts. If other parts are cut off from the body, a man can continue his life, but if the mouth is cut off, one cannot live. Therefore, this most important part of the body of the Lord is called the sitting place of the brÄhmaṇas, who are inclined to the Vedic wisdom. One who is not inclined to the Vedic wisdom but to mundane affairs cannot be called a brÄhmaṇa, even if he is born of a brÄhmaṇa family or father. To have a brÄhmaṇa father does not qualify one as a brÄhmaṇa. The main qualification of a brÄhmaṇa is to be inclined to the Vedic wisdom. The Vedas are situated on the mouth of the Lord, and therefore anyone who is inclined to the Vedic wisdom is certainly situated on the mouth of the Lord, and he is a brÄhmaṇa. This inclination towards Vedic wisdom is also not restricted to any particular caste or community. Anyone from any family and from any part of the world may become inclined to the Vedic wisdom, and that will qualify him as a real brÄhmaṇa.
A real brÄhmaṇa is the natural teacher or spiritual master. Unless one has Vedic knowledge, one cannot become a spiritual master. The perfect knowledge of the Vedas is to know the Lord, the Personality of Godhead, and that is the end of Vedic knowledge, or VedÄnta. One who is situated in the impersonal Brahman and has no information of the Supreme Personality of Godhead may become a brÄhmaṇa, but he cannot become a spiritual master. It is said in the Padma PurÄṇa:
á¹£aá¹-karma-nipuṇo vipro
mantra-tantra-viÅ›Äradaḥ
avaiṣṇavo gurur na syÄd
vaiṣṇavaḥ śva-paco guruḥ
An impersonalist can become a qualified brÄhmaṇa, but he cannot become a spiritual master unless and until he is promoted to the stage of a Vaiṣṇava, or a devotee of the Personality of Godhead. Lord Caitanya, the great authority of Vedic wisdom in the modern age, stated:
kibÄ vipra, kibÄ nyÄsÄ«, śūdra kene naya
yei kṛṣṇa-tattva-vettÄ, sei ‘guru’ haya
A person may be a brÄhmaṇa or a śūdra or a sannyÄsÄ«, but if he happens to be well versed in the science of Kṛṣṇa, then he is fit to become a spiritual master. (Cc. Madhya 8.128) The qualification, then, of a spiritual master is not to be a qualified brÄhmaṇa, but to be well versed in the science of Kṛṣṇa.
One who is conversant with Vedic wisdom is a brÄhmaṇa. And only a brÄhmaṇa who is a pure Vaiṣṇava and knows all the intricacies of the science of Kṛṣṇa can become a spiritual master.
