sabe vasi' krame krame bhojana karila
brÄhmaṇa-brÄhmaṇī-gaṇe Äge khÄoyÄila
sabe - all; vasi' - sitting; krame krame - by and by; bhojana karila - honored prasÄdam and ate it; brÄhmaṇa-brÄhmaṇī-gaṇe - the brÄhmaṇas and their wives; Äge - first; khÄoyÄila - were fed.
All the people gathered there sat down to honor the prasÄdam, and by and by they took food. All the brÄhmaṇas and their wives were fed first.
According to the varṇÄÅ›rama system, the brÄhmaṇas are always honored first. Thus at the festival, the brÄhmaṇas and their wives were first offered the remnants of food, and then the others (ká¹£atriyas, vaiÅ›yas and śūdras). This has always been the system, and it is still prevalent in India, even though the caste brÄhmaṇas are not qualified. The system is still current due to the varṇÄÅ›rama institutional rules and regulations.
