Fourteen Worlds
FOURTEEN WORLDSVedic Cosmology

SB 12.3.38

Devanāgarī

शूद्रा: प्रतिग्रहीष्यन्ति तपोवेषोपजीविन: । धर्मं वक्ष्यन्त्यधर्मज्ञा अधिरुह्योत्तमासनम् ॥ ३८ ॥

Text

śūdrāḥ pratigrahīṣyanti tapo-veṣopajīvinaḥ dharmaṁ vakṣyanty adharma-jñā adhiruhyottamāsanam

Synonyms

śūdrāḥ—lowly, common workers;pratigrahīṣyanti—will accept religious charity;tapaḥ—by shows of austerity;veṣa—and by dressing as mendicants;upajīvinaḥ—earning their living;dharmam—the principles of religion;vakṣyanti—will speak about;adharma-jñāḥ—those who know nothing about religion;adhiruhya—mounting;uttama-āsanam—a high seat.

Translation

Uncultured men will accept charity on behalf of the Lord and will earn their livelihood by making a show of austerity and wearing a mendicant’s dress. Those who know nothing about religion will mount a high seat and presume to speak on religious principles.

Purport

The epidemic of bogus gurus, swamis, priests and so forth is explicitly described here.
← SB 12.3.37Chapter 3SB 12.3.39