CC Madhya 4.84
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
TEXT 84
- 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.