SB 11.23.11
jnatyo jagrhuh kincit
kincid dasyava uddhava
daivatah kalatah kincid
brahma-bandhor nr-parthivat
Translation:
Some of the wealth of this so-called brahmana was taken away by his relatives, My dear Uddhava, some by thieves, some by the whims of providence, some by the effects of time, some by ordinary men and some by government authorities.
Purport:
It appears that even though the so-called brahmana was determined not to spend his money, his wife and other relatives managed to squeeze out a portion. According to Srila Sridhara Svami, providence here refers to fires in the home and other types of occasional misfortune. Effects of time here refers to the destruction of agricultural crops through seasonal irregularities and other such occurrences. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura points out that one should not merely proclaim oneself to be a brahmana but should actually understand one’s original identity as a servant of the Lord. One declaring himself to be a brahmana but maintaining a materialistic mentality is not a real brahmana, but rather a brahma-bandhu, or so-called brahmana. The humble devotees of Lord Visnu, following the indications of the Vedic scriptures, refer to themselves as unfortunate and unable to understand the kingdom of God; they do not proudly proclaim themselves to be brahmanas. Those who are wise, however, know that such humble devotees are actually brahmanas whose hearts are cleansed by the pure mode of goodness.