Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 7.9.10

Anantarām Śāstrījī: [chants verse, with Prabhupāda and devotees repeating] [break]

viprād dvi-ṣaḍ-guṅa-yutād aravinda-nābha- pādāravinda-vimukhāt śvapacaṁ variṣṭham manye tad-arpita-mano-vacanehitārtha- prāṅam punāti sa kulaṁ na tu bhūrimānaḥ [SB 7.9.10]

Dayānanda: [chants synonyms; devotees chant responsively]

[03:52]

Translation "Prahlāda Mahārāja continued to think that a brāhmaṅa who has qualified himself with all the brahminical qualities, twelve in number, as they are stated in the book known as Sanat-sujāta, such a brāhmaṅa, if he is not a devotee and averse to the lotus feet of the Lord, he is especially lower than a devotee who is a dog-eater even, but his mind, words, activities, wealth and life—everything—is dedicated to the Supreme Lord. Such a low person is better than a brāhmaṅa as above mentioned because such lowborn person can purify his whole family, whereas a so-called brāhmaṅa falsely in prestigious position cannot purify himself."

Prabhupāda:

viprād dvi-ṣaḍ-guṅa-yutād aravinda-nābha- pādāravinda-vimukhāt śvapacaṁ variṣṭham

This is the verdict of the śāstra: śvapacaṁ variṣṭham.

manye tad-arpita-mano-vacanehitārtha- prāṅam punāti sa kulaṁ na tu bhūrimānaḥ [SB 7.9.10]

Mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ [Cc Madhya 17.186].

[Dry arguments are inconclusive. A great personality whose opinion does not differ from others is not considered a great sage. Simply by studying the Vedas, which are variegated, one cannot come to the right path by which religious principles are understood. The solid truth of religious principles is hidden in the heart of an unadulterated self-realized person. Consequently, as the śāstras confirm, one should accept whatever progressive path the mahājanas advocate.]

This is Prahlāda Mahārāja's instruction, that don't be falsely proud unless you have got the qualification. That is our mistake, dambha, dambha. And the pure life begins when we give up dambha, false prestige. Adambhitvam amānitvam ahiṁsā kṣāntir ārjavam [Bg 13.8]. This is the begin... One who is falsely proud, he is...

[aside:] What is that sound?

One should not be falsely proud. Everyone... Material world means everyone is falsely proud. Everyone is thinking, āḍhyo 'smi dhanavān asmi ko 'sti mama samaḥ. Everyone. This is the disease. "I am the richest," "I am the powerful," "I am the very intelligent." Everything, "I am." This is called ahaṅkāra. Ahaṅkāra vimudhātmā kartāham iti manyate [Bg 3.27].

[The bewildered spirit soul, under the influence of the three modes of material nature, thinks himself to be the doer of activities, which are in actuality carried out by nature.]

This false prestige, when one is absorbed with false things, he becomes vimūḍha, rascal. Ahaṅkāra-vimūḍhātmā kartāham iti manyate. This is false prestige. We have to give up this false prestige. Ahaṅkāra must be there, because you are a reality. You are not false. Your body is false, but you are reality: "I am soul." That realization must come: ahaṁ brahmāsmi. Not that ahaṅkāra-vimūḍhātmā, "I am dog," "I am American," "I am Indian," "I am this." This is ahaṅkāra, this false ahaṅkāra. But giving up all these nonsense prestigious position... A dog is also thinking he's in a prestigious position: "I am dog. I can bark very loudly. Gow! Gow!" He's also thinking that. Similarly, if I also think, "I am Indian," "I am white," "I am black," "I am this," what is the difference? Therefore Bhagavad-gītā says, ahaṅkāra-vimūḍhātmā kartāham iti manyate [Bg 3.27]. He is completely under the control of material nature, and he's thinking falsely that "I am very advanced in...," so on, so on. This should be given up.

So how it is given up? When one becomes devotee. Manye tad-arpita-mano-vaca. One who has given everything to Kṛṣṅa, the our sannyāsa, tri-daṅḍa, that is tad-arpita-mano-vaca. Tri-daṅḍa means "I am accepting, my Lord, three kinds of chastisement from You, that I dedicate my body, my mind and my vaca, my words." This is called tri-daṅḍa. You should understand, those who are sannyāsīs, tri-daṅḍa-sannyāsī. The Māyāvādī sannyāsīs, they take one daṅḍa. Eka brahma dvitīya nāsti. That is their philosophy, that "Only Brahman is there, and nothing else. So I am Brahman; you are Brahman"—one, monism. That is their philosophy. Of course, that is our philosophy also, because everything is Kṛṣṅa. Nothing... There is nothing except Kṛṣṅa. Kṛṣṅa said in the Bhagavad..., mayā tatam idaṁ sarvam: "Everything I am." But their mistake is that because everything is Kṛṣṅa, er, Kṛṣṅa is everything, therefore everything is Kṛṣṅa. No, that is mistake. That Kṛṣṅa explains, that:

mayā tatam idaṁ sarvaṁ jagad avyakta-mūrtinā mat-sthāni sarva-bhūtāni nāhaṁ teṣu avasthitaḥ [Bg 9.4]

[By Me, in My unmanifested form, this entire universe is pervaded. All beings are in Me, but I am not in them.]

This is the mistake committed by the Māyāvādīs, that "If everything is Brahman, then whatever I worship, that is all right." That is nonsense. Kṛṣṅa says, nāhaṁ teṣu avasthitaḥ. Just like this microphone: it is Kṛṣṅa. But if I worship this microphone instead of the Deity, then I am a fool. Then I am fool. This is the mistake the Māyāvādīs commit. They put the argument, "If everything is Kṛṣṅa, everything is Brahman, so whatever I worship, that is Brahman." Kṛṣṅa says, "No. That is not. Everything is Myself." This is called simultaneously one and different, acintya-bhedābheda-tattva.

[It is the living entity's constitutional position to be an eternal servant of Kṛṣṅa because he is the marginal energy of Kṛṣṅa and a manifestation simultaneously one and different from the Lord.]

Goloka eva nivasaty akhilātma-bhūtaḥ [Bs 5.37].

[I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, residing in His own realm, Goloka, with Rādhā, resembling His own spiritual figure, the embodiment of the ecstatic potency possessed of the sixty-four artistic activities, in the company of Her confidantes [sakhīs], embodiments of the extensions of Her bodily form, permeated and vitalized by His ever-blissful spiritual rasa.]

This is there in the Brahma-saṁhitā. Kṛṣṅa is always in Goloka. Just like here is Kṛṣṅa. He's in Goloka, but He's so powerful, omnipotent... This is called omnipotency. In spite of His becoming in Goloka, He's everywhere. That is Kṛṣṅa.

That is the difference between Kṛṣṅa and you or me. I am here; I'm not in upstairs. I'm here only. But Kṛṣṅa simultaneously can be everywhere. Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe 'rjuna tiṣṭhati [Bg 18.61].

[The Supreme Lord is situated in everyone's heart, O Arjuna, and is directing the wanderings of all living entities, who are seated as on a machine, made of the material energy.]

So many pretenders, they claim that they are God: "I am God." But are you present everywhere? Can you say what I am thinking now? No. That he cannot. Still, he claims "God." Nonsense. How he can become God? If you cannot say what I am thinking now, then how you can become God? God is situated everywhere. Aṅḍāntara-sthaṁ paramāṅu-cayāntara-stham [Bs 5.35].

[He is an undifferentiated entity as there is no distinction between potency and the possessor thereof. In His work of creation of millions of worlds, His potency remains inseparable. All the universes exist in Him and He is present in His fullness in every one of the atoms that are scattered throughout the universe, at one and the same time. Such is the primeval Lord whom I adore.]

Everywhere. Paramāṅu-cayāntara-stham. Even within the atom there is God. So how you can claim "God"? Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe 'rjuna tiṣṭhati [Bg 18.61]. Then they will answer, "I'm not in God now. I am God, but māyā... Therefore I cannot say now." That... "Why you have become under the control of māyā? Then māyā is greater than God. Then how you can become God? Māyā is greater than God." So they cannot answer this. Because their theory is foolish, they cannot answer all these things. Actually, unless one is a devotee, he'll have all these bad qualification.

So Prahlāda Mahārāja is thinking himself that "I am less than śvapaca." Just like Caitanya-caritāmṛta author says,

purīṣera kīṭa haite muñi se laghiṣṭha jagāi mādhāi haite muñi se pāpiṣṭha [Cc Ādi 5.205]

He said that "I am insignificant, more insignificant than the stool-worm." The worm... There are worms in the stool. "So I am lower than that." Purīṣera kīṭa haite muñi se laghiṣṭha: "My value is less than the worm in the stool." This is called tṛṅād api sunīcena. It is not that Kavirāja Gosvāmī is artificially posing in that way. No. He's sincerely... No Vaiṣṅava thinks himself, "I am very big man." No. He's not Vaiṣṅava. Vaiṣṅava means tṛṅād api sunīcena taror api sahiṣṅunā [Cc Ādi 17.31].

[One who thinks himself lower than the grass, who is more tolerant than a tree, and who does not expect personal honor yet is always prepared to give all respect to others can very easily always chant the holy name of the Lord.]

This is Vaiṣṅava. Even he is exalted more than anyone in this world, still he thinks himself as lowest: "I am lower than the worm in the stool." Prahlāda Mahārāja, Vaiṣṅava, he is engaged to offer prayers to the Lord, Nṛsiṁhadeva. So he's thinking in that way, that "What...? What form of prayer I can offer? I am born in a demonic family, low-grade family, and Brahmā, he's coming from Brahmaloka, Satyaloka, Janaloka. They are so exalted. They could not satisfy the anger of the Lord, and I am born in low family. How can I do this?" This is his idea.

But he's taking courage in this way, that in the śāstra it is accepted that even one is born in low, low-grade family, śvapaca... Śvapaca means the most low grade. They're eating pigs. Now, according to Vedic civilization, the pig-eater, even cow-flesh eater is given better position. But the pig-eaters, they are the lowest, śvapacas, untouchable. They are called untouchable. Any meat-eater is untouchable, but especially the pig-eater, śvapaca. In India still, no even meat-eaters... Generally those who are meat-eaters, they take meat of such animals like goats, lambs, like that, those who are meat-eaters. And they never take cow's flesh because cow is protected, go-raksya. So in the Bhagavad-gītā to the meat-eaters also it is said, kṛṣi go-rakṣya vāṅijyam [Bg 18.44].

[Farming, cow protection and business are the qualities of work for the vaiśyas, and for the śūdras there is labor and service to others.]

Even if you are meat-eater, don't eat cow. You can eat others animals. But don't eat... "We are śvapacas," śvapaca is there. So if you are at all meat-eater, you can eat pigs, goats, but don't eat cow's flesh. That is very sinful. Why it is sinful? Because it's a very, very important animal in the human society. Very important animal. You get milk and milk products, then your brain becomes very nice, memory sharpened. That is, therefore, important. Don't eat. It is economically.

So śvapacaṁ variṣṭham. Who is that śvapaca? Now, who has given everything to Kṛṣṅa, tri-daṅḍa. That means even a person coming out of the family of a śvapaca, dog-eaters, dog-eaters, pig-eaters, yes. Śvapaca means dog-eater. Yes. Pig-eaters are also better. But the dog-eaters, they are the lowest. I think in China and Korea they are very much fond of dog-eating. So they are the lowest. So if... So here it is proof that dog-eaters or pig-eaters or any low-grade man is not prohibited to become a devotee. That is our Kṛṣṅa consciousness movement. They say that without becoming a Hindu or born in India, nobody can become brāhmaṅa, nobody can become sannyāsī. But here is the proof. In the śāstra it says, śvapacaṁ variṣṭham. The dog-eater is also highly praised. When? Tad-arpita-mano-vacana: "When he sacrifices everything—his body, his mind, his words—only for Kṛṣṅa." This is called tri-daṅḍa-sannyāsa. So why the low-grade man cannot be offered tri-daṅḍa if he is qualified? If he has dedicated everything to Kṛṣṅa, why he should be prohibited? No. That is not the śāstric injunction. Śāstric injunction is for anyone. Nobody is prohibited to become Kṛṣṅa conscious. Māṁ hi pārtha vyapāśritya ye 'pi syuḥ pāpa-yonayaḥ [Bg 9.32],

[O son of Pṛthā, those who take shelter in Me, though they be of lower birth—women, vaiśyas [merchants], as well as śūdras [workers]—can approach the supreme destination.]

Kṛṣṅa says. Kṛṣṅa says even pāpa-yoni, less than the śūdra... Śūdra is also pāpa-yoni. Even woman is called pāpa-yoni according to strict... Striyaḥ śūdras tathā vaiśya. Vaiśya. Except brāhmaṅa and kṣatriyas, everyone is considered to be lowborn, according to the Vedic injunction. But not that because he is lowborn, he cannot elevate himself. That is not the fact. The present, so-called Hindu society is degraded because if one is born in higher family, brāhmaṅa, kṣatriya—he may be less than a śvapaca—he's accepted as a brāhmaṅa. That is the fault.

But śāstra does not say that without... Even if you are born in a high family, brāhmaṅa family, kṣatriya family, and if you do not act or if have not the qualification of brāhmaṅa, dvi-ṣaṭ, twelve qualifications... What is that? Dvi-ṣaḍ-guṅa-yutād aravinda... That is explained, what are the twelve qualifications. Dharmaḥ: "He must be strictly religious principles." Dharmaḥ. Dharmaḥ begins strictly when one is fully surrendered to Kṛṣṅa. There begins dharmaḥ, because Kṛṣṅa says, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṅaṁ vraja [Bg 18.66]. He says that dharma-saṁsthāpanārthāya sambhavāmi yuge yuge [Bg 4.8].

[In order to deliver the pious and to annihilate the miscreants, as well as to reestablish the principles of religion, I advent Myself millennium after millennium.]

He comes to establish the principles of dharma. And why He is speaking sarva-dharmān parityajya? Why? If He has come to reestablish the principles of dharma-dharma-saṁsthāpanārtha, then why He says sarva-dharm...? Sarva so-called dharmas, they are not dharma. Dharma means dharmāṁ tu sākṣād bhagavat-praṅītam [SB 6.3.19].

[Real religious principles are enacted by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Although fully situated in the mode of goodness, even the great ṛṣis who occupy the topmost planets cannot ascertain the real religious principles, nor can the demigods or the leaders of Siddhaloka, to say nothing of the asuras, ordinary human beings, Vidyādharas and Cāraṅas.]

Dharma means the order that is given by God. That is dharma. And anything, so-called dharma, that is not dharma. That you manufacture, so many things. That is another thing. But real dharma, the... Just like I have several times explained, law means given by the government. You cannot manufacture law. That is not law. Similarly, dharma means the order given by God. That is dharma. Just like Kṛṣṅa says. He said, yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati bhārata, tadātmānaṁ sṛjāmy aham [Bg 4.7]: "When there is discrepancies, misuse of dharma, I appear." So He has appeared. He therefore said that "This is not dharma." You are declaring, "This is Hindu dharma," "This is Muslim dharma," "This is Jain dharma," "This is Christian dharma," "This is family dharma," "This is country dharma," so on, so on, so on. You have created so many dharmas. But Kṛṣṅa said, sarva-dharmān parityajya [Bg 18.66]: "You give up all these dharmas." "Then what I..., shall I accept?" Mam ekam śaraṅaṁ vraja. That is dharma. Otherwise there is no dharma.

The Bhāgavata also says, dharmaḥ-projjhita-kaitavo 'tra [SB 1.1.2]:

[Completely rejecting all religious activities which are materially motivated, this Bhāgavata Purāṅa propounds the highest truth, which is understandable by those devotees who are fully pure in heart. The highest truth is reality distinguished from illusion for the welfare of all. Such truth uproots the threefold miseries. This beautiful Bhāgavatam, compiled by the great sage Vyāsadeva [in his maturity], is sufficient in itself for God realization. What is the need of any other scripture? As soon as one attentively and submissively hears the message of Bhāgavatam, by this culture of knowledge the Supreme Lord is established within his heart.]

"The so-called dharmas, cheating process, is given up, kicked out." Projjhita. Prakṛṣṭa-rūpena ujjhita. That is called projjhita. Śrīdhara Svami gives his note in this connection: atra mokṣa-vāñchā api nirastam. Anyone who is desiring for liberation, that is also cheating. That is also cheating. How you can be liberated? You are eternal servant of Kṛṣṅa. Where is your liberation? You must serve Kṛṣṅa. That is your dharma. Jīvera svarūpa haya nitya kṛṣṅa dāsa [Cc Madhya 20.108].

[It is the living entity’s constitutional position to be an eternal servant of Kṛṣṅa because he is the marginal energy of Kṛṣṅa and a manifestation simultaneously one with and different from the Lord, like a molecular particle of sunshine or fire. Kṛṣṅa has three varieties of energy.]

If you don't serve Kṛṣṅa, then you are immediately culprit, immediately punishable. That is going on. Māyā is engaged to punish.

kṛṣṅa bhuliya jīva bhoga vāñchā kare pāsate māyā tāre jāpaṭiyā dhāre [Prema-vivarta]

[When an individual soul forgets his eternal relationship with God and tries to lord it over the material nature or resources, that condition, that forgetful condition, is called māyā, or illusion.]

As soon as. As soon as one tries to become independent without serving Kṛṣṅa, that means he is in māyā. He's in māyā. Immediately māyā is there. Just like as soon as you become a criminal, a thief, immediately you are under the jurisdiction of the police, immediately, without the... You may hide yourself for time being, but immediately you have become criminal. Similarly, as soon as one is not Kṛṣṅa conscious, he's immediately a criminal, punishable. Therefore Kṛṣṅa said, na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ prapadyante narādhamāḥ, māyayāpahṛta... [Bg 7.15].

[Those miscreants who are grossly foolish, lowest among mankind, whose knowledge is stolen by illusion, and who partake of the atheistic nature of demons, do not surrender unto Me.]

He does not know what he's doing, this rascal narādhamāḥ, mūḍha. These mūḍhas... Therefore when we say that a man who is not Kṛṣṅa conscious, he is narādhamāḥ, mūḍhāḥ, that is a fact. But the world is such that satyaṁ bruyāt priyaṁ bruyāt ma bruyāt satyam apriyam. They want if you can say the truth, but don't say the unpalatable truth. But that is social etiquette. When you speak about spiritual life there is no such scope. You must speak this truth: "Yes, you are rascal. Because you are not Kṛṣṅa conscious, you are rascal, mūḍha. You are sinful. You are lowest of the mankind." Kṛṣṅa says. Kṛṣṅa says, na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ.

So this is the test. This is the test: that as soon as one is not Kṛṣṅa conscious, immediately he comes to the group of sinful activities, rascaldom, lowest of the mankind, māyayāpahṛta-jñānā, all knowledge taken away, and he's an asura, Hiraṅyakaśipu's family, Hiraṅyakaśipu's category. So this is not optional, that "If I don't take to Kṛṣṅa consciousness, that is my wish, my desire." No. If you desire in that way, then you'll be punished. You'll become immediately... You cannot say, "It is my optional. I may become a thief; I may remain honest. That is my option." No. As soon as you become thief, you are punishable. Similarly, anyone who is not Kṛṣṅa conscious, he's immediately punishable. Daivī hy eṣā guṅamayī mama māyā duratyayā [Bg 7.14].

[This divine energy of Mine, consisting of the three modes of material nature, is difficult to overcome. But those who have surrendered unto Me can easily cross beyond it.]

The punishment will go on in various ways. That is going on. Ei rūpe brahmāṅḍa bhramite kona bhāgyavān jīva [Cc Madhya 19.151].

[According to their karma, all living entities are wandering throughout the entire universe. Some of them are being elevated to the upper planetary systems, and some are going down into the lower planetary systems. Out of many millions of wandering living entities, one who is very fortunate gets an opportunity to associate with a bona fide spiritual master by the grace of Kṛṣṅa. By the mercy of both Kṛṣṅa and the spiritual master, such a person receives the seed of the creeper of devotional service.]

The punishment... This is punishment. That is presented by Kṛṣṅa. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam [Bg 13.9].

[Humility, pridelessness, nonviolence, tolerance, simplicity, approaching a bona fide spiritual master, cleanliness, steadiness and self-control; renunciation of the objects of sense gratification, absence of false ego, the perception of the evil of birth, death, old age and disease; nonattachment to children, wife, home and the rest, and evenmindedness amid pleasant and unpleasant events; constant and unalloyed devotion to Me, resorting to solitary places, detachment from the general mass of people; accepting the importance of self-realization, and philosophical search for the Absolute Truth—all these I thus declare to be knowledge, and what is contrary to these is ignorance.]

This duḥkha, janma-mṛtyu, repeatedly to take birth and die, this is punishment. But these rascals, they do not care for it. They have become so rascal that "Oh, oh, that mṛtyu? I shall die, because it is nature." Why it has become your nature? Your nature is eternity. But they have no brain to understand. They have become so foolish. Nityaḥ śāśvato 'yaṁ na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre [Bg 2.20]. The spirit soul... I am soul; you are soul. I am not dying. Na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre. But these foolish persons, they do not know. They accept death, birth and death, old age and disease. There is no remedy. The so-called scientists, philosophers, they cannot give any remedy. The only remedy is Kṛṣṅa consciousness. That they do not know. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti kaunteya. That is remedy. You have to become Kṛṣṅa conscious.

janma karma ca me divyaṁ yo jānāti tattvataḥ tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti kaunteya [Bg 4.9]

[One who knows the transcendental nature of My appearance and activities does not, upon leaving the body, take his birth again in this material world, but attains My eternal abode, O Arjuna.]

This is... If you want to be really happy, if you want to be really in your original position, eternity, then you must take to Kṛṣṅa consciousness. There is no alternative. It is not possible. It is not optional. The more you delay accepting Kṛṣṅa consciousness, the more you are put into sufferings of this material world. Therefore Prahlāda Mahārāja said that... The brahminical qualification is certainly very good. Within this material world there are three modes of material nature: sattva-guṅa, rajo-guṅa, tamo-guṅa. Those who are in the tamo-guṅa, they are the lowest, mūḍhā, narādhamā. Rajo-guṅa, they are little better. They have got some activities, just like materialistic person. But sattva-guṅa, they are simply interested in spiritual realization. So spiritual realization means God realization. Unless one becomes a devotee... Just like in our Indian society, they say brāhmaṅa paṅḍita and brāhmaṅa Vaiṣṅava. So paṅḍita, that is general qualification. Without becoming a paṅḍita, he's not a brāhmaṅa. But above paṅḍita, one has to become a Vaiṣṅava. Then he's perfect brāhmaṅa, brāhmaṅa Vaiṣṅava.

So these are the twelve qualification of the brāhmaṅa enunciated in the dharma-śāstra. There are twenty kinds of dharma-śāstra. The most important of the dharma-śāstras is the Manu-saṁhitā. [break] ...and doing all nonsense. Such kind of bhakti, aikāntikī harer bhak..., utpātāyeva kalpate: it is simply disturbance in the society, without full knowledge from the śruti-smṛti, if by sentiments one becomes bhakta. That is not bhakta. Bhakta must be following the regulative principles, the instruction of guru and so on. So here Prahlāda Mahārāja said the dvādaśa-guṅa. The dvādaśa-guṅa is dharmaś ca, dharmasya satyaṁ ca dhāmaś ca tapaś ca amātsarya hi titiksa-anusūyava-yajñāś ca dānaṁ dhṛtiḥ sutaṁ ca vratāni vai dvādaśa brāhmaṅasya. So one must be qualified with these twelve qualities. In the Bhagavad-gītā it is given, nine qualities, so, śama dama satyaṁ śaucam, jñānam-vijñānam āstikyaṁ brahma-karma sva-bhāva... [Bg 18.42].

[Peacefulness, self-control, austerity, purity, tolerance, honesty, wisdom, knowledge, and religiousness—these are the qualities by which the brāhmaṅas work.]

So you cannot become a brāhmaṅa simply by becoming a son of a brāhmaṅa. That is not possible. That is not the injunction. Just like you cannot become a high-court judge simply by becoming the son of a high-court judge. No. You must be qualified how to become a high-court judge. Then you'll be accepted. Not that... You cannot say, "I am... My father is high-court judge; I am high-court judge." That is going on. No. So here are the qualities of a brāhmaṅa, dvi-ṣaḍ-guṅa-yutād viprāt. Must be there, twelve qualities; at least nine qualities. Then you become a brāhmaṅa. And Nārada Muni supports this in another place, that,

yasya hi yal lakṣaṅaṁ proktaṁ varṅābhivyāñjakam yad anyatrāpi dṛśyeta tat tenaiva vinirdiśet [SB 7.11.35]

[If one shows the symptoms of being a brāhmaṅa, kṣatriya, vaiśya or śūdra, as described above, even if he has appeared in a different class, he should be accepted according to those symptoms of classification.]

Nārada Muni said, the greatest authority. He said that these are the qualities of brāhmaṅa, as described. If these qualities are found elsewhere, anyatra. Suppose a man is born in the śūdra family, but he has developed these qualities, then he should be called a brāhmaṅa. And suppose a person is born in the brāhmaṅa family but he has acquired the qualities of śūdra or caṅḍāla, then he should be called caṅḍāla. This is Nārada Muni's statement. And Śrīdhāra Swami gives his comment upon this śloka, that birth is not primary; the qualities are primary.

So Prahlāda Mahārāja also explained. Prahlāda means he is in the Satya-yuga, long, long, millions and millions... The principles was this, that simply born in a brāhmaṅa family, he does not become, even with qualities. He must be a devotee. And a devotee, if he, even if he's born in a family of dog-eaters, he is variṣṭham. He is fully qualified. We shall discuss again.

Thank you very much. Hare Kṛṣṅa. [end]