720402 - Lecture Excerpt - Sydney

Lectures by Date, 1972

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

720402LE-SYDNEY - April 02, 1972 - 01:47 Minutes

Prabhupāda: So if one becomes a Vaiṣṇava under the principles of Caitanya Mahāprabhu, he can be lifted at once from any abominable condition, śvapacaṁ variṣṭham (SB 7.9.10). Just like śvapacam, the dog-eater, he becomes variṣṭham, better than a brāhmaṇa. Because why? Because he is a devotee.

So unless one becomes devotee, one has to follow this varṇāśrama-dharma. This is the idea. Caitanya Mahāprabhu is speaking from the devotional platform. He did not say when He was actually acting as a brahmin in Navadvīpa. But when He realized . . . he is realized always, but as ācārya, He says that when one becomes Vaiṣṇava, gopī-bhartuḥ . . . what is the quali . . . gopī-bhartuḥ pada-kamalayor dāsa-dāsānudāsaḥ (CC Madhya 13.80). He says: "I am not a brahmin." Then the next question is, "What You are?" He says, gopī-bhartuḥ pada-kamalayor dāsa-dāsānudāsaḥ: "I am the servant of the servant of the servant of Kṛṣṇa."

So when one is realized in that way that, "I am eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa," he does not require to be a brahmin or śūdra. He transcends. He is postgraduate. So, so long he does not realize that, he has to follow the varṇāśrama-dharma. Otherwise, he is not civilized. They are mleccha, yavanas. The most abominable, śvapacam, most abominable. Is that clear? Yes. (end)