Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Sri Caitanya Caritamrita Madhya 19.74

sucih sad-bhakti-diptagni-

dagdha-durjati-kalmashah

sva-pako 'pi budhaih slaghyo

na veda-jno 'pi nastikah

SYNONYMS

sucih -- a brahmana purified internally and externally; sat-bhakti -- of devotional service without motives; dipta-agni -- by the blazing fire; dagdha -- burnt to ashes; durjati -- such as birth in a low family; kalmashah -- whose sinful reactions; sva-pakah api -- even though born in a family of dog-eaters; budhaih -- by learned scholars; slaghyah -- recognized; na -- not; veda-jnah api -- even though completely conversant in Vedic knowledge; nastikah -- an atheist.

TRANSLATION

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu said, "'A person who has the pure characteristics of a brahmana due to devotional service, which is like a blazing fire burning to ashes all the sinful reactions of past lives, is certainly saved from the consequences of sinful acts, such as taking birth in a lower family. Even though he may be born in a family of dog-eaters, he is recognized by learned scholars. But although a person may be a learned scholar in Vedic knowledge, he is not recognized if he is an atheist.

PURPORT

This verse and the next are quoted from the Hari-bhakti-sudhodaya (3.11, 12), a transcendental literature extracted from the Puranas.

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His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Founder Acarya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness