Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 7.9.10

viprād dvi-ṣaḍ-guṇa-yutād aravinda-nābha-

pādāravinda-vimukhāt śvapacaḿ variṣṭham

manye tad-arpita-mano-vacanehitārtha-

prāṇaḿ punāti sa kulaḿ na tu bhūrimānaḥ

SYNONYMS

viprāt — than a brāhmaṇa; dvi-ṣaṭ-guṇa-yutāt — qualified with twelve brahminical qualities; aravinda-nābha — Lord Viṣṇu, who has a lotus growing from His navel; pāda-aravinda — to the lotus feet of the Lord; vimukhāt — not interested in devotional service; śva-pacam — one born in a low family, or a dog-eater; variṣṭham — more glorious; manye — I consider; tat-arpita — surrendered unto the lotus feet of the Lord; manaḥ — his mind; vacana — words; īhita — every endeavor; artha — wealth; prāṇam — and life; punāti — purifies; saḥ — he (the devotee); kulam — his family; na — not; tu — but; bhūrimānaḥ — one who falsely thinks himself to be in a prestigious position.

TRANSLATION

If a brāhmaṇa has all twelve of the brahminical qualifications [as they are stated in the book called Sanat-sujāta] but is not a devotee and is averse to the lotus feet of the Lord, he is certainly lower than a devotee who is a dog-eater but who has dedicated everything — mind, words, activities, wealth and life — to the Supreme Lord. Such a devotee is better than such a brāhmaṇa because the devotee can purify his whole family, whereas the so-called brāhmaṇa in a position of false prestige cannot purify even himself.

PURPORT

Here is a statement by Prahlāda Mahārāja, one of the twelve authorities, regarding the distinction between a devotee and a brāhmaṇa expert in karma-kāṇḍa, or Vedic ritualistic ceremonies. There are four varṇas and four āśramas, which divide human society, but the central principle is to become a first-class pure devotee. It is said in the Hari-bhakti — sudhodaya:

bhagavad-bhakti-hīnasya

jātiḥ śāstraḿ japas tapaḥ

aprāṇasyaiva dehasya

maṇḍanaḿ loka-rañjanam

"If one is born in a high family like that of a brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya or vaiśya but is not a devotee of the Lord, all his good qualifications as a brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya or vaiśya are null and void. Indeed, they are considered decorations of a dead body."

In this verse Prahlāda Mahārāja speaks of the vipras, the learned brāhmaṇas. The learned brāhmaṇa is considered best among the divisions of brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya and śūdra, but a devotee born in a low caṇḍāla family is better than such brāhmaṇas, not to speak of the kṣatriyas, vaiśyas and others. A devotee is better than anyone, for he is in the transcendental position on the Brahman platform.

māḿ ca yo vyabhicāreṇa

bhakti-yogena sevate

sa guṇān samatītyaitān

brahma-bhūyāya kalpate

"One who engages in full devotional service, who does not fall down in any circumstance, at once transcends the modes of material nature and thus comes to the level of Brahman." (Bg. 14.26) The twelve qualities of a first-class brāhmaṇa, as stated in the book called Sanat-sujāta, are as follows:

jñānaḿ ca satyaḿ ca damaḥ śrutaḿ ca

hy amātsaryaḿ hrīs titikṣānasūyā

yajñaś ca dānaḿ ca dhṛtiḥ śamaś ca

mahā-vratā dvādaśa brāhmaṇasya

The European and American devotees in the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement are sometimes accepted as brāhmaṇas, but the so-called caste brāhmaṇas are very much envious of them. In answer to such envy, Prahlāda Mahārāja says that one who has been born in a brāhmaṇa family but is falsely proud of his prestigious position cannot even purify himself, not to speak of his family, whereas if a caṇḍāla, a lowborn person, is a devotee and has fully surrendered unto the lotus feet of the Lord, he can purify his entire family. We have had actual experience of how Americans and Europeans, because of their full Kṛṣṇa consciousness, have purified their whole families, so much so that a mother of a devotee, at the time of her death, inquired about Kṛṣṇa with her last breath. Therefore it is theoretically true and has been practically proven that a devotee can give the best service to his family, his community, his society and his nation. The foolish accuse a devotee of following the principle of escapism, but actually the fact is that a devotee is the right person to elevate his family. A devotee engages everything in the service of the Lord, and therefore he is always exalted.

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