SB 7.9.10 · Srimad-Bhagavatam

Devanagari

विप्राद् द्विषड्‌गुणयुतादरविन्दनाभ- पादारविन्दविमुखात् श्वपचं वरिष्ठम् । मन्ये तदर्पितमनोवचनेहितार्थ- प्राणं पुनाति स कुलं न तु भूरिमान: ॥ १० ॥

Verse text

viprād dvi-ṣaḍ-guṇa-yutād aravinda-nābha- pādāravinda-vimukhāt śvapacaṁ variṣṭham manye tad-arpita-mano-vacanehitārtha- prāṇaṁ punāti sa kulaṁ na tu bhūrimānaḥ

Synonyms

viprāt — than a brāhmaṇa ; dvi — ṣaṭ — guṇa — yutāt — qualified with twelve brahminical qualities* ; </a> 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.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

I consider a dog-eater who has dedicated everything—mind, words, activities, wealth and life—to the Supreme Lord superior to a brāhmaṇa has all twelve items of the previous verse but who is averse to the lotus feet of the Lord. He purifies his whole family, whereas the so-called respectable person does not. What else needs to be said? One should consider absence or presence of bhakti. I consider a dog-eater superior to a brāhmaṇa without bhakti, what to speak of kṣatriyas and others, even if endowed with the twelve items mentioned in the previous verse. What to speak of the brāhmaṇa with only seven or eight, or three or four of those items. And what to speak of a brāhmaṇa with none of those qualifies. Or the twelve qualities can be those mentioned in Sanat-sujāta: Jṣānaṣ ca satyaṣ ca damaḥ śrutaṣ ca, hy amātsaryaṁ hrīs titikṣānasūyā yajṣaś ca dānaṣ ca dhṛtiḥ śamaś ca mahāvratā dvādaśa brāhmaṇasya The twelve vows of a brāhmaṇa are knowledge, truth, mind control, sense control, hearing, disinterestedness, shyness, tolerance, lack of envy, sacrifice, charity, fortitude, and peacefulness. The dog-eater with bhakti is far superior. The verse specifically speaks of a brāhmaṇa who is averse to the lotus feet of the Lord. The dog-eater who has offered his mind, actions (īhitam), wealth (artha), words and life to the Lord is superior. How is he superior? He purifies his whole family whereas a person who is respected by the people does not purify even himself, what to speak of his family. Śrīdhara Svāmī says that these qualities without bhakti produce only pride.

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 śāstraṁ japas tapaḥ aprāṇasyaiva dehasya maṇḍanaṁ loka-raṣjanam “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. māṁ 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: jṣānaṁ ca satyaṁ ca damaḥ śrutaṁ ca hy amātsaryaṁ hrīs titikṣānasūyā yajṣaś ca dānaṁ 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.