Verse 2.10.100

Bengali text, Devanagari and Unicode transliteration of verse 2.10.100:

যে তে কুলে বৈষ্ণবের জন্ম কেনে নহে তথাপিহ সর্বোত্তম সর্ব-শাস্ত্রে কহে ॥ ১০০ ॥

ये ते कुले वैष्णवेर जन्म केने नहे तथापिह सर्वोत्तम सर्व-शास्त्रे कहे ॥ १०० ॥

ye te kule vaiṣṇavera janma kene nahe tathāpiha sarvottama sarva-śāstre kahe || 100 ||

ye te kule vaisnavera janma kene nahe tathapiha sarvottama sarva-sastre kahe (100)

English translation:

(100) “All the scriptures declare that a Vaiṣṇava may be born in any family, but he is certainly situated in the topmost position.

Commentary: Gauḍīya-bhāṣya by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura:

A person who is engaged with love in the service of Viṣṇu may take birth in any family, but this does not hamper the execution of his devotional

service. All the scriptures declare that a Vaiṣṇava is superior to a person who is intoxicated with pride resulting from birth, family, activities, and wealth. The eternal goal of a living entity is love for Kṛṣṇa. When one is qualified in that love, material considerations like inferiority, superiority, and contradictions do not hinder him. In Śrīmad Bhāgavatam (3.33.6-7) it is stated:

yan-nāmadheya-śravaṇānukīrtanād yat-prahvaṇād yat-smaraṇād api kvacit

śvādo ‘pi sadyaḥ savanāya kalpate kutaḥ punas te bhagavan nu darśanāt

aho bata śva-paco ‘to garīyān yaj-jihvāgre vartate nāma tubhyam

tepus tapas te juhuvuḥ sasnur āryābrahmānūcur nāma gṛṇanti ye te

“To say nothing of the spiritual advancement of persons who see the Supreme Person face to face, even a person born in a family of dog-eaters immediately becomes eligible to perform Vedic sacrifices if he once utters the holy name of the Supreme Personality of Godhead or chants about Him, hears about His pastimes, offers Him obeisances or even remembers Him. Oh, how glorious are they whose tongues are chanting Your holy name! Even if born in the families of dog-eaters, such persons are worshipable. Persons who chant the holy name of Your Lordship must have executed all kinds of austerities and fire sacrifices and achieved all the good manners of the Āryans. To be chanting the holy name of Your Lordship, they must have bathed at holy places of pilgrimage, studied the Vedas and fulfilled everything required.” In Śrīmad Bhāgavatam (6.16.44) it is said:

na hi bhagavann aghaṭitam idaṃ tvad-darśanān nṛṇām akhila-pāpa-kṣayaḥ

yan-nāma sakṛc chravaṇāt pukkaśo ‘pi vimucyate saṃsārāt

“My Lord, it is not impossible for one to be immediately freed from all material contamination by seeing You. Not to speak of seeing You personally, merely by hearing the holy name of Your Lordship only once, even caṇḍālas, men of the lowest class, are freed from all material contamination. Under the circumstances, who will not be freed from material contamination simply by seeing You?” In Śrīmad Bhāgavatam (7.9.9) it is stated:

manye dhanābhijana-rūpa-tapaḥ-śrutaujas- tejaḥ-prabhāva-bala-pauruṣa-buddhi-yogāḥ nārādhanāya hi bhavanti parasya puṃso bhaktyā tutoṣa bhagavān gaja-yūtha-pāya

“Prahlāda Mahārāja continued: One may possess wealth, an aristocratic family, beauty, austerity, education, sensory expertise, luster, influence, physical strength, diligence, intelligence and mystic yogic power, but I think that even by all these qualifications one cannot satisfy the Supreme Personality of Godhead. However, one can satisfy the Lord simply by devotional service. Gajendra did this, and thus the Lord was satisfied with him.” In the Hari-bhakti-vilāsa (10.127) it is stated:

na me ‘bhaktaś catur-vedī mad-bhaktaḥ śva-pacaḥ priyaḥ

tasmai deyaṃ tato grāhyaṃ sa ca pūjyo yathā hy aham

“Even though a person is a very learned scholar of the Sanskrit Vedic literatures, he is not accepted as My devotee unless he is pure in devotional service. However, even though a person is born in a family of dog-eaters, he is very dear to Me if he is a pure devotee who has no motive to enjoy fruitive activity or mental speculation. Indeed, all respect should be given to him, and whatever he offers should be accepted. Such devotees are as worshipable as I am.” In the Padma Purāṇa (Svarga- khaṇḍa, Chapter Twenty-four) it is stated:

pukkasaḥśvapaco vāpi ye cānye mleccha-jāta yaḥte ‘pi vandyā mahābhāgā hari pādaika-sevakāḥ

“Whether one is a pukkasaḥ, a dog-eater, or a mleccha, if he takes shelter of the lotus feet of Śrī Hari with pure devotion and serves Him with attachment, he is to be considered most fortunate and highly worshipable.” In the Padma Purāṇa (Uttara-khaṇḍa, Chapter Thirty-nine) it is stated:

viṣṇor ayaṃ yato hy āsīt tasmād-vaiṣṇava ucyate sarveśāṃ caiva varṇānāṃ vaiṣṇavaḥśreṣṭhaḥ ucyate

“One who is related to Viṣṇu through devotion is known as a Vaiṣṇava. A genuine Vaiṣṇava is superior to all the varṇas and is the best of all.” In the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam (1.18.18-19) it is stated:

sūta uvāca

aho vayaṃ janma-bhṛto ‘dya hāsma vṛddhānuvṛttyāpi viloma-jātāḥ dauṣkulyam ādhiṃ vidhunoti śīghraṃ mahattamānām abhidhāna-yogaḥ

kutaḥ punar gṛṇato nāma tasya mahattamaikānta-parāyaṇasya

yo ‘nanta-śaktir bhagavān ananto mahad-guṇatvād yam anantam āhuḥ

“O God, although we are born in a mixed caste, we are still promoted in birthright simply by serving and following the great who are advanced in knowledge. Even by conversing with such great souls, one can without delay cleanse oneself of all disqualifications resulting from lower births. And what to speak of those who are under the direction of the great devotees, chanting the holy name of the Unlimited, who has unlimited potency? The Personality of Godhead, unlimited in potency and transcendental by attributes, is called the ananta [Unlimited].” In the Padma Purāṇa it is said:

ārādhanānāṃ sarveṣāṃ viṣṇor ārādhanaṃ param tasmāt parataraṃ devi tadīyānāṃ samarcanam

“O Devī, the most exalted system of worship is the worship of Lord Viṣṇu. Greater than that is the worship of tadīya, or anything belonging to Viṣṇu.” In the Kāśī-khaṇḍa it is stated:

brāhmaṇaḥ kṣatriyo vaiśyaḥ śūdro vā yadi vetaraḥ viṣṇu-bhakti-samāyukto jñeyaḥ sarvottamaś ca saḥ

“Whether a person is born in the family of brāhmaṇas, kṣatriyas, vaiśyas, śūdras, or outcastes, he is better than the best if he is engaged in the devotional service of Viṣṇu.” In the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam (11.14.21) it is stated:

bhaktyāham ekayā grāhyaḥ śraddhayātmā priyaḥ satām bhaktiḥ punāti man-niṣṭhā śva-pākān api sambhavāt

“Only by practicing unalloyed devotional service with full faith in Me can one obtain Me, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. I am naturally dear to My devotees, who take Me as the only goal of their loving service. By engaging in such pure devotional service, even the dog-eaters can purify themselves from the contamination of their low birth.” In the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam (2.4.18) it is stated:

kirāta-hūṇāndhra-pulinda-pulkaśā ābhīra-śumbhā yavanāḥ khasādayaḥ ye ‘nye ca pāpā yad-apāśrayāśrayāḥ

śudhyanti tasmai prabhaviṣṇave namaḥ

“Kirāta, Hūṇa, Āndhra, Pulinda, Pulkaśa, Ābhīra, Śumbha, Yavana, members of the Khasa races and even others addicted to sinful acts can be purified by taking shelter of the devotees of the Lord, due to His being the supreme power. I beg to offer my respectful obeisances unto Him.” In the Caitanya-caritāmṛta (Antya 4.66-67) it is stated:

nīca-jāti nahe kṛṣṇa-bhajane ayogya sat-kula-vipra nahe bhajanera yogya

yei bhaje sei baḍa, abhakta——hīna, chāra kṛṣṇa-bhajane nāhi jāti-kulādi-vicāra

“A person born in a low family is not unfit for discharging devotional service to Lord Kṛṣṇa, nor is one fit for devotional service simply because he is born in an aristocratic family of brāhmaṇas. Anyone who takes to devotional service is exalted, whereas a nondevotee is always condemned and abominable. Therefore in the discharge of devotional service to the Lord, there is no consideration of the status of one’s family.” It is stated in the Dvārakā-māhātmya as follows:

saṅkīrṇa-yonayaḥ pūtāḥ ye bhaktā madhusūdane mleccha-tulyā kulīnās te ye na bhaktā janārdane

“Those who are devotees of Madhusūdana, even though born in low-class families, become purified, while brāhmaṇas who possess all qualities are no better than uncivilized mlecchas if they are not devotees of Śrī Janārdana.”