dhig janma nas trivṛd vidyāṁ dhig vrataṁ dhig bahujñatām |
dhik kulaṁ dhik kriyā-dākṣyaṁ vimukhā ye tv adhokṣaje ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 10.23.39)
“Fie on the threefold birth, fie on the education, fie on the vow, fie on the great learnedness, fie on the family, and fie on the rites and expertise of we who are utterly averse to Adhokṣaja!”
yan-nāmadheya-śravaṇānukīrtanād
yat-prahvaṇād yat-smaraṇād api kvacit |
śvādo’pi sadyaḥ savanāya kalpate
kutaḥ punas te bhagavan nu darśanāt ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 3.33.6)
“O Bhagavān by hearing and repeating whose name, by bowing down to whom, and by even occasionally remembering whom, even a dog-eater immediately becomes eligible for savana, what more occurs by [having] the sight of you?”
taj janma tāni karmāṇi tad āyus tan mano vacaḥ |
nṝṇāṁ yena hi viśvātmā sevyate harir īśvaraḥ ||
kiṁ janmabhis tribhir veha śaukra-sāvitra-yājñikaiḥ |
karmabhir vā trayī-proktaiḥ puṁso’pi vibudhāyuṣā ||
śrutena tapasā vā kiṁ vacobhiś citta-vṛttibhiḥ |
buddhyā vā kiṁ nipuṇayā balenendriya-rādhasā ||
kiṁ vā yogena sāṅkhyena nyāsa-svādhyāyayor api |
kiṁ vā śreyobhir anyaiś ca na yatrātma-prado hariḥ ||
śreyasām api sarveṣām ātmā hy avadhir arthataḥ |
sarveṣām api bhūtānāṁ harir ātmātmadaḥ priyaḥ ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 4.31.9–13; cited in Bhakti Sandarbha: 51, 101)
“That is a birth, those are actions, that is a life, that is mind and [that is] is speech on the part of human beings whereby Hari, Īśvara, the Self of the universe, is worshiped. Here [in this world], what [is the use] of the three births—the seminal (śaukra), the sāvitra [i.e., the second birth brought about by dīkṣā into the sāvitra-mantra and investiture with the sacred thread, viz., the upanayana-saṁskāra], and the sacrificial (yājñika) [i.e., the third birth brought about by dīkṣā into the performance of a particular Vedic sacrifice (yajña)], what [is the use] of the rites prescribed in the three [Vedas], what [is the use] of even the lifespan of a deva for a human being, what [is the use] of hearing, austerity, words, and states of mind, what [is the use] of sharp intellect, [physical] strength, and acuity of the senses, what [is the use] of yoga [i.e., aṣṭāṅga-yoga], sāṅkhya [i.e., discrimination between the body and self], sannyāsa, and even study, and what [is the use] of any other means of benefit (śreyas) [e.g., vows (vratas), non-attachment (vairāgya), etc.] whereby Hari does not become a bestower of the Self [alt., himself]? In reality, the Self specifically is the culmination even of all means of benefit, and Hari is the Self, the Bestower of the Self, and the Beloved even of all beings.”
brāhmaṇo janmanā śreyān sarveṣāṁ prāṇinām iha |
tapasā vidyayā tuṣṭyā kim u mat-kalayā yutaḥ ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 10.86.53)
“A brāhmaṇa by birth is the best of all living beings here, and all the more so [is superior to others when] endowed with austerity, learning, contentment, and worship of me.”
tvaṁ hi brahma-vidāṁ śreṣṭhaḥ saṁskārān kartum arhasi |
bālayor anayor nṝṇāṁ janmanā brāhmaṇo guruḥ ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 10.8.6)
“[Nanda Mahārāja to Garga Muni:] Since you are the best of knowers of Brahman, you are fit to perform the saṁskāras for these two boys [viz., Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma]. A brāhmaṇa by birth is the guru of human beings.”
jāti kula kriyā dhane kichu nāhi kare |
prema-dhana ārti vine nā pāi kṛṣṇere ||
ye te kule vaiṣṇavera janma kene nahe |
tathāpiha sarvottama sarva-śāstre kahe ||
ei tāra pramāṇa—yavana hari-dāsa |
brahmādira durlabha dekhila parakāśa ||
ye pāpiṣṭha vaiṣṇavera jāti-buddhi kare |
janma janma adhama-yonite ḍubi mare ||
(Caitanya-bhāgavata: 2.10.99–102)
“Caste [i.e., birth in a high caste], family [i.e., birth in a noble family], accomplishment [i.e., performing great worldly works], and wealth do not do anything [i.e., cannot enable anyone to attain Kṛṣṇa]. Without the wealth of prema and heartache (ārti), one does not attain Kṛṣṇa. A Vaiṣṇava’s birth may be in any family. Why not? Still, all the śāstras say the Vaiṣṇava is the most exalted of all [i.e., exalted above and beyond all who neglect to engage in bhakti to Śrī Bhagavān, regardless of their caste, family, accomplishments, and wealth]. The evidence of this is Yavana Hari Dāsa, who saw a manifestation [of Śrī Bhagavān] difficult to attain [even] for Brahmā and others. A sinner who considers a Vaiṣṇava to belong to a caste [i.e., be no different than others in the caste of his birth] sinks to a lowly form of life and dies birth after birth.”
jāyate’sti vardhate vipariṇamate’pakṣīyate naśyati |
(Nirukti: 1.2; cited in the Gītā-bhūṣaṇa-ṭīkā on BG 2.20)
“One [i.e., a living being in saṁsāra] is born, exists, grows, changes, decays, and is destroyed.”
janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-vedanābhir upadrutam |
saṁsāram imam utpannam asāraṁ tyajataḥ sukham ||
(Hitopadeśa: Sandhi, 94)
“Happiness comes from giving up this insubstantial world of saṁsāra which is overrun by birth, death, old age, disease, and sorrow.”
