জাতি কুল ক্রিয়া ধনে কিছু নাহি করে ।
প্রেমধন আর্তি বিনে না পাই কৃষ্ণেরে ॥
যে তে কুলে বৈষ্ণবের জন্ম কেনে নহে ।
তথাপিহ সর্বোত্তম সর্বশাস্ত্রে কহে ॥
এই তার প্রমাণ—যবন হরিদাস ।
ব্রহ্মাদির দুর্লভ দেখিল পরকাশ ॥
যে পাপিষ্ঠ বৈষ্ণবের জাতি-বুদ্ধি করে ।
জন্ম জন্ম অধম-যোনিতে ডুবি মরে ॥
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.”