तच्छ्रूत्वाचिन्तयं ब्रह्मन्वैश्यत्वे स्यात्सुखं महत् ।
प्रभोरेषां च विप्राणां तद्भक्तानामुपासनात् ॥
एषां यज्ञैकनिष्ठानामैक्येनावश्यके निजे जपे च ।
सद्गुरूद्दिष्टे मान्द्यं स्याद्दृष्टसत्फले ।
ततस्ताननुमान्याहमनङ्गीकृत्य विप्रताम् ।
तत्रावसं स्वतो जातप्राजापत्यमहासुखैः ॥
tac chrūtvācintayaṁ brahman vaiśyatve syāt sukhaṁ mahat |
prabhor eṣāṁ ca viprāṇāṁ tad-bhaktānām upāsanāt ||
eṣāṁ yajñaika-niṣṭhānām aikyenāvaśyake nije jape ca |
sad-gurūddiṣṭe māndyaṁ syād dṛṣṭa-sat-phale |
tatas tān anumānyāham anaṅgīkṛtya vipratām |
tatrāvasaṁ svato jāta-prājāpatya-mahāsukhaiḥ ||
(Bṛhad Bhāgavatāmṛta: 2.2.56–58)
“Hearing that [i.e., the instruction of the great ṛṣis in Maharloka to become a brāhmaṇa and perform worship of the Lord of the universe by means of fire sacrifice (yajña) as is done by these ṛṣis in Maharloka], O brāhmaṇa, I thought, ‘Greater joy shall come about by being a vaiśya [rather than a brāhmaṇa] because of [the] worship [a vaiśya and not a brāhmaṇa can perform] of Prabhu and these brāhmaṇas [here in Maharloka] who are his bhaktas. Also, slacking in regard to my own japa, which is imperative, which was taught [to me] by a genuine guru, and which has had genuine observable results, shall arise as a result oneness with those of singular fixity upon yajña [i.e., if I were to become one of these brāhmaṇas who engage solely in yajña].’ Therefore, honoring them [i.e., the brāhmaṇas of Maharloka] but not accepting brāhmaṇahood (vipratā), I dwelled there in the great joy manifested of its own accord among the Prajāpatis [i.e., among Bhṛgu and the other sages of Maharloka].”
Commentary
ayaṁ bhāvaḥ—brāhmaṇatve dāsyānupapatteḥ brāhmaṇānām eṣāṁ samyak sevā na syāt, vaiśyatve ca vaiṣṇavānām eṣāṁ yajñeśvarasya ca sevayā amībhyo’pi mama sukham adhikaṁ syād iti |
(Excerpt from the Dig-darśinī-ṭīkā)
“The purport is this: full service to these brāhmaṇas shall not come about by being a brāhmaṇa [i.e., if I were to become a brāhmaṇa myself] because of the non-occurrence of servitude [to brāhmaṇas, i.e., because upon becoming a brāhmaṇa I would no longer have the privilege of rendering service to brāhmaṇas]. Furthermore, my joy shall be greater than even theirs [i.e., than even these brāhmaṇs] by being a vaiśya by virtue of [the privilege a vaiśya has of being able to render] service to these Vaiṣṇavas [i.e., these brāhmaṇa Vaiṣṇavas] and to the Lord of yajña [i.e., Śrī Bhagavān].”