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Bhagavad-gītā 9.32
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A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
TEXT 32
- मां हि पार्थ व्यपाश्रित्य येऽपि स्युः पापयोनयः ।
- स्त्रियो वैश्यास्तथा शूद्रास्तेऽपि यान्ति परां गतिम् ॥३२॥
- māṁ hi pārtha vyapāśritya
- ye 'pi syuḥ pāpa-yonayaḥ
- striyo vaiśyās tathā śūdrās
- te 'pi yānti parāṁ gatim
māmof Me — of Me; hicertainly — certainly; pārthaO son of Pṛthā — O son of Pṛthā; vyapāśrityaparticularly taking shelter — particularly taking shelter; yethose who — those who; apialso — also; syuḥare — are; pāpaborn of a lower family-yonayaḥborn of a lower family — born of a lower family; striyaḥwomen — women; vaiśyāḥmercantile people — mercantile people; tathāalso — also; śūdrāḥlower-class men — lower-class men; teeven they apieven they — even they; yāntigo — go; parāmto the supreme — to the supreme; gatimdestination — destination.
O son of Pṛthā, those who take shelter in Me, though they be of lower birth—women, vaiśyas [merchants] and śūdras [workers]—can attain the supreme destination.
It is clearly declared here by the Supreme Lord that in devotional service there is no distinction between the lower and higher classes of people. In the material conception of life there are such divisions, but for a person engaged in transcendental devotional service to the Lord there are not. Everyone is eligible for the supreme destination. In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (SB 2.4.18, Available in the library) it is stated that even the lowest, who are called caṇḍālas (dog-eaters), can be purified by association with a pure devotee. Therefore devotional service and the guidance of a pure devotee are so strong that there is no discrimination between the lower and higher classes of men; anyone can take to it. The most simple man taking shelter of the pure devotee can be purified by proper guidance. According to the different modes of material nature, men are classified in the mode of goodness (brāhmaṇas), the mode of passion (kṣatriyas, or administrators), the mixed modes of passion and ignorance (vaiśyas, or merchants), and the mode of ignorance (śūdras, or workers). Those lower than them are called caṇḍālas, and they are born in sinful families. Generally, the association of those born in sinful families is not accepted by the higher classes. But the process of devotional service is so strong that the pure devotee of the Supreme Lord can enable people of all the lower classes to attain the highest perfection of life. This is possible only when one takes shelter of Kṛṣṇa. As indicated here by the word vyapāśritya, one has to take shelter completely of Kṛṣṇa. Then one can become much greater than great jñānīs and yogīs.