So Śukadeva Gosvāmī, he did not undergo any of these principles because he was paramahaṁsa, above all these things. Therefore anupetam. (reading purport:) "The institution of varṇāśrama prescribed many regulative duties." Daśa-vidhā-saṁskāra, ten kinds of reformatory methods. But he did not undergo. (reading purport:) "Such duties enjoin that a candidate willing to study the Vedas must approach a bona fide spiritual master." If anyone wants to become a brāhmaṇa, it is not that the brāhmaṇa's son would automatically become brāhmaṇa. No. Anyone could become brāhmaṇa. Just like Jābāla Upaniṣad. Satyakāma Jābāla. This Satyakāma was the son of a prostitute. He was not a brāhmaṇa's son. So he wanted to become brāhmaṇa. So he went to Gautama Muni, "Sir, please initiate me. I want to become a brāhmaṇa." Śūdras were not initiated. In the formerly... Śūdras are common. Therefore Gautama Muni inquired that "What you are? Because I do not initiate who is not born of a brāhmaṇa father." So he said, "I do not know." "So go to your mother. Ask whose son you are." The mother said, "I do not know." So he came and he said that "Sir, my mother does not know whose son I am." So Gautama Muni accepted him as disciple because he was truthful. He saw that he has got the brahminical qualification, truthful. Everyone is not willing that to admit that he is the son of a prostitute. No. But he admitted, "Yes, my mother does not know by whom I was begotten." So this is qualification.
So in the Kali-yuga especially, there is no Vedic system of reformatory process. It is the pāñcarātriki-vidhi, that anyone has got a little qualification for becoming brāhmaṇa, he is accepted by the spiritual master and he is trained up, he is initiated, just to make him a complete brāhmaṇa. (reading:) "So the sacred thread is the sign of those who are competent to study the Vedas from ācārya, or the bona fide spiritual master." The bona fide spiritual master is called ācārya, or the ācārya can become a bona fide spiritual master. Ācārya means who knows the purport of the śāstra, and he behaves himself according to the shastric regulative principle and teaches his disciple in that way. He is called ācārya. Ācārya means whose behavior, whose activities should be followed. That is called ācārya.
(reading:) "Generally, a man is born as ordinary being, and by the purificatory process, he is born for the second time." That is called dvija. Even a man is born, so he is not accepted as human being. Because unless the purificatory process is there, he cannot be accepted as human being. Therefore unless in any society the varṇāśrama-dharma is not there, they are not human beings. They are called animals or mlecchas, yavanas. Civilized society means he must know, he must (have) undergone all the regulative principles. But at the present moment, in the Bhāgavata it is said, asaṁskṛta: "without any reformatory method." All these posts, government posts, are occupied by persons asaṁskṛtāḥ kriyā-hīnā mlecchā rājanya-rūpiṇaḥ. So what will be their business? They do not know what is the responsibility of government. They do not know. Therefore the whole world is in chaos. They are neither themselves perfect gentlemen or perfect brāhmaṇa or kṣatriya. They are also like animals, śūdras. How they can rule over nicely? But formerly that was not. The brāhmaṇa, or the kṣatriya especially, they must undergo the reformatory method.
So "Generally, a man is born as an ordinary being, and by the purificatory processes he is born for the second time." This is called dvija, second time, by the spiritual master. "When he sees a new light and seeks direction for spiritual progress, he approaches spiritual master to instruct him in the Vedas." This is our process. In the beginning we do not ask anybody to become initiated or a brāhmaṇa. No. We simply invite a person to join the chanting. This is our process. We should strictly follow this. In the beginning, we should not ask that "You have to do this, you have to..." He cannot do that. That is not possible. But everyone should be given chance because in the Kali-yuga there is no reformatory system. Everyone is born śūdra and less than that, caṇḍāla. So they should not be neglected also. Not that "Because all people are fallen—they are less than śūdras and caṇḍālas—so neglect them. Let me chant Hare Kṛṣṇa." No. This is not. The duty of Vaiṣṇava is to reclaim these fallen souls. Just like Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, māṁ hi pārtha vyapāśritya ye 'pi syuḥ pāpa-yonayaḥ. Find out this verse:
- māṁ hi pārtha vyapāśritya
- ye 'pi syuḥ pāpa-yonayaḥ
- striyo vaiśyās tathā śūdrās
- te 'pi yānti parāṁ gatim
- (BG 9.32)
Kṛṣṇa says, "Anyone who comes under My shelter, never mind he is the lowest of the low, lowborn..." The striyo vaiśyāḥ... Formerly, even the woman and the mercantile community and śūdras, they were also considered as pāpa-yoni. Pāpa-yoni means whose brain is not very developed. That is pāpa-yoni. Blunt-headed.