aho bata Å›va-paco 'to garÄ«yÄn
yaj-jihvÄgre vartate nÄma tubhyam
tepus tapas te juhuvuḥ sasnur ÄryÄ
brahmÄnÅ«cur nÄma gṛṇanti ye te

 aho bata - how wonderful it is; Å›va-pacaḥ - dog-eaters; ataḥ - than the initiated brÄhmaṇa; garÄ«yÄn - more glorious; yat - of whom; jihvÄ-agre - on the tongue; vartate - remains; nÄma - holy name; tubhyam - of You, my Lord; tepuḥ - have performed; tapaḥ - austerity; te - they; juhuvuḥ - have performed sacrifices; sasnuḥ - have bathed in all holy places; ÄryÄḥ - really belonging to the Ä€ryan race; brahma - all the Vedas; anÅ«cuḥ - have studied; nÄma - holy name; gṛṇanti - chant; ye - who; te - they.


Text

ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu then recited the following verse: “ ‘My dear Lord, one who always keeps Your holy name on his tongue becomes greater than an initiated brÄhmaṇa. Although he may be born in a family of dog-eaters and therefore by material calculation may be the lowest among men, he is still glorious. This is the wonderful effect of chanting the holy name of the Lord. It is therefore concluded that one who chants the holy name of the Lord should be understood to have performed all kinds of austerities and great sacrifices mentioned in the Vedas. He has already taken his bath in all the holy places of pilgrimage. He has studied all the Vedas, and he is actually an Ä€ryan.’ â€

Purport

The word Ä€ryan means advanced. Unless one is spiritually advanced, he cannot be called an Ä€ryan, and this is the difference between Ä€ryan and non-Ä€ryan. Non-Ä€ryans are those who are not spiritually advanced. By following the Vedic culture, by performing great sacrifices and by becoming a strict follower of the Vedic instructions, one may become a brÄhmaṇa, a sannyÄsÄ« or an Ä€ryan. It is not possible to become a brÄhmaṇa, sannyÄsÄ« or Ä€ryan without being properly qualified. BhÄgavata-dharma never allows one to become a cheap brÄhmaṇa, sannyÄsÄ« or Ä€ryan. The qualities or qualifications described herein are quoted from ÅšrÄ«mad-BhÄgavatam (3.33.7) and were spoken by DevahÅ«ti, the mother of Kapiladeva, when she understood the influence of devotional service (bhakti-yoga). In this way DevahÅ«ti praised the devotee, pointing out his greatness in all respects.