yan-nÄmadheya-Å›ravaṇÄnukÄ«rtanÄd
yat-prahvaṇÄd yat-smaraṇÄd api kvacit
Å›vÄdo 'pi sadyaḥ savanÄya kalpate
kutaḥ punas te bhagavan nu darÅ›anÄt
yat - of whom; nÄmadheya - of the name; Å›ravaṇa - from hearing; anukÄ«rtanÄt - and thereafter from chanting; yat - to whom; prahvaṇÄt - from offering respects; yat - of whom; smaraṇÄt - from simply remembering; api - also; kvacit - sometimes; Å›va-adaḥ - a dog-eater; api - even; sadyaḥ - immediately; savanÄya - for performing Vedic sacrifices; kalpate - becomes eligible; kutaḥ - what to speak; punaḥ - again; te - of You; bhagavan - O Supreme Personality of Godhead; nu - certainly; darÅ›anÄt - from seeing.
“ ‘To say nothing of the spiritual advancement of persons who see the Supreme Person face to face, even a person born in a family of dog-eaters becomes immediately eligible to perform Vedic sacrifices if he once utters the holy name of the Supreme Personality of Godhead or chants about Him, hears about His pastimes, offers Him obeisances or even remembers Him.’ â€
This is a quotation from ÅšrÄ«mad-BhÄgavatam (3.33.6). According to this verse, it does not matter what position a person holds. One may be the lowest of the low — a caṇá¸Äla, or dog-eater — but if he takes to chanting and hearing the holy name of the Lord, he is immediately eligible to perform Vedic sacrifices. This is especially true in this Age of Kali.
harer nÄma harer nÄma harer nÄmaiva kevalam
kalau nÄsty eva nÄsty eva nÄsty eva gatir anyathÄ
(Bá¹›han-nÄradÄ«ya PurÄṇa 38.126)
“In this age of quarrel and hypocrisy, the only means of deliverance is the chanting of the holy names of the Lord. There is no other way. There is no other way. There is no other way.†A person born in a brÄhmaṇa family cannot perform Vedic sacrifices until he is properly purified and has attained his sacred thread. However, according to the present verse of ÅšrÄ« Caitanya-caritÄmá¹›ta (quoted from ÅšrÄ«mad-BhÄgavatam), it is understood that even a lowborn person can immediately perform sacrifices if he sincerely chants and hears the holy name of the Lord. Sometimes envious people ask how Europeans and Americans in this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement can become brÄhmaṇas and perform sacrifices. They do not know that the Europeans and Americans have already been purified by chanting the holy name of the Lord — Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare RÄma, Hare RÄma, RÄma RÄma, Hare Hare. This is the proof. ÅšvÄdo ’pi sadyaḥ savanÄya kalpate. One may be born in a family of dog-eaters, but he can perform sacrifices simply by chanting the mahÄ-mantra.
Those who find fault in the Western Vaiṣṇavas should consider this statement from ÅšrÄ«mad-BhÄgavatam and the commentary on this verse by ÅšrÄ«la JÄ«va GosvÄmÄ«. In this regard, ÅšrÄ«la JÄ«va GosvÄmÄ« has stated that to become a brÄhmaṇa one has to wait for purification and undergo the sacred thread ceremony, but a chanter of the holy name does not have to wait for the sacred thread ceremony. We do not allow devotees to perform sacrifices until they are properly initiated in the sacred thread ceremony. Yet according to this verse, an offenseless chanter of the holy name is already fit to perform a fire ceremony, even though he is not doubly initiated by the sacred thread ceremony. This is the verdict given by DevahÅ«ti, the mother of Lord Kapiladeva, when He was instructing her in pure SÄá¹…khya philosophy.
