One should never say that a vaiṣṇava is a brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya or śūdra

Posted by dinesh

Beyond Varnashram

by Sri Srimad Gour Govinda Swami on Friday, May 13, 2011 at 8:43pm

By offering the fruits of one's activity for the pleasure of Lord Hari the heart will become purified of material desires. When one becomes free from desires for one's own enjoyment and happiness, and under the guidance of a bona fide guru utilizes the fruit of his activities for Lord Hari's satisfaction, then one is elevated to the stage of pure devotion, śuddha-bhakti. He will then inquire and put forward questions, tattva-jijñāsā, about the soul and the Supersoul. A taste for hari-kathā will develop. By these symptoms it may be understood that such a person is not in the category ofvarṇāśrama-dharma but has gone above it. Therefore it is said that a vaiṣṇava does not belong to any caste. One should never say that a vaiṣṇava is a brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya or śūdra. He is avaiṣṇava. A vaiṣṇava is not under the modes of material nature. He is beyond them. (Process of Inquiry, p. 40. Lecture, Bhubaneswar, 5 November 1994.)