If one becomes avaiṣṇava, not devotee of the Supreme Lord Viṣṇu, but he has all these qualifications, aravinda-nābha-pādāravinda-vimukhāt (SB 7.9.10). Pādāravinda means . . . aravinda-nābha, Kṛṣṇa is aravinda, mukhāravinda. Mukhāravinda means that His face is like lotus flower. His eyes are like lotus flower. From the navel a lotus flower has grown. His feet is called lotus feet. So here aravinda-nābha and pādāravinda. Pādāravinda means lotus feet.
So one who is detached from the lotus feet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, from whose abdomen a lotus is grown for begetting Brahmā, if one is bereft of attachment to the Supreme Lord, then his qualification of vipra is not accepted, or not very fruitful. Rather, a person who has not become vipra, born of a very low family, caṇḍāla, śvapacaṁ variṣṭham—śvapacaṁ, śvapacaṁ means . . . śva means dog, a dog-eater's family, lowest family—if he is qualified in devotional service, he is better than a person who is a vipra. Why?
- manye tad-arpita-mano-vacanehitārtha-
- prāṇaṁ punāti sa kulaṁ na tu bhūrimānaḥ
- (SB 7.9.10)
Because if a person has dedicated his life and body and everything to the service of the Lord, he can deliver his family more than such vipra, that brahmin who is simply proud of his qualification but has no, actually, devotional service. This is the statement of Prahlāda Mahārāja.
In the Mahābhārata, the twelve qualification are described as follows. What is that?
- dharmaś ca satyaṁ ca damas tapaś ca
- amātsaryaṁ hrīs titikṣānasūyā
- yajñaś ca dānaṁ ca dhṛtiḥśrutaṁ ca
- vratāni vai dvādaśa brāhmaṇasya
- (Mahābhārata)
One who is vipra, these twelve qualification: that he must be very religious; he must be truthful; he must be controlling his mind; he must have austerities; he must be very intelligent; he must be tolerant; he must not be envious; he must have performed various kinds of yajñas, sacrifice; he must have given in charity, dhṛti; he is fixed up in his vows; and śrutaṁ ca, has got sufficient knowledge in the Vedas; vratāni, and he has followed all kinds of vratā.
Just like we sometimes observe—no, regularly observe—the Ekādaśī; it is called vratā. Vratā means fasting with a vow. Janmāṣṭamī . . . just like we fast on the birthday of Lord Kṛṣṇa or Lord Caitanya. These are called vratā. So brahmin is supposed to follow. These are all brāhmaṇa's qualification.