Paṇḍita, one who is actually learned, sama-darśinaḥ, he does not see that "Here is a learned brāhmaṇa and here is a dog." He knows that in the dog also the same spirit soul is there, and here is a learned brāhmaṇa, the spirit soul is there. So he is acting on account of possessing different body. Paṇḍitaḥ sama-darśinaḥ (BG 5.18).
Therefore yato bhaktir adhokṣaje, when one is transcendental to the material senses, then bhakti begins. Yato bhaktir adhokṣaje. Bhakti is not ordinary thing. In the Bhagavad-gītā it is also said,
- brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā
- na śocati na kāṅkṣati
- samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu
- mad-bhaktiṁ labhate parām
- (BG 18.54)
Who is eligible to execute devotional service, bhakti? Those who are engaged in devotional service, they are not in the material platform. We should understand that. Yato bhaktir adhokṣaje ahaituky apratihatā. And bhakti is not a business. Anywhere we go, there is business. "If you give me this, then I shall love you. If you satisfy my senses, then I shall love you." Similarly, the other party, he or she also says, "If you satisfy my senses, then I love you. If there is no sense gratification, then I don't love you." That is business. Therefore adhokṣaje, with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, there should not be any business. Ahaitukī. That is called ahaitukī, no cause. "Because God shall give me my bread..." As in the Christian church they go and say, "O God, give us our daily bread." That is also good because he has gone to God. The atheists, they do not like to speak of God, what to speak of praying from God. That is atheist class.
But there in the Bhagavad-gītā it is said,
- catur-vidhā bhajante māṁ
- janāḥ sukṛtino 'rjuna
- ārto jijñāsur arthārthī
- jñānī ca bharatarṣabha
- (BG 7.16)
Four classes of men who are distressed... One class, distressed, and one class who is in need of money, arthārthī, wants some material enjoyment, and another, jñānī, and jijñāsuḥ-four classes of men are interested in the subject matter of understanding God. But the condition is sukṛtina. If he is pious, if he is sinless... Unless one is sinless, one cannot be interested in God. The more we are sinful, we are disinterested in God. Why at the present moment people are disinterested in the subject matter of understanding God? Because they are all sinful. So therefore Bhagavad-gītā says, catur-vidhā bhajante māṁ sukṛtino 'rjuna. Sukṛtina: "whose background is pious life." In another place Kṛṣṇa also says,
- yeṣāṁ tv anta-gataṁ pāpaṁ
- janānāṁ puṇya-karmaṇām
- te dvandva-moha-nirmuktā
- bhajante māṁ dṛḍha-vratāḥ
- (BG 7.28)
That bhajana, this bhagavad-bhajana, is not for ordinary class of men. They must be very elevated.
Therefore here it is said, sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmaḥ. Para and apara—these two words are there, para and apara. Para means spiritual, and apara means material. Just like in the Bhagavad-gītā in another place, apareyam itas tu viddhi me prakṛtiṁ parām. Apara, this material nature, bhūmir āpo 'nalo vāyuḥ (BG 7.4), this earth, water, fire, air, mind, intelligence, they are material. Bhinnā me prakṛtir aṣṭadhā. Apareyam. But they are apara. Apara means material, inferior. There is another, spiritual nature. What is that? Jīva-bhūta, that living entity. Living entity's para. So Kṛṣṇa is also para. So when the living entity engage himself in the service of the supreme spiritual, Kṛṣṇa, that is called paro dharmaḥ, spiritual religion, not apara. Apara means material, and para means superior or spiritual.