So material activity and spiritual activity. So long we are under the concept of bodily life, our activities are material. But as soon as you understand that "I do not belong to the body. I am not this body, but I am spirit soul, ahaṁ brahmāsmi..." The exact Vedic language in this connection is called ahaṁ brahmāsmi: "I am spirit soul." This knowledge is perfect. So long we are under the concept of body, that "I am this body," that is ignorance.
In the śāstra it is said,
- yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke
- sva-dhīḥ kalatrādiṣu bhauma ijya-dhīḥ
- yat-tīrtha-buddhiḥ salile na karhicij
- janeṣv sa abhijñeṣu sa eva go-kharaḥ
- (SB 10.84.13)
So long we are in this bodily concept of life, then as long as we are feeling like that, all our activities are our defeat. Parābhava. Parābhavas tāvad abodha-jāto (SB 5.5.5). Abodha-jātaḥ. The animals or the human beings—everyone, just like this child—abodha-jātaḥ: born ignorant. Similarly, human being, if he remains under the bodily concept of life, then he is ignorant. That is called śūdra. Janmanā jāyate śūdraḥ: the Vedic culture says that everyone born is a śūdra. Therefore he has to be given knowledge, exactly like we send our children to schools, colleges. Why? To get knowledge.
Similarly, if we remain satisfied simply with the birth by our father or mother, that is śūdra condition. One has to be raised to the brahminical condition. Janmanā..., there is a process. The process is janmanā jāyate śūdraḥ. Everyone is born śūdra by birth. It is not that by birth one becomes brāhmaṇa; otherwise the śāstra would not have stated like this, that janmanā jāyate śūdraḥ, "By birth everyone is śūdra." Saṁskārād dhi bhaved dvijaḥ: but when he has executed the purificatory process, sanctifying process...
There are ten kinds of sanctifying process. Even when the father is going to give birth to the child, he has to undergo a ritualistic ceremony, which is called garbhādhāna-saṁskāra, seed-giving ceremony. That is the Vedic function, garbhādhāna. But in the Kali-yuga all these saṁskāras are not followed strictly. Otherwise, according to śāstra, if these garbhādhāna-saṁskāra is not done... Garbhādhāna-saṁskāra is especially recommended for the brāhmaṇas, the kṣatriyas and the vaiśyas—especially the brāhmaṇas.
So now in this age no saṁskāra is adopted; therefore he remains a śūdra, janmanā jāyate śūdraḥ, because the purificatory processes are not practised. Therefore, janmanā jāyate śūdraḥ. And in this age, Kali-yuga, the processes are not observed; therefore śāstra says, kalau śūdra-sambhava. In this age, Kali-yuga, it is everyone is śūdra: kalau śūdra-sambhava.
So this process of Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is making everyone a brāhmaṇa from the śūdra stage. This is a purificatory process. Just like you see these European and American boys, they are undergoing purificatory process. Purificatory process means to avoid sinful activities. That is purificatory. If you don't act sinfully, then you are pure.