This is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā (BG 9.32), wherein the Lord says:
- māṁ hi pārtha vyapāśritya ye ‘pi syuḥ pāpa-yonayaḥ
- striyo vaiśyās tathā śūdrās te ‘pi yānti parāṁ gatim
“O son of Pṛthā, those who take shelter in Me, though they be of lower birth—women, vaiśyas [merchants] and śūdras [workers]—birds, hills, watercan attain the supreme destination.”Everyone is eligible to become Kṛṣṇa’s devotee. One simply has to be trained according to the approved process. It is the work of Kṛṣṇa’s confidential devotees to turn everyone into a Kṛṣṇa bhakta. If the confidential devotees do not take up the task of elevating everyone to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then who will do it? Those who claim to be devotees but do not engage in Kṛṣṇa’s service to elevate all living creatures to Kṛṣṇa consciousness are to be considered kaniṣṭha-adhikārīs (people in the lowest stage of devotional service). When one rises to the second platform of devotional service, his business is to propagate Kṛṣṇa consciousness all over the world. Those who are active in the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement should not remain in the neophyte stage but should rise to the platform of preachers, the second platform of devotional service. Devotional service is so enchanting that even the first-class devotees (uttama-adhikārīs) also come down to the second platform to preach and render service to the Lord for the benefit of the whole world.