Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 7.11.35
Manvantara· The Manus and right dutyQualities and Activities Matter More Than Birth
“If one shows the symptoms of being a brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya or śūdra, as described above, even if he has appeared in a different class, he should be accepted according to those symptoms of classification.”
What the purport teaches
- Nārada Muni states that social classification should depend on a person's qualities and activities, not birth alone. Birth without the corresponding qualifications is insufficient.
- A person born in a śūdra family who develops brahminical qualities should be accepted as a brāhmaṇa. Someone born in a brāhmaṇa family without those qualifications is called a brahma-bandhu.
- The Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is meant to develop brahminical qualities regardless of one's community of birth. These qualifications are also necessary before one can accept sannyāsa.
Try this today
When considering someone today, name one quality shown by their actions rather than judging them by their birth.
Ask yourself
Do I judge people by their family background or by their actual qualities and conduct?
Carry the question through the day, then answer it in your own words before sleep.
The study points, practice and question are short summaries drawn from Śrīla Prabhupāda's translation and purport. Read the full purport to go deeper.