Srimad Bhagavatam – 1.18.18 | HH Bhanu Swami Maharaj | ISKCON Chennai | Nov 22, 2025
Om Namo Bhagavate Vāsudevāya
Om Namo Bhagavate Vāsudevāya
Om Namo Bhagavate Vāsudevāya
nama om vishnu-padaya krishna-preshthaya bhu-tale
srimate bhaktivedanta-svamin iti namine
namas te sarasvate deve gaura-vani-pracharine
nirvishesha-shunyavadi-pashchatya-desha-tarine
jaya sri-krishna-Caitanya
prabhu nityananda
sri-adwaita gadadhara
shrivasadi-gaura-bhakta-vrinda
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare
Reading from Srimad Bhagavatam Canto 1 Chapter 18 Verse 18.
ŚB 1.18.18
सूत उवाच
अहो वयं जन्मभृतोऽद्य हास्म
वृद्धानुवृत्त्यापि विलोमजाता: ।
दौष्कुल्यमाधिं विधुनोति शीघ्रं
महत्तमानामभिधानयोग: ॥ १८ ॥
sūta uvāca
aho vayaṁ janma-bhṛto ’dya hāsma
vṛddhānuvṛttyāpi viloma-jātāḥ
dauṣkulyam ādhiṁ vidhunoti śīghraṁ
mahattamānām abhidhāna-yogaḥ
Synonyms
sūtaḥ uvāca — Sūta Gosvāmī said; aho — how; vayam — we; janma-bhṛtaḥ — promoted in birth; adya — today; ha — clearly; āsma — have become; vṛddha-anuvṛttyā — by serving those who are advanced in knowledge; api — although; viloma-jātāḥ — born in a mixed caste; dauṣkulyam — disqualification of birth; ādhim — sufferings; vidhunoti — purifies; śīghram — very soon; mahat-tamānām — of those who are great; abhidhāna — conversation; yogaḥ — connection.
Translation
Śrī Sūta Gosvāmī said: O God, although we are born in a mixed caste, we are still promoted in birthright simply by serving and following the great who are advanced in knowledge. Even by conversing with such great souls, one can without delay cleanse oneself of all disqualifications resulting from lower births.
Purport
Sūta Gosvāmī did not take his birth in a brāhmaṇa family. He was born in a family of mixed caste, or an uncultured low family. But because of higher association, like Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī and the great ṛṣis of Naimiṣāraṇya, certainly the disqualification of inferior birth was washed off. Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu followed this principle in pursuance of the Vedic usages, and by His transcendental association He elevated many lowborn, or those disqualified by birth or action, to the status of devotional service and established them in the position of ācāryas, or authorities. He clearly stated that any man, whatever he may be, whether a brāhmaṇa or śūdra by birth, or a householder or mendicant in the order of society, if he is conversant with the science of Kṛṣṇa, he can be accepted as an ācārya or guru, a spiritual master.
Sūta Gosvāmī learned the science of Kṛṣṇa from great ṛṣis and authorities like Śukadeva and Vyāsadeva and he was so qualified that even the sages of Naimiṣāraṇya eagerly wanted to hear from him the science of Kṛṣṇa in the form of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. So he had the double association of great souls by hearing and preaching. Transcendental science, or the science of Kṛṣṇa, has to be learned from the authorities, and when one preaches the science, he becomes still more qualified. So Sūta Gosvāmī had both the advantages, and thus undoubtedly he was completely freed from all disqualifications of low birth and mental agonies. This verse definitely proves that Śrīla Śukadeva Gosvāmī did not refuse to teach Sūta Gosvāmī about the transcendental science nor did the sages of Naimiṣāraṇya refuse to hear lessons from him because of his inferior birth. This means that thousands of years ago there was no bar to learning or preaching the transcendental science because of inferior birth. The rigidity of the so-called caste system in Hindu society became prominent within only one hundred years or so when the number of dvija-bandhus, or disqualified men in the families of higher castes, increased. Lord Śrī Caitanya revived the original Vedic system, and He elevated Ṭhākura Haridāsa to the position of nāmācārya, or the authority in preaching the glories of the holy name of the Lord, although His Holiness Śrīla Haridāsa Ṭhākura was pleased to appear in a family of Mohammedans.
Such is the power of pure devotees of the Lord. The Ganges water is accepted as pure, and one can become purified after taking a bath in the waters of the Ganges. But as far as the great devotees of the Lord are concerned, they can purify a degraded soul even by being seen by the lowborn, and what to speak of association. Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu wanted to purify the whole atmosphere of the polluted world by sending qualified preachers all over the world, and it remains with the Indians to take up this task scientifically and thus do the best kind of humanitarian work. The mental diseases of the present generation are more acute than bodily diseases; it is quite fit and proper to take up the preaching of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam all over the world without delay. Mahattamānām abhidhāna also means dictionary of great devotees, or a book full of the words of great devotees. Such a dictionary of the words of great devotees and those of the Lord are in the Vedas and allied literatures, specifically the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.
HH Bhanu Swami Maharaj:
So in this verse Suta Goswami is praising association of devotees. And of course, Prabhupada in the purport, explains how the rigid rules of Varanashram are overcome by devotional service and association of devotees. So here Suta Goswami is talking about impurity due to low birth. And of course we have what are called varnas. You are born in a certain varna. So sudra is a low varna, brahmana is a high varna. And we see there is also something called the mixed varna. Here it is called the ‘viloma’ birth. And that is caused by a woman of higher birth marrying a man of lower varna. So that is considered impure. If a man of higher birth marries a woman of lower birth that is permitted. It is called ‘anuloma’. So these are classifications based on birth. And we see that Suta Goswami considered himself low born, because of his viloma birth.
So once you are born, you cannot change your parents. You could change your clothing or change your house or whatever [Laughs]. You could even change your occupation. But you can’t change your parents [Laughs]. So very difficult to remove the birth, if you have low birth. How can you get high birth? – Impossible. So the normal procedure is, you wait and you die. Next life you can get a higher birth. But here we see that, even without doing that you can become purified of your low birth. And how is that? Associating with spiritual people. Associating with devotees. In this verse in the second line it says ‘vṛddhānuvṛttyā’ – to serve and associate with the ‘vriddhas’ which literally means elders. So this does not mean associate with old people, it means associate with wise people. It means people who have great understanding, great knowledge. And of course in the Bhagavatam, this means persons who understand about Supreme Lord and bhakti. So by their association, your birth becomes changed.
Now of course there are strict people following Varanashram says, ‘No your birth cannot be changed at all’. But here we have an example, thousands of years ago, where though Suta Goswami was lower birth, he got an exalted position. This shows of course that these rules are not absolute. And it also shows the great power of bhakti. So as I said, very difficult to change your birth, but here we see his birth was no consideration. In the Bhagavatam, it is also said, one who simply chants the name of the Lord once, purely, is immediately even though he is born as a dog eater, which is even lower than this viloma birth, he is immediately qualified to do whatever a brahmana can do.
So Rupa Goswami in nectar of devotion, uses that verse to show that bhakti destroys all your karma, including your birth [Laughs]. Many people even people following the Vedas will say that, yes you can destroy your karmas for the future, but those destined for this lifetime called Prarabhdha karma, cannot be destroyed. But Bhagavatam says the opposite, bhakti will destroy even the karmas of this birth, your Prarabhdha karmas. So in other words, Bhagavatam is showing that, bhakti is so powerful that it destroys all your karmas including how you were born.
Though this is in the scripture, generally people were a little conservative or a little cautious about applying this rule. And generally, they stay it in whatever varna they were born in. But here we see an example from Bhagavatam itself of Suta Goswami. But of course, it was not so common. But when we come to Caitanya Mahaprabhu, which is thousands of years later, then suddenly Lord Caitanya does the same thing. And thus Haridas Thakur who was not even in the Varanashrama system at all, he made even to Acharya. In other words, what was in the scripture was not really applied so much but Lord Caitanya directly applied that principle. And this shows the great power of bhakti and particularly chanting the holy name. So in this way, and ofcourse there are other examples in Lord Caitanya’s life also, he demonstrates how bhakti is superior to all other rules.
The rules of Varnashram, the rules of karma yoga are for purification. But bhakti and nama sankirtan is a higher form of purification. It is also a quicker form of purification. And of course that purification is simply a side effect of bhakti. And thus in Nectar of Devotion, Rupa Goswami states that one of the first effects of bhakti is that, ‘Kleshagini’ – all your karmas, all your vasanas are destroyed. But this is not the goal of bhakti at all. Bhakti is simply ‘Krishna Anusilanam’, cultivating an affectionate relationship with Krishna. And this purification, destruction of karma, destruction of bad birth, is a side effect. And it happens without any endeavor. So Ajamila chanted the name of Narayana to name his son. Immediately all his karma was gone. The dog-eater utters the name of the Lord, immediately all his karma was gone.
You can get all your karmas destroyed also, by following Varanashram and then following Jnana. But this will take hundreds and hundreds of births. And through chanting the holy name, through the process of bhakti, it happens immediately. And for that reason, Caitanya Mahaprabhu was recommending Nama Sankirtan as the process for everybody in Kali Yuga. Of course, for the devotees following Lord Caitanya, the goal is, not to elevate their varna within this lifetime, the goal is not to become brahmanas. Of course, some people will say, unless we are brahminical, we cannot practice bhakti properly. But Caitanya Mahaprabhu refuses, because he makes someone who is not even in the Varanashram system, the acharya. He didn’t say to Haridas Thakur, that you have to be born as a brahmin and elevate to the level of a brahmin. He did not considered that at all, he simply made him acharya. And how? Because he chanted the name of the Lord constantly.
So therefore, the goal of chanting is not to become a brahmin or to raise your varna, but to surpass everything. So by the practice of bhakti, the devotee automatically surpasses the whole Varanashram system. And that we see in this verse also.
Hare Krsna !
Q & A:
1.) Maharaj, in this sloka, ‘vṛddhānuvṛttya’ which means, by serving those who are advanced in knowledge, it is giving specifically about knowledge, not about pure devotees. How to understand that?
Well, of course, ‘vrddha’ means an elder, so it could be knowledge, but then we have to say what type of knowledge. So, one can be advanced in mathematics or biology, so that doesn’t obviously mean that type of knowledge [Laughs]. So, definitely it would have to be authorized spiritual knowledge, that is Vedic knowledge [Laughs]. But of course, even people who know the Vedas are not necessarily in a very advanced position.
So therefore, Lord Caitanya says, okay, we have various types of people, and then we have people in the Varnashram system, they are higher than the other people who are not following, and among those we have the brahmanas. They are the higher, highest part of the Varnashram system. But higher than the brahmanas, is a brahmana actually following all the principles properly [Laughs]. And of course, if he has real knowledge of the Vedas, then he becomes a Vaishnava, who is higher than that brahmana [Laughs]. So ultimately, the devotee is the most mature in knowledge [Laughs]. Of course, even the word knowledge itself does not necessarily just mean something intellectual. Often in the commentaries, our Acharyas will equate vidya, which means knowledge, with Bhakti.
2.) Hare Krishna Maharaj. Maharaj, we see when Uddhava, Krishna sent Uddhava to Vrindavan and Uddhava came back, he was actually aspiring to become a blade of grass in the mood of servant of servant of Vrindavan Gopis. At the same time, we hear that in the final days, Krishna gave instructions to Uddhava, which we see practically in Bhagavatam 11 canto. And then Krishna tells him that you go to Badrika ashram and perform devotional service there. So where did actually Uddhava, what was Uddhava’s destination at the end? Which place he, which mood he attained?
So Uddhava was a very advanced devotee. He is also an eternal associate. So after Krishna’s disappearance, he does not take another body. He is eternally Uddhava. Among the Yadus, he was very special and therefore he was selected by Krishna to deliver the message to Nanda, Yasoda and the Gopis. The other Yadus never entered Vrindavan at all. So Krishna selected him, because he would understand the nature of the Prema of the people of Vrindavan. And when he returned to Mathura and gave a report to Krishna, then he said that yes, these people of Vrindavan are greater devotees than we are, that is the Yadus.
And though he aspires to have devotion like the Gopis, it is not that he is aspiring for Madhurya rasa. But he is aspiring for a similar intensity within his own rasa. And of course, he was actually superior to all the other Yadus because his rasa was such that he could appreciate the people of Vrindavan.
3.) Maharaj, we see this, we have four Sampradayas. All the Sampradaya Acharyas, those who live in the Sampradaya, we see they are major brahmana, not the sudra or vaishya or kshatriya. So does it mean that if you want to lead some kind of very responsible work, that birth is very important?
Of course, these are Vaishnava Sampradayas, but a lot of it is based upon Veda. And thus, you should be qualified to study the Vedas. Of course, you could be a vaishya or a kshatriya also. But as I said, even after Krishna, even up to the time of Lord Caitanya, the society was very conservative. So it would be very difficult for a low caste person or a mleccha to lead a spiritual movement in the Vedic society [Laughs]. So, there is always the principle that you follow the rules of the Vedas in order to encourage other people, even if you are beyond the rules.
So, therefore, even though Krishna says, give up all dharmas, literally, they don’t give up all dharmas [Laughs], the Acharyas [Laughs]. So, they often interpret it as, give up the results of all your actions in dharmas. And follow that to encourage other people. So, that was the principle generally they followed up until the time of Lord Caitanya. So it was quite revolutionary when Lord Caitanya says, Haridasa Thakur is Namacharya. That’s very different [Laughs].
Devotee: Many brahmanas could not accept this Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s statement that Haridasa Thakur is in exalted position. But Advaita Acharya, who is also Acharya, means a brahmana, but he accepted it.
HH Bhanu Swami Maharaj: What’s that?
Devotee: Advaita Acharya, he accepted it.
HH Bhanu Swami Maharaj: Yeah, yeah.
Devotee: Because he is a brahmana. So is there any rule that if one brahmana accepts the proposal, then everyone has to accept?
HH Bhanu Swami Maharaj: The brahmana has to accept first?
Devotee: Because see, Advaita Acharya, he accepted it, that yes, Namacharya, his position is very high, although he is not a brahmana. But because of Advaita Acharya’s acceptance, all the brahmanas accepted.
HH Bhanu Swami Maharaj: Well, of course, mainly because Lord Caitanya did it, then everybody accepted. But of course, Advaita Acharya also accepted.
Of course, we have Krishna reciting Bhagavad Gita. So I can’t accept Krishna. He is a kshatriya [Laughs]. Or Krishna gives teachings to the Gopis or to the people of Vraja. He is a Vaishya. We can’t accept that [Laughs]. Yeah [Laughs]. Yeah, so here also, whole Bhagavatam [Laughs]. No, Suta is telling, tell us the Bhagavatam. But he is not even a brahmana also [Laughs]. And actually, in Upanishads like Brhadaranyaka Upanishad, whole sections are spoken by a woman. Yeah. Gargi and Maitreyi, women are speaking whole Vedic teachings, Vedanta. They are teaching Vedanta [Laughs]. And all the Acharyas accept those words [Laughs].
4.) Maharaj, principally speaking, can a disciple be more advanced than the spiritual master?
Yeah, so, of course, one accepts a Guru because he is in a superior position to give knowledge. But the disciple may advance more than the Guru even. Of course, that would mean the Guru is not in the highest position. And that is also accepted, because it says that you worship Gurus, but according to their spiritual position, you give more worship to the higher one and less to the other one.
So, the Gurus could be of various levels of realization. And we see in the case of Dhruva, his mother taught him. So, she was a Siksha Guru, but Dhruva surpassed his mother. Of course, we have Vedavyasa teaching Sukadeva Goswami but then Sukadeva is considered making the Bhagavatam sweeter [Laughs]. And why was that? Because his realization of the pastimes of Krishna was greater.
Devotee: In that case, that disciple is receiving some Siksha from some higher Guru in that case ? Should we understand like this? In that case, when the disciple is more advanced than the Guru.
HH Bhanu Swami Maharaj: In the case of Dhruva, he got mercy of Narada Muni [Laughs]. In the case of Sukadeva, we don’t see other people you know, teaching him, but of course, he did get the mercy of Krishna.
5.) Maharaj, we are very grateful for the knowledge you have imparted us Maharaj. Question is, what can be the obstacles or danger of association through vani seva? And how to overcome these obstacles, Maharaj?
Well, vani seva means you hear instructions and you follow instructions. So, if we don’t follow the instructions, we get teachings, but we don’t accept them, or we don’t follow them, then obviously that’s offense.
So, of course, any of the offenses in the Holy Name could apply there. So, Guru says, Name is non-different from Krishna. So, then the disciple says, no, no, no, that cannot be. Name is material. Or Name can only give material benefits, like swargaloka. Or Guru says, don’t preach to the faithless, and you go out and spread Holy Name to all the faithless people. Then, Nama aparadha again [Laughs].
Hare Krishna !
Devotees: Grantharaj Srimad Bhagavatam ki jai!!! HH Bhanu Swami Maharaj ki jai!!! Srila Prabhupada ki jai!!!