Volume 7 - Prabhupada

Text 126] The Lord's Visit to Sri Vrndavana 195A person born in a brahmal)a family cannot perform Vedic sacrifices until he isproperly purified and has attained his sacred thread. However, according to thisverse, it is understood that even a lowborn person can immediately performsacrifices if he sincerely chants and hears the holy name of the Lord. Sometimesenvious people ask how Europeans and Americans in this Kr?r:ta consciousnessmovement can become brahmal)as and perform sacrifices. They do not know thatthe Europeans and Americans have already been purified by chanting the holyname of the Lord-Hare Kr?r:ta, Hare Kr?r:ta, Kr?r:ta Kr?r:ta, Hare Hare/Hare Rama,Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. This is the proof. Svado 'pi sadya/:1 savanayakalpate. One may be born in a family of dog-eaters, but he can perform sacrificessimply by chanting the maha-mantra.Those who find fault in the Western Vai?r:tavas should consider this statementfrom Srimad-Bhagavatam and the commentary on this verse by SrTia )Tva GosvamT.In this regard, SrTia jTva GosvamT has stated that to become a brahmal)a, one has towait for purification and undergo the sacred thread ceremony, but a chanter ofthe holy name does not have to wait for the sacred thread ceremony. We do notallow devotees to perform sacrifices until they are properly initiated in the sacredthread ceremony. Yet according to this verse, an offenseless chanter of the holyname is already fit to perform a fire ceremony, even though he is not doubly initiatedby the sacred thread ceremony. This is the verdict given by Lord Kapiladevain His instructions to His mother, DevahOti. It was Lord Kapiladeva who instructedDevahOti in pure Salikhya philosophy.TEXT 126' 'If- '!11ft '"'' I'''!11i'Pl'·ill-.t'l -'t!!fil"!il' ll lleita' mahima-tomara 'tatastha'-/ak?al)a'svarupa'-/ak?al)e tumi-'vrajendra-nandana'SYNONYMSeita' -all these; mahima -glories; tamara-Your; tatastha-lak?al)a -marginalcharacteristics; sva-rupa -original; lak?al)e-by characteristics; tumi-You; vrajendra-nandana-theson of Maharaja Nanda.TRANSLATION"These glories of Yours are only marginal. Originally You are the son ofMaharaja Nand a."PURPORTThe original characteristics of a substance are called svarupa, and the subsequentcorollaries are called tatastha-/ak?al)a, or marginal characteristics. The glo-