It does not matter where one is from, what family or occupation he has. All he has to do is take to Krishna consciousness and he can attain the highest perfection. Herein Srila Prabhupada explains the process of diksa and the duty of Indians.
One may question how he becomes purified. He's born of a family of dog-eaters. How he becomes purified? It requires . . . according to smarta consideration, he requires next birth. There are two processes of Vedic understanding, Smarta-vicara and Gosvami-vicara. According to Smarta-vicara, unless a person born in a low-grade family takes another birth, he cannot be eligible to become a brahmin. But according to Gosvami-vicara, if he's properly initiated by a bona fide Vaisnava, then he becomes more than a brahmin. Svadyo 'pi sadyah. Immediately he becomes eligible to perform sacrifices.
So the problem is that at the present moment we are not taking care . . . I mean that our Indian brahmins, those who are spiritual leaders, they are not actually taking care of the fallen souls. But in the Bhagavad-gita it is sanctioned, it is said clearly: mam hi partha vyapasritya ye 'pi syuh papa-yonayah (BG 9.32). Any person born of low-grade family, papa-yoni, striyo vaisyas tatha sudras te 'pi yanti param gatim . . . so it is the duty of the elevated person, brahmins and Vaisnavas, to take charge of this business. Krsna says, ye 'pi syuh papa-yonayah. Never mind one is born in low-grade family, but he can go back to home, back to Godhead. Te 'pi yanti param gatim.
So who will take the initiative to elevate these persons? Unless one who is expert does not take interest for elevating these fallen souls, then how they will be elevated? This is problem. But we are not careful about these affair. Caitanya Mahaprabhu therefore indicated that:
bharata-bhumite manusya janma haila yara
janma sarthaka kari' kara paropakara
(CC Adi 9.41)
This is paropakara. Those who are born in low-grade family . . .
The most regrettable fact is that in India the brahmins and Vaisnavas, they did not take care of the fallen souls. Once one becomes, somehow or other, a Muhammadan, he has no more chance to come back to the Hindu society. This policy was being followed. And therefore the result is that these fallen souls, whom we call fallen souls, the Muhammadans, they partitioned. Now we are crying.
Not only that. I think, from historical point of view, this whole planet was India, Bharata-varsa. This planet was called Bharata-varsa—not this portion of land. But because gradually the Vedic culture become diminished, they separated from this Vedic culture, as we have got actual experience, and within twenty years the Pakistan is taken away from India.
So if we follow that policy that one who is born in India as brahmin, except him, nobody can become brahmin, then this Vedic civilization will be, in due course of time, lost. We should be very careful. Therefore this Krsna consciousness movement is spreading Vedic culture outside India, and they are welcoming it, those who are intelligent, they are welcoming it. They are accepting it. We should encourage them. Instead of discouraging this movement, we should encourage, so that the whole world can be united on the platform of this Krsna consciousness movement. If we simply hate low-grade families, low-grade men, that will not solve the problem.
Just like when there was political movement in India, the Britishers, they presented so many problems—just like the untouchables, the Muhammadans and so many things. The Britishers, they put forward these problems they were not willing to separate the British rule. Only some high class, higher section of the Hindu, they are trying to separate the British rule. At that time, Gandhi stamped the chamars and the bhangis as harijana. But means as soon as there was the word "harijana," immediately a person would be considered coming from the chamars and the bhangis.
But such exalted title, harijana, is offered to personalities like Narada, Brahma, those who are actually associates with Hari. But according to sastra, there is no objection to accept these chamars and the bhangis or any low-grade family to make him harijana, provided he accepts the lotus feet of Krsna in a regular way, by the Vaisnava vidhana.
Just recommended by the Gosvamis, Sanatana Gosvami: tatha diksa-vidhanena dvijatvam jayate nrnam. Diksa-vidhanena, by the proper initiative process, one can become dvija, twice-born. Nrnam. Tatha, yatha kan . . .
yatha kancanatam yati
kamsyam rasa-vidhanena
tatha diksa-vidhanena
dvijatvam jayate nrnam
(Hari-bhakti-vilasa 2.12)
This is the injunction of Sanatana Gosvami. Just like by chemical manipulation, by mercury, with kamsya, bell metal . . . this is the suggestion given by Sanatana Gosvami, that as bell metal can be transformed into gold by mixing with mercury, similarly—it is a question of manipulating—similarly, by expert manipulation, even a . . . any man, not low or high, it doesn't matter, any man can be transformed into a brahmin, dvija, twice-born.
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