112
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
[Canto 1, Ch. 2]
PURPORT
In the  Bhagavad-gītā  (Bg. 7.3) it is said that out of many thousands of ordinary men, one fortunate man endeavors for perfection of life. Mostly they are conducted by the modes of passion and ignorance, and thus they are engaged always in lust, desire, hankerings, ignorance and sleep. Out of many such manlike animals, there is actually a man who knows the responsibility of human life and thus tries to make life perfect by following the prescribed duties. And out of such many thousands of persons who have thus attained success in human life, one may know scientifically about the Personality of Godhead Śrī Kṛṣṇa. In the same  Bhagavad-gītā  (Bg. 18.55) it is also said that scientific knowledge of Śrī Kṛṣṇa is understood only by the process of devotional service ( bhakti-yoga ).
The very same thing is confirmed herein in the above words. No ordinary man, or even one who has attained success in human life, can know scientifically or perfectly the Personality of Godhead. Perfection of human life is attained when one can understand that he is not the product of matter but is in fact spirit. And as soon as one understands that he has nothing to do with matter, he at once ceases his material hankerings and becomes enlivened as a spiritual being. This attainment of success is possible when one is above the modes of passion and ignorance, or, in other words, when one is actually a  brāhmaṇa  by qualification.  Brāhmaṇa  is the symbol of  sattra-guṇa , or the mode of goodness. And others, who are not in the mode of goodness, are either  kṣatriya ,  vaiśya ,  śūdra  or less than the  śūdras . The brahminical stage is the highest stage of human life because of its good qualities. So one cannot be a devotee unless one at least qualifies as a  brāhmaṇa . The devotee is already a  brāhmaṇa  by action. But that is not the end of it. As referred to above, such a  brāhmaṇa  has to become a  Vaiṣṇava  in fact to be actually in the transcendental stage. A pure  Vaiṣṇava  is a liberated soul and is transcendental to the position of a  brāhmaṇa  even. In the material stage even a  brāhmaṇa  is also a conditioned soul because in the brahminical stage the conception of Brahman or transcendence is realized, but in that stage scientific knowledge of the Supreme Lord is lacking. One has to surpass the brahminical stage and reach the  Vāsudeva  stage to understand the Personality of Godhead Kṛṣṇa. The science of the Personality of Godhead is the subject matter for study by the postgraduate students in the spiritual line. Foolish men, or men with a poor fund of knowledge, do not understand the Supreme Lord, and they interpret Kṛṣṇa according to their respective whims. The fact is, however, that one cannot understand the