948
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
[Canto 1, Ch. 18]
the science of  bhakti-yoga , or devotional service of the Lord. Thus it is  para , or supreme, because although it is enriched with all knowledge and religion, it is specifically enriched with the devotional service of the Lord.
TEXT 18
सूत उवाच
अहो वर्य जन्ममृतोऽद्य हास
वृद्धानुवृत्त्यापि विलोमजाताः ।
दौष्कुल्यमाधि विधुनोति शीघ्रं
महत्तमानामधिधावयोगः
॥१८॥
sūta uvāca
aho vayam janma-bhṛto dya hāsma
vṛddhānuvṛttyāpi viloma-jātāḥ
dauṣkulyam ādhim vidhunoti śīghram
mahattamānām abhidhāna-yogaḥ
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;  mahattamānām —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 clean up 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 Naimi-ṣāraṇya, certainly the disqualification of inferior birth was washed off.