Text 36]
Answers by Citing the Lord's Version
527
lowest can be so elevated, then what to speak of the highest who are well versed in the Vedic knowledge? The conclusion is that devotional service of the Lord is open for all, regardless of who they are. That is the confirmation of its application for all kinds of performers of the service.
Therefore devotional service of the Lord with perfect knowledge through the training of a bona fide spiritual master is advised for everyone, even if they happen not to be human beings. This is confirmed in the  Garuḍa Purāṇa  as follows:
kīṭa-pakṣi-mṛgāṇām ca harau sannyasta-karmaṇām ūrdhvam eva gatim manye kim punar jñāninām nṛṇām
“Even the worms, birds and beasts are assured of elevation to the highest perfectional life if they are completely surrendered to the transcendental loving service of the Lord, so what to speak of those philosophers amongst the human beings?”
Therefore there is no need to seek properly qualified candidates for discharging devotional service of the Lord. Let them be either well behaved or ill trained, let them be either learned or fools, let them be either grossly attached or in the renounced order of life, let them be liberated souls or desirous of salvation, let them be inexpert in the discharge of devotional service or expert in the same, all of them can be elevated to the supreme position by discharge of devotional service under the proper guidance. This is also confirmed in the  Bhagavad-gītā  as follows:
api cet sudurācāro bhajate mām ananya-bhāk sādhur eva sa mantavyaḥ samyag vyavasito hi saḥ
mām hi pārtha vyapāśritya ye 'pi syuḥ pāpa-yonayaḥ striyo vaiśyās tathā śūdrās te 'pi yānti pārām gatim
(Bg. 9.30,32)
Even if a person is fully addicted to all sorts of sinful acts, if he happens to be engaged in the loving transcendental service of the Lord under proper guidance, he is to be considered the most perfect holy man without a doubt. And thus any person, whatsoever and whosoever he or she may be—even the fallen woman, the less intelligent laborer class or the dull mercantile type of men, or even men lower than all these—can attain the highest perfection of life by going back home, back to Godhead, provided he or she takes shelter of the lotus feet of the Lord in all earnestness. This sincere earnestness is the only qualification that can lead one to the highest