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Instructions by Mahārāja Pṛthu
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intelligence,  śūdras  should simply engage as workers to serve the higher statuses of social life. Everyone's aim should be to satisfy the Supreme Personality of Godhead by engaging his mind in thinking always of Kṛṣṇa, his words in always offering prayers to the Lord or preaching about the glories of the Lord, and his body in executing the service required to satisfy the Lord. As there are four divisions within our body—the head, the arms, the belly and the legs—similarly, human society, taken as a whole, is divided into four classes of men according to their material qualities and occupational duties. Thus the brahminical or intelligent men have to execute the duty of the head, the  kṣatriyas  must fulfill the duty of the arms, the  vaiśya  class must fulfill the duty of the belly, and the  śūdras  must fulfill the duty of the legs. In executing the prescribed duties of life, no one is higher or lower, for although there are such divisions as higher and lower, since there is actually a common interest—to satisfy the Supreme Personality of Godhead—there are no distinctions between them.
The question may be raised that since the Lord is supposed to be worshiped by great demigods like Lord Brahmā, Lord Śiva and others, how can an ordinary human being on this planet serve Him? This is clearly explained by Pṛthu Mahārāja by the use of the word  yathādhikāra , “according to one's ability.” If one sincerely executes his occupational duty, that will be sufficient. One does not need to become like Lord Brahmā, Lord Śiva, Indra, Lord Caitanya or Rāmānujācārya, whose capabilities are certainly far above ours. Even a  śūdra , who is in the lowest stage of life according to the material qualities, can achieve the same success. Anyone can become successful in devotional service provided he displays no duplicity. It is explained here that one must be very frank and open-minded ( amāyinaḥ ). To be situated in a lower status of life is not a disqualification for success in devotional service. The only qualification is that whether one is a  brāhmaṇa ,  kṣatriya ,  vaiśya  or  śūdra , he must be open, frank and free from reservations. Then, by performing his particular occupational duty under the guidance of a proper spiritual master, he can achieve the highest success in life. As confirmed by the Lord Himself,  striyo vaiśyās tathā śūdrās te 'pi yānti parām gatim  (Bg. 9.32). It does not matter what one is, whether a  brāhmaṇa ,  kṣatriya ,  vaiśya ,  śūdra  or a degraded woman. If he engages himself seriously in devotional service, working with body, mind and intelligence, he is sure to be successful in going back home, back to Godhead. The Lord's lotus feet are described here as  kāma-dughāṅghri-paṅkajam  because they have all power to fulfill the desires of everyone. A devotee is happy even in this life because—although in