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Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
[Canto 4, Ch. 21]
material attachment and be satisfied. In this world there is no fruitive activity superior to serving the  brāhmaṇa  class, for this can bring pleasure to the demigods for whom the many sacrifices are recommended.
PURPORT
In  Bhagavad-gītā  it is said:  prasāde sarva-duḥkhānāṁ hānir asyopajāyate  (Bg. 2.65). Unless one is self-satisfied, he cannot be free from the miserable conditions of material existence. Therefore it is essential to render service to the  brāhmaṇas  and  Vaiṣṇavas  to achieve the perfection of self-satisfaction. Śrīla Narottama dāsa Thākura therefore says:
tāṅdera caraṇa sevi bhakta-sane vāsa janame janame haya, ei abhilāṣa
“Birth after birth I desire to serve the lotus feet of the  ācāryas  and live in a society of devotees.” A spiritual atmosphere can be maintained only by living in a society of devotees and by serving the orders of the  ācāryas . The spiritual master is the best  brāhmaṇa . At present, in the age of Kali, it is very difficult to render service to the  brāhmaṇa-kula  or the  brāhmaṇa  class. The difficulty, according to the  Varāha Purāṇa , is that demons, taking advantage of Kali-yuga, have taken birth in  brāhmaṇa  families.  Rākṣasāḥ kalim āśritya jāyante brahma-yoniṣu (Varāha Purāṇa) . In other words, in this age there are many so-called caste  brāhmaṇas  and caste Gosvāmīs who, taking advantage of the  śāstra  and of the innocence of people in general, claim to be  brāhmaṇas  and  Vaiṣṇavas  by hereditary right. One will not derive any benefit by rendering service to such false  brāhmaṇa-kulas . One must therefore take shelter of a bona fide spiritual master and his associates and should also render service to them, for such activity will greatly help the neophyte in attaining full satisfaction. This has been very clearly explained by Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Thākura in his explanation of the verse  vyavasāyātmikā buddhir ekeha kuru-nandana  (Bg. 2.41). By actually following the regulated principles of  bhakti-yoga  as recommended by Śrīla Narottama dāsa Thākura, one can very quickly come to the transcendental platform of liberation, as explained in this verse ( atyanta-śamam ). The particular use of the word  anativelam  (“without delay”) is very significant because simply by serving  brāhmaṇas  and  Vaiṣṇavas  one can get liberation. There is no need to undergo severe penances and austerities. The vivid example of this is Nārada Muni himself. In his previous birth, he was simply a maidservant’s son, but he got the opportunity to serve exalted  brāhmaṇas  and  Vaiṣṇavas , and thus in his